Qustodio Parental Control Review

We tested Qustodio hands-on and liked its usability overall.
Most customizable: Kids Safety Awards
4 out of 5 stars
4
  • pro
    Intuitive interface
  • pro
    Discreet monitoring
  • pro
    Time limit controls
  • pro
    Website filtering options
Kasey Tross
Jun 17, 2024
Icon Time To Read4 min read

SafeWise experts have years of firsthand experience testing the products we recommend. Learn how we test and review

Qustodio is a parental control app for computers, tablets, and smartphones that helps you monitor your kids’ screen time and prevent them from seeing inappropriate content. You can set specific filters and time limits for websites and apps they use and supervise their device usage history.

We picked Qustodio as the most customizable parental control app in our first-ever Kids Safety Awards.

pro
PROS
pro Easy installation and use
pro Multiple device management
pro Bonus features e.g. location monitoring and panic button
con
CONS
con Antivirus software conflicts
con Less compatibility with iOS devices
con No uninstall protection

Compared to similar products, Qustodio is a little more expensive than other high-ranking apps. However, it comes with extra features like a panic button and SMS monitoring, making it great for combating cyberbullying. You can see text messages and block contacts from specific phone numbers. Qustodio also has a user-friendly interface, location tracking, and geofencing, but unfortunately, it doesn’t have a tamper-alert feature.

Compare Qustodio pricing and plans

Plan
Annual fee
Number of devices
Phone support
Onboarding and rule setup assistance
Learn more
Basic plan
$54.95
5
Icon No  LightNo
Icon No  LightNo
Complete plan
$99.95
Unlimited
Icon Yes  LightYes with Care Plus
Icon Yes  LightYes with Care Plus

Data as of post date. Offers and availability subject to change.

Qustodio features

We love that Qustodio works on a range of different devices:

  • Android 
  • Mac OSX
  • iOS
  • Chromebook
  • Kindle
  • Windows computers (but not Windows phones)

Each Qustodio plan includes these features:

  • Internet and mobile app monitoring
  • Web filtering
  • Pause internet access
  • Device blocking routines
  • Daily time limit
  • Online reporting dashboard
  • 30-day activity reports
  • Panic button (only available on Android)

Qustodio Free does a great job on basic protection, but if you have multiple devices or multiple kids, you'll probably want to invest in the Complete plan for full protection and monitoring across all your kids' devices. This is what additional access to with a Complete paid plan:

  • Web activity alerts
  • Blocked website alerts
  • Custom app and website rules routines
  • Games and apps time limits
  • App download alerts
  • YouTube monitoring
  • Calls and messages monitoring
  • Saved places alerts
  • Care Plus (upon request)

Some features aren't available on particular devices due to privacy restrictions, but this problem is consistent with virtually every parental control app. It's out of Qustodio's control.

laptop showing qustodio dashboard

Qustodio usability and alerts

The Qustodio interface is easy to navigate, so even less tech-savvy parents shouldn't have a problem setting up specific guidelines for their kids' devices. It has some cool features like the Activity Timeline and Panic Button, too.

Rather than just a list of the sites your child has visited, the Activity Timeline shows a minute-by-minute breakdown of all your child's activity on their device, including the apps they used and websites they visited.

In addition to allowing or blocking certain categories of websites, the Qustodio app can alert you if a child accesses a specific type of website, like a file-sharing or chat site. The app allows kids to access some potentially risky—but not totally unsafe—sites, but you’ll get an alert when that happens. That way, you can keep an eye on their activity.

Qustodio flaws

Qustodio is pretty solid when it comes to security, but there's no feature to alert you if your child tries to alter the settings on the app.

Many parents give younger children hand-me-down phones, mobile devices, and tablets after an upgrade, but depending on how old the devices are, Qustodio’s parental control software may not work on them. Check out the Qustodio site for system requirements and supported platforms to find out if the software is compatible with your devices.

We got several incompatibility messages from our antivirus software when we installed Qustodio on a Mac, and the Qustodio website even warns against this. The company recommends uninstalling antivirus software and then reinstalling it after you install Qustodio.

Compare parental control app prices

Product
Best for
Monthly starting price
Free version available
Maximum number of devices
Trial period
Learn more
Read review
Best overall
Icon No  LightNo
Unlimited7 days
Best contact management
Icon No  LightNo
514 days
Best free version
Icon No  LightNo
153 days
Best management tools
Icon Yes  LightYes
15 3 days
Best for full device access
Icon No  LightNo
Surcharge for every extra deviceNone

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read full disclaimer.
*Paid annually: $54.95/yr. for 1 device
†Paid annually: $69.95/yr. for 1 device

Final word

If you're looking to go beyond basic pornography protection and want software that will help you keep your kids safe from cyberbullying through text messages, Qustodio is a good choice.

Its time limit controls help keep kids safe from screen addiction, too, which is great for today’s high-tech households. Just keep in mind that it's more expensive than other parental control options, and it doesn't always play well with iOS devices.

How we reviewed Qustodio

Image: Qustodio

To write our Qustodio review, we downloaded the software and tested it ourselves to see how it operated in real-world situations. We read what others were saying about it, and we compared it to similar products. Find out more about our review process by checking out SafeWise's methodology.

When we downloaded the free Qustodio app, we got an instant three-day free trial  of the Premium version. And, unlike many free trials, the Qustodio Premium trial didn't require a credit card number, so we didn't have to worry about canceling after the three free days.

Three days isn't a lot of time to test out a parental control product. Children's device activities are unpredictable and can vary from one day to the next. On top of that, you want to make sure the software can handle whatever your kid throws at it. We'd like to see a seven-day trial, at minimum, for this kind of software.

If you do subscribe, Qustodio gives support preference to customers with Complete subscriptions. If you often need tech support, consider upgrading to reduce wait time, or add on the Care Plus package for an additional fee.

Qustodio FAQs

Net Nanny and Qustodio share many of the same features, including web filtering, time limits, and activity monitoring, but there are a few differences between the two. Net Nanny does not have a panic button, but Qustodio does not have language and image censoring like Net Nanny does. Net Nanny is also less expensive than Qustodio—but barely.

The biggest difference in Qustodio's cost is that the Basic version lets you protect only five devices, while the Complete package offers unlimited device support. Both paid packages offer helpful tools such as games and app blocking, daily time limits, and web filtering.

Qustodio works on multiple devices including Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android, iOS, and Kindle.

No, Qustodio does not currently offer this feature.

Yes. Facebook monitoring doesn't start working until either you or your child log into their Facebook account on their device and allow Qustodio to access account information. Keep in mind that it may take a little while for it to connect after logging in—it took us about an hour after connecting Qustodio to a Facebook account to start seeing Facebook activity on our Qustodio online dashboard.

Yes, your child can delete Qustodio from the child's device. 

These parental control apps do have uninstall protection:


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Amazon.com price as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read full disclaimer.
*First year only. Regular price $99.48/yr.
**First year only. Regular price $59.99/yr.

Kasey Tross
Written by
Kasey Tross
Kasey is a trained Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member and a freelance writer with expertise in emergency preparedness and security. As the mother of four kids, including two teens, Kasey knows the safety concerns parents face as they raise tech-savvy kids in a connected world, and she loves to research the latest security options for her own family and for SafeWise readers.

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