FamilyTime App Review

We researched over a dozen parental control apps and FamilyTime is a top pick.
Family favorite: Kids Safety Awards
FamilyTime
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5
Monitoring starts at
$69.00
/yr
  • pro
    Multiple subscription options
  • pro
    Free version
  • con
    No email monitoring

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Alina Bradford
Nov 07, 2022
Icon Time To Read4 min read

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

Out of the many parental control apps we’ve researched and reviewed, FamilyTime is one of our favorites. It allows you full control over how your child uses their phone. From app blocking to tracking, it does almost everything. It also has some nifty features that can ease the mind of parents of both younger and older kids.

We picked FamilyTime as our family-favorite parental control app in our first-ever Kids Safety Awards.

pro
Pros
pro Geofencing and location tracking
pro Panic button
pro Text and call monitoring
con
Cons
con No email monitoring
con Limited social media monitoring
con 3-day trial period

FamilyTime cost

FamilyTime offers a free version and a premium version that starts at $27 per year.

The free version includes a few features:

  • Call tracking
  • App installation and app usage tracking
  • SOS panic button
  • Web-based online parental dashboard
  • Mobile parental dashboard

The premium version includes those features, plus many more:

  • Location tracking and geofence with check-in/checkout alerts
  • Contacts viewing
  • Internet scheduling (on Android phones only)
  • Internet filtering
  • Text message tracking
  • Bookmark and web history tracking
  • Screen time limits by app
  • App blocker with alerts for when your child tries to download a blocked app
  • Bedtime mode
  • Homework mode
  • Dinnertime mode
  • Phone locking modes
  • Content filters
  • TeenSafe Drive tool that lets you know when your teen is speeding
  • PickMeUp reminders to pick up your child
  • FunTime mode
  • Watchlist contact alerts to know when your kid is contacting certain people
  • TimeBank feature that lets your kids earn screen time

Compare FamilyTime monthly costs

The premium version is priced by how many devices are monitored by the account. Since you can monitor up to five devices, various premium version prices exist. It’s important to note the annual cost since FamilyTime bills annually.

Even at its highest price point, FamilyTime is affordable when compared to other parental control apps like Qustodio.

Plan
Monthly cost
Annual cost
Number of devices
Learn More
MyFamily $2.25$27.001
MyFamily 2 $2.92$35.002
MyFamily 3 $3.75$45.003
MyFamily 5 $5.75$69.005

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

FamilyTime free trial

If you’re not sure you’re going to like FamilyTime, they give you three days to try it out for free. Bark gives you a trial period of seven days, and MMGuardian gives you a whopping 14 days for free, so three days doesn’t seem like a lot of time comparatively. But at least you get to try the app out.

The big problem is that the trial doesn’t let you try out all the premium features. We couldn’t get access to the text messaging monitoring during the trial.

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

FamilyTime screentime modes and protections

The thing that sets FamilyTime apart from its competitors is the amount of control you have over your child’s media consumption. You can regulate what your child has access to on their phone during meals, bedtime, playtime, and school. You can also limit (only on iOS) or schedule (only on Android) screen time or block dangerous apps for kids and unwanted phone contacts altogether.

Need to talk to your tot, but they’re glued to their device? The pause mode lets you temporarily lock the phone so you can get a word in without getting interrupted by Peppa Pig.

You kid can also roll over unused screen time to use later in a mode called FunTime. This can be a great way to encourage your kiddo to use their phones less on school days and rack up those screen time minutes for the weekends or that long drive to Nanna’s.

FamilyTime media tracking

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FamilyTime lets you track just about anything your kid may do with their phone, with one big exception. You can’t track any social media apps except for YouTube and TikTok. You can block other social media apps but can’t track them.

Still, just YouTube and TikTok tracking is a big step up from Qustodio and SentryPC, which offer no social media tracking. We’d like for it to offer full coverage, though, like Bark.

FamilyTime has extra features we loved

""

Beyond monitoring your child, FamilyTime has a few extra features that are super helpful to parents. Two of them are the PickMeUp and SOS buttons. When your kid needs you to come get them, all they need to do is open the app, tap the car icon, and then tap it again. A message is sent to your phone with the location of your child. They can tap the SOS icon to let you know they are in a dangerous situation.

We can think of a lot of times these buttons could be useful, particularly when your child is in a bad situation and needs you ASAP. They can quickly tell you where they are without a lot of typing. We particularly like that if your child is lost they can tell you where they are without knowing the exact location too.

One of the most unique things about the FamilyTime app is the Teen Safe Drive feature that will be available soon. With this nifty tool, the app monitors your teen’s driving and will tell you when your teen drives too fast.

The family locator map with two family members icons on it.

The family locator is also a nice touch. With a press of a button, the locator will present you with a map and the location of all your family members using your FamilyTime account.

Our FamilyTime testing experience

While we really like FamilyTime features, using the app was a little disappointing. The first thing that threw us was the ads. Yup. As soon as the app opened, there was a full-screen ad with a little button you had to tap to leave the ad and get to the app.

Another problem was the family location tracker didn’t update as it should. It showed that the kid’s phone was still in the same location an hour after it moved to another location. That’s less than helpful if you want to keep tabs on your child.

Final word

If you want to control exactly how your child uses their device throughout the day in multiple ways, then FamilyTime is the best parental control app. Its location tracker isn’t great, but it makes up for it with a wide variety of helpful features.

FamilyTime FAQ

There is a free version, but it only lets you track calls, app installation, and app usage and gives your kid a panic button. For all the other features, you will need to sign up for a premium plan that starts at $27 per year.

It’s an app that helps you control how your child uses their phone to protect your child online and off. You can see who they are calling and texting, block apps, schedule screen time, limit screen time, and more. You can also use it to track your child’s location. Your child can use FamilyTime Jr. to send you SOS alerts with their location if they are in trouble.

Yes, the app is available in the Apple Store and the Google Play Store.

Unfortunately, no. Apple has strict rules that apps cannot track calls and texts. You can use geofencing and block apps though. Some competitors, like Boomerang, don’t offer those features to iOS users.

How we reviewed FamilyTime

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Image: SafeWise. 

For our FamilyTime app review, we downloaded the FamilyTime parental control app and FamilyTime Jr. kid’s app and put them to work. We drove the child’s phone all around town, and tried it using various apps and more. We also compared it to over a dozen top parental control brands. For more on how we test products and services, see our methodology page.

Alina Bradford
Written by
Alina Bradford
Alina is a safety and security expert that has contributed her insights to CNET, CBS, Digital Trends, MTV, Top Ten Reviews, and many others. Her goal is to make safety and security gadgets less mystifying one article at a time. In the early 2000s, Alina worked as a volunteer firefighter, earning her first responder certification and paving the way to her current career. Her activities aren’t nearly as dangerous today. Her hobbies include fixing up her 100-year-old house, doing artsy stuff, and going to the lake with her family.

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