If you're serious about your children's online safety, you've undoubtedly already looked into monitoring software and parental control. Today, we will examine Norton Family and Qustodio, two of the most popular parental control programs.

Given it's popularity, Norton Family may appear to be the most obvious pick, but does it provide the most bang for your buck? To find out, we will compare them feature by feature in this in-depth analysis.

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Norton Family vs Qustodio - Comparison of all features:-

Blocking and Filtering

Both Qustodio and Norton Family have powerful blocking and filtering capabilities, and they even share several tools.

For example, both apps contain pre-programmed website banning categories, which means that websites related to common, hazardous topics are automatically blocked. Both parental control programs provide a safe search tool and allow you to add specific URLs to block.

Both apps also include a robust blocking feature, with settings for Block/Restrict, Allow, and Alert/Warn for each website. Allow allows the device to access the material normally, whilst Block blocks access to the website. Finally, the Alarm option allows the device to access the content while also sending an alert each time it is accessed.

Only Qustodio, on the other hand, provides a Block by Content feature that restricts websites based on their content material instead of their tags. If the websites have been hacked to display other material or have purposefully misleading tags, this can be useful.

Winner: Qustodio. We found Qustodio's blocking functions to be more complete than Norton Family's.

Tracking

Although the internet can be extremely beneficial, it can also be extremely detrimental to youngsters. They may be exposed to unsuitable content for their age and potentially harmful opinions if they are not supervised by an adult.

As a result, one of the most basic aspects of a parental control tool should be tracking in order to provide parents with more insight into their children's online activity.

Qustodio and Norton Family may both do this by logging all of the web portals browsed on the target device. The similarities, however, end there.

Qustodio can track all of the apps/programs that were used by the targeted device at any given point in time, in addition to webpages. It can also display to you how much time you spend on a monitored activity like app usage.

Norton lacks those functions, but it can effectively record and report on all web searches made by the targeted device.

Winner: Qustodio. Even though both apps have a nice, slick tracking feature, Qustodio has more added functions and is invariably more helpful for parents. We are giving Qustodio this round.  

Social Media

Everyone, including your children, is on social media these days. People communicate and socialize primarily through social media and instant messaging apps.

Permitting your children to use social media is a wonderful thing to do as a parent. You should, however, only do so under under supervision. Bullying, exposure to unsuitable content, and access to potentially harmful individuals can all occur on social media. As a result, you'll need to be able to monitor social media effectively.

Norton Family and Qustodio, however, do not provide many features in this area.

Both programs can track your YouTube searches, but Norton Family has more features. Norton will not only tell you what your youngster looked up and watched, but it will also store a thumbnail and even a video clip. This allows you to quickly determine whether or not the content is suitable for your kid without having to access YouTube.

However, only Qustodio has the ability to monitor Facebook. One can see their children's Facebook postings and likes with the Qustodio browser plug-in. If the Qustodio plugin is uninstalled, it also features an anti-tamper mechanism that prohibits youngsters from signing in.

Winner: Stalemate – Because both services provide nearly identical functionality and have modest advantages over one another, I have decided that social media coverage is a tie.

Geofencing

It is critical at all times for parents to be aware of their children's whereabouts. There's a lot that may go wrong outside, and parents must be ready for anything. It's also critical to keep kids from travelling to places they shouldn't, such as a crowded district or a dangerous neighborhood.

All of this stuff is possible with geofencing. With this function, both Qustodio Premium and Norton Family can impose geographic limits.

You may choose a spot, give it a name, and then draw a border around it on the map using Qustodio. You will be notified and informed if the target device moves outside of that border. Qustodio can select a minimum and maximum border of 100 and 200 meters, respectively.

The geofencing capabilities of Norton Family are also rather impressive. Norton can build geofences with diameters ranging anywhere from 100 meters up to 3,200 meters. You can also alter the location pin by dragging and repositioning it, and the boundary will adjust as well.

There's also a feature exclusive to Norton Family: not only will you be informed if the targeted device departs the geofence, but you can also set alerts for when it enters a specific zone. This can provide parents immense peace of mind, knowing that their kids are safe and sound.

Winner: Norton Family is the winner thanks to its more sophisticated geofencing features.

Management and Control

Children usually have no idea how to behave online or how to manage their gaming time. As a result, a good parental control app should allow parents to regulate some facets of the targeted device's digital pursuits.

Qustodio and Norton Family both do admirably in this regard. Both apps allow for remote control of the target device, as well as the creation of real-time usage restrictions. They are also password-protected to prevent tampering and removal.

Only Qustodio, however, can be hidden from the system tray and the home screen. Because the Norton Family app icon is prominent, children are conscious that they are being observed.

Furthermore, Qustodio's app banning features are more sophisticated. Depending on your preferences, you can modify an app's status to Blocked, Allowed, or even limit it's usage time. This allows parents to manage which apps are used and for how long.

Winner: Qustodio. Qustodio's invisibility feature helps parents better supervise their children's digital activities. Because children are less likely to do forbidden activities while they are aware that they are being observed, they are more likely to do them in secret.

In addition, Qustodio provides more thorough app banning options, allowing parents to adjust their limits to their children's individual needs. For this round, I award another victory to Qustodio.

Reporting and Alerts

Although keeping an eye on our children's safety is critical, we can't always be on our phones. Reports and alerts assist us to make the most of our time by allowing us to skim only the most important information while still knowing that we'll be notified if something goes wrong.

Qustodio and Norton Family both provide an online dashboard that provides critical information over time. Both apps allow you to configure email alerts, which will notify you if the target device tries to access banned content or enters a geofenced area. This facilitates parents to keep a better eye on their children.

Only Qustodio, on the other hand, may send reports directly to your inbox. You can only read the weekly or monthly reports for Norton Family on your Norton Family online account, which is inconvenient.

Winner: Qustodio is the winner despite the fact that both can send email notifications, only via Qustodio, you can receive reports directly to your email, making it simple and convenient to check on vital information even if you don't log in to your online account.

Scheduling

While accessing the internet can be enjoyable and even educational, too much of it is undoubtedly bad. This is especially evident in children, who lack the ability or the initiative to successfully manage their time.

If they're left alone, they'll develop undesirable and unhealthy behaviors based on excessive technology use, which will only get worse as they get older.

As a result, it's critical for parents to limit their children's cell phone usage while they're still young. Set a consistent and acceptable timetable and time restriction for your children's phone usage to help with this.

Both apps functioned admirably in this regard. Both Qustodio and Norton Family allow you to establish time limitations for internet access, preventing the target device from going over their daily limit. There is a nice default setting, but parents can change these time limits whenever they choose.

Depending on the level of restriction, both apps also allow users to schedule internet access for specified days and hours. Finally, both applications include pre-set timetables and time limits that you may customize to meet the needs of your family.

Winner: Stalemate – We are considering this round a tie because both apps have the same tools.

Help and Support

We'd like everything to be flawless all of the time, but that isn't always the case. There are instances when the app fails unexpectedly, and getting it back up and running is beyond your abilities. You may also be having trouble setting up your subscription and devices, and you require immediate assistance.

You need dependable support from your provider at situations like these. As amazing as the features are, effective customer service can mean the difference between a pleasant experience and a painful headache.

Both Qustodio and Norton Family offer an online collection of product-related literature, manuals, and blogs, as well as a FAQ website to assist clients. They also offer tutorials on a variety of topics, ranging from installation to the use of certain features. Finally, both programs have email support.

However, Norton Family provides more comprehensive customer service. Aside from the features listed above, Norton also maintains a user forum where customers may communicate and answer each other's product-related questions. There are also improved support methods available, such as phone and, most significantly, live chat.

Winner: Norton Family is the winner. Norton Family is the clear victor in this round, with more ways to contact support and even a forum where users can chat and address one other's concerns.

Compatibility

Even if you have wonderful features, none of them matter if they don't work on the system you or your children use. As a result, it's critical that parental control apps are usable on a variety of platforms.

Norton Family is compatible with Android, iOS devices, and Windows, as stated in the basic overview. This does not, however, imply that all features and tools are functional. Some functions are available on Android but are not available on iOS or Windows, and vice versa.

Features like Location Supervision, Favorite Locations, and Alert Me, for example, are only available on mobile platforms like Android and iOS.

Qustodio, on the other hand, may be used on Mac, Windows. Android, Kindle, iOS and even Chromebooks. As a result, Qustodio is more handy for families with a variety of gadgets.

Winner: Qustodio is the winner. As the app is available on more platforms, it is the clear victor.

Price

You should also consider how much money you're willing to spend on the features you desire. Varied parental control apps have different pricing, and not all of them will be suitable for your budget and needs. This is true with Qustodio Premium and Norton Family, however the former does provide a restricted free version.

Qustodio Premium, the paid version of Qustodio, features three pricing levels based on the number of devices you want to utilize with the license: Small Plan, Medium Plan, and Large Plan, as described above.

To be clear, the Small Plan is $54.95 per year, or $4.58 each month. It comes with all of Qustodio's features and is available on five different devices. The Medium Plan costs $96.95 a year, or $8.08 per month, and allows you to license up to 10 devices. Finally, the Large Plan is $137.9 per year, or $11.50 each month.

Norton Family, on the other hand, charges a set annual fee of $49.99, or $4.16 each month. You can use all of Norton Family's features on an infinite number of devices with this. It does not offer a free version; instead, it offers a 30-day free trial.

Winner: Stalemate – Norton Family is the most affordable alternative of the two because to its low cost and extensive coverage. However, for parents who are still undecided, the lack of a free version can be a concern. Qustodio, on the other hand, provides a completely free — albeit limited — version. We are going to call this a tie.

Norton Family vs Qustodio - Stand out features:-

Norton Family

• Additional Geofencing Features: Norton Family has enhanced geofencing technologies that allow you to create a geofence with a radius of up to 3,200 meters. By sliding your location pin, you can quickly reposition your limits. Instead of merely when the target device leaves the borders, you may additionally create an alert for when it reaches at a certain area.

• Additional YouTube Monitoring Features: Norton Family saves a thumbnail and a clip of the viewed video in addition to allowing you to see YouTube searches. This allows you to better grasp what your children are seeing and whether it is suitable.

• School Time: This feature is designed specifically for online classrooms, which is a highly important tool given that, due to the epidemic, some families' schooling may be moved online. This feature works similarly to a pre-configured web filtering feature that bans all other websites save those labelled as educational. You can also change it to allow you to add your own URLs.
  
  

• Remote Instant Lock: This function allows you as a parent to remotely lock the targeted device with a Personal Identification Number (PIN), thus allowing your children to focus or just simply take a break from internet browsing. Children still have access to communication apps like SMS, despite practically everything else being closed.

• Access Request: Children can initiate a debate about particular limits or rules that they not agree with from their own devices, unlike with other parenting apps. This makes negotiating access or initiating a conversation with their parents to better understand each other simpler.

Qustodio

• Time Usage Limits: Qustodio has one of the best screen time restriction features on the market. Every day of the week, you may easily set a use cap or block access. After the allocated time has passed, you can either Lock Navigation (which prevents your children from accessing most of the apps) or Lock Device (which prohibits users from accessing the device entirely). You may even have it email you an alert when the time limits are breached or reached.
  
  
  

• Facebook Surveillance: Everyone, including your children, is on Facebook. That's why the Facebook Monitoring tool in Qustodio is so valuable: it allows you to keep track of what your child posts on the app. If the Qustodio plug-in is disabled, you can also prohibit them from logging in so you can always keep track of what they're doing.

• App Management: Qustodio's app management tool is fairly thorough, allowing you to prohibit specific apps on specified days or just set a time limit for their use. This extra option allows parents to easily adjust app usage to their children's requirements without fully excluding them from specific apps.
  
  
  

• Invisibility: When you install Qustodio, you have the option of making the app completely invisible from the system tray or the system tray, so your kids won't be aware that you're watching them. Even if you wish to have the app visible, it's still a good alternative for parents who want to keep their monitoring actions hidden.

• Panic Button: The customizable Panic Button is one of Qustodio's most notable features. It allows you to name four trusted contacts who will be notified as soon as the app is pressed. The Panic Button mode also broadcasts the device's location every five minutes until it is switched off, which is extremely helpful in an emergency.

Final Verdict

Which do you think is the best pick now that we've done an in-depth feature-by-feature comparison of Qustodio vs Norton Family?

In the end, both items prove to be excellent choices. In my perspective, Qustodio Premium wins more rounds, but it all depends on your specific demands and circumstances.

Go ahead and use Norton Family, if:

• If you intend to have open lines of communication and negotiation rights.
• Advanced location tracking and geolocation capabilities are required.
• You're looking for a reasonably priced app.
• You're willing to talk to your kids about how you monitor their technology usage.
• You want web filtering features that are optimized for schools so that your children can concentrate in online classes.

Go ahead and use Qustodio, if:

• If you need to have invisibility and uninstalling protection.
• You don't mind having basic geofencing and location tracking tools.
• If Panic Button is must-have feature for you to keep your children safe in any situation.
• You need an app control solution that allows you to impose restrictions on all of the apps that are available.
• You want screen time functions that are extremely adjustable and come with a variety of scheduling options.

We hope that you found this complete in-depth Norton Family vs Qustodio comparison helpful. Do let us know in the comments which program you picked up, Norton Family or Qustodio? Stay safe!

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