Children as young as three may now use mobile devices to play games watch their favorite YouTube kids' channels and study arithmetic music or a foreign language. One of the greatest concerns of most parents is their inability to monitor and supervise their children's internet activity while they are not around. Parents who struggle to limit their children's screen time are not alone. Some parents concede defeat and give their children (and adolescents) unrestricted freedom rather than provoking confrontation. However there is a second alternative: parental control software. 

Do not assume that these applications all offer the same functions or that the parental controls integrated into Android and iPhones will suffice. However if your child has access to many devices with various operating systems they cannot regulate screen time. 

In this regard Qustodio shines. It is compatible with Android iOS Amazon Fire tablets and Windows and there is now a Chromebook version that includes the two most important features: screen time and web filtering. Qustodio also supports macOS but will not monitor a child's Mac activity. 

PROS 

1. Web interface with stringent 
2. Web interface with stringent  
3. Intuitive apps 
4. Restriction on desktop and mobile platform applications 
5. Cross-platform support 

CONS 

1. Costly 
2. A VPN enables a youngster to bypass a web filter. 
3. Zero social networking monitoring 
4. Sideloading is important for Android call and text tracking

What are the main features of the Qustodio application? 

Being one of the best tools to safeguard kids online the Qustodio app comes with a wide range of features including:

1. Filter content & apps to create a safe space where your child can play and explore 
2. Block inappropriate sites and let your kid explore what's safe for them
3. Keep an eye out on the digital activity of your child with the monitor activity feature 
4. Set time limits to ensure that your little genius doesn't get addicted to the mobile phones or tablets 
5. Locate the family feature to spot where your child is anytime and anywhere 

How much does Qustodio cost? 

Downloading and installing the Qustodio application is completely free. In addition Qustodio offers a free version that allows you to install the software on a single device and provides access to some functions including site filtering time limitations and daily time limits. 

To access and use all of the app's features you will need to upgrade to the paid premium version. The cost of the premium version varies based on the number of monitored devices and the size of your household. As expected the Premium edition has all the features of the free version as well as a great deal more. 

For $4.58 per month you may secure up to five devices while $8.08 per month will cover 10 and $11.50 will cover 15 devices.

Configuring Qustodio 

No Qustodio review is worth reading unless it describes how to install and configure the application on your selected device. We have gone through the entire procedure in order to provide you with first-hand knowledge. 

Qustodio account creation is as simple as it gets. To make an account you must first visit www.qustodio.com and register. Depending on your option you may establish a Qustodio Family School or Business account. After registering you may either download the app on your or your child's device or configure it via the web interface. 

If you are a new subscriber you will receive a three-day Qustodio premium trial upon installation. Importantly you are not required to enter your payment information. If you're installing the app on your child's smartphone Qustodio has a silent install option that hides the program from your child. 

Then you may build your child's profile by providing their name age and gender. If you have more children you can repeat this procedure for each one. After registering and installing the app a setup wizard will walk you through the whole setup procedure to activate the parental control app.

Web-Based User Interface for Qustodio 

The Qustodio online interface has a background in white along with pastel accent colors. Elements are organized and uniform. Likewise the performance is quite fast. 

You may access the user interface via a menu on the left that has the following icons: My Account My Devices Help Desk Your Family and Logout. There is no opportunity to configure multi-factor authentication in the Your Account section however you may adjust your membership and then opt-out of email notifications. The Help Center is well-structured with easily navigable sections user guides and a search bar. 

Qustodio Web Filtering 

Qustodio blocks access to some of the websites by default that fall under any of eleven undesirable categories such as Drugs Pornographic materials Proxies/Loopholes Gambling and Violence. There are a variety of categories available to parents who seek to fine-tune internet content filtering including Social Media networks and File Sharing. Your options per category are Notify Me Allow and Block. We want Qustodio to provide lengthy descriptions for each of the respective categories to facilitate choosing however the vast majority of sections are self-explanatory. 

Qustodio's content filtering is compatible with Chrome Firefox Mozilla and Safari and it blocks even HTTPS-secure websites from restricted categories. It is incompatible with websites such as Opera Brave and Tor and by default prohibits unsupported browsers. In addition you can even block certain web addresses. We feel it has a Request Access function similar to that of Norton Family so that children may request website access from their parents. 

Qustodio's Web Filters Section 

It prohibits browsers that are not supportable. It prevented us for example from simultaneously launching the Brave and Tor web browsers. 

During testing we noticed that site blocking features are no longer available while a VPN is in use. If the computer of the child has a VPN installed they will have unrestricted access to websites even if VPN sites are restricted. 

We have tested the Android web filters. Even after installing a VPN Qustodio does not offer access to the Tor browsers or Firefox Focus and blocked limited categories of websites successfully in Chrome. The web filtering capabilities of Qustodio are suitable with Safari and Chrome on iOS. We purchased a VPN from the iOS App Store and then installed it. It subsequently had unrestricted access to the Internet. In order for web filtering to be successful VPN app installations must be prevented. Using a VPN the Norton Family web filter functioned well during testing. 

Web filtering involves anonymous proxy servers keeping youngsters from avoiding observation and control. Then we attempted to visit the HMA proxy site however the web filter prevented us. 

Qustodio Time Usage Limits 

Various online Qustodio app reviews describe a screen time parental control tool that allows you to limit your child's screen time. This feature consists of two subsections "Daily Time Limits" and "Restricted Times" which can be accessed inside the app's "Rules" section. 

You can view the applications and websites that your child spends the most time on based on their internet activity. You may alter this as required by setting daily time limitations for each app individually or for the device as a whole. Alternatively you may determine when your youngster is permitted to use the gadget. 

Depending on the rules you choose one of three things will happen when your child surpasses the daily limit. "Lock Navigation" "Lock Device" and "Alert me" are the possibilities. 

While conducting research for our Qustodio review we discovered that the "Lock Navigation" option behaves differently on various systems. On Android it bans all apps with the exception of the home screen incoming calls and the list of recently used apps. 

On iOS it restricts the usage of browsers such as Safari and Chrome but on Mac and Windows it disables internet access for all browsers while enabling other applications to work. 

Android's "Lock Device" option locks everything except the panic button. This locks the browsers and applications with a 4+ age rating on iOS. On Mac and Windows this locks the device completely. 

The "Alert me" option alerts you when your child's daily quota has been surpassed. 

App Qustodio Restrictions 

For options to restrict apps on Windows Android and macOS move to the Games & Apps section. There you may check for applications your child has used across all of their compatible devices. Rather than pre-loading a selection of common programs Qustodio adds applications when your child begins to use them. 

Qustodio Location Monitoring The location-based tracking of Qustodio varies by platform. These choices are accessible via the Location page on the website but there is a Family Locator section on mobile. The last known location of your children is displayed on a map on the online dashboard. When you click on any profile a timeline including up to 30 days of the child's location history is displayed. 

Monitoring YouTube using Qustodio 

The "Social Monitoring" function of the Qustodio app allows you to monitor your child's use of social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. 

You can see when your child publishes on their Facebook page and comments on a post as well as who they are speaking with. You cannot view the contents of the emails though. You can view the videos people watch and the items they look for on YouTube. 

This allows you to monitor their online activity; nevertheless it would have been preferable if the Social Monitoring option included more social networking applications than just these two.

Qustodio on Mobile 

Qustodio offers apps for Children as well as Parents. The Parent app is aesthetically pleasing really practical and well-organized. Your Family the page that loads by default displays all the icons for all children linked to the parent's account. This screen allows you to create a new user profile by selecting the Add a Child button in the central bottom part which prompts you to pick an avatar gender choice name and year of birth. In this section restrictions are adjusted by clicking on the child's icon. This application is unrestricted; the mobile app allows total control over all rules. 

The program allows for the deletion of kid profiles and reassignment of which device is assigned to which child. All web-based sections including Your Devices Your Account Family Locator and the Help Center are accessible via a menu on the left. 

Parent app for iPhone developed by Qustodio Android is characterized by its Panic Button. When it comes to using the function define up to 4 reliable contacts each one of them using a mobile phone number or email address. A child who is lost or distressed can press the SOS button present in the Qustodio application. Once it is activated it broadcasts the location of the child and an alarm to the specified contacts. The application will continue to report the kid's location every five minutes until the child disables the full panic or a parent disables it using the website portal. 

The iOS parent mode of Qustodio is similar in design and functionality to its Android counterpart. 

Final word 

Qustodio is an excellent option if you want software that goes beyond simple pornography avoidance and helps you protect your children from social media cyberbullying. It offers some of the most comprehensive tools currently available for monitoring messages and social media accounts. Additionally its time limitation restrictions safeguard youngsters against screen addiction. Additionally it is more costly than other parental control choices and iOS compatibility is inconsistent.