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As one of the first parental control apps available on the internet, it's easy to think that Net Nanny would excel in a lot of aspects. Find out if it meets your expectations in this in-depth Net Nanny review.
Net Nanny is a parental control app that includes daily screen time control, real-time location tracking and inappropriate-site blocking.
Apps are available on Windows, Mac and iOS, but not Android. Its current lack of support on Android devices makes the pricing less competitive compared to other parental control apps.
Although Net Nanny excels in its website- and app-blocking features, it needs to improve its custom content-filtering tool and overall user intuitiveness.
Use Net Nanny If You Want…
A tool with basic features: If you’re not looking for parental control with advanced features — and don’t use Android devices — then Net Nanny is a great option.
Strong website blocking capability: Net Nanny has a powerful web-filtering system that can easily block websites under a specific preset category.
Protection for younger kids: Except for its faulty custom content-filtering feature, Net Nanny contains all the right tools and features you’ll need to keep an eye on your kids’ web activity.
If you are navigating the world of parenting primary school kids, tweens or teens, then you might find yourself looking for parental control apps. Net Nanny is one of the many parenting software solutions that can help regulate how much time your kids spend on social media apps, games or their favorite websites. Find out if it’s the right tool for you in this Net Nanny review.
In the upcoming sections, we’ll look at Net Nanny’s history, features and pricing plans. We’ll also share its performance based on the hands-on testing we conducted using its three-day trial.
What Is Net Nanny and Who Is It For?
Net Nanny is an established parental control software option that can be used on Windows, Mac and iOS. It was one of the earliest content filters on the internet, introduced in 1995, back when software was still installed via CDs.
Since its release, Net Nanny has offered web-filtering solutions that allow users to block certain words, phrases or variants from appearing on a webpage, replacing them with symbols instead.
Gordon Ross developed the product and founded the company, but ContentWatch acquired it in 2007, followed by Zift in 2016. Net Nanny’s current owner — SafeToNet, a cybersecurity company based in the U.K. — took over in 2020.
Net Nanny has since evolved and specialized its filtering technology. It asserts that it can analyze content based on context. According to the website, the app can distinguish whether a term such as “breast” is used in a medical context vs a sexual context. In the latter case, it will block the term or send an alert to the parent, depending on the established preferences.
The Cloudwards Expert Opinion
Eugenie Tiu is a Cloudwards expert in parental control apps and online privacy.
Net Nanny is the right parental control app for parents who are looking for a simple solution to manage their children’s online activity — though it’s not available on Android devices. It is well equipped with features and isn’t too expensive compared to other tools on the market.
Features worth highlighting include the YouTube-monitoring and location-tracking tools. The YouTube-monitoring tool allows parents to see exactly which videos the child was watching (including Reels), while the latter feature detects the child’s whereabouts with spot-on accuracy, even when the child’s device was not connected to the internet.
However, in my opinion, if you’re looking for an app with superior communications and multimedia-monitoring capabilities, Net Nanny may not be the right choice and you could consider alternatives.
Net Nanny offers basic, yet effective features tailored for parents who value simplicity in managing their kids’ online activity. With Net Nanny, you can control how much screen time your kids have per day, turn on real-time location tracking and block sites that fall under an inappropriate category.
Though Net Nanny does not have any text-monitoring or call-blocking features, it is well equipped with all the right tools to handle younger kids using devices.
Screen Time Management
Net Nanny’s daily screen time allocation feature enables parents to set screen time limits per day. You can select the day or days you’d like to regulate, and then set the allowed device use in 15-minute increments or set precise limits down to the minute via a dial pad. You can view the dial pad by selecting one of the days of the week at the top.
Use the dial pad to set how much time you want to allow your kids to spend on their devices.
You will also find a calendar icon in the top-right corner of the screen. The calendar is an added feature for parents who would rather restrict internet access in blocks of hours instead of setting allowed periods. After setting your desired curfew, click on “set screen time limits” to complete the process.
In the settings, the app lets you choose whether to “pause the device” or “disconnect from the internet.” It’s a little misleading, but both options simply cut off your child’s access to the internet as soon as the screen time hours are up. You can only restrict web browsing or any kind of online search activity in the settings.
Pausing the device is a temporary solution that blocks the internet connection. This gives you time to reassess and decide what to do once the time limit is up. Disconnecting from the internet completely cuts off internet use to prevent access during specific times (like bedtime). Neither option restricts app usage, so your kids can still use apps designed for offline use.
Content Filtering Feature
You can manage Net Nanny’s content-filtering feature two ways. The first method comes with 14 preset categories. You can set the app to allow, block or alert you when it detects content in these categories.
Abortion
Adult novelty
Anime
Death gore
Drugs
Gambling
Mature content
Nudity
Porn
Provocative
Strip clubs
Suicide
Tobacco
Weapons
You can filter the type of content your child interacts with on the web by managing the predefined categories or by setting your own custom filters.
The second way to filter content is by adding your own custom filters. You first need to create a title for the specific filter you want to add. Then, you can add specific words and phrases you want Net Nanny to detect, allow, block or alert you about.
Website Blocking Feature
With Net Nanny’s website-blocking feature, you can designate which URLs to “always allow” or “always block.” This gives you peace of mind by curating a safe browsing experience for your kids. You can add a list of educational websites your child can always access while also blocking inappropriate sites such as adult sites, betting sites, chat rooms or online forums.
Net Nanny lets you add a list of URLs you want to stop your child from accessing, as well as ones that are allowed.
App Blocking
Net Nanny’s App Advisor (app-blocking) feature will show you a list of apps. Some may be installed on your child’s device, while others may be suggestions. You can then approve or restrict specific apps by selecting either “allow” or “block.”
With Net Nanny, it’s easy to manage the apps your child can access.
Social Media Monitoring Tool
Net Nanny’s social media protection feature goes beyond the simple “allow” and “block” options by adding an additional “protect” function. When you choose to protect a social media app, Net Nanny applies the same rules you set in the content-filtering feature to that app. This ensures unwanted content is filtered out and isn’t shown to your kids.
Net Nanny also has a separate YouTube-monitoring feature. Using this tool enables parents to view their child’s search history, the videos they’ve watched and the devices they’ve used to watch it.
Net Nanny’s YouTube-monitoring feature detected every video we watched on the YouTube app.
Location Tracking
Net Nanny is equipped with location-tracking technology that can point to your child’s location in real time. With it, you can check your child’s location history — even when their device is not connected to the internet — and view the address on the family overview map.
Net Nanny’s location-tracking technology can check your child’s whereabouts in real time.
While testing the features on Net Nanny’s parent app, we found several issues that raised concerns. The first issue we noticed is that you can sign up for an account only through the parent app on a mobile device. Though a minor inconvenience, this is not enticing for users who would prefer to use Net Nanny on a computer.
After signing in to the parent app, you’ll find a blank homepage instead of the Net Nanny parent dashboard. Once the app starts picking up your child’s online activity, it will fill in the blank space.
When you first enter the Net Nanny app, instead of the main dashboard you’ll find a menu button and your child’s avatar. Three horizontal dots in the top-right corner represent the menu button. Clicking it reveals options to purchase Net Nanny plans, change your account’s password or log out.
We found that Net Nanny has a strong website-blocking feature, but we consider its custom content-filtering system problematic. While testing the parental controls on iOS, we created several filter names and added a list of inappropriate words and phrases.
We then Googled song titles with vulgar words and searched inappropriate phrases on the internet using Google Chrome and Safari. Despite configuring the app to block these terms, Net Nanny was unsuccessful at detecting the explicit language found in the lyrics of the songs and in articles providing general information on them.
How to Install Net Nanny Parent and Child Apps
Net Nanny can be installed on Windows, Mac and iOS. Though the latest version isn’t on Android yet, you can still install the parent app on older Android versions. According to the support team, the next version should have been available in 2024, but the first quarter of the year has passed and we still haven’t heard any updates.
Download the Net Nanny Parent App
When you search for Net Nanny in the app store, two apps will show up. The yellow app is the parent app, the purple app is the child app. Click “get” to download the parent app on your mobile device.
Sign Up and Click “Try Free”
Once downloaded, sign up, accept the terms of use and click “get started.”
Set Up Devices for the Child App
Go through the prompts to complete the setup process on your device and your child’s. You will be asked to download the child app on your child’s phone, enter your email and password to sign in on the child app and grant Net Nanny permissions to work on your child’s device. You can set up multiple child profiles in the parent app.
How to Set Up & Use Net Nanny
Once you’ve installed the apps on both devices, you can start configuring your preferences in the parent app.
Start by opening the Net Nanny parent app.
Tap on your child’s icon.
Select “profile settings.”
Here, you’ll find a range of features to customize the software’s controls to fit your family’s needs. Go through each feature and set them up as you wish.
You can find the parental control settings by double-clicking your child’s avatar. It can be tricky to find at first.
Net Nanny Pricing: How Much Does Net Nanny Cost?
70 % – Decent
Net Nanny’s starting plan covers one desktop for $39.99 per year or $3.99 per month. Considering that not all parental control companies offer protection for desktops, this may be an attractive deal for those who only need to protect a Windows or Mac device.
Net Nanny’s Family Protection Pass offers plans for five or 20 devices. The five-device plan is priced at $54.99 per year, which translates to around $11 per device annually. Upgrading to the 20-device plan brings the cost down to roughly $5 per device per year, at $89.99 annually.
This places Net Nanny’s pricing in the midrange compared to other parental control apps, offering a good balance between affordability and features.
Net Nanny does not have any free plans, but you can take advantage of its three-day free trial, which you can activate when signing up for an account.
Net Nanny Security & Privacy: Is Net Nanny Safe?
40 % – Terrible
Net Nanny needs to enhance its security measures when it comes to its app removal protection, which we’ll explore in this section. Plus, though the Net Nanny privacy policy is written in clear and simple language, some aspects of how the company handles its user data are questionable.
Security Protections to Prevent Tampering
Net Nanny’s tamper protection tool is rather disappointing. In order to disable the app, Net Nanny simply requires the email and password used to create the account. During testing, the parent app did not receive any notifications of our attempts to disable the Net Nanny child app, even after intentionally entering the wrong password.
Ideally, parents should be alerted if someone tries to tamper with the settings or disable or uninstall the app. There was also no way of testing this on Android phones because, as mentioned, the latest version is not yet out for Android devices.
A more concerning discovery is that if your child uses an iPhone device, it is quite easy to remove the mobile device management (MDM) profile. An MDM profile is a piece of software you need to install on your child’s phone during the setup process. MDM allows Net Nanny to properly apply the filters and controls you’ve set in the parent app to your child’s device.
Removing the MDM profile on an iPhone only takes a few clicks in the settings menu. Without it, parental controls on the child’s device are essentially useless, posing a serious security gap in the entire system. For example, OurPact, one of the best parental control apps, allows parents to lock down the MDM profile and requires a computer application to delete the child app.
Of course, this is not ideal, but even Apple’s proprietary parental controls aren’t bulletproof — children can hack screen time with certain tricks. However, if you’re monitoring your child’s device use, you’ll notice if the app suddenly stops logging activity.
Privacy Policies for Data Collection and Usage
During the setup process, Net Nanny presents dedicated data privacy policies for both parents and children. In the parent app, Net Nanny shows that it mainly collects data on the parents’ account status (free vs paid) and the feature usage (to understand user preferences). The shortened privacy page also claims that the company does not share any data with third parties.
On the other hand, the data privacy section in the child app enumerates Net Nanny’s features, the type of data it collects (such as websites visited, apps downloaded, device info and the current and historical locations of the device) and with whom this information is shared (i.e., the parents).
Though the data privacy policies within the Net Nanny apps are brief and easy to understand, the website’s full policy reveals some details that require closer attention. For example, Net Nanny stores user information such as your name, email address, telephone number, geographical location and IP address for 30 days after contract termination.
What’s more concerning is that the retained data remains in the backup systems for an additional 12 months even after the termination request. It does not state whether the collected info is shared externally.
How Net Nanny Stacks Up Against Competitors
Net Nanny is a simple tool that could be good for managing little kids. Among its user-friendly features, the website-blocking tool stands out as one of the best. Combined with Net Nanny content filters, you can be sure your child won’t see any unwanted sites.
The pricing is competitive but expensive compared to other parental controls on the market. For example, with Qustodio’s Complete plan, you can protect unlimited devices for an additional $10 per year. Qustodio also comes with text monitoring features and custom alert functionalities.
When compared to another competitor called Bark, Net Nanny also falls short in terms of user tutorials. On Bark’s website, it offers extensive guides on some of its key features, as well as video tutorials on how to set up the app on various devices.
To truly stand out in the market, Net Nanny needs to close the feature gap with its competitors. Net Nanny should consider offering features like Qustodio’s unlimited device protection and tampering detection alert. Net Nanny would also significantly enhance its user experience, if it offered helpful tutorials like Bark’s.
Features:
Net Nanny
Qustodio
Bark
App blocking
Website blocking
Screen time limits
Location tracking
Monitoring text messages
Number of devices protected
20
Unlimited
Unlimited
Pricing per year:
$89.99 per year
$99.95
$99
Net Nanny Parental Control App Review Conclusion: Is It Right for Your Family?
For software that’s been around for almost three decades, you’d expect Net Nanny to take the lead in the parental control market. After our comprehensive review, we rank Net Nanny as a decent parental control app that is best used with younger kids, as it provides a variety of helpful yet basic features.
However, though it has strengths in certain areas, it needs to improve its custom content-filtering system, overall user intuitiveness and support for Android devices. Parental control apps are important to get right, so we suggest taking advantage of Net Nanny’s three-day free trial to see if it’s the right tool for you.
Have you used Net Nanny before? If you have, do you think it has what it takes to be the best parental control app? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
FAQ: Net Nanny Parental Control
Yes, Net Nanny works. Our tests showed that its best features are the website-blocking and screen time allocation features. However, it needs to improve its content-filtering system and app removal protection feature, and include support for newer Android devices.
Though both platforms offer a comparable range of features, Qustodio goes a step further by including text-monitoring functionalities as well as custom alerts. It is a bit more expensive than Net Nanny, but it supports unlimited devices.
Yes, Net Nanny can block YouTube. Under the “social media protection” tab, find the YouTube app and set the option to “block.
In the parent app, parents can see the family feed on their home screen. The family feed includes a list of words and phrases that their child entered in the Google app on Chrome. Parents can also find their child’s location, the amount of time they spend on their screens, which apps they use the most and what they search for on YouTube.
After completing her master’s in human science at Osaka University, Eugenie has worn a variety of hats throughout her career. She has taken on several roles in education, sales, as well as marketing. Recently though, you can find her drinking three cups of decaffeinated coffee a day while fact-checking articles and building links for Cloudwards.