Qustodio Parental Control App

Qustodio Review: Six Platforms Covered, but Kids Keep Slipping Past It

Is Qustodio free? One device, web filtering and a 3-day Premium trial

The free account protects a single device with safe search, web filtering, an internet pause and seven-day activity reports. Daily time limits, games and apps blocking, location and 30-day reports start with Basic, which covers up to five devices. Complete removes the device cap and adds app time limits, custom app and website routines, YouTube monitoring, call and message monitoring, AI search and message alerts, and saved-places alerts. Every new account opens with a 3-day Premium trial that starts automatically and, per the company, needs no card. When it ends, the account drops back to the free tier. Recent Play reviewers call three days too short to evaluate it.

Smart alerts: Gaming alerts on Windows, ChatGPT alerts on Android

Gaming alerts, a Complete-only feature introduced in March 2026, monitor live voice chat on Windows PCs and flag harassment or other harmful talk in Roblox, Fortnite, Valorant and Steam; Discord joined on September 4, 2026. ChatGPT alerts arrived on September 18, 2026 and review a child's ChatGPT conversations for risky topics, but only on Android for now. Each alert comes with a summary of what was detected and why it was flagged. Platform gaps matter here: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and X message alerts work only on Android, iPhone calls and messages are read only through a Windows or Mac computer, and the Kids App from Google Play lacks call and SMS monitoring.

Device Administrator, an iOS MDM profile and 60-day data retention

Barcelona-based Qustodio, owned since 2022 by Qoria (then Family Zone), asks for deep access. On Android, it uses the Device Administrator permission so it cannot be uninstalled without the parent knowing, plus Accessibility services to monitor screen time, sites and apps. On iPhones it installs an MDM profile, and the privacy policy updated August 16, 2026 says all traffic from that device then passes through the company's servers. Activity from the past 30 days stays visible for 60 days, identifiable data is kept in 12-month blocks for an annual report, and history can be wiped from the dashboard. The terms require informed consent from monitored users over 14. We don't call any monitoring app safe; check the current terms with the company first.

Qustodio vs Google Family Link, Bark and Microsoft Family Safety

Google Family Link is free, sets per-app limits with unlimited time for chosen apps, and can ring a child's phone. Microsoft Family Safety is also free but removed location tracking in 2025. Bark starts at $14 a month for unlimited devices. Qustodio sells yearly plans only: $59.99 for Basic and $99.99 for Complete in the U.S. App Store; check the current price in the app; it varies by region. The pricing page offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, though the terms dated October 22, 2025 call payments non-refundable. Of the 150 newest English Play reviews, from May 12 to September 30, 2026, 119 give one or two stars, mostly over children bypassing blocks, slow location updates and permissions lost after updates.