Reviews of programs designed to protect children.

We give you the real story behind the software letting you quickly make a decision based on facts, not the empty hype of the manufacturers. We have tested every software program on this website thoroughly. We will tell you what we liked and what we did not. Then you can decide which, if any software is right for you.

In today's Internet age, where almost all communication goes through the computer at one point or another, software that can protect children is an excellent tool for ensuring that kids stay safe online. No matter whose communications you are trying to monitor, our reviews and detailed comparisons of software designed to protect children will help you make the right choice for you.

No one product fits everyone's needs, but seeing the top programs that will effectively protect children compared side by side makes finding the best product easy. And as always, if you have any questions, just email us! We love hearing from our users.

Software that can protect children - Our Top Pick

WebWatcher

WebWatcher is head and shoulders above the rest. In test after test, with a few exceptions, it never let us down. It made us feel like we could see everything, and amazingly, it allows you to monitor a computer from the Internet, as all of the information from the computer being monitored is accessible from your own private, password-protected website. The importance of this feature simply can not be overstated... (read more)

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Product Comparison


WebWatcher	SpectorPro 6.0	SpyAgent	IamBigBrother	Content Protect

Rank	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place	4th Place	5th Place
Overall Rating (out of 10)	9.5/10	8.8/10	8.2/10	8.0/10	7.4/10
Overall Comments	The best monitoring and filtering software we have tested. It allows you to monitor a computer from the web so that you do not have to keep checking from the computer you are monitoring.	Reliable and easy to use. You will need to access the computer you are monitoring to retrieve the recorded information but if that is not a problem, this is a very solid choice.	Has some great features that offer lots of control but best for computer savvy buyers only.	Does all of the things that you would expect Parental Control software to do, and can do it remotely, but ultimately, IAmBigBrother falls a bit short of its more robust competition.	By far the best of the stand alone filtering applications we reviewed. If you also need to monitor activity, however, this product is not for you.

Appropriate for Monitoring	Very Young Children, Tweens & Teens, Employees, Family Members	Children, Family Members	Children, Family Members	Tweens & Teens	Very young children, Tweens & Teens
Remote Monitoring Be sure to read Remote Access and Why It's Important	Complete Remote Access	No	Very Limited	Limited	No
Stealth Be sure to read The Truth About Stealth and Undetectability	Very Good	Good	Fair	Good	None
Internet Filtering / Blocking Capabilities Be sure to read The Truth About Blocking	Strong	Weak	Weak	None	Strong
Ease of Use	Easy	Easy	Moderate	Easy	Easy
Reliability	High	High	High	Moderate	High
Designed to Monitor Multiple Computers Be sure to read The Truth About Monitoring Multiple Computers	Yes	No	No	No	No
MAC Support	No	No	No	No	No
P2P Blocking	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Scheduled Monitoring	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Phone Support	Yes	Limited to 2 calls	No	No	No
Email Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Live Chat Support	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Price	$97.00	$99.95	$79.95	$29.95 ($150/year for Remote Viewing)	$39.99


eBlaster 5.0	CyberSitter	NetNanny	CyberPatrol	Norton Internet Security

Rank	6th Place	7th Place	8th Place	9th Place	10th Place
Overall Rating (out of 10)	7.3/10	6.5/10	6.2/10	6.0/10	4.0/10
Overall Comments	Reliable software. Unfortunately, it does not take screenshots and it emails reports which quickly make your email box unmanageable. Only recommended if you check the recorded information from the same computer you are monitoring.	While it has some nifty timer capabilities that allow you to lock down computer/Internet access based on times, CyberSitter does little more than straight filtration/blocking.	NetNanny is very limited in its ability to monitor and as such should only be considered by people whose only interest is in trying to block the bad stuff on the Internet.	CyberPratrol main focus is filtering/blocking. While they include some limited monitoring functionality, they are clearly Parental Control software rather than a full blown monitoring application.	Even a cursory inspection of this product reveals that while they may be strong in the anti-virus arena, they really have not brought much to the table that will truly help parents.

Appropriate for Monitoring	Tweens & Teens, Family Members	Very Young Children	Very Young Children	Very Young Children	Very Young Children
Remote Monitoring Be sure to read Remote Access and Why It is Important	Email Reports Only	Email Reports Only	Email Reports Only	Email Reports Only	No
Stealth Be sure to read The Truth About Stealth and Undetectability	Good	Fair	None	Weak	None
Internet Filtering / Blocking Capabilities Be sure to read The Truth About Blocking	Weak	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong
Ease of Use	Moderate	Easy	Easy	Easy	Moderate
Reliability	High	High	High	High	High
Designed to Monitor Multiple Computers Be sure to read The Truth About Monitoring Multiple Computers	No	No	No	No	No
P2P Blocking	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Scheduled Monitoring	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Phone Support	Limited to 2 calls	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Email Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Live Chat Support	Yes	No	No	No	No
Price	$99.95	$39.95	$39.95/year	$39.95	$69.99