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Qustodio vs MMGuardian Compared

Qustodio vs MMGuardian Compared
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Parental control is a necessary part of a child’s life. Parents must ensure that their children are using the internet responsibly and not accessing inappropriate content or potentially damaging websites. Qustodio and MMguardian stand out as two of the most popular parental control solutions available on the market. 

Both platforms offer tools that facilitate greater control and security for children’s online activities, from filtering web content to monitoring app usage. However, each has some differentiating features that make them unique.

The effectiveness of a parental control app depends on its ability to provide the right mix of features and settings for your child’s age and level of maturity.

This Qustodio vs MMguardian comparison article breaks down each parental control solution’s features, benefits, and limitations. It also provides a side-by-side comparison of ease of use, cost-effectiveness, customer service, and overall effectiveness. 

Bottom Line Up Front

Qustodio is the best choice for parents who need a comprehensive monitoring tool with ample customization options and an intuitive interface.

MMguardian is a viable alternative but doesn’t offer the same robust features, lacks some customization tools, and has a more basic user interface. Ultimately, parents looking for an effective monitoring solution should opt for Qustodio.

Main Differences Between Qustodio vs MMguardian

  • Qustodio supports iOS, android, macOS, Kindle, and Chromebook, whereas MMguardian only supports iOS and Android devices.
  • Qustodio has geofencing features that allow you to set boundaries on your child’s device, whereas MMguardian does not.
  • Qustodio has an exciting user interface that allows you to monitor your child’s activities easily, whereas MMguardian has a more traditional and basic interface.
  • MMguardian has age-specific filtering features, whereas Qustodio only has general filtering features.

Qustodio Overview

Qustodio

Qustodio brands itself as an all-in-one parental control solution. The cross-platform app works on Android, iOS, Kindle devices, macOS, and Android allowing parents to get complete visibility into their child’s online activities.

It also has a version of its app designed explicitly for Chromebook devices, something most parental control solutions are yet to offer. 

Qustodio has two main offerings, Qustodio for Families and Qustodio for schools. Schools looking to implement a comprehensive digital safety solution for their students can opt for Qustodio for Schools.

This version has features such as mass deployability and classroom management tailored to the needs of educational institutions.

According to the Qustodio website, over four million parents trust the platform’s capabilities to ensure a safe and secure digital environment for kids. The Qustodio family app has many features, such as website filtering, screen time limit, location tracking, and app monitoring.

Qustodio’s most profound calling card is its ability to provide detailed reports on your child’s activity, allowing you to stay up-to-date with their online habits. 

While most parental control platforms are dropping SMS and call tracking features, Qustodio offers both. If you have an older child and you want to keep tabs on their conversations, Qustodio may be a great option. Monitoring such messages can prevent cyberbullying, sexting, and other online dangers. 

Qustodio Features

  • App and content filtering 
  • Activity monitoring 
  • Time limits
  • Location tracking
  • SMS and call tracking 
  • Reporting, alerts, and SOS tools
  • App management (School)
  • Classroom management (School)
  • Mass deployment capabilities (MDM)

Qustodio Pros

  • Well-designed and user-friendly app 
  • Comprehensive reporting and analytics 
  • Detailed control of apps, content, and location 
  • Parental control across multiple platforms 
  • SMS and call tracking for older kids
  • App blocking for inappropriate content 

Qustodio Cons

  • Relatively expensive 
  • Using VPN can bypass restrictions 
  • Location alerts often delay

MMguardian Overview

MMGuardian

MMguardian is another parental control app with the necessary features for a wholesome digital monitoring experience. MMguardian doesn’t offer the same comprehensive feature set as Qustodio. However, it does have several useful features up its sleeve. Unlike Qustodio, it only supports Android and iOS devices. 

The platform’s inability to support other operating systems, such as macOS and Chromebooks, is a major limitation. However, if you have children who primarily use these two types of devices, MMguardian can offer some great features.

The most prominent feature of MMguardian is its chat and text monitoring capabilities for Android devices.

MMguardian allows parents to monitor their children’s conversations through social media and text messages (SMS). Parents can also block messages and contacts, enabling them to keep their kids away from potentially dangerous digital conversations.

Parents using Android phones can access more features than iPhones, including a wide range of location-tracking tools.

MMguardian Features

  • Message monitoring 
  • Safety alerts 
  • Web filtering and safe browsing 
  • Time limits 
  • App control
  • Calls and SMS blocking 
  • Location tracking 
  • App control

MMguardian Pros

  • Granular controls 
  • Easy set-up process 
  • Advanced content-restricting features 
  • Simple and easy-to-use interface 
  • No rooting or jailbreaking of your Phone required 

MMguardian Cons

  • Call, and message blocking is only available on Android devices
  • Customer support is wanting 
  • Lacks an extensive feature set, especially for Android devices

Qustodio vs MMguardian: Feature Comparison

qustodio

Qustodio and MMguardian are both parental control applications that aim to provide a secure digital environment for children. While Qustodio offers a wide range of features and supports multiple platforms, MMguardian’s capabilities are more limited. 

The following section is a comparison of the features available on both platforms. 

1. Content Filtering

Content filtering is a vital feature of any parental control app. Qustodio offers detailed filtering options that block websites that match ten undesirable categories by default.

These categories include violence, gambling, drugs, pornography, proxies, and more. It also includes other categories like file sharing and social networking, but it leaves it for the parents to decide the level of control over them.

Qustodio also makes it possible to block uncategorized websites and unsupported websites. Unfortunately, the platform can’t block websites based on specific keywords and doesn’t work on browsers like Opera, Tor, and other privacy-focused browsers. Still, this phenomenon is characteristic of most parental control apps.

MMguardian does a great job, but it doesn’t have the same level of detail as Qustodio. It blocks the native web browser on Android devices and Safari on iOS devices and runs its replacement browsers in their stead. However, it offers filtering options for Mozilla, Chrome, and Opera Browser.

Unlike Qustodio, MMguardian has age-specific filtering options. It filters over 150 categories with an opportunity to edit the level of filtering for each category. If one of the categories doesn’t filter the content as desired, parents can use the “Web Filter URL Override” feature to create a custom block list. 

Verdict: Qustodio’s content filtering features are more comprehensive, but MMguardian’s have the added advantage of age-specific filtering options. Still, Qustodio is the winner in this comparison. 

2. Time Management

Children often spend hours glued to their phones and tablets. Managing screen time is essential to keeping children safe and healthy. Qustodio allows parents to set up daily or weekly limits for their kids’ device use. The tool even provides a notification when the time limit ends, warning your children about upcoming restrictions.

Parents can set screen-free periods or specific times when their kids can’t use the device. The tool blocks all applications during this time, ensuring that the child doesn’t access their device. If your child tries to use the device during these times, Qustodio will notify them that their parent blocked the device.

The time management feature on MMguardian is only available on Android devices. That’s quite unfortunate because it is a powerful feature that can help children manage their time better. However, its performance on the supported Android devices is quite remarkable.

MMguardian allows parents to schedule usage times and set daily / weekly usage limits. This feature completely locks the device after the allotted time passes, ensuring that the child doesn’t have access to it. It also notifies parents about the device’s overtime usage, so they can take action if needed.

Verdict: Qustodio’s time management feature is more powerful and available on multiple platforms. It is the clear winner in this category. 

3. Location Tracking

Qustodio Locator

Location tracking isn’t an uncommon feature for parental control apps. Keeping tabs on your child’s location helps ensure they’re safe. While both Qustodio and MMguardian offer location tracking, their approaches differ significantly.

Qustodio’s location feature lets parents track the device’s location in real-time. It allows parents to save the most visited locations like homes, schools, and other places. When kids arrive at these locations, Qustodio will notify the parents.

Like Kaspersky Safe Kids, Qustodio also boasts of geofencing capabilities. It allows parents to create virtual perimeters or “fences” around specific locations. When the child enters or leaves these areas, Qustodio sends a notification to their parents.

One outstanding feature of Qustodio’s geofencing capability is its SOS feature. Kids can press the SOS button to alert their parents if an emergency arises.

MMguardian offers a similar location tracking feature, except it doesn’t have geofencing capabilities. Its location tracking feature works on Android and iOS devices and offers real-time updates.

Like Qustodio, it saves location history dating back 30 days and keeps the most visited places. In place of geofencing, it allows parents to set a schedule and track the kids’ current location within that schedule at regular intervals.

Verdict: The geofencing feature on Qustodio gives it an edge over MMguardian. It’s the clear winner in location tracking. 

4. SMS and Calls Monitoring

We can’t ignore the importance of monitoring text messages and calls to keep children safe. While some parents may find this intrusive, it’s essential for kids’ safety.

Qustodio keeps an eye on your child’s incoming and outgoing calls. It also monitors all text messages, allowing parents to read the conversation, view images, and block unwanted contacts. Parents can change the amount of information they have access to if they don’t want to infringe on their child’s privacy.

MMguardian offers call and SMS monitoring, but it only works on Android devices. The iOS environment doesn’t allow for this feature. With MMguardian, parents can view incoming and outgoing calls and read text messages from the SMS tool and other messaging apps, like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. 

MMguardian also has a text monitoring tool that lets you flag certain words that can suggest bullying, suicide, or other inappropriate behavior. This feature is quite helpful and can alert parents of any suspicious activity. 

Verdict: MMguardian has unique text and SMS monitoring features, but it only works on Android devices. Qustodio offers a more comprehensive solution and is the winner in this category. 

5. App Management

App management is vital for controlling your child’s phone usage. The ability to block certain apps and set usage limits can help teach your children responsible smartphone habits.

Qustodio’s app management feature is available for iOS and Android devices. However, its functionality on iOS is quite spotty. The feature only works with certain apps, especially those not downloaded from the App Store. You may also notice some other apps, like games published by EA, won’t work with Qustodio. 

However, its Android functionality is top-notch. When your child uses an app, Qustodio will add it to the list under games and apps. Once the app is on the list, parents can apply restrictions and set time limits for when to use the apps or block them altogether.

MMguardian also has an app management feature that works on Android and iOS. However, iOS users will find the feature quite limited because the functions already pre-exist in the operating system.

On the Android side, MMguardian lets parents block or allow apps and limit usage time. Its granular control and flexible options make it an excellent choice for app management. 

Verdict: Qustodio offers more advanced Android app management options compared to MMguardian. However, if you have an iOS device, the two are pretty similar in terms of features and functionality. 

Qustodio vs MMguardian: Other Important Comparable Factors

MMguardian pricing

Besides the features discussed above, other factors to consider when comparing Qustodio and MMguardian include the user interface, customer support, device management, and pricing.

Below is how they compare: 

1. User Interface

The user interface on Qustodio is easy to use and straightforward, with all the features visible. The dashboard displays all the monitored activities and allows you to switch between different settings quickly. The app icons are also intuitive, making navigation a breeze.

As for MMguardian, the user interface is pretty basic but efficient and differs vastly between the iOS and Android versions. The Android version has a more organized layout and a more comprehensive range of features, while the iOS version isn’t as comprehensive. An advantage of MMguardian is that it has fewer tabs and sections, which makes navigation easier. 

Verdict: Both platforms offer user-friendly interfaces, but Qustodio is more organized and intuitive. 

2. Customer Support

Qustodio has a help center with articles on the most common questions and issues affecting its family and school offers. It doesn’t have email support or a live chat, but you can submit your inquiries through its Twitter account.

You can reach the MMguardian team through an email address on its website. The platform also has an FAQ page with all the common questions and answers. 

Verdict: Both platforms offer decent customer support, but reaching support with MMguardian is faster. 

3. Device Management

Qustodio supports iOS, android, macOS, Kindle, and Chromebook devices. With MMguardian, you can control iOS and Android devices. 

Verdict: Qustodio supports more platforms than MMguardian. 

4. Pricing /Value for Money

Pricing is vital when it comes to selecting the right parental control app. 

Qustodio has three subscription plans: 

  • Small: $54.95/year
  • Medium: $96.95/year
  • Large: $137.95/year

The plan that offers the best value is the medium plan. This plan allows you to manage up to 10 devices. The small plan allows for five devices, whereas the large plan supports 15 devices. Visit the Qustodio pricing page for more and updated information about its pricing.

MMguardian has two plans the family plan and the single phone plan. You can choose to pay either monthly or annually.

  • Family Plan: $99.99/year or $9.99/month
  • Single Phone: $49.99/year or $4.99/month 

The above pricing plans are for Android and iOS devices. Below are the plans if your kid uses an Android Tablet.

  • Family Plan: $49.99/year or $4.99/month
  • Single Phone: $24.99/year or $2.49/month

Visit the MMguardian pricing page for more information on its pricing plans.

Verdict: Qustodio is the most cost-effective option since it offers more devices and features at a lower price. 

Qustodio vs MMguardian: Alternatives

Norton Family Premier

Qustodio and MMguardian are not the only two parental control apps. Below are several other alternatives you may want to consider:

  1. Norton Family Premier
  2. Net Nanny
  3. Kaspersky Safe Kids
  4. EyeZy
  5. Mobicip
  6. OurPact

We’ve analyzed several of the above apps in our blog post, “Best Parental Control Apps,” which you can read for more information. 

Why Qustodio is the Best Parental Control App

Qustodio often stands out as the best parental control app in many of the articles we’ve done, and it’s not hard to see why. Qustodio offers a user-friendly interface and comprehensive device management for all platforms it supports. Its pricing plans also offer great value for money. 

The platform also has a robust customer support system, so you’ll always get help if you need it. Qustodio’s features, such as its geo-fencing feature, make it an ideal choice for parents looking to protect their children from potential dangers and keep them safe while doing other activities. 

Moreover, the app’s detailed reporting feature allows you to monitor your child’s online activity and ensure they don’t get into trouble online. If you’re looking for a reliable and feature-rich parental control app, then Qustodio may be the right choice.

Qustodio vs MMguardian Compared (Featuring Qustodio) (FAQs)

Question: What is the best child monitoring app?

Answer: The best child monitoring app is one that provides parents with the tools to monitor their child’s online activities without compromising their privacy. One of the best parental control apps is Qustudio. It stands out for its comprehensive device management and extensive features, such as its geo-fencing feature and detailed reporting.

Question: Can Qustudio see Your Text Messages?

Answer: Qustudio can monitor your child’s text messages and other digital communications. Parents can read their child’s messages and view their contacts, blocking numbers they deem suspicious or inappropriate.

Question: Can MMguardian see incognito mode?

Answer: MMguardian has a powerful web content filter that can override private browsing. The software can monitor incognito mode and other browsers that use private browsing mode. This allows parents to control what websites and content their child can access, even when they’re in incognito mode.

Closing Thoughts

Qustodio is the superior choice regarding parental control and monitoring software. Not only does it offer a comprehensive set of features, but it also has excellent customer support and is easy to use.

MMguardian is good at what it does but doesn’t offer the same level of control and flexibility. 

Ultimately, Qustodio is the best choice for parents looking to monitor their children’s online activity and protect them from potential dangers.

With its powerful features, reliable customer support, and easy set-up, Qustodio is the perfect choice for any parent who wants to keep their child safe online. It may be a bit pricey, but it’s worth it in the long run.