Qustodio vs Microsoft Family Safety

Qustodio9.0Visit Microsoft Family Safety8.7Visit

Higher score Qustodio #2 in Parental Control Apps 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Qustodio

vs

Microsoft Family Safety #5 in Parental Control Apps 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Microsoft

• Qustodio fits best

  Families wanting AI safety alerts

• Microsoft Family Safety fits best

  Microsoft households using Edge and Xbox

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Side by side

Feature	Qustodio 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Microsoft Family Safety 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.7
Ranking	#2 in Parental Control Apps	#5 in Parental Control Apps
Best for	Families wanting AI safety alerts	Microsoft households using Edge and Xbox
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$72.94/yr	$129.99/yr
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Phone, Docs	Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business
Features Qustodio 5/5 · Microsoft Family Safety 5/5
Content filtering	✓	✓
Screen-time schedules	✓	✓
App blocking	✓	✓
Activity reports	✓	✓
Location tracking	✓	✓
Specs
Device platforms	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Device limit	5 devices	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Covers Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS Combines filtering, screen-time rules, reports, and location monitoring Adds AI alerts for concerning searches, messages, and gameplay chats	Free plan includes schedules, filters, app controls, and activity reports Connects with Edge, Bing, Xbox, Microsoft accounts, and Microsoft 365 Supports purchase approvals, allowances, and mobile location alerts
Cons	Calls and messages monitoring works only on supported devices The Basic plan is limited to five devices Advanced monitoring and custom rules are in Complete	Web filtering requires Microsoft Edge and a signed-in Microsoft account Location and driving safety features are going away Some premium location features require Microsoft 365 Family
Our verdict	Qustodio is a parental-control application for families supervising children’s device use across Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS. Parents can filter websites and searches, block or limit apps and games, set daily screen-time… Read the review →	Microsoft Family Safety helps parents manage children’s digital activity across Windows, Xbox, Android, iOS, and the web. It is designed for households that already use Microsoft accounts, Edge, Xbox, Bing, or Microsoft 365. Core controls… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Qustodio — where it wins

  • Covers Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS
  • Combines filtering, screen-time rules, reports, and location monitoring
  • Adds AI alerts for concerning searches, messages, and gameplay chats

  Where it doesn't

  • Calls and messages monitoring works only on supported devices
  • The Basic plan is limited to five devices
  • Advanced monitoring and custom rules are in Complete

• Microsoft Family Safety — where it wins

  • Free plan includes schedules, filters, app controls, and activity reports
  • Connects with Edge, Bing, Xbox, Microsoft accounts, and Microsoft 365
  • Supports purchase approvals, allowances, and mobile location alerts

  Where it doesn't

  • Web filtering requires Microsoft Edge and a signed-in Microsoft account
  • Location and driving safety features are going away
  • Some premium location features require Microsoft 365 Family

• Qustodio9.0/10 · Free plan

  A broad parental-control suite with AI safety alerts and five-platform coverage.

  Visit QustodioFull verdict →
• Microsoft Family Safety8.7/10 · Free plan

  A capable free option for families using Windows, Edge, Xbox, and Microsoft accounts.

  Visit MicrosoftFull verdict →