Net Nanny Review
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- The Good
- 18 filter categories
- Instant text messaging notifications for flagged activity
- Automatic summary reporting on Internet activity
- The Bad
- Social media monitoring sold separately
- Can get very expensive for multiple devices
Net Nanny has been an industry leader in parental control software for more than two decades. The extensive reporting options and customizable filters allow you to exert just the right amount of control over your child’s online activity. The downside is that it can be expensive and can be antiquated compared to some of the newer offerings. You can sign up for Net Nanny here.
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- Price
- $39.99 per device
- $12 per device for five devices or more
- $9 per device for 10 devices or more
- Only $12 for the app
- Free two-week trial
Net Nanny falls into the more expensive category for parental control solutions. Charging per device can rapidly increase the cost, particularly when many people own multiple devices. If you have several children and each has a tablet and smartphone in addition to home computers and laptops, the cost can rapidly grow to more than $100 per year.
- Features
- Internet filter
- Pornography blocking
- Time management
- Profanity masking
- Alerts and reporting
- Remote administration
As a long-time industry leader in the parental controls space, Net Nanny offers a complete suite of features designed to give you peace of mind about your children’s online activities. From blocking dangerous or adult sites to filtering out profanity while still displaying the rest of the page, Net Nanny does it all. Other parental control solutions may offer some of these features, but few have such a complete range of products.
- Remote Access
- Remote management
- Remote reporting
- Remote administrative login
With Net Nanny, all you need is an internet connection to adjust settings, change access schedules or approve a website. Any changes you make filter down to all connected devices within one minute. Children don’t have to wait for long before they can log back onto a site, and you don’t have to worry if you need to block a site remotely. Using a computer or the app from your smartphone, you can make changes as needed, at home or on the go.
- Supported Devices
- Windows
- Mac
- iOS
- Android
As a cloud-based system, Net Nanny offers remote access to your account through any device running on a compatible operating system. This includes most PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. As long as you have an internet connection, you can log in to the management portal and make changes to settings and schedules.
- Social Media Monitoring
- Yes
With most cyberbullying happening through social media channels, it makes sense to prioritize this particular feature. Net Nanny offers a Social package that focuses solely on social media monitoring for an additional fee. Many other parental control options don’t offer any form of social media monitoring, so while the upcharge does make Net Nanny even more expensive, the ability to monitor social media activity is a big plus.
Net Nanny: User Reviews
Net Nanny: Comments
How Does Net Nanny Work?
Getting started with Net Nanny is quick and easy. The installation wizard walks you through the process of installing the monitoring software locally on your computer and helps you set up profiles and accounts for each family member. During the setup process, you’ll also set permissions and features to deal with different levels of internet access.
Once you have the basics set up on your computer, you can also install the app on individual devices. Have your kids download the app onto their phones and tablets. You can let Net Nanny know which device goes with which profile to start monitoring.
What Makes NetNanny Stand Out?
With any good software, the features are really what makes the difference. Net Nanny offers a comprehensive list of features that let you customize internet access for your family. From scheduling to filtering, Net Nanny does it all.
With Net Nanny, you can block internet activity during school hours or after bedtime. You can also set limits for cumulative internet use.For example, if your house rule is no more than 10 hours online each week, this parental control software will track individual usage and automatically cut off access once a user reaches 10 hours. There’s no need for you to track which kid has already used up their online time — Net Nanny does it for you.
The option to add social media monitoring is another big plus. Kids often don’t realize the impact of online bullying, so it’s important for parents to be aware of what is happening on social media sites. By tracking activity and seeing conversations as they happen, Net Nanny lets you respond in real time to real issues. Since it’s a web-based platform, you don’t need to install any software to start monitoring. Simply give Net Nanny the email address or social media account information you want to track, and you’ll start getting reports. It’s that simple and that powerful.
Common Net Nanny Reviews
Net Nanny consistently gets excellent ratings from software reviewers. The granular filtering options and flexibility offered through the Net Nanny suite make it a top contender when comparing parental control software. Like all of the best parental control platforms, it has its fair share of negative reviews, mainly from kids.
Parents may give five-stars on their Net Nanny reviews, but the kids dealing with restricted access generally don’t. In fact, the better the software works, the lower you should expect the reviews to be. After all, there are more children complaining than there are parents offering a thumbs up.
The only area where this parental control software has some work to do is for iOS. While they offer an app through Apple, the functionality leaves a lot to be desired. The Android app delivers on most of the promises made to PC users, and with the option to buy the app at a much-reduced price point. NetNanny delivers consistent quality and a very comprehensive set of features.
Is Net Nanny for Me?
Selecting a parental control software can be difficult. Some install like spyware, and your children never know they’re being monitored. Others send out notifications to you and your children whenever they try to visit a blocked site. Ultimately, if you want a one-stop-shop for parental controls and monitoring along with some of the most granular filtering options, Net Nanny might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Net Nanny lets you block everything from pornography to anime, so you can be very specific about what is and is not allowed. If you have tech-savvy kids who find workarounds to other parental control options, you might want to give it a try. Instead of working through your existing browsers, Net Nanny blocks all other browsers and only lets kids use their proprietary option. The result is easy online monitoring that includes both activity logs and scheduling.
Depending on the number of devices you need to monitor, Net Nanny can be a very affordable option that offers maximum coverage and some nifty features. The ability to continue to display page content while only blocking profanity is helpful for you and the kids. Adding social media monitoring is another big bonus, particularly since you only pay once for the service, not per account.
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