As technology becomes more ingrained in our daily lives, parents face new challenges in protecting their kids online. From cyberbullying to explicit content, the digital world contains all sorts of potential dangers. This is where parental control apps like Qustodio and Covenant Eyes come in. But which one should you choose for your family?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare Qustodio vs Covenant Eyes to help you decide which parental monitoring software is the best fit.
By the end, you’ll have the information you need to confidently choose the right parental control app for your unique needs. Let’s dive in!
Qustodio vs Covenant Eyes At a Glance
Before we get into the details, here’s a high-level overview of how Qustodio and Covenant Eyes compare:
- Blocks sites by category or specific URL
- Sets time limits for apps/websites
- Location tracking
- Text message and call logs
- Social media monitoring
- Free version available
- Prices range from $54.95 – $137.95 per year
- Blocks and filters explicit images
- Screen monitoring and accountability
- Doesn’t monitor texts, calls, or social media
- No free version
- $15.99 per month subscription
Now let’s explore what sets each of these parental control apps apart.
Key Features of Qustodio and Covenant Eyes
Qustodio’s Core Capabilities
Qustodio markets itself as an all-in-one digital safety and wellbeing platform for families. It’s designed to give parents visibility and control over their kids’ online activities. Here are some of Qustodio’s standout features:
Robust Filtering
Qustodio lets you block content by category, such as drugs, alcohol, explicit content and more. You can also block specific websites and keywords. The filtering works across all major browsers.
Time Management
Set daily time limits for apps, websites, and overall device usage. Qustodio will lock access once the limit is reached. You can also set specific schedules for when devices can or cannot be used.
Location Tracking
Qustodio has a location tracking feature that lets you see your child’s location history and set up geofencing alerts when they enter or leave a specified area. This gives you peace of mind when your kid is out and about.
Social Media Monitoring
Keep tabs on your kid’s social media activity, including posts, connections and profiles. Qustodio supports monitoring for popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Text Message and Call Logs
On Android devices, Qustodio records texts and calls, letting you see who your child is communicating with. This allows you to watch for any suspicious contacts.
Usage Reports
Qustodio generates weekly email reports summarizing your child’s online behaviors and alerting you to any issues. You can also access activity dashboards and details on demand through the parent portal.
What Makes Covenant Eyes Unique
Covenant Eyes is designed with a different goal in mind than Qustodio. Rather than comprehensive parental controls, Covenant Eyes focuses specifically on helping users overcome pornography addictions. Here are its key capabilities:
Screen Monitoring
Covenant Eyes monitors device screens, taking screenshots to analyze for inappropriate imagery. This allows it to detect and alert accountability partners about pornographic content accessed on the device.
Image Filtering
In addition to monitoring, Covenant Eyes also detects and blocks explicit internet content. This includes pornography, nudity, and sexually suggestive images.
Accountability Partners
A core part of Covenant Eyes is designating an accountability partner. This person receives alerts when concerning online activity is detected, fostering openness and conversation about pornography use.
Reports
Covenant Eyes provides summary reports of browsing activity to accountability partners. This keeps all parties informed of progress and setbacks in overcoming compulsive habits.
Panic Button
Users dealing with temptation can hit the panic button in Covenant Eyes to immediately lock the screen and block internet access on that device temporarily. This provides an emergency deterrent.
As you can see, Covenant Eyes is specifically designed around combating pornography addiction, rather than general parental controls. But it offers powerful capabilities for that particular purpose.
Blocking and Filtering Capabilities
One of the key things you want a parental control app to do is block inappropriate content. How do Qustodio and Covenant Eyes compare when it comes to filtering?
Qustodio’s Robust Filtering
Qustodio enables you to filter content in a few different ways:
- Category blocking – Block by categories like adult content, violence, drugs, gambling and more
- Custom website blocking – Add specific URLs you want to block
- Keyword blocking – Block searches that contain inappropriate keywords
- YouTube filtering – Limit YouTube content by age
- Browser extensions – Filtering works across Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge
Filtering profiles can also be customized for each child. So you can block content appropriately based on age.
The category blocking in Qustodio is very effective at blocking pornographic and inappropriate websites. And the ability to add custom URLs for blocking gives you precision control.
Covenant Eyes Takes a Different Approach
Rather than blocking by categories or keywords, Covenant Eyes focuses on analyzing and filtering visual content. See how it compares to Net Nanny in this Covenant Eyes vs Net Nanny review.
Covenant Eyes uses proprietary machine learning algorithms to identify inappropriate imagery in:
- Websites – Blocks pages with pornography, nudity, or explicit content
- Search Results – Filters images and videos in search engine results
- Social Media – Detects and blocks explicit imagery and videos
This approach focuses specifically on blocking adult content based on visual analysis, rather than blocking by keywords or URLs which can sometimes lead to overblocking.
The image analysis capabilities are robust. However, since it does not block entire categories or keywords, a particularly motivated teen could potentially still access some inappropriate content.
But the visual filtering in Covenant Eyes is a smart way to accurately detect and block pornography and nude imagery without being overly broad.
The Verdict
- For the purposes of strictly limiting access to pornographic content, Covenant Eyes provides excellent visual filtering.
- But for parents who want to block a wider range of inappropriate content beyond just pornography, Qustodio’s category-based filters are more versatile.
So Qustodio may be better for parents who want general parental control, while Covenant Eyes excels at targeting pornography.
Time Management and Scheduling
Modern kids spend a ton of time on mobile apps, websites, and games. Being able to control and limit screen time is important for many parents.
Qustodio Enables Robust Time Management
Qustodio provides granular control over time limits:
- Set daily schedules for when device usage is allowed or blocked
- Limit the total daily time spent on a device
- Limit time spent in specific apps and on websites
- Get alerts when time limits are exceeded
The scheduler makes it easy to set specific hours where device usage should be limited, like school nights. And app time limits ensure balanced screen time.
Kids can even have their own dashboard to track time quotas you set. This teaches them healthy screen habits.
Covenant Eyes Doesn’t Focus on Screen Time
Since it is designed solely around combating pornography addiction, Covenant Eyes does not provide parental controls for overall screen time limits.
It focuses only on blocking inappropriate content rather than on scheduling or limiting general app/internet usage.
The Verdict
- If limiting screen time is important in your household, Qustodio provides excellent time management capabilities.
- Covenant Eyes simply seeks to eliminate access to pornography, without broader time restrictions.
So Qustodio is the better solution if controlling screen time is one of your priorities as a parent.
Location Tracking
For many parents, knowing their child’s physical location provides peace of mind and added safety. Qustodio offers location tracking, while Covenant Eyes does not.
Qustodio Tracks Location History
The location tracking feature in Qustodio enables you to:
- View your kid’s location history throughout the day
- See frequented places they visit
- Get notified when they arrive or leave specific addresses
- Set up geofenced areas and get alerts when they enter/leave
This gives you visibility into where your child is hanging out after school, who they are visiting, and whether they actually are where they say they are. You can even look back historically up to 30 days.
Covenant Eyes Doesn’t Offer Location Tracking
Since Covenant Eyes is focused narrowly on combating pornography addiction, it does not provide any capability to monitor physical location.
The Verdict
- If knowing your child’s location is important to your peace of mind as a parent, Qustodio is the clear choice here.
- Covenant Eyes focuses solely on online accountability for pornography, not on tracking the physical whereabouts of your kid.
For parents who want location tracking, Qustodio is the app that provides it.
Call and Text Message Logs
Kids today often spend more time texting their friends than talking. Being able to monitor who your child is communicating with can provide insight into potential problems.
Qustodio Logs Texts and Calls
The Android version of Qustodio can record SMS text messages and phone calls. This allows parents to:
- View the content of text messages
- See who your child is texting frequently
- Identify unknown contacts your child is texting
- Log incoming and outgoing calls
- Monitor call duration
By monitoring your kid’s communications, you can watch for any suspicious numbers, cyberbullying, or other issues.
Covenant Eyes Doesn’t Monitor Messaging
Since it focuses purely on blocking pornography online, Covenant Eyes does not monitor text messages or calls.
The Verdict
- Qustodio enables call and text monitoring for Android phones, while Covenant Eyes does not.
- So Qustodio is the clear winner if you want visibility into your kid’s communications and contacts.
This is a key benefit provided by Qustodio but not Covenant Eyes.
Social Media Monitoring
Social platforms like Instagram and Snapchat are a huge part of kids’ digital lives today. Being able to monitor social media activity can help protect children from dangers like bullying, predators, oversharing, and viewing explicit content.
Qustodio Monitors Major Platforms
Qustodio currently supports social media monitoring for:
- Snapchat
For each platform, you can view posts, connections, profiles and more. Activity is summarized in weekly parental reports.
By tapping into the social platforms your child uses, you can gain valuable visibility into their digital world.
Covenant Eyes Doesn’t Monitor Social Media
Since it focuses solely on blocking adult content, Covenant Eyes does not connect with or monitor popular social media apps and activity.
The Verdict
- For parents who want insights into their children’s social media usage, Qustodio provides monitoring for the major platforms.
- Covenant Eyes does not integrate with or monitor social media, other than filtering explicit imagery on social sites.
So if social media oversight is important to you, Qustodio is the app that delivers it.
Accountability Partners with Covenant Eyes
Covenant Eyes is designed specifically for addressing pornography addiction. A core part of its approach is leveraging an accountability partner.
Here’s how it works:
- You choose someone you trust to be your accountability partner. This is usually a friend, spouse, religious leader or sponsor.
- When Covenant Eyes detects inappropriate activity on your devices, it automatically sends an alert to your partner.
- Your partner receives summary reports of flagged activity, allowing them to discuss issues and provide support.
- Knowing your partner will see any pornographic browsing provides motivation to resist temptation.
- Partners can also monitor usage of the Covenant Eyes app itself, ensuring you don’t uninstall it without their knowledge.
This approach of requiring accountability to someone you trust is designed to help compulsive pornography users reform their habits and avoid relapse.
Having someone “look over your shoulder” provides a strong deterrent from accessing explicit sites. It facilitates candid conversations about unhealthy behaviors.
For individuals struggling with pornography, this partner system can transform a secret solo battle into a collaborative recovery effort.
Qustodio Focuses on Parental Monitoring
Since it is general family monitoring software, Qustodio does not incorporate official accountability partners.
Instead, parents are the ones who receive any alerts about concerning online behaviors through the family activity dashboard and weekly email reports. The focus is protecting and informing guardians rather than combating addiction.
The Verdict
- For addressing pornography addiction specifically, Covenant Eyes‘ accountability partner approach provides critical support.
- Qustodio focuses more on parental oversight for general online safety.
So if you’re looking to overcome compulsive behaviors, the partner system in Covenant Eyes is extremely helpful. But Qustodio gives parents the visibility they need into online behaviors.
Ease of Use
To help you effectively monitor your kids’ activities, the parental control software needs to be simple and intuitive to use.
Qustodio’s Straightforward Interface
The Qustodio parent dashboard delivers robust visibility and controls in an easy-to-use interface accessible on the web or mobile app:
- Dashboard shows kid’s device usage and locations at a glance
- Menu makes it easy to jump to specific activity feeds
- Filtering profiles are simple to set up for each child
- Time limits can be set up in minutes
- Email reports provide updates on recent behaviors and warnings
Even setting up tricky filters and scheduling restrictions is made easy thanks to the well-designed interface.
Covenant Eyes Requires More Configuration
Since it was purpose-built to address pornography addiction, Covenant Eyes has a more specialized setup:
- You need to carefully configure which sites and images to block. Out-of-the-box filtering is limited.
- Integrating an accountability partner adds an extra coordination step.
- There are fewer self-serve controls, as the partner manages most oversight.
- The interface has a steeper learning curve for basic monitoring.
While Covenant Eyes gives the flexibility to fine-tune block settings, the initial setup is less streamlined than Qustodio’s turnkey parental controls. The accountability partner integration adds complexity. And the interface takes time to get used to.
The Verdict
- For quickly setting up parental monitor with minimal fuss, Qustodio offers greater ease of use.
- Covenant Eyes requires more customization and learning, as well as partner coordination.
So if you want an easy monitoring experience as a parent, Qustodio delivers that. But expect a more hands-on setup process with Covenant Eyes.
Pricing and Plans
Of course, the subscription cost is an important factor when choosing parental monitoring software. Here’s how pricing shakes out for Qustodio and Covenant Eyes.
Qustodio’s Pricing Options
Qustodio offers several tiers based on number of devices covered:
- BASIC – Up to 5 devices – $54.95 / year
- COMPLETE – Unlimited devices – $99.95 / year
Family plans can be paid annually or monthly at a higher rate.
Qustodio also offers business plans for managing larger groups of devices.
The five device plan is a solid choice for many families to start. Overall, costs are reasonable compared to competitors.
Covenant Eyes’ Simple Pricing
Rather than tiered plans, Covenant Eyes offers:
- Single subscription level
- $17 / month
- Or $184 annually
- Covers unlimited devices
You can add an accountability partner at no additional cost.
Volume discounts are available for organizations.
For individuals or families focused specifically on fighting pornography addiction, the unlimited device support provides good value.
The Verdict
- Qustodio offers multiple family plan tiers allowing you to pay for just what you need.
- Covenant Eyes gives unlimited devices for one price, ideal for individual use.
Qustodio likely offers better value thanks to the tiered pricing. But Covenant Eyes simplifies pricing for addiction therapy.
Which App is Best For You?
Now that you understand the capabilities of Qustodio and Covenant Eyes, which one is the right fit for your family or situation?
Qustodio For Comprehensive Parental Control
Qustodio is an excellent choice if:
- You want robust web filtering for general online safety.
- Limiting screen time is one of your priorities.
- Knowing your kid’s location gives you peace of mind.
- You want visibility into texts, calls and social media.
- Easy setup and use by parents is important.
- You want to protect multiple children’s devices.
With its combination of filtering, time management, location tracking, and social media monitoring, Qustodio is a great parental control solution.
Covenant Eyes For Combating Pornography Addiction
Covenant Eyes is ideal if:
- You or a family member struggle with pornography compulsion.
- Leveraging an accountability partner appeals to you.
- Strictly limiting access to pornographic content is your top priority.
- You want a solution focused specifically on sexual addiction recovery.
- An intuitive interface is less important than core
With its intelligent image analysis and accountability partner integration, Covenant Eyes provides targeted help fighting pornography addiction. Compare it to Bark’s approach in this Covenant Eyes vs Bark guide.
Start a Free Covenant Eyes Trial
Key Takeaways
To recap the key points in determining Qustodio vs Covenant Eyes for your needs:
- Qustodio offers robust, category-based filtering to block a wide range of inappropriate content. Covenant Eyes focuses specifically on detecting pornographic images.
- Qustodio enables extensive time management of apps and screen time. Check out how it stacks up to Bark’s capabilities in this Qustodio vs Bark comparison. Covenant Eyes does not limit general screen usage.
- Qustodio provides location tracking of your child’s whereabouts. Covenant Eyes does not track location.
- Qustodio logs texts, calls and social media interactions. Covenant Eyes does not monitor messaging or social media.
- Covenant Eyes facilitates parent-free accountability through partners. Qustodio gives parents direct visibility and control.
- Qustodio is quick and easy to set up for parents. Covenant Eyes requires more customization but offers more flexibility.
- Qustodio offers tiered family pricing levels. Covenant Eyes charges one price for unlimited devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Qustodio work on iOS?
Yes, Qustodio has an iOS app that can monitor activity on iPhones and iPads. Its filtering capability also works with the Safari iOS browser.
Does Covenant Eyes have an app?
Covenant Eyes has apps for both iOS and Android to complement its desktop application. This allows it to monitor screens and block inappropriate imagery across devices.
Can kids bypass Qustodio?
Kids can bypass Qustodio through methods like VPNs, alternative browsers, or factory resets. Qustodio has measures in place to detect bypass attempts and alert parents. But tech-savvy kids can potentially still circumvent it.
Which blocks more content?
Qustodio generally blocks a wider array of content thanks to its category-based filtering. Covenant Eyes focuses specifically on blocking and detecting pornographic imagery.
Is Qustodio really free?
Qustodio offers a free version but it has limited features. To get access to all of Qustodio’s capabilities like social monitoring, time limits, etc. you need to upgrade to a paid plan. But the free version allows a basic level of filtering and oversight.
Can Covenant Eyes monitor WhatsApp?
No, Covenant Eyes does not monitor messaging apps like WhatsApp. It focuses solely on filtering out inappropriate images and websites accessed through the device browser.
Final Thoughts
Protecting kids in the digital age is critical. Parental control apps like Qustodio and Covenant Eyes empower parents to keep their children safe online.
Qustodio excels at robust parental monitoring with well-rounded supervision tools. Covenant Eyes specialized in combating pornography addiction with dedicated filtering and accountability partners.
Carefully consider which capabilities are right for your family’s needs. And don’t be afraid to try out both apps with their free trials to see which interface resonates. The most important thing is keeping your kids protected.
With the right parental control software choice, you can have peace of mind knowing your children are safer and healthier in their digital lives.
