MMGuardian vs Net Nanny – Which Parental Control App Is Better?

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The MMGuardian Phone

The Best Safe Phone For Kids

Samsung phones with MMGuardian built-in

Here at MMGuardian, we believe our app is by far the best parental control app available to parents who want to protect their children and have peace of mind. In this review, we will provide you with an honest comparison of the features available between MMGuardian and Net Nanny for Androids and iPhones.

Please note that the features discussed depend on the child’s phone- the parent’s device makes no difference.

Pricing


MMGuardian Pricing: Net Nanny Pricing:
MMGuardian offers a 14 day free trial for both Android and iPhone. Net Nanny offers a 14 day free trial for Android but no free trial for iPhone. Since they both have free trials for Androids, we highly recommend trying out both apps if your child has an Android and see for yourself which works best for you!

Message monitoring


Android– MMGuardian allows parents to view all of their child’s SMS text messages, as well as chat messages from popular social media messaging apps such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and more. Net Nanny does not offer message monitoring of any kind.

iPhone– MMGuardian allows parents to view all of their child’s SMS and iMessage text messages, as well as chat messages from popular social media messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Net Nanny does not offer message monitoring of any kind.

An example of MMGuardian message monitoring. Users can tap “Details” to see all messages.

Alerts


Android– MMGuardian provides AI-powered alerts about concerning topics detected in the child’s messages and internet browsing such as contact with predators, cyberbullying, suicidal thoughts, and much more. Alerts will also be sent about inappropriate pictures sent/received via MMS messages or stored on the device, and parents will be able to view them in the MMGuardian app on their child’s phone.

Net Nanny provides alerts for internet browsing, not messages, and does not utilize artificial intelligence. Both apps provide alerts for other activities like downloading apps, but MMGuardian offers more of these (such as adding new contacts, contacts being changed, the device being powered off, etc).

iPhone– MMGuardian provides AI-powered alerts about concerning topics detected in the child’s messages and internet browsing such as contact with predators, cyberbullying, suicidal thoughts, and much more. It will also provide alerts about inappropriate pictures stored on the device. Net Nanny only provides alerts for internet browsing.

An example of an MMGuardian Priority Alert about suicide.

Anti-tamper


Android– MMGuardian has patented anti-tamper technology to prevent children from bypassing it. The developers frequently release updates to address any new loopholes that are introduced from phone updates. Parents can also download a version of MMGuardian directly from the company (click here to learn more) instead of the Play Store which can even block the child from using safe mode to bypass or remove the app.

Net Nanny has basic removal prevention such as requiring a password to uninstall the app, but anti-tampering capabilities are limited, and there is no way to stop children from using safe mode to get around the app.

iPhone– Due to Apple’s restrictions, parents will need to use the iPhone’s native Screen Time controls (found in the child’s phone’s Settings) to prevent the child from uninstalling both MMGuardian and Net Nanny.

Web Filter


Android– Both apps allow parents to view their child’s browsing history and block or allow websites based on categories or specific URLs. The key difference is that MMGuardian is capable of filtering all popular web browsers. Net Nanny requires the child to use a special Net Nanny browser and all other browsers will be blocked automatically. In addition to blocking and allow websites, Net Nanny offers a third option to allow and alert parents if a category is visited, and parents can also create their own custom categories. Net Nanny can “mask” profanity by replacing it with other characters such as ‘###’.

iPhone– Both apps require the parent to install the app which will act as a web browser. Parents will need to be sure no other browsers are installed and can disable disable the App Store and Safari on the child’s device to ensure they do not have access to another browser. Both apps also allow parents to view browsing history and to block websites individually or based on categories. Net Nanny offers the additional options to allow websites and alert parents if they are visited and to create custom categories. Net Nanny can “mask” profanity by replacing it with other characters such as ‘###’.



Location


Android– Both apps allow parents to retrieve their child’s location on demand and view their current and past locations on a map. MMGuardian also allows parents to create schedules during which their child’s location will be retrieved automatically. Neither app provides geo-fencing as a feature.

iPhone– Only MMGuardian provides on demand location retrieval for parents. Both apps allow parents to view their child’s location history.

App Blocking


Android– Both apps allow parents to block or allow specific apps and view their child’s app usage statistics. They also both alert parents to new app downloads and allow parents to view the install/uninstall history of apps. MMGuardian allows parents to create groups of apps that they can assign daily time limits or block schedules, offering a lot of flexibility. MMGuardian also provides parents with the ability to set any apps that are downloaded to be blocked automatically so that their child can’t use them until the parent manually unblocks them. Net Nanny features an App Advisor which provides parents with guidance and information about apps.

iPhone– MMGuardian allows parents to disable all downloaded apps, either according to a schedule or on demand. You are not able to disable apps individually. You can also set restrictions on apps based on age. Net Nanny allows parents to disable the internet for individual apps, but children can still open and use them if they don’t require internet. Net Nanny can also only disable internet on a specific list of apps which their website claims includes around 125 of the most common and concerning apps for parents. Net Nanny features an App Advisor which provides parents with guidance and information about apps.



Phone locking


Android– MMGuardian allows parents to lock the phone completely, only allowing the child to contact the admins or emergency contacts. This can be done manually for a set amount of time or according to schedules. Net Nanny allows parents to set the amount of screen time that their child is able to use. Once that time is up, all apps on the phone are blocked other than the phone app and native texting app, so children are still able to make calls and text. Net Nanny does allow parents to add bonus amounts of screen time easily without having to change any configurations, unlike MMGuardian.

iPhone– Neither app offers a way to completely lock the phone down due to Apple’s restrictions. Net Nanny does offer screen time limits, and once that limit is reached, the internet can be disabled for some downloaded apps (see App Blocking section above).

Contact blocking


Android– MMGuardian allows parents to control who their child is able to communicate with. Parents can create a list of contacts to either allow (and all others will be blocked) or block (and all others will be allowed). All texts to and from blocked contacts will be blocked. Blocking calls will depend on the operating system on the child’s device. If it’s Android 9, you’ll need to download the app directly to block calls. For Android 10+ phones, only incoming calls can be blocked. Net Nanny does not offer any contact blocking features.

iPhone– Due to Apple’s restrictions, neither app offers contact blocking features.

Thank you for taking the time to read our article. I hope you found it helpful, and if you have any questions about MMGuardian, feel free to reach out to us at support@test2.mmguardian.com.

For more information about MMGuardian, click here.

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