Rating: 6.7 / 10 (Very good)
11 Customer Reviews - see all comments
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Net Nanny is a parental control app and software developed by ContentWatch Holdings, Inc., a company that provides internet protection solutions. Net Nanny features several parental control options such as powerful and flexible filtering technology, a time management tool, and remote management. The product has been the recipient of many awards and accolades.

How is Net Nanny rated?

Breakdown

0.0/5
Transparency
0.0/5
Multiple OS Monitoring
0.0/5
Unique Features
0.0/5
Ease of Installation/Use

Overall Rating: 3.3 / 5 (Very good)

Net Nanny offers powerful filtering tools that go beyond the old whitelisting/blacklisting techniques and instead analyze the content of each website and selectively block it according to the parental control settings. It runs on PCs, Macs, mobile devices, and Kindle Fire. We were impressed by its configurability, its compatibility with Kindle Fire, and its pricing structure (especially for multiple devices). Another point of interest was Net Nanny's customer service. They have live operators from Monday to Friday between 10am to 7pm Eastern Time. We were less impressed by its lack of geofencing, its inability to report the contents of chats, and its lack of the ability to block communications from specified accounts and individuals.

Net Nanny Features & Services

Features & Services - 4.5 / 5

Net Nanny's chief selling point is its powerful filtering capabilities. In addition to a good selection of preexisting categories, parents can input their own specific filters as well. The app's ability to determine the context in which particular words are used is noteworthy since it allows words that may be innocuous in some contexts (such as recipes for cooking chicken breasts) but are indicators of adult content in other contexts. Unlike older versions of Net Nanny, the latest iteration has a location tracker that allows parents to see where their children are in real time. This is an excellent addition to the app. Net Nanny's parental control interface allows Mom or Dad to Filter adult content in real-time, block pornography, receive alerts of online activity, and help children manage their screen time. Parents can also set the app to send them alerts about blocked or warned content, an apps summary that lists whatever apps have been used, and search history details (search terms and search engine). Daily screen time usage stats are also included. Net Nanny provides a mobile Parent App and Web Parent Dashboard accessible from anywhere parents can make changes and see reports anywhere and from any device. Both these options also include the Net Nanny Family Feed that shows a real-time feed of family events including; Internet Searches, App installs, Blocked and Alerted content, App Usage summaries, and technology-related parenting tips. The Net Nanny apps also include access to the App Advisor that gives parent-friendly reviews and descriptions of mobile Apps. This is a reasonably robust set of features and controls, but it's not exhaustive​. For example, no geofencing is offered. And while texting apps can be blocked, there doesn't appear to be any feature that surveils a child's chat conversations and reports the contents of the chat to the parent. Nor is there any way to block particular people or accounts from contacting the child by phone or text message.
Monitoring Categories
Sexual Content
Gambling
Weapons
Hate Sites
All Adult Content
Search Engine Safe Search
Drugs
Violence, Death, Gore
Suicide
Customizable Filtering
Yes
Usage Control Features
Access Scheduling
App Blocking
Website Blacklisting
Software Blocking
Remote Blocking
Screen Time Allowance
Category Blocking

Monitoring Method

  • Parent
Monitoring Features
Apps
Location Tracking
Internet Searches
Blocked and Alerted Websites
Instant Alerts

Social Networks Monitored

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Google+
  • Tumblr
Locator Services
GPS-Enabled
Tracking
Location History
Notifications/Alerts
Native Push Notifications to Parent's Mobile Device
Email

Net Nanny Pricing & Subscription Model

Pricing & Subscription Model - 4.5 / 5

Net Nanny provides different plans depending on the amounts of devices a consumer wishes to cover: one PC, five devices (PC and mobile) or 20 devices (PC and mobile). The company does not appear to offer a free trial period anymore. The 20-device option is very economical on a per-device basis.

Plan 1/Price

20 devices (PC and mobile) for $89.99/year

Plan 2/Price

5 devices (PC and mobile) for $54.99/year

Plan 3/Price

1 PC for $39.99/year
Free Trial
Yes
Number of Devices
1 / 5 / 20
Number of Accounts
Unlimited users
Auto-Renew
Yes

Net Nanny Customer Experience

Customer Experience - 4.8 / 5

Net Nanny is one of the few parental control apps that specifically works with Kindle Fire devices. It also covers the major platforms of Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. The company has an A+ on the BBB, but no page on Trustpilot. Its customer service hours are unfortunately limited to nine hours a day Monday through Friday, with no service available on weekends but are one of the few Parental Control companies that offer live technical support. The company does not offer a live chat option for support but does offer email support at support@netnanny.com. Consumers can also contact the company by filling out a web form on the website.
Year Founded
2001
BBB Rating
A+
Number of BBB Positive Reviews
0
Number of BBB Negative Reviews
0
Date Collected
2019-07-31
Platforms and Devices
Mobile
iOS
Android
Windows
Mac
Contact Method
Email
Phone
Online Form
Customer Service Hours
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST weekdays support@netnnany.com

Company Profile

Full Name
Net Nanny Parental Control App
Company Website
Headquarters
6967 South River Gate Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84047

Top Rated
Our Partner

  • Available on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Kindle Fire
  • Packages for 1 desktop, 5 devices, or 20 devices available
  • Location tracker for mobile devices
  • Screen time management tool
  • Pornography, apps, and various website can be blocked
  • A+ rating from the BBB

Latest Net Nanny Reviews

Sammy W

11/1/2023
Filters don't block all sites in category that it should block and blocks content it shouldn't. Horrible filters that don't work!


jason.wieland74

2/9/2023
Horrible company. Their support system is next to nonexistent. If the "support" agent can't help you with the basic troubleshooting they will stop responding to your emails and or disconnect from your chat window. So you are basically out of luck. The software is clunky/glitchy and there is no way to provide feedback to anyone who cares.


habermom1

8/9/2021
Tried installing Net Nanny on my son's new iphone. Paid. It's been 3 weeks with no reports on anything he's doing on the phone. No customer service phone number. Been emailing back and forth for 2 weeks. When they feel like it, they answer me a few days after my question is sent. Horrible service. Going to cancel and try to get my money back. PS: The BEST PARENTAL CONTROL I HAVE EVER FOUND IS CALLED BOOMERANG. Unfortunately, only works on androids, not IOS devices. I'm going to actually change the phone my son is using to a Samsung just so I can go back to using Boomerang Parental Control.


rebeccahagen73

9/25/2020
If you want a program that is very restrictive as to content it allows through then this is the way to go. My problem is with canceling. There was/is no "cancel the account" button on the account page. According to my account billing page they had no form of payment on file, and for good measure I HAD unclicked auto-renew, yet they continued to renew. I even tried deleting devices from the account, and they wouldn't delete. I was finally able to get someone on chat, they don't appear to have a phone number to call. So don't expect the webpage to be user friendly or reliable. You will have to physically chat with someone at Net Nanny to get anything done.


zoeycarpenter

5/19/2020
I just spent an hour with their chat agent trying to get help with installing the app on my child's iPhone. No luck. I sent screenshot after screenshot at the agent's request, then the chat got disconnected. I tried again. Initially, there was a problem logging in. 30 minutes they reset the password. After that, the app still was not working. I just wasted an hour plus of my time and basically realized that nobody on their end knows what to do. They also have removed a number to call to speak to a live person, which they had one when they sold me the product. Good luck to whoever is willing to take a chance on this app. Hopefully, my bank can help me as I am outside their 14day... Read More


plsthirdaddress

4/18/2020
This software is absolutely terrible. On mac and windows, it is by far one of the most glitchiest softwares I have used in my life. The software makes the internet very slow and blocks things even in the whitelist. The filtering capabilities are subpar and can be easily circumvented. Do NOT waste your time on this software. go with something else.


B
Brian

4/1/2020
If you want to spent your life trying to keep it working this is your product. It has been two years and hundreds of hours of time fixing things only to have times were it was not working and I was not aware. Honest kids would let me know.


bayner16

3/19/2020
Probably the worst software that i have ever used. It would block all internet for no reason. Show the wrong screen time. Call support they are clueless. NO way would i mess with this thing ever again as it does nothing to protect your kids on the internet.


Peter S

2/28/2020
I never was able to see NN in action after many attempts to get it installed on my grandson's Iphone. After leaing messages, chats online, still could not get it to work, Disappointed as we do need something, will have to research options. Pete P Lancaster Pa


omahahomeschool

12/16/2019
I remember two things from my experience five years ago: Net Nanny overblocks sites so that acceptable ones cannot be accessed without overriding, which they have made difficult even for administrators. And secondly, they have terrible computer integration. Nothing has changed. I have been denied access to my account three times in the first month, reset my password twice and am now in the process of doing it for the third time. The phone support has you leave a message but suggest you try live chat support. I asked my question on chat, which was promptly terminated that chat was closed but they were sending an email.


S
Steve

7/29/2019
Review for a child with a Fire tablet. Amazon does not list the child app in its app store, so you have to jump through hoops to install the Google play store first. Also, if you travel, there will be some real frustration with this app. I had to uninstall, just to get the tablet to access anything on one particular network.