# Parental Control vs Parental Control App

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Parental Control at 100% against Parental Control App's 29%. Parental Control also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.1). Parental Control App's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (74 vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Parental Control sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Parental Control App sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Parental Control holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Parental Control App has 74 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Parental Control's written reviews are positive against 29% of Parental Control App's.

Parental Control ships an update every 5 months, Parental Control App fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Parental Control | Parental Control App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parental-control-smartdaddy/id1502380751/reviews)** | [3.2 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parental-control-app-grace/id1587660688/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **74** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 29.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 68 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SMARTDADDY LLP](https://appshunter.io/developer/1502380750) | [Screenity LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1587660690) |

## What reviewers say

### Parental Control

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parental-control-smartdaddy/id1502380751)

This app acts as a virtual bodyguard for children, offering comprehensive screen time management and online safety features. It allows parents to set app limits, monitor online activities, track location, and manage tasks for their children, providing peace of mind.

**Highlights:** Screen time limits and scheduling, App and website blocking, Live location tracking, Screen capture monitoring, To-do list management, Call and SMS monitoring, SOS emergency alerts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock SmartDaddy | $4.99 | per month |
| SMALL FAMILY | $5.99 | per month |
| Unlock SmartDaddy | $9.99 | per month |
| MEDIUM FAMILY | $17.99 | per month |
| LARGE FAMILY | $29.99 | per month |
| Unlock SmartDaddy | $40.99 | per year |
| Unlock SmartDaddy | $59.99 | per year |


### Parental Control App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parental-control-app-grace/id1587660688)

Manage your children's device usage remotely by blocking apps, websites, and in-app purchases. Set flexible screen time limits and schedules without requiring MDM profiles. Protect device settings and ensure your data remains secure.

**Highlights:** Remote screen time control, Block apps, games, and websites, Set flexible screen time schedules, Block in-app purchases, Protect device settings, Unlimited device management, Ad-free experience

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grace Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Grace Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Grace Lifetime | $119.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive interface and layout
- 🚀 Improvement over built-in controls
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 👍 Compatible with Shortcuts
- 👍 Works well for 10-year-olds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App doesn't work reliably
- 🐛 Support unresponsive
- 🐛 iCloud password required for actions
- 🐛 Fails to uninstall
- 🐛 Screen time limit doesn't work

**Reported bugs**

- Fails to uninstall
- Requires iCloud password for actions
- Screen time limits not working
- Doesn't lock/unlock immediately
- Randomly stops working

**Requested features**

- Allow multiple controlling devices
- Improve reporting around screen usage
- Add FaceID option for security
- Fix bug blocking app installation requests
- Improve reliability of seeing newly installed apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Parental Control free?

Parental Control is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Parental Control App free?

Parental Control App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Parental Control or Parental Control App?

Parental Control is rated higher. Parental Control averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Parental Control App averages 3.2 from 74 ratings.

### Do Parental Control or Parental Control App have ads?

Neither Parental Control nor Parental Control App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Parental Control or Parental Control App?

Parental Control ships an update every 5 months, and Parental Control App fortnightly. Most recently, Parental Control was updated on October 6, 2026 and Parental Control App on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*