Below are listed consumer filtering reviews written since 2006. All can be viewed by following the links. A comprehensive table of all English language filtering reviews since 1995 is available in a pdf file here.
| Blue Coat K-9 Moral Metric, Jan 2007 (Full Review) Summary: We were very pleased with this FREE Internet Filter. K9’s web filtering performed very well in our tests. It was easy to setup and customizing the settings were very intuitive. We recommend parents increase the protection level to its highest settings. |
| Bright Filter 3 stars Web User, Aug 2006 (Full Review) Summary: BrightFilter uses a web-based interface for program configuration and makes it easy to create all the user accounts you need. You can apply film-classification-style restrictions on accounts in a number of categories, letting you block spyware, web mail and file-sharing sites – as well as specifying individual sites to block. |
| Bsafe New Man Magazine, Dec 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Of all the filters we tested, BSafe Online, bsafehome.com, worked the best, filtering all but one of the test sites. The reason it worked so well is because of how BSafe uses a multipronged approach to filtering, using keywords, URL blocks, customer suggestions and what the company calls a “secret sauce” to make sure you and your kids never see an erotic image. |
| Bsafe Online 3.5 stars PC Magazine, Nov 2007 (Full Review) Summary: Bsafe Online is a tough, effective, and comprehensive parental-control solution. It has a few rough edges, but the company is already working on improvements. The current version is a worthy product; the next version could be a knockout. |
| BSafe Online 4.5 Moral Metric, Jan 2007 (Full Review) Summary: Bsafe Online Internet Filter provided the best Web filtering of any of the products we tested. |
| BSafe Online 5.0 Moral Metric, Apr 2007 (Full Review) Summary: The best just got better. Now comes with powerful controls for Instant Messaging Programs. |
| Chaperone Pro 5.0 1.5 stars PC Magazine, Jul 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Chaperone Professional 5.0 combines an awkward and antiquated user interface with an unusually limited feature set. Even if you do manage to work through its configuration options, any computer-savvy teenager can disable it. |
| Content Protect 2.0 3.5 stars PC Magazine, Jul 2006 (Full Review) Summary: ContentProtect offers complete and flexible content filtering. The software requires you to set too many passwords, though, and the remote management feature can’t quickly push changes back to the protected computer. When these quirks are addressed, it should be a very good solution. |
| Content Watch 2.5 Moral Metric, Jan 2007 (Full Review) Summary: Content Watch missed blocking several sites it should have caught. This resulted in our listing it’s Web protection as “average.” |
| Crawler Parental Controls 5 stars Computer Shopper, Sep 2007 (Full Review) Summary: As this software is free, our expectations weren’t all that high. However, it has all the features you’d expect in a paid-for program, and it’s also easy to use. |
| Cyber Patrol 7.5 5 stars Computer Buyer, Mar 2006 (Full Review) Summary: By far the best program on test, with almost every conceivable blocking option present. |
| Cyber Patrol 7.6 4 stars Computer Shopper, Sep 2007 (Full Review) Summary: Apart from one or two small glitches this is a good program, but it’s not as good as some others. |
| Cyber Patrol 7.6 5 stars Web User, Aug 2006 (Full Review) Summary: As soon as you install CyberPatrol, it is obvious there is a wealth of filtering options available. As well as standard web filtering, the software can monitor instant-messaging programs, chat rooms and newsgroups. |
| Cyber Patrol 7.6 Moral Metric, Jan 2007 (Full Review) Summary: Cyber Patrol was one of the best over-all products we reviewed. Its word filtering for any IM/Chat program was most impressive. |
| Cyber Patrol 7.7 3 stars Top Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Overall, CyberPatrol offers an easy to use filtering solution with quite a bit of versatility and utility. The software isn’t the best available, but has a unique combination of features and abilities that make it a good choice for effective internet filtering for the whole family. For customization, simplicity, and efficiency, CyberPatrol is a good overall internet filtering solution. |
| Cyber Patrol 7.7 4 stars PC Magazine, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: CyberPatrol offers flexible and comprehensive parental control. Its IM filtering is innovative, though it needs some tuning. You can use it in home, school, library, or business settings. It’s an especially good choice for school or library, where its lack of remote management and notification features won’t matter. |
| Cyber Sitter 10 3.5 stars Top Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: CYBERsitter is one of the most effective programs you will find for filtering offensive content on the Internet, in emails or in IM conversations. CYBERsitter takes an impressive list of features and combines it with superior customizability and effective filters to create an effective Internet filter for your home. You won’t be disappointed with CYBERsitter’s performance |
| Cyber Sitter 9.0 Moral Metric, Jan 2007 (Full Review) Summary: All the right options are here, but until they work better and filter effectiveness is substantially improved this is not a product we would recommend. |
| Cyber Sitter 9.0 3 stars Computer Shopper, Sep 2007 (Full Review) Summary: This is generally a good program, but a few glitches need to be sorted out before we can wholeheartedly recommend it. |
| Cyber Sitter 9.0 3 stars Web User, Aug 2006 (Full Review) Summary: The web filtering offered by the program can be a little on the aggressive side, meaning access to some harmless sites will be denied, but it is rare for an objectionable site to slip through the net. The program’s configuration can take time to get used to, but once mastered this is a powerful tool. |
| Cyber Sitter 9.0 3 stars Computer Buyer, Mar 2006 (Full Review) Summary: While effective at blocking sites, the messy interface would put off most novices. |
| Cyber Snoop 4.0 1 stars Computer Buyer, Mar 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Don’t bother with Cyber Snoop 4.0. There are much better programs out there |
| D-Link Secure Spot Moral Metric, Jan 2007 (Full Review) Summary: This is a very good solution if you have multiple PCs on a home or small office network. It may take a little more thought and may be intimidating to people who are not comfortable with hardware details. |
| FilterPak 2. 5 stars Top Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Overall, this product was a good product. |
| FilterPak 2 stars Computer Shopper, Sep 2007 (Full Review) |
| iShield 3 stars Computer Shopper, Sep 2007 (Full Review) Summary: This is a good program, but its filters need to be more consistent. |
| iShield New Man Magazine, Dec 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Unlike the other filters we tested, iShield Plus, guardwareinc.com, is focused squarely on blocking adult-oriented images. It puts a shield over inappropriate content, so youngsters in your home could still see adult-oriented text. With Internet Explorer 6, the program blocked all of our test sites correctly. However, we noticed a quick blip of a pornographic image as the blocker took effect. |
| iShield 3 stars Computer Buyer, Mar 2006 (Full Review) Summary: iShield’s approach to blocking pornographic imagery doesn’t stop all ’suspect’ content. |
| iShield 2.0 3 stars PC Magazine, Feb 2008 (Full Review) Summary: With iShield 2.0, you and your little ones can avoid accidentally viewing porn images online. The software also serves as a browser-independent Internet time scheduler. Its porn detection is mostly accurate, but it won’t stop a teen (or spouse) from surfing for prurient pix. |
| iShield Plus 2.0 2.5 stars PC Magazine, Sep 2007 (Full Review) Summary: This product will keep your littler ones from accidentally visiting inappropriate sites or viewing naughty pictures, but it won’t stand up to a determined teenager. Teens will also easily evade its limited IM monitoring. The image-recognition feature is very clever, but the program as a whole needs work. |
| KidsWatch 3 stars PC Magazine, Feb 2008 (Full Review) Summary: KidsWatch shares its ancestry with Webroot Parental Controls, but it has additional features like real-time alerts and IM monitoring. It suffers the same lame remote access feature and several of the same bugs as WPC. |
| Livia Web Protection Filtering Facts, July 2008 (Full Review) Summary: For the parent who wants to have secure and robust filtering or monitoring in the home, this is definitely worth the $4.95 per month. If what you are most concerned about is blocking adult content from your family, this is the product for you. |
| Max Protect 4 3 stars Top Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Overall, we are impressed with MaxProtect and the various protective features it offers. Though it doesn’t have the same quality of filtering as some of the higher ranking filters, this web filter does a good job |
| McAfee Parental Controls 1.5 2 stars Top Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: The application is very visual in its graphics, a very nice design. Overall, a good product, but more work needs to be done to elevate the ranking of this product. |
| Net Mop 2.5 stars Top Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: This would be a good product for someone trying to break a pornography addiction because you give ultimate control of the administrative functions to Netmop |
| Net Nanny 5.1 New Man Magazine, Dec 2006 (Full Review) Summary: ContentWatch, which costs $40, was mostly successful in our test, blocking two of the test sites. It did block an adult section of one of the sites, but it did let most of the mature-rated gaming content through. Additionally, ContentWatch did not block adult videos on one of the sites. |
| Net Nanny 5.1 2 stars Web User, Aug 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Net Nanny is a well-known name in the world of web-filtering software, but this does not make it the best. The problem is that it doesn’t use categories to block sites. Instead, a single long list of blocked URLs is maintained, making it difficult to apply different profiles to different users. On the positive side, Net Nanny offers a monitoring facility with the option to email reports. |
| Net Nanny 5.1 3 stars Computer Buyer, Mar 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Not a bad internet filtering application, but it’s not a particularly secure one. |
| Net Nanny 5.5 Moral Metric, Jan 2007 (Full Review) Summary: ContentWatch acquires NetNanny and releases their home product under the NetNanny name with some improvements. |
| Net Nanny 5.6 4 stars Laptop, May 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Although it’s more difficult to configure than other parental control programs, Net Nanny offers a very good array of protective tools for children making their way onto the Net. |
| Net Nanny 5.6 3 stars PC Magazine, Feb 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Net Nanny 5.6 is powerful and flexible. Its content filtering, IM monitoring and time scheduler are hardened, so kids can’t circumvent them, and the Flash-based activity reports are outstanding. Net Nanny offers full remote management, though remote changes may not take effect immediately. |
| Net Nanny 5.6 4 stars Computer Shopper, Sep 2007 (Full Review) Summary: This is a good program and passed all our tests, but it can be overly restrictive. |
| Net Nanny 6.0 PC Magazine, Nov 2008 (Full Review) 4.5 stars Summary: Net Nanny does everything a parental-control utility should do. It also offers unique features like secure Web-traffic filtering and ESRB-based game control. Balancing privacy and security, it can record IM conversations only if they seem dangerous. E-mail alerts and full remote configuration let you manage wherever you are. Net Nanny remains our Editors’ Choice for parental control. |
| Net Nanny 6.0 4 stars Top Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: ContentWatch offers Net Nanny with the cutting edge technology to create the ultimate internet safety software. Net Nanny has combined all the right features (and then some) in an easy-to-use internet filtering solution. Simply put—the internet can be a dangerous place and certainly contains unacceptable content. Children can be protected with filtering software and Net Nanny is the best |
| Net Nanny 6.0 Computer Shopper, May 2009 (Full Review) Summary: If you need help controlling your child’s Net access, Net Nanny can provide an abundance of tools, though you’ll have to purchase a yearly subscription for each PC you want to cover. |
| Noodle Net 1.3 3 stars PC Magazine, Feb 2008 (Full Review) Summary: With NoodleNet your children can visit predefined age-appropriate sites and run kid-safe searches—and that’s all. It’s probably too restrictive for all but tiny tots. And letting kids run local games and programs can knock a hole in its protection. |
| Norton Internet Safety 3stars Web User, Aug 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Beginners and those looking for limited fuss and automatic functionality will continue to get a lot out of Norton – it can be trusted to let you connect to the internet without overly concerning yourself about the bad things that can happen. Advanced users may balk at the price though. |
| Norton Internet Security 2009 4 stars PC Magazine, Sep 2008 (Full Review) Summary: This is definitely the slimmest, most unobtrusive Norton ever. Its protection is top-notch where it counts, though antispam and parental controls are still weak. As the best all-around security suite yet (I’ll be installing it myself), it’s our new Editors’ Choice. |
| OnlineFamily.Norton 4 stars PC Magazine, May 2009 (Full Review) Summary: This free Web-based product has everything you’d expect in a parental-control system and more. It blocks bad sites, controls time on the computer, supervises chat, and even watches social network use on all your PCs and Macs. Settings are stored in the cloud, making remote configuration and reporting simple. |
| OnlineFamily.Norton Computer Shopper, May 2009 (Full Review) Summary: Though it lacks some of the advanced features found in the leading parental-control programs, OnlineFamily.Norton moves beyond the competition in encouraging communication between parents and kids. |
| OpenDNS Filtering Facts, Jan 2008 (Full Review) Summary: For the home user who wants to block out adult-oriented sites, this is a great product. Fast, high-quality filtering that’s always up-to-date on your computer with no latency and simple installation, and it costs nothing. But if you want to block more than just explicit sites , set time limits, filter e-mail, IM, etc., you will need to use other products in conjunction with OpenDNS. |
| PC Pandora 5.0 3 stars PC Magazine, Jan 2008 (Full Review) Summary: If you want to control the way your kids use the computer, this isn’t the product for you. But if you want to secretly monitor every little thing they do on the computer, PC Pandora will definitely do the job. |
| Pearl Echo 3 stars Computer Shopper, Sep 2007 (Full Review) Summary: This program is excellent in many ways. It isn’t that difficult to set up, integrates closely with Windows (and with Active Directory, which is a real plus for small business users) and lets you control internet usage across a home or company network. It’s great for small business users and IT-minded parents, but you will need to be prepared to find workarounds for the odd idiosyncrasy. |
| Safe Eyes 2006 4.5 stars PC Magazine, Jul 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Safe Eyes offers parental control for the modern multi-computer family. User accounts reside on the Safe Eyes server; site filtering happens there too. If the kids go wild on the Web, Safe Eyes can text message, e-mail, or phone you; at that point you can take direct control of the program from any browser. |
| Safe Eyes New Man Magazine, Dec 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Safe Eyes, safeeyes.com, is an award-winning, powerful filter that monitors P2P programs and has the best time-of-day and content-level controls. But in our test, Safe Eyes did not block three of the sites that distribute or link to pornography. |
| Safe Eyes Moral Metric, Jan 2007 (Full Review) Summary: Safe Eyes has one of the best overall products we reviewed. It looks great, and its filtering was very good once you increase the protection level. Only Bsafe and Secure Spot did better. Safe Eyes has the best notification options of them all. |
| Safe Eyes 2006 3 stars Web User, Aug 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Safe Eyes blocks access to unsuitable sites in more than 30 categories as well as user-specified URLs – this banned list is stored on an online server so the information cannot be retrieved from the hard disk. Although web browsing can be filtered using keywords, the same does not apply to instant messaging and other programs. |
| Safe Eyes 5.0 4.5 stars Laptop, May 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Safe Eyes’ easy-to-control interface and powerful controls, especially for social networking protection, will leave parents anxiety-free. |
| Safe Eyes 5.0 4 stars PC Magazine, Jun 2007 (Full Review) Summary: Safe Eyes 5 does everything you’d expect a parental control utility to do and more. Its Web-based protection covers up to three computers (PC or Mac) and allows remote management from a browser. And this is one tough cookie?the kids won’t break its protection. |
| Safe Eyes 5.0 3 stars Computer Shopper, Sep 2007 (Full Review) Summary: As with the other programs here, Safe Eyes lets you block or allow specific programs and websites. This feature worked fine, too. This is a good piece of software, but Pearl Echo and Crawler Parental Controls are better value. |
| SafeEyes Wired, Oct 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Overall, if you are looking for internet blocking/filtering (parental control software), SafeEyes brings a good suite of capabilities along with a high degree of customization. The $49.95 annual subscription is right in the middle of the pack of other software packages in this arena. |
| SafeEyes 3.5 stars Top Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Safe Eyes has a lot convenient features to protect your family, organized in an attractive interface. Whether you are using it in a home setting or for a business, Safe Eyes is easily scalable to the number of people you want to protect and monitor. It’s also easy to customize and use from anywhere |
| Sentry at Home 2.5 stars PC Magazine, Nov, 2007 (Full Review) Summary: Sentry At Home can keep the kids off porn sites and stop bad chat or just report any violations to Mom and Dad. Remote monitoring and management is effective, with changes active in near real time. Unfortunately, the product’s protection is easily subverted. |
| Webroot 3.5 stars Laptop, May 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Webroot Parental Controls is a good first step at limiting a child’s time on the computer, but its lack of instant message–logging support gives us pause. |
| Webroot 3 stars PC Magazine, Jan 2008 (Full Review) Summary: Webroot Parental Controls blocks bad Web sites and offers comprehensive scheduling of your children’s computer use. Kids can’t get around its site-blocking or program control. There’s no real-time notification or Web-based management, though, and the local-network-only remote client is disappointing |
| Webroot Child Safe 4.5 stars PC Magazine, Nov 2006 (Full Review) Summary: Child Safe filters content your kids shouldn’t see and gives you a broad range of features for limiting the time they can spend on the computer, the Internet, and even with specific programs. It can also defend itself against tech-savvy nippers who try to disable it. |
| Wise Choice3 starsTop Ten Reviews, Nov 2008 (Full Review) Summary: WiseChoice.net has recently teamed up with Safe Eyes technology to provide more complete internet filtering. Their product is specifically designed to aid adult users with pornography problems. WiseChoice is very similar to Safe Eyes. One exception is that WiseChoice defaults to a locked filter with no override option. In order to override the filter, users must purchase a different version. |
