Defenras vs Family Link. Where each one wins.
Family Link is free, well-built, and made by the company that makes Android. For a lot of families it's genuinely enough. Here's where it isn't, stated plainly — including the cases where we'd tell you to skip us.
What Family Link does well
Credit where it's due:
- It's free. No tier, no upsell, no trial.
- Screen time controls are excellent. Daily limits, per-day-of-week schedules, bedtime, per-app limits. Best-in-class and better than most paid products.
- Deep Android integration. It's built into the OS, so it can't be force-stopped and doesn't need Accessibility permissions.
- App approval works properly. Install requests come to your phone.
- Location tracking is included and reliable.
If your main concern is how long your child is on their device, Family Link may be all you need, and we'd say so.
Where it falls short
1. Content filtering is weak and Chrome-only
"Try to block explicit sites" is a heuristic that catches obvious adult sites and misses a great deal — smaller sites, mirrors, newly registered domains. And it only governs Chrome. Another browser, or an in-app browser inside a social app, isn't covered.
2. Supervision ends at 13
This is the big one. When a supervised child reaches 13 (age varies by country), Google notifies them that they can stop supervision. You're told if they do. You can't prevent it.
For a lot of parents that's precisely backwards — 13 to 16 is when most families feel they need controls most.
3. Android-first
Family Link on iOS gives you far less. If your household is mixed, you're running two different systems.
4. It's a Google product
Family Link works by tying your child's activity to a Google account. Google's business is advertising built on behavioural data. That's a reasonable trade for some families and a dealbreaker for others; either way it should be a decision rather than a default.
Use both, honestly
Family Link for device time limits, Defenras for content filtering that survives your child's 13th birthday.
Get Defenras free →Side by side
| Family Link | Defenras | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free tier; paid for multi-device |
| Screen time limits | Excellent | Good |
| Content filtering | Basic, Chrome only | DNS-level, every browser |
| Works past age 13 | Child can end it | Yes, parent PIN |
| iOS support | Limited | Full |
| App blocking | Yes (Android) | Yes (Android) |
| Location | Continuous tracking | On-demand, stored on device |
| Browsing data collected | Tied to Google account | None |
| Blocks VPN / bypass apps | No | Yes |
When to pick which
Family Link alone is fine if
- Your child is under 11 and your concern is screen time, not content
- You're all-Android
- You want continuous background location tracking — ours is on-demand, not always-on
- Budget is the deciding factor
Add Defenras if
- Your child is approaching 13 and you want controls that don't expire
- You have iPhones, or a mix
- You want filtering that covers every browser rather than Chrome
- You'd rather your child's browsing not be attached to an advertising account
- You want VPN and bypass apps blocked
Plenty of families run both, and it's a sensible combination: Family Link for device-level time limits and app approval, Defenras for content filtering and platform blocking. They don't conflict — different layers doing different jobs.
One thing we do differently on purpose
Family Link reports which apps your child used and for how long, and tracks location continuously in the background. Defenras doesn't collect browsing data, and our location works differently: it's on-demand rather than always-on. Your child can send their location, or trigger the panic button, and the history stays on their phone rather than on our servers.
That's a deliberate trade and it isn't right for everyone. If detailed activity reporting is what you want, Family Link does it better and it's free. We'd rather tell you that than sell you something that doesn't do what you need.
Frequently asked questions
Is Family Link enough on its own?
For screen time on Android with a younger child, often yes. Its weak points are content filtering and the fact that supervision can be ended by your child at 13.
Can I use Family Link and Defenras together?
Yes, and many families do. Family Link for time limits and app approval, Defenras for content filtering. They operate at different layers and don't conflict.
What actually happens when my child turns 13?
Google notifies them that they can stop supervision. If they accept, you're informed but you can't block it. Controls with a parent PIN aren't affected by this.
Does Family Link work on iPhone?
Partially. Screen time reporting and some controls work; the experience is substantially more limited than on Android.
Defenras blocks all of this — without collecting your child's data.
One app, every device, every browser. Adult content, gambling, vaping, scams, malware, social media — all blocked. PIN-locked. Free version available, no credit card.