There are tons of parental tracking apps, and they all promise something different. Some apps let you keep an eye on real-time location. Others focus more on Geofencing and location history. A few try to cover all phone activity, not only location.
So how do you figure out which one is actually the best tracking app for family needs? In this article, we’ll break down the top options and look at what each one actually does, and help you decide. Let’s get into it.
Table Of Contents
Eyezy
Eyezy is one of the most popular parental control apps for tracking a child’s location. The app gives you a full report with the time, address, and map pins, so you can see exactly where they’ve been.
Also, it lets you set up GeoFencing for places like home, school, sports practice, a friend’s house, or grandparents’ homes. You’ll get a notification whenever your child enters or leaves one of those spots.
But the biggest thing to know is that Eyezy isn’t only about location tracking. It works as a complete parental control app that keeps track of pretty much everything a child does on their phone — both online and off.
With this family tracker app, you can also:
- Keep an eye on nearly every popular social app — Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, and a bunch more (hard to find a platform it doesn’t cover).
- Track conversations within AI chat tools (Chat GPT, Gemini, and more)
- Hear recorded calls and see all the details, like who they talked to, when the call happened, and how long it lasted.
- Browse everything they do online — what they search for, which sites they visit, what they download, and so on.
- Block anything unsafe on the phone, for example, 18+ websites.
And that’s still not everything it can do.
Norton Family
Norton Family is another popular app for parents. With this app, you can track your child’s geolocation in real time, see their location history for the last 30 days, and create a favorite locations list.
Norton Family also handles everyday parents’ worries. For example, you can set limits that match your child’s age, block sites you don’t want them visiting, and check what they’ve been searching for.
And what makes it especially useful is the detailed reports it puts together for you. They give you a clear picture of your child’s online habits.
Bark
Bark is a parental control app that puts a lot of focus on location tracking. You can check your child’s real-time spot on a map and look through detailed location reports whenever you need them.
It also shows whether your child is walking, biking, or driving. And if your child ever calls 911, Bark sends you a notification with their exact location right away.
On top of that, it includes the usual parental control tools like social media monitoring, screen-time limits, and more.
Google Family Link
Google Family Link is a free family tracking app for Android, and it gives you a simple way to see your child’s real-time location right on Google Maps.
The app also lets you set basic rules for your child’s digital content use. You can set age limits for apps, manage screen time settings, look at their browser history, change passwords if needed, and a few other things like that.
It doesn’t go very deep when it comes to monitoring everything on the device, but it works well for light oversight.
Life360
This family locator app is genuinely helpful for parents. It focuses only on location tracking, but it does that part really well.
Along with basics like real-time location, GeoFencing, and a full location history, it also shows your child’s phone battery level. That small detail helps you guess when the location might stop updating because the phone is about to die.
They also offer Tile Pro Trackers — small tags you can clip to something like your child’s backpack. They’re handy, for example, if your kid loses their phone and you still want a way to find them.
It’s not meant to replace a full parental control app, but it’s a nice extra tool to have.
Google Maps
Google Maps is one of the best free family tracking apps for Android. Its built-in Location Sharing feature can be a real lifesaver in urgent situations.
Your child can share their location with you in just a couple of taps. All they need to do is hit “Share Location” and choose “Until you turn this off” instead of the one-hour option. If you save that link, you can check where they are whenever you need to.
But keep in mind that this method is pretty limited. You won’t get location history, geofencing, or any of the extra tools you’d find in a full parental control app.
Parentaler
Parentaler is another all-in-one parental control app. Its location tools get a lot of positive feedback from parents who use it. You can look through your child’s full location history, including the exact time, date, address, and the pin on the map for each stop.
It also covers the basics you’d expect from a monitoring app, like checking social media activity, blocking certain slang, sending alerts for adult content, and more.
Hoverwatch
Hoverwatch advertises itself as a free family tracking app that offers nonstop GPS tracking with a full location history. But since their site has a Pricing section, it’s clear the app isn’t actually free.
Like many other parental control apps, it includes tools for checking calls, texts, and some social media activity. But in terms of social apps, it only covers Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Facebook. That’s a pretty small list compared to what similar apps can track.
Which One to Choose?
If you search for something like “best family tracking app free,” you’ll see even more options than the ones listed here. There are tons of them.
But the real question you need to ask yourself is, “What actually helps me keep my child safe?”
Just knowing where your child is won’t always be enough. We recommend choosing an app that covers everything — from location tracking to monitoring social media, AI chats, call recordings, and more.
Apps that do all of that won’t be free, but they can give you real protection and a lot more peace of mind.
Which app from this article offers that level of coverage? Eyezy.
