Google Family Link vs Pluckeye

Google Family Link helps parents guide a child’s online experience and build digital habits. Parents can set daily screen-time limits and School Time or Downtime schedules, set individual app limits, allow unlimited time for selected apps, or block apps. Controls cover Chrome, Google Play, YouTube, and Search, including site blocking and app approval. Activity reports and location tools add visibility: a child’s location appears when the device is powered on, recently active, and connected to the internet. Family Link can alert parents when a child arrives at or leaves a location, ring devices, and show remaining battery life. Parents can install the app on Android or iOS, and some settings are available on the web. Child supervision supports Android 6.0 or later, Chromebook with Chrome OS 71 or later, and compatible Fitbit devices. It cannot supervise iPhones, iPads, or computers other than Chromebooks, and it cannot manage Google Workspace for Education accounts. Purchase approvals apply only to purchases through Google Play billing. The service is free; some features require a compatible device.

Pluckeye is an Internet filter for people who want to limit access to online activities such as pornography, social media, gaming, gambling, shopping, or email. It blocks Internet images and videos by default. Users can block or allow parts of sites through URL or media-type rules, schedule selected sites, or set periods when the entire Internet is blocked. Configuration changes take effect only after a user-selected delay; the product also says it cannot be uninstalled before that delay passes. An accountability partner can see which sites a user has allowed, and another person can approve a site immediately to bypass the wait. Pluckeye supports Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its manual says it works best with Edge and Firefox, with a caveat for Brave, Chrome, and Vivaldi. The maker describes it as a do-it-yourself filter that takes time to configure and has a steep learning curve. The Free plan costs nothing and includes all Pluckeye features.