OpenParental vs Safe Lagoon

OpenParental is free, open-source parental-control software for Android, built around visible, consent-based supervision for parents and teenagers. A parent creates a short pairing code, which the child app claims before receiving a scoped device token. Parents can remotely lock or ping a device, set app blocklists, configure per-app daily limits, and create schedules. The parent dashboard or alert feed can receive periodic location, daily per-app usage, newly installed apps, and tamper events. Alerts can cover tampering, a device going dark, new apps, and unblock requests. Live screen viewing uses a setup-time MediaProjection grant and sends JPEG frames through Socket.IO. The project excludes covert audio, camera, ambient recording, covert screen capture, server-side storage of minors’ photos, Device Owner, and device wipe. The backend is self-hosted with Node 20+, Docker, PostgreSQL 16, and Redis 7. The child app is a sideloaded Kotlin Android APK; the parent app is Flutter with a Play Store track.

Safe Lagoon is an Android parental-control service with web filtering, screen-time controls, app blocking, activity reports, and location tracking. Parents can set daily limits and access schedules, pause internet or apps, and review daily internet use and 30 days of browsing history. Web filtering has age-based levels and information on more than 80 million websites; the service blocks harmful sites, supports safe search, and protects against phishing and scams. GPS features include real-time location updates, alerts, geofencing, and movement history. Monitoring options include AI alerts about threats in chats, call history and text-message viewing, and an instant-messaging monitor with real-time conversations, unknown-contact alerts, and daily reports. Parents can use the Safe Lagoon Parental app or WebCenter. Screen Mirror adds visibility into direct messages and texts, visual activity records, and saved screens; AI Shield scans the device for danger and sends alerts with screen captures. Web filtering is free. Premium is $6.99 a month, Premium Screen Mirror is $14.99 a month, and Premium AI Shield is $19.99 a month; each listed paid plan includes five profiles.