Most parental-control roundups score apps by how much they monitor — messages read, screenshots taken, location pinned. That measures surveillance, not protection. The question that decides whether a filter actually helps is narrower: does the blocking hold when a curious child tries to switch it off, on every device they use, on any network. This page compares Zaksha with four widely used apps on that basis, with prices in rupees.
Facts checked 7 September 2026.
Zaksha is a paid service for Indian families: it blocks whole categories on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac, keeps filtering on when the device leaves your Wi-Fi, and messages you on WhatsApp the moment a device stops filtering. It costs ₹199/month for the household, five devices included, with a 14-day free trial and no card needed to start. It does less than some apps below on purpose, which the comparison makes plain.
| Zaksha | Google Family Link | Qustodio | Bark | Mobicip | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (₹ / month) | ₹199 flat for the household (₹149 on annual), 5 devices | Free | From about ₹190 (₹2,270/year, India, Basic, 5 devices); Complete plan higher | About ₹475–1,330 (Jr to Premium; converted from USD, approx) | About ₹285–760 (billed yearly; converted from USD, approx) |
| Category blocking depth | Adult, gambling, social, gaming, streaming and AI chatbots — one switch each, per child — plus your own site list | SafeSearch, Chrome site approval and Play age ratings; no category switches | Web content categories plus app blocking | Web and app category filtering | Web content categories plus app blocking |
| Schedules & time limits | Internet on/off by time window, per child or device — no per-app minute limits | App timers, bedtime and daily limits | Per-app and per-category time limits | Screen-time schedules | Per-app and category time limits |
| Android + iPhone + Windows + Mac | All four (app on phones, agent on Windows, profile on Mac) | Android and iPhone only, and limited on iPhone; no Windows or Mac | All four, plus Chromebook and Kindle | All four, plus Chromebook | All four, plus Chromebook and Kindle |
| Tamper resistance | Built to stay on. Android standard setup is tamper-evident (WhatsApp and push alert); the Android fresh-phone setup is tamper-proof — can't be uninstalled from the phone. On iPhone, pinned with Screen Time, and the Apple ID password can reset that passcode | Tied to the child's Google account | Uninstall protection needs the parent password, iOS included | Removable on a standard phone; locked on the Bark Phone hardware | Not confirmed |
| Monitoring (screenshots / messages / location) | None — no location, no messages, no screenshots. Website names only, 7-day history | Location; no message or screenshot monitoring | Location, screen time and social monitoring on the higher plan | Scans texts, email, social and content for risk; plus location | Location, app use, and limited social and YouTube monitoring |
| Data stored in India | Yes — servers in India, never leaves, nothing sold | No | No | No | No |
Prices as listed on 7 September 2026. Foreign prices converted at roughly ₹95 to the US dollar and rounded — treat them as approximate; check each vendor for the current rate and any India-specific plan. Qustodio's premium tiers are billed annually. Zaksha's ₹199 covers a single household under fair use.
Bark and Qustodio can read a child's messages, flag risky content, and show you where the phone is. Bark's whole design is monitoring — it scans texts, email and social feeds and alerts you to what looks dangerous. If that is what you want, they do it well and Zaksha does not do it at all. We block; we don't surveil. That is the pitch, stated plainly.
Zaksha has no per-app time limits — it schedules the internet on and off in time windows per child, not individual apps by the minute. It does no location tracking. It reads no messages and takes no screenshots. It sees the website names a device asked for and nothing on the page, keeps seven days of that, then deletes it. If you need a per-app minute budget or a live location dot, another app on this page fits better.
The reason is one trade we made on purpose: a filter a child can quietly switch off is worse than useless, because it tells a parent everything is fine when it isn't. So the effort goes into blocking that holds and an alert the moment it stops, rather than into a monitoring feed. On a family iPhone, turning filtering off locks your child's chosen apps until it is back on; the honest limit is that Apple lets the Apple ID password reset the Screen Time passcode, so that password is the real key. On Android you pick the level — the standard install alerts you if it is removed, and the fresh-phone setup is tamper-proof, meaning Zaksha can't be uninstalled from the phone.
Google Family Link is free, and for an Android-only home with no laptops it may be all you need. Among the paid apps, Zaksha is a flat ₹199/month for the whole household with five devices, where most others price per device or step up sharply for the plan that includes filtering plus alerts. Compare the plan that has the features you actually want, not the headline starting price.
Zaksha, Qustodio and Mobicip run on all four — Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac. Family Link is Android-first and does less on iPhone, with no Windows or Mac support. If your child has an Android phone and a Windows laptop for classes, the free option leaves the laptop uncovered.
Not Zaksha. Bark is built for that: it scans texts, email and social feeds and alerts you to risky content, and it tracks location. Qustodio and Mobicip also do location and some monitoring. Zaksha does none of it by design — it blocks categories and tells you if filtering stops, and it can't see messages, photos or location.
It depends on the setup. On a family iPhone, Zaksha is pinned with a Screen Time passcode only you know, so it can't be removed without it — though Apple lets the Apple ID password reset that passcode, so keep it private. On Android, the standard install is tamper-evident: you get a WhatsApp and push alert the moment it is removed. The Android fresh-phone setup is tamper-proof — it can't be uninstalled from the phone at all. Qustodio also has uninstall protection behind the parent password; a plain Bark install can be removed unless you use the Bark Phone hardware. Step-by-step setup: block adult content on Android or iPhone.
One place for every device your child uses. Here's what you see at app.zaksha.com, in four screens.
One flat price for the whole household.
For teams, offices, schools and larger fleets.
All prices in INR, exclusive of applicable taxes. Home covers a single household under fair use.
₹199/month, five devices, data stays in India. Free 14-day trial, no card needed to start.