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Canopy Review

Monday, June 5th

2023 Internet Filter Reviews

Canopy Review 3 Star Rating

Canopy

3 Star Rating
  • 30-day free trial
  • Cancel anytime
  • Protect 3, 5, or 10 devices
  • Instant pornography blocker

Canopy recognizes that the digital world is difficult to navigate and has set out to empower families to create a customized internet experience. They're all about helping unlock the internet while removing harmful content rather than taking a blanket approach and blocking websites altogether. Their four core beliefs are that technology is a good, amazing thing, some content isn't for kids, open communication is important, and families are better together.

Too laid back? Or a smarter way?

When we were first trying to understand how Canopy worked, we questioned whether or not they took too lax of an approach to filtering services. Their "protection, not intrusion" mantra seemed like a way to make parents feel like they were monitoring and protecting their kids without having to be the "mean parent" and actually get nitty-gritty with the controls. However, Canopy promises that you won't have to worry about explicit content since their system seamlessly detects, blocks, and then removes pornographic content in your web browser.

Good technology

Their technology is programmed to protect families from being exposed to nudity and pornographic materials. It also prevents sexting, and allows parents choose what apps are allowed on which devices. The idea is to let adults and children explore all the good of the internet without worrying about the bad.

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Honest with limitations

Canopy is honest about the limitations of their service. They say they filter all websites by replacing pornographic material with blank white boxes, but they cannot filter inside of apps. Their claim is that no parental control app available today can filter in apps either since there are privacy restrictions set by these companies. Some of the main features included with Canopy are:

  • Scans and analyzes photos taken/downloaded on devices
  • Block or unblock apps
  • Removal prevention
  • Location awareness

Free 30-day trial

It's hard to give a complete overview of a platform without seeing it in action. Canopy has a handy video available on their website to show parents the difference between a phone with Canopy and without it. However, the best thing you can do is try Canopy's free 30-day trial to dive into their features and test out their claims.

Protect 3, 5, or 10 devices

If you decide Canopy is the right platform for your family, the plan you choose will depend on the number of devices (works with Android devices, iPhones, iPads, Apple computers, and Windows computers) you want to install Canopy on. If you want to secure 3 devices, the cost is $7.99 a month. A family plan of 5 devices is $9.99/month, and a full house with 10 devices is $15.99/month. Customers can cancel at any time. All of the packages come with Canopy's customer support that you can reach by phone or email.

Not our first choice

We wish Canopy had a rating from the Better Business Bureau or easier access to unfiltered customer reviews. It would be nice to hear from others about their experience with setup, effectiveness, and the range of features. Some comments we found were that sometimes it slowed phones down, appropriate images were flagged incorrectly, it required devices to have a lock screen, and it had one too many glitches for some people. However, one of the best ways to decide if this is the right choice for you is to use their 30-day free trial. Put the service to the test and see if it does everything it promises to. We feel that this is a more laid-back approach to filtering devices without a lot of positive customer testimonials to prove otherwise, so it isn't our first choice.

What is the Best Internet Filter?

More than ever, parents are looking for a reliable internet filter to protect their children from pornography and other explicit content that is readily available online. Harmful content can be found through nearly any platform or gaming site and whether an internet user is looking for it or not, offensive images and information are constantly being programmed to make their way into the safety of your home.

Understanding some statistics about the pornography industry will send nearly any sane person into shock. The industry is grossly manipulative and exists to harm individuals at every age and stage of life through their physical and verbal portrayals of relationships. They often show drug use and illegal activity related to minors.

The Best Internet Filters Compare Internet Filters Compare Internet Filter Reviews What are the best Internet Filters Best Internet Filter Reviews

Internet Filter FAQ

Internet filters are useful for anyone who wants to ensure that illicit content is not available to users of their Internet connections and services. Customers of Internet filtering solutions tend to be parents, with the remainder being libraries, religious and community organizations, and businesses.
Internet filtering solutions are more commonly designed and implemented on an individual basis, particularly for parents who are concerned about their children accessing problematic content online. However, businesses are also customers of Internet filtering software companies because they have specific liabilities they want to avoid when it comes to employees accessing pornography, gambling, or engaging in other online activities that are not part of their job descriptions.
Internet filtering software costs differ depending on the pricing and subscription models each vendor follows. They can range from under $10/month per device to $70-$150 for multiple computers. Cost will also vary depending on the number and complexity of the features involved in the software.
There are many different kinds of filters: software, hardware, DNS, proxy, and Virtual Private Network (VPN). Each of these has a different way of detecting and blocking access to sites known to contain or link to undesirable content. Some rely on "allow lists" of good online resources and block lists of bad online resources. Others have sophisticated programming that scans and analyzes a site prior to allowing or blocking access to it on screen.
Setting up an Internet filter should only take a few minutes if the software is designed well. The best Internet filtering software typically has a configuration "wizard" routine that will walk you through all the default and recommended settings to get you started right away. Once the software is set up, it shouldn't take any further configuration or intervention beyond the occasional adjustment for newly problematic websites.
No internet filtering solution is perfect. Users have been able to successfully interfere with almost every internet filtering software solution in existence. They often get "cheats" and special code or passwords from friends or online resources where such things are published. It is important for the administrator of the software to regularly review access logs and determine whether a particular user is abiding by the rules and agreements around the devices and use of the internet connection they have access to.
Internet filtering software should include such features as remote and local administrator controls, time management, profanity masking, alerts and notifications, reports about a user's online activity, individual user profiles, and controls to fine tune the specific websites that might have been blocked but that the user should still have access to. It should also have good support from the software vendor, the very least of which should be email and chat with a customer service representative at extended hours.
At times, internet filtering software can be either over or under aggressive in blocking specific types of content. For example, information about the human body, which may include reproductive organ descriptions, could be blocked when a student is doing a science report for an anatomy class. That would be an example of overblocking. An example of underblocking is when a website for a video game is mainly graphical and changes often, thus not providing enough current information in a textual format that is easy for the software to interpret and execute a blocking routine on.
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Continued from above...

Over $3,075 is spent on porn every second on the internet - and nearly 35% of all downloads are related to pornography. 34% or more (we would gamble that this statistic is much lower than reality) of people say they have been exposed to unwanted content through ads, misdirected links, popups, and emails. It is especially dangerous for children who are learning to use the internet, as they trust innocent-looking games and chat rooms online, then quickly become addicted to explicit content.

Thousands of new porn sites are created every week and the amount of easily-accessible, inappropriate content is staggering. To protect families, it requires a combination of strict rules and expectations for internet use as well as top-rated internet blockers to filter out content. Thankfully, there are quite a few companies working hard to develop systems to combat the harmful effects of the pornography industry and other individuals who seek to hurt members of your family.

Since there are many companies that offer internet filtering services, we have provided important information for you to consider when shopping around:

  • Features: How specific can you get with the content you want blocked? Are you only able to block certain websites or are you able to limit file-sharing services, chatrooms, gaming sites, and more? Are they child-proof in that you'll be able to stay in control of the settings you choose?
  • Customer support: If you need help setting up the internet blocker, do they have assistance readily available for you? Make sure their team is committed to helping you use their product to its fullest and cover all your bases with your filters.
  • Cost: Your family is worth every penny you'll spend on an internet blocker, but be sure to do your homework by comparing the cost of one service to another. Are you locked into contracts for months or even years? Do you have to pay extra if you need help with questions about the service?

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best internet filter services today. We hope this information helps you find a solution you're confident with to protect you and your family.

Compare Internet Filters

Select any 2 Internet Filters to compare them head to head

best-internet-filters
  • Circle
  • Qustodio
  • Bark
  • Net Nanny
  • Mobicip
  • PureSight
  • Canopy
  • Family Zone
  • Norton Family
  • McAfee Safe Family
  • ClevGuard
  • SentryPC
Circle vs Qustodio Circle vs Bark Circle vs Net Nanny Circle vs Mobicip Circle vs PureSight Circle vs Canopy Circle vs Family Zone Circle vs Norton Family Circle vs McAfee Safe Family Circle vs ClevGuard Circle vs SentryPC Qustodio vs Bark Qustodio vs Net Nanny Qustodio vs Mobicip Qustodio vs PureSight Qustodio vs Canopy Qustodio vs Family Zone Qustodio vs Norton Family Qustodio vs McAfee Safe Family Qustodio vs ClevGuard Qustodio vs SentryPC Bark vs Net Nanny Bark vs Mobicip Bark vs PureSight Bark vs Canopy Bark vs Family Zone Bark vs Norton Family Bark vs McAfee Safe Family Bark vs ClevGuard Bark vs SentryPC Net Nanny vs Mobicip Net Nanny vs PureSight Net Nanny vs Canopy Net Nanny vs Family Zone Net Nanny vs Norton Family Net Nanny vs McAfee Safe Family Net Nanny vs ClevGuard Net Nanny vs SentryPC Mobicip vs PureSight Mobicip vs Canopy Mobicip vs Family Zone Mobicip vs Norton Family Mobicip vs McAfee Safe Family Mobicip vs ClevGuard Mobicip vs SentryPC PureSight vs Canopy PureSight vs Family Zone PureSight vs Norton Family PureSight vs McAfee Safe Family PureSight vs ClevGuard PureSight vs SentryPC Canopy vs Family Zone Canopy vs Norton Family Canopy vs McAfee Safe Family Canopy vs ClevGuard Canopy vs SentryPC Family Zone vs Norton Family Family Zone vs McAfee Safe Family Family Zone vs ClevGuard Family Zone vs SentryPC Norton Family vs McAfee Safe Family Norton Family vs ClevGuard Norton Family vs SentryPC McAfee Safe Family vs ClevGuard McAfee Safe Family vs SentryPC ClevGuard vs SentryPC
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