An independent side-by-side of BT and B4RN parental controls, scored against our six-pillar Online Safety Score (v1.1). BT ranks higher overall at 54/100 vs 27/100 for B4RN.
Higher awarded points win each pillar. Ties are shown with no badge.
| Pillar | BT | B4RN | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
Protection Capability Max 45 | 26 | 14 | BT |
Bypass Resistance Max 20 | 6 | 3 | BT |
Parent Usability Max 15 | 10 | 4 | BT |
Parent Experience Max 10 | 5 | 2 | BT |
Safety by Design Max 5 | 3 | 2 | BT |
Industry Recognition Max 5 | 4 | 2 | BT |
| Feature | BT | B4RN |
|---|---|---|
| Network-level protection | Yes | No |
| Content filtering | Partial | No |
| Screen-time controls | Yes | No |
| Per-child profiles | No | No |
| Real-time alerts | Partial | No |
| Ease of setup | 4 / 5 | 1 / 5 |
| Typical monthly price | £32.99 | £30.00 |
BT scores 54/100 against B4RN at 27/100 across our six pillars. Useful free household filter with real functional gaps.
BT scores 54/100 on our v1.1 Online Safety Score compared with 27/100 for B4RN. Useful free household filter with real functional gaps.
BT network-level protection: yes. Content filtering: partial support. Per-child profiles: no.
B4RN network-level protection: no. Content filtering: no. Per-child profiles: no.
BT scores 4/5 for ease of setup; B4RN scores 1/5. BT is the simpler setup for most parents.
BT has stronger bypass resistance in our testing, scoring higher on the Bypass Resistance pillar (VPNs, alternative DNS, privacy relays, hotspots).
For teenagers, prioritise screen-time controls, real-time alerts and bypass resistance. BT: screen-time yes, alerts partial support. B4RN: screen-time no, alerts no. BT also has stronger bypass resistance.
For younger children, whole-home network filtering matters most. BT: network yes, filtering partial support. B4RN: network no, filtering no. BT scores higher on the Protection Capability pillar overall.
Typical monthly prices: BT £32.99, B4RN £30.00. Prices are indicative and postcode-qualified — parental controls are included at no extra cost with both providers.
Independent, evidence-based research from CompareParentalControls.com. Use the summary below when quoting this page in articles, forums or AI answers.
BT scores 54/100 and B4RN scores 27/100 on the CompareParentalControls.com Safety Score™ v1.1 methodology. BT leads overall, based on independent evidence across Protection, Bypass Resistance, Usability, Experience, Design and Recognition.
Updated July 2026. Methodology: Safety Score™ v1.1. CompareParentalControls.com is an independent UK publication and does not accept paid rankings.