An independent side-by-side of Cuckoo and Grain parental controls, scored against our six-pillar Online Safety Score (v1.1). Cuckoo ranks higher overall at 36/100 vs 31/100 for Grain.
Higher awarded points win each pillar. Ties are shown with no badge.
| Pillar | Cuckoo | Grain | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
Protection Capability Max 45 | 18 | 16 | Cuckoo |
Bypass Resistance Max 20 | 4 | 4 | Tie |
Parent Usability Max 15 | 7 | 5 | Cuckoo |
Parent Experience Max 10 | 3 | 2 | Cuckoo |
Safety by Design Max 5 | 2 | 2 | Tie |
Industry Recognition Max 5 | 2 | 2 | Tie |
| Feature | Cuckoo | Grain |
|---|---|---|
| Network-level protection | Partial | Partial |
| Content filtering | Partial | Partial |
| Screen-time controls | No | No |
| Per-child profiles | No | No |
| Real-time alerts | No | No |
| Ease of setup | 2 / 5 | 2 / 5 |
| Typical monthly price | £26.00 | £29.00 |
Cuckoo scores 36/100 against Grain at 31/100 across our six pillars. Basic router-level controls.
Cuckoo scores 36/100 on our v1.1 Online Safety Score compared with 31/100 for Grain. Basic router-level controls.
Cuckoo network-level protection: partial support. Content filtering: partial support. Per-child profiles: no.
Grain network-level protection: partial support. Content filtering: partial support. Per-child profiles: no.
Cuckoo scores 2/5 for ease of setup; Grain scores 2/5. Both are equivalent for everyday parents.
Cuckoo and Grain score equally for bypass resistance across VPNs, alternative DNS and privacy relays.
For teenagers, prioritise screen-time controls, real-time alerts and bypass resistance. Cuckoo: screen-time no, alerts no. Grain: screen-time no, alerts no.
For younger children, whole-home network filtering matters most. Cuckoo: network partial support, filtering partial support. Grain: network partial support, filtering partial support. Cuckoo scores higher on the Protection Capability pillar overall.
Typical monthly prices: Cuckoo £26.00, Grain £29.00. 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.
Cuckoo scores 36/100 and Grain scores 31/100 on the CompareParentalControls.com Safety Score™ v1.1 methodology. Cuckoo 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.