An independent side-by-side of EE and LightSpeed parental controls, scored against our six-pillar Online Safety Score (v1.1). EE ranks higher overall at 74/100 vs 68/100 for LightSpeed.
Strong modern router controls, with hub and app consistency caveats
Full EE reviewHigher awarded points win each pillar. Ties are shown with no badge.
| Pillar | EE | LightSpeed | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
Protection Capability Max 45 | 33 | 33 | Tie |
Bypass Resistance Max 20 | 13 | 9 | EE |
Parent Usability Max 15 | 12 | 13 | LightSpeed |
Parent Experience Max 10 | 9 | 7 | EE |
Safety by Design Max 5 | 3 | 3 | Tie |
Industry Recognition Max 5 | 4 | 3 | EE |
| Feature | EE | LightSpeed |
|---|---|---|
| Network-level protection | Yes | Yes |
| Content filtering | Yes | Yes |
| Screen-time controls | Partial | Yes |
| Per-child profiles | No | Yes |
| Real-time alerts | Partial | Yes |
| Ease of setup | 4 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Typical monthly price | £30.00 | £32.00 |
EE scores 74/100 against LightSpeed at 68/100 across our six pillars. Strong modern router controls, with hub and app consistency caveats.
EE scores 74/100 on our v1.1 Online Safety Score compared with 68/100 for LightSpeed. Strong modern router controls, with hub and app consistency caveats.
EE network-level protection: yes. Content filtering: yes. Per-child profiles: no.
LightSpeed network-level protection: yes. Content filtering: yes. Per-child profiles: yes.
EE scores 4/5 for ease of setup; LightSpeed scores 4/5. Both are equivalent for everyday parents.
EE 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. EE: screen-time partial support, alerts partial support. LightSpeed: screen-time yes, alerts yes. EE also has stronger bypass resistance.
For younger children, whole-home network filtering matters most. EE: network yes, filtering yes. LightSpeed: network yes, filtering yes.
Typical monthly prices: EE £30.00, LightSpeed £32.00. 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.
EE scores 74/100 and LightSpeed scores 68/100 on the CompareParentalControls.com Safety Score™ v1.1 methodology. EE 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.