An independent side-by-side of Sky and Grain parental controls, scored against our six-pillar Online Safety Score (v1.1). Sky ranks higher overall at 68/100 vs 31/100 for Grain.
A two-layer service: strong free filtering plus profiles on WiFi Max
Full Sky reviewHigher awarded points win each pillar. Ties are shown with no badge.
| Pillar | Sky | Grain | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
Protection Capability Max 45 | 32 | 16 | Sky |
Bypass Resistance Max 20 | 13 | 4 | Sky |
Parent Usability Max 15 | 11 | 5 | Sky |
Parent Experience Max 10 | 7 | 2 | Sky |
Safety by Design Max 5 | 3 | 2 | Sky |
Industry Recognition Max 5 | 2 | 2 | Tie |
| Feature | Sky | Grain |
|---|---|---|
| Network-level protection | Yes | Partial |
| Content filtering | Yes | Partial |
| Screen-time controls | Partial | No |
| Per-child profiles | No | No |
| Real-time alerts | No | No |
| Ease of setup | 4 / 5 | 2 / 5 |
| Typical monthly price | £31.00 | £29.00 |
Sky scores 68/100 against Grain at 31/100 across our six pillars. A two-layer service: strong free filtering plus profiles on WiFi Max.
Sky scores 68/100 on our v1.1 Online Safety Score compared with 31/100 for Grain. A two-layer service: strong free filtering plus profiles on WiFi Max.
Sky network-level protection: yes. Content filtering: yes. Per-child profiles: no.
Grain network-level protection: partial support. Content filtering: partial support. Per-child profiles: no.
Sky scores 4/5 for ease of setup; Grain scores 2/5. Sky is the simpler setup for most parents.
Sky 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. Sky: screen-time partial support, alerts no. Grain: screen-time no, alerts no. Sky also has stronger bypass resistance.
For younger children, whole-home network filtering matters most. Sky: network yes, filtering yes. Grain: network partial support, filtering partial support. Sky scores higher on the Protection Capability pillar overall.
Typical monthly prices: Sky £31.00, 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.
Sky scores 68/100 and Grain scores 31/100 on the CompareParentalControls.com Safety Score™ v1.1 methodology. Sky 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.