A safe player is half the job. The other half is youtube.com.
Safe Vision's own setup guide asks parents to block the YouTube app and website separately. WhitelistVideo filters the real YouTube instead.
Both start from locked channels that a parent unlocks. Safe Vision keeps that inside its own Child Mode on tablets, TVs, and Windows. WhitelistVideo puts the same approve-once list inside the real YouTube app and site, with lock-in installers on Windows and Mac, Screen Time access on iPhone and iPad, and Family Link on Android.
Choose Safe Vision if your child is young, watches only inside one app on a tablet, Fire TV, or Google TV, and you want a free, Wirecutter-reviewed player with a watch history and a built-in daily timer. Choose WhitelistVideo if your child is 8 to 15 and watches real YouTube on a computer, phone, tablet, or Android TV: it filters the actual YouTube app and site so only approved channels play, blocks Shorts by default, and lets kids request channels. Safe Vision asks you to block youtube.com yourself; WhitelistVideo does that job itself.
September 7, 2026
Prices and features checked September 2026 against safe.vision (pricing, app, help pages), the Safe Vision listings on the App Store and Google Play, and Wirecutter's April 2026 review. Prices and features can change, so confirm them before subscribing.
Ten checks that decide between a player app and full YouTube coverage
Both products lock every channel until a parent says otherwise. These checks show where each one stops and what a family has to add.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns.
| What to compare | Safe Vision | WhitelistVideo |
|---|---|---|
| Age range | Not published as a range. The App Store listing shows a 4+ rating and Made for Ages 6 to 8; setup asks for the child's age range to pre-unlock videos | Built for children 8-15 who have outgrown YouTube Kids and want real, full-length channels |
| Content model | A separate player app. Every channel starts locked; parents unlock channels or individual videos, pick from age-range presets classified by the developer, and can block titles by keyword. Watching happens inside Safe Vision's Child Mode, not in the YouTube app | Every YouTube video is blocked by default. Parents approve channels once; the child watches the real YouTube app or site with only those channels playing, or a locked Curated Feed on Android and Android TV. Kids request new channels from the device and parents approve or decline |
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad, Apple Silicon Macs, Android phones and tablets, Chromebook (Google Play), Amazon Fire tablets, Windows (Microsoft Store), Amazon Fire TV, Google TV | Windows, Mac, and Chromebook (Chrome and Edge extension), iPhone and iPad, Android phones and tablets, Android TV / Google TV |
| Desktop and browser coverage | A Windows app from the Microsoft Store and a Mac app; both are Safe Vision players. No browser extension: Safe Vision states it does not block youtube.com or the YouTube app and asks parents to block those separately | Filters youtube.com itself in Chrome and Edge, with administrator lock-in installers on Windows and Mac so the child cannot remove the extension |
| TV | Amazon Fire TV and Google TV apps | Dedicated Android TV / Google TV app in Curated Feed mode. Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung, and LG are on the roadmap and not yet supported |
| YouTube Shorts | Shorts are not shown unless a parent adds a channel's Shorts explicitly from parent mode (per the developer's replies to App Store reviews) | Blocked by default on every plan, inside the real YouTube app and site as well; a dashboard toggle lets a parent allow Shorts for a child |
| Viewing history and analytics | Yes. A viewing history is available to parents | Viewing history timelines, YouTube search-query alerts, and 7 / 30-day analytics on Premium, paired with zero-trust upfront blocking |
| Screen-time limits | Yes. A daily time limit is built in; the free plan caps it at 1 hour per day and Premium removes the cap | Works in direct conjunction with Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link, and Microsoft Family Safety to enforce time limits and device lockouts |
| Price and billing | Free: 1 child, up to 5 channels, unlimited individual videos. Premium $4.99 monthly or $49.99 yearly (US, checked September 2026) for unlimited channels, longer daily limits, and multiple child profiles | Basic $6.99 per child monthly (30 channels, WhatsApp and Telegram management). Premium $14.99 per child monthly (100 channels, Auto-pilot, viewing analytics). Lifetime $299.00 one-time for up to 5 children. Purchasing-power parity (costs less than a McDonald's burger in most countries); see whitelist.video/pricing |
| Trial and refunds | Free plan with no expiry, plus a one-week free trial of Premium | Free 2-hour test period to confirm it works on your child's device, no credit card. No day-count trial and no refunds after purchase |
Trade-offs to know before you switch
WhitelistVideo is built to do one job better than anything else: decide what plays on YouTube, inside the real app and site, on every device type a child uses. Here is what it deliberately leaves to Safe Vision or to your device, and how parents handle each.
- Per-child plans instead of a free tier. Safe Vision has a free plan (1 child, 5 channels, 1 hour a day) and Premium at $4.99 monthly (checked September 2026). WhitelistVideo has no free plan: a free 2-hour test period to confirm it works on your device, then per-child billing on Basic and Premium, with no refunds after purchase. That price covers filtering of the real YouTube on computers, phones, tablets, and Android TV, which no player app provides.
- Prevention first, with full visibility. Safe Vision keeps a viewing history; WhitelistVideo prevents unapproved content by default, while Premium gives parents viewing history timelines, YouTube search-query alerts, and 7 / 30-day analytics reporting on the parent dashboard.
- Enforces content control while working with native OS controls to enforce screen time limits. Safe Vision has a daily timer built in. WhitelistVideo works in direct conjunction with Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link, or Microsoft Family Safety to enforce screen time limits and device lockouts, while WhitelistVideo enforces zero-trust YouTube channel filtering and Shorts blocking.
- Connected TV: Android TV / Google TV today. Safe Vision also has an Amazon Fire TV app. WhitelistVideo's TV app is for Android TV and Google TV; Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung, and LG are on the roadmap and not yet supported.
- Curated Feed on Android today, filtered Full YouTube everywhere else. Safe Vision's Child Mode looks the same on every device. WhitelistVideo's locked Curated Feed grid is on Android phones, tablets, and Android TV; iPhone, iPad, and computers use filtered Full YouTube, which still blocks every unapproved video.
- Protection is as strong as the setup. Safe Vision is one install plus a separate step to block YouTube yourself. WhitelistVideo's guided setup takes a few minutes per device and is what makes the whitelist hold inside the real YouTube app and browser. On a personal Chromebook, pair it with Family Link supervision.
WhitelistVideo is the right fit when...
- Your child (8-15) has outgrown YouTube Kids but you are not ready to hand the algorithm the keys
- You want to approve channels once and know nothing else can play, on every device they use
- You want zero-trust content prevention combined with viewing history timelines, YouTube search-query alerts, and analytics
- Your kids use a mix of computers, phones, tablets, or an Android TV
- Stick with Safe Vision if your child is under 8, watches only inside one player app on a tablet or Fire TV, and a free plan matters most.
Which One Fits Your Setup?
Safe Vision may fit if...
- Your child is under 8 and happily watches inside one app on a tablet, Fire TV, or Google TV
- You want a free plan with a small channel list and a 1-hour daily cap
- You want a viewing history and a keyword blocker for video titles
- Your family already lives on Amazon Kids or Fire TV, where Safe Vision has apps
WhitelistVideo may fit if...
- Your child is 8 to 15 and wants real YouTube, not a kids' player
- YouTube gets watched in Chrome or Edge on a Windows PC, Mac, or Chromebook
- You want youtube.com itself filtered, so there is nothing separate to block
- Shorts should be off by default in the real app, without a per-channel step
- Your child should be able to request a channel and get an answer on WhatsApp or Telegram
- You would rather prevent exposure than read about it in a history afterwards
How the two compare once a child knows where the YouTube app is
Safe Vision fits a younger child who stays inside one player and a parent who wants free, history, and a timer. WhitelistVideo fits children 8 to 15 who use real YouTube across computers, phones, tablets, and Android TV, and parents who want the filtering to live inside YouTube itself. Whichever you choose, finish the device setup so the whitelist holds.
How WhitelistVideo keeps the whitelist inside real YouTube
The protection layer changes with the device. The parent rules stay the same.
Set up the device layer
Install the Chrome or Edge extension plus the lock-in installer on Windows or Mac. On iPhone or iPad, install the child app, approve Screen Time access, block the YouTube app and set the parent PIN (never block youtube.com in Screen Time). On Android, install the child app alongside Family Link: block the YouTube apps and every browser except Chrome, and block youtube.com in Chrome. On Android TV, install the TV app, set a PIN on the YouTube app's profile and disable the YouTube app if the TV allows it.
Choose the viewing mode
Use filtered Full YouTube so the child keeps the real app and site with only approved channels playing, or switch Android devices and Android TV to Curated Feed for a locked grid of approved videos.
Approve channels once
Approve the channels you trust from the web dashboard, the Android parent app, or WhatsApp and Telegram. Shorts stay off unless you turn them on. Premium adds Auto-pilot, which screens videos against your rules.
Answer requests, not reports
When your child asks for a new channel, the request lands on your phone. Approve or decline in one tap and it applies on every device they use.
Questions Parents Ask About Safe Vision and WhitelistVideo
Compare Other YouTube Safety Options
See it in action
Don't take our word for it — drive the parent dashboard yourself in an interactive simulator. Approve a video, block Shorts, add a channel. No signup needed.
Try the Interactive DemoPut the whitelist inside real YouTube, on every device your child uses
Set up WhitelistVideo on the devices your child already has, approve the channels you trust once, and let requests come to your phone.
Free 2-hour test period. No credit card required to start.
