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ContentBarrier X9
ContentBarrier X9
4.0
0.0
ContentBarrier X9 free download for Mac

ContentBarrier X9

Version 10.9.22

Smart and intuitive parental controls (was Family Protector).

4.0
Based on 17 user ratesRead reviews & comments
$19.99
Year Subscription
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ContentBarrier X9 overview

ContentBarrier X9 (was Family Protector) knows that the Internet is a double-edged sword: it's a great resource for kids, but strangers and inappropriate websites lurk just a click away. Intego ContentBarrier acts as your children's digital guardian whenever they go online. It allows you to set up customized profiles that monitor Internet habits and restrict adult content. Your kids are given a world that's age-appropriate and you're given peace of mind.

  • Blocks objectionable web content, including categories of content, specific web sites, sites with specific keywords, and access to sites requiring https
  • Whitelist functionality allows users to access only sites you permit
  • Access restrictions custom tailored per user (e.g., one account for yourself and a more restricted account for your child)
  • Browser-embedded UI allows for overriding parental controls and allowing sites so long as the user has the necessary security credentials
  • History of websites visited for each user account and the ability to easily block/allow a site from the history list
  • Time of day restrictions on network access (restrict access to specific times of day/week, a maximum amount of time per day, or temporarily block a user for a set period of time or until you unblock them manually)
  • Anti-Predator chat monitoring for all standard chat protocols to watch for objectionable chat content and block inappropriate chats (receive email alerts whenever objectionable content is detected)
  • View history of recorded chats, including the content of the chat and the ID of the chat partner
  • Takes screenshots and includes a Time Machine-like control that lets you easily view recorded screens
  • Records keystrokes
  • Restricts application network access only to applications you allow
  • Blocks inappropriate emails
  • Blocks connections to game servers or streaming music and video
  • Blocks peer-to-peer activity (e.g., BitTorrent)
  • Contains a "monitor only" mode that records a user's activity but does not provide any protections/perform any blocking
  • Periodically updates filters to provide ongoing protection against objectionable content
  • Web Administration Console allows anytime/anywhere access to ContentBarrier (view web activity and block/allow access to specific sites, allow exceptions to permitted network access times, and view blocked network applications and allow exceptions)
  • Email activity reports (e.g., websites that were blocked, blocked chats via AntiPredator or keyword triggering, attempts to access encrypted sites)

What’s new in version 10.9.22

Updated on Jan 05 2024

  • Sonoma compatibility

Information

License

Shareware

Size

52.3 MB

Developer’s website

https://www.intego.com

Downloads

48763

App requirements

  • Intel 64
  • Apple Silicon
  • macOS 10.13 or later
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0.0

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  • Comments

  • User Ratings

Lo17
Lo17
Mar 17 2013
10.7
1.0
Mar 17 2013
1.0
Version: 10.7
Piece of crab. Slow mac down terribly and configuation is a disaster: many times I had to force quit. Stay away if you can. I was using the previous version Contentbarrier. That one was ok. This one is as I said
DanoDano
DanoDano
Apr 30 2012
10.6.4
4.5
Apr 30 2012
4.5
Version: 10.6.4
Nice software for all the parents.
gts-williams-1
gts-williams-1
Jan 29 2011
10.5.5
0.0
Jan 29 2011
0.0
Version: 10.5.5
It appears that the methodology for determining website categories is such that many, many sites are blocked which do not meet the category. For instance, a site gets blocked and categorized as "racism", apparently based on the fact that the subject is or has been discussed there. Not because it's genuinely a racist site, like stormfront or something. I've been using K9, and it does reliably block sites you want it to, but it certainly doesn't block normal mainstream sites because they use the word "racism", or "guns", or "sex", or whatever. If Contentbarrier could employ the same kind of filtering methodology that K9 does, it would be great. It has many useful features (the free) K9 doesn’t have, one of which is the ability to apply different or no filters to different accounts on the Mac. With K9, it's all accounts or none. Unless of course I'm missing some preference or something, which is entirely possible. I'm assuming that one method is based on a computer scanning a site for words or references, and the other is based more on human inspection and determination, and a database built on that. As it stands, I can't justify spending 50 bucks on CB, when K9 is free. But it is nice other than having to spend a lot of time typing your password and exempting lots and lots of sites all the time.
Bobxa
Bobxa
Jul 28 2010
10.5.5
4.0
Jul 28 2010
4.0
Version: 10.5.5
I've been using it for years and it works OK. But I don't think Intego puts the time (sales?) into it to make it a really great parental product. They have a quirk about it recording passwords (it won't) and it misses a lot of porn sites. Their excuses are there are too many new pornsites and that allowing password recording would make it spyware ! A good product until the kids reach 12 or 13,then they will be savvy enough to surf around it. The best (and really only safe) option is too set it up to allow only certain websites. Also with the words kids use chatting, the filters will interpret it as predatory language,thus if allowing chat they can swear and talk or setting predatory will exclude the other teen chatting. Still very useful and worth the money. Now if Intego would just add it as a mini iphone app.
anonymous-mule-4061
anonymous-mule-4061
Feb 27 2010
10.5.5
3.0
Feb 27 2010
3.0
Version: 10.5.5
ContentBarrier is okay, but I wish there was a better alternative. It does block sites well, and I would give it 5 stars on that point. Although sometimes it blocks things it shouldn't, that is easily corrected, and it doesn't happen frequently. The main problem I've had with it is that the websurfing activity log fills up quickly (within a week), and then it stops updating to the Intego site, where I like to manage it. To their credit, support tried to help me work through the issue, but in the end they told me I had to erase the logs on the computer that was being monitored, and restart the computer. I have to do this about once a week in order to continue using the web management.
Rickdees
Rickdees
May 6 2009
10.5.4
0.0
May 6 2009
0.0
Version: 10.5.4
I've been using CB since version 3. It worked as advertised - blocked the sites I wanted blocked. I have a small issue with X4 on my son's PPC using most of the CPU cycles, but killing the process and restarting usually fixed that. When X5 came out I bought it immediately. They cleaned up the gui. Unfortunately, they also killed the ability to handle network clients (users with their home directory on another machine). This made the product completely unusable for me because my kids all have network accounts. I called tech support and their response was that they never "officially" supported network accounts. I finally got hold of a marketing person and tried stressing how important that feature was. I did get a refund. I've tried every new update since X5 came out and they still don't support network clients reliably. If they do I'll buy it again. Until then I'm sticking with X4.
rjung-1
rjung-1
Apr 19 2009
10.5.4
4.0
Apr 19 2009
4.0
Version: 10.5.4
The program does a pretty decent job of filtering inappropriate website as well as adds more fine control access compared to Apple's Parental Controls. What it doesn't do is the check-box type allow/disallow applications like how Parental Control does so if you have a lot of applications you want to allow it's a bit more tedious (not a deal breaker IMHO). The one thing I'd wish they would add to this program would be the ability to limit time based on the application or type not just a general limit on Internet time. For example, limiting online games to one hour but still allow an overall Internet time of two. Overall, I'd give this program 4 out of 5 stars.
David-H-
David-H-
Jun 20 2007
10.4.2
5.0
Jun 20 2007
5.0
Version: 10.4.2
I have been using Content Barrier for several years now, and am extremely pleased with it. I use it to prevent myself from surfing inappropriate sites, and my wife has the password. I've found that it is very difficult to get into porn sites, as long as enough "key words" including body parts, and a few words like "amateur" are put into the application. Occasionally, a normal site will be blocked, but it hasn't interfered with my work in any way. I highly recommend it.
Spinraven
Spinraven
Jun 1 2007
10.4.2
5.0
Jun 1 2007
5.0
Version: 10.4.2
I've been testing a demo version for a few weeks now and find that ContentBarrier X4 has all the features I was looking for and was very easy to use. I have a Intel Core Duo and have experienced none of the kernel panics described in previous reviews. The price is a bit high, but for solid performance with all the feautues I need and no annual 'membership' fee, I'm willing to pay the price.
Propadeutic
Propadeutic
Feb 5 2007
10.4.2
5.0
Feb 5 2007
5.0
Version: 10.4.2
After reviewing Content Barrier for the trial period my wife and I purchased the program. We have been making excellent use of it. I would highly recommend this program to anyone with children to protect or to adults who need it for themselves to limit their own surfing. (Especially those from xxxchurch.com or in a similar spot.) Since we purchased this software, the company has provided updates to the program's database of restricted sites in the first week of each month. Today was another update (February 5). My hope is that the developer increases the number of languages that are filtered. We use the program on our 867MHz PowerBook in 10.4.8 with no problems whatsoever - oh, and after it initially sets it self up I have noticed no speed hit on web pages loading. A great product!
Propadeutic
Propadeutic
Aug 27 2006
10.4
5.0
Aug 27 2006
5.0
Version: 10.4
My wife and I have been running this program on her G4Powerbook (10.3.9) and my G3iBook (10.4.7) for two days of active surfing and computer use. Not a problem has been discovered. The program works great! We're really pleased with it. The setup is easy... and intuitive... The ability to set a password separate from the user's login password is imperative - no other program we saw has this. The blocking is very powerful... much more than Norton - and Norton doesn't even run on 10.4!!! So much is user selectable... as it needs to be. The 30 day evaluation period is fabulous, too. We're confident that we will be purchasing the program, but we'll give it a few more days to be sure. This program does what it says... and does it in an OSX way - without any interference to the way that we work. It is helping us be accountable for the way that we surf. Excellent!
Covmaster
Covmaster
Aug 8 2006
10.4
2.5
Aug 8 2006
2.5
Version: 10.4
I've been using ContentBarrier since the last major version first came out (ContentBarrierX). It's a nice program and can work well, but man, it can have a lot of problems too. Yet I keep trying to put up with it since I think it's still the best option if you need parental controls over the web. The first version of 10.4 caused both my macs to have kernel panics when shutting down the machine. That was a HUGE problem because kernel panics can really mess up your system. It took at least a month for Intego to release an update that fixed the problem. Now that I've installed the update, I again had to disable the program because now it won't allow pages to load completely. Web pages load all items but the last, causing it to just hang there with a white screen. (ie. 43 or 44 items will load and it'll hang there). Very disappointing. But I still have hopes that they'll fix the problem eventually and I'll happily run the application without knowing it's there. Hopefully.
Guest
Guest
Jul 9 2004
10.1.1
3.5
Jul 9 2004
3.5
Version: 10.1.1
Seems to work as advertised and better than Norton's Privacy Control, which tends to interfere heavily. IMHO, it's OK that Content Barrier works user-based. Gives you a fair amount of control of your machine's internet connections and logging. What I found interesting is that Norton Privacy Control initially downloads updated privacy settings which are about 18 MB in size... Content Barrier does the same, but the file size is only about 300 KB.
Guest
Guest
Jun 28 2004
10.1.1
3.5
Jun 28 2004
3.5
Version: 10.1.1
Just thought I'd make the observation that the windoze version of ContentBarrier is half the price of the Mac version. That's right, half. I'm looking elsewhere for a company that doesn't fine Mac users.
Guest
Guest
May 25 2004
10.1.1
3.5
May 25 2004
3.5
Version: 10.1.1
This program stinks! The support stinks! I have been trying to use the program for five months and have waited a week to over a month each time I contact support. In a nutshell, it is misrepresented and does not work at all as adverstised. I have the program customized for regulated use of internet and chatting so that my daughter can do homework, but only chat for an hour or so a day. What happens is that anytime she opens up MS Word, her clock starts counting down. If she opens ITunes to listen to something while she is working, the clock starts. I spend more time logging her into my user account to get her work done- and I PAID for this??? The support people (when they answer my emails which is often weeks later) try to give me workarounds. The whole systen is so convoluted it defeats the purpose. I now have mulitple login screens for my daughter depending if she is going to use the internet or do a simple word processing assignment. Find an alternative! Do not pay for this program. It will not do as advertised.
Guest
Guest
Feb 9 2004
10.1.1
0.0
Feb 9 2004
0.0
Version: 10.1.1
The kernel panic problem with 10.1 was more than just with G5 systems; it made my three G3 systems quite unstable. Here's hoping the 10.1.1 upgrade fixes those issues.
Guest
Guest
Jan 28 2004
10.1
0.0
Jan 28 2004
0.0
Version: 10.1
Great program; does what it is supposed to. Set internet usage times and content levels for each OS X user. You can specifically mark sites as approved or blocked. The only negative is that it should be easier for an administrator to add a site to the "approved" or "blocked" list.
Guest
Guest
May 2 2003
10.0.1
0.0
May 2 2003
0.0
Version: 10.0.1
I also dislike Intego support, especially how much I paid for ContentBarrier. The demo or description for Mac OS X never mentions a key pitfall. ContentBarrier relies on OS X user log in. Instead of changing profiles in ContentBarrier, I have to set up individual user accounts for the Mac. Every time the computer starts, you HAVE to log-in to the OS. What a pain in the butt!
Guest
Guest
Feb 9 2003
10.0
3.5
Feb 9 2003
3.5
Version: 10.0
Intego's support is very poor, I really hope this will improve, because this is not the way to treat good paying customers!
Guest
Guest
Jan 28 2003
10.0
3.5
Jan 28 2003
3.5
Version: 10.0
Great program!
theJoshMeister
theJoshMeister
May 29 2019
5.0
May 29 2019
5.0
Version: null
Mary-Garbesi-me#y
Mary-Garbesi-me#y
May 29 2017
3.0
May 29 2017
3.0
Version: null
Jna
Jna
Jun 18 2014
5.0
Jun 18 2014
5.0
Version: null
FeelaWAY
FeelaWAY
May 9 2014
5.0
May 9 2014
5.0
Version: null
Lo17
Lo17
Mar 17 2013
1.0
Mar 17 2013
1.0
Version: null
Hdo
Hdo
Jan 8 2013
5.0
Jan 8 2013
5.0
Version: null
DanoDano
DanoDano
Apr 30 2012
4.5
Apr 30 2012
4.5
Version: null
Bobxa
Bobxa
Jul 28 2010
4.0
Jul 28 2010
4.0
Version: null
anonymous-mule-4061
anonymous-mule-4061
Feb 27 2010
3.0
Feb 27 2010
3.0
Version: null
rjung-1
rjung-1
Apr 19 2009
4.0
Apr 19 2009
4.0
Version: null
David-H-
David-H-
Jun 20 2007
5.0
Jun 20 2007
5.0
Version: null
Spinraven
Spinraven
Jun 1 2007
5.0
Jun 1 2007
5.0
Version: null
Propadeutic
Propadeutic
Feb 5 2007
5.0
Feb 5 2007
5.0
Version: null
Covmaster
Covmaster
Aug 8 2006
2.5
Aug 8 2006
2.5
Version: null
Guest
Guest
Jul 9 2004
3.5
Jul 9 2004
3.5
Version: null
Guest
Guest
Jan 28 2004
4.3
Jan 28 2004
4.3
Version: null
Guest
Guest
May 2 2003
2.5
May 2 2003
2.5
Version: null
$19.99
Year Subscription
Buy Now
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