Canopy vs Ascension: Features and Price Compared (2026)

Key takeaways

• Canopy covers Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and ChromeOS. Ascension runs on Windows 10 and 11 only, with iOS and Mac in development.
• Canopy filters explicit images and videos inside a page and leaves the rest of the site open. Ascension blocks whole websites or sections of them and cannot see images inside a page.
• Canopy is built for parents, with a parent app, location alerts and sexting prevention. Ascension has no parental controls.
• Ascension has strong enforcement for blocking and uninstall protection. Blocking strength is Strong for Ascension and Medium for Canopy.
• Canopy filters web traffic through its own server. Ascension keeps your usage data on your computer.
• Ascension tracks apps and websites automatically, with reports, Impact Points and a focus timer.
• Price: Canopy is $8.33 to $12.50 a month billed annually. Ascension is $12.99 a month or $50 once.

Verdict

Choose Canopy if you are a parent protecting a child's phone and computer, or if you want explicit images filtered without blocking whole sites. For families, Canopy is the better choice.

Choose Ascension if you are an adult blocking content on your own Windows computer and want blocking that cannot be easily bypassed.

Feature comparison table

Where Canopy wins

• Phone coverage on iPhone and Android.
• Family plans for up to 10 devices.
• Image and video filtering inside a page.
• Removal prevention across Windows, Mac and Android.
• Parent dashboard with sexting prevention and location alerts.
• Mac and ChromeOS support.

Where Ascension wins

• Blocks the source instead of filtering content: the site never loads, so there is nothing to scan.
• Strong tampering protection: a block cannot be edited, deleted or uninstalled until the date you set.
• Screen time tracking and statistics: apps and websites tracked automatically, with reports by hour, day, week or month.
• Data is entirely private: your usage stays on your computer, while Canopy routes web traffic through its servers.

Filtering and blocking

Canopy's Smart Filter checks pages as they load and removes explicit images and videos, so a news site or search result stays usable with the explicit parts removed. Parents can also block chosen websites and apps, and Internet Downtime turns the internet off on a daily or weekly schedule. On Android, Sexting Prevention blocks explicit photos from being sent or viewed.

Ascension can block whole websites, specific parts of websites, keywords and search phrases. It offers four block types: always blocked, scheduled, time limit and an entry delay that makes you wait before a site opens. Premade lists cover adult content, gambling, social media, streaming and much more. Ascension cannot filter images inside a page. Image filtering is a different technology, and Canopy offers it.

Locks and removal prevention

Canopy's Removal Prevention stops the app being removed on Windows, Mac and Android. On iPhone the parent gets an alert instead. For adults, a Human Ally or an AI Ally approves sensitive changes to settings.

With Ascension a block can be set so it cannot be edited, deleted or uninstalled until a date you choose, and Ascension itself cannot be uninstalled while that block is running. Removing or disabling the browser extension does not remove it either.

Privacy

Canopy's FAQ states that it filters your web traffic through its server before it reaches your device. Its privacy policy states it may collect content, including pictures, received by the device, and that it will never sell your data. Canopy may not work alongside other VPN apps or device management profiles. Ascension's usage data stays on your computer.

Tracking and insights

Canopy does not track screen time. Ascension tracks every app and website automatically. View the data by hour, day, week or month, group it into your own categories, and export it to Excel to keep or analyse however you like.

Price

Canopy's website sells annual plans: $8.33 a month for one device, $9.99 a month for up to 3 devices and $12.50 a month for up to 10 devices. Monthly plans are sold through the App Store from $9.99 a month. Every plan has a one-week free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Ascension has a 15-day free trial, then costs $12.99 a month or $50 once. Read the full Canopy review for more detail on its plans.

Frequently asked questions