TVGuardian alternative for Android TV and Google TV

Plain answer: TVGuardian is a separate device that, according to its maker's support site, reads a programme's closed captions and mutes offensive words. Family Filter TV is an app for Android TV and Google TV that mutes spoken profanity using subtitles, with a phone to set the level. If you want a box you plug in and an app is not what you are after, check TVGuardian's site; if you already watch on an Android TV or Google TV, an app may be simpler.

What TVGuardian is

TVGuardian is a profanity filter sold as a hardware device. TVGuardian's support site describes it as reading the hidden closed-caption text of what is on screen, checking it against a dictionary of offensive words and phrases, and muting the sound, with several filter levels. Which connections, televisions and sources it works with is set out on its own site, so check their site for the current list and for pricing.

Family Filter TV is an app. It mutes profanity in speech while the picture keeps playing, using the subtitles for the title, and it runs on Android TV and Google TV sets and boxes with a companion app on an Android phone.

Compared	TVGuardian	Family Filter TV
What it filters	Offensive words and phrases found in closed captions, muted (per its support site)	Spoken profanity only, muted while the picture keeps playing. Nothing is cut, blurred or skipped. It does not filter violence or nudity.
Where it runs	A hardware device used with your television. Check their site for supported connections and sources.	Android TV and Google TV sets and boxes, with a companion app on an Android phone. Not the built-in apps of Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS), Roku or Fire TV.
What you need	The device, plus content that carries closed captions. Check their site for the full requirements.	An Android TV or Google TV device and an Android phone. It depends on subtitles being available for the title.
How it works	Reads closed captions and mutes the audio, with filter levels (per its support site)	Works with Stremio on the TV. In follow-along mode (version 0.2.21 or newer) you watch Netflix or another app on the Android TV, pick the film or episode on the phone, and the TV mutes the swearing. English titles only for now. Filter levels are Off, Mild, Family and Strict, set once on the phone for every linked device.
Price	Check their site for current pricing	14-day free trial, then US$14.99 a year; Google Play charges in local currency. Three devices included, up to six.

Comparison as checked in October 2026. Products change, so check each product's own site for current details before you decide.

Which one fits you

Choose TVGuardian if you watch through a cable box, satellite receiver or DVR and want a dedicated device rather than an app. Its site says its hardware models do not work with online streaming services, and lists a separate product, TVG+, for streaming. Check TVGuardian's site to see which suits your setup.
Choose Family Filter TV if you already watch on an Android TV or Google TV set or box, you would rather install an app than add a device, and you want one household setting on your phone that applies to every linked device.
Be aware that Family Filter TV filters spoken profanity only, and it depends on subtitles being available for the title. If a title has no subtitles, there is nothing for it to follow.
Check TVGuardian's site for anything it does beyond muting words, such as other kinds of content. Family Filter TV does not filter violence or nudity.

Download Family Filter TV See the setup Which TVs work

Questions

Does Family Filter TV need extra hardware?

No. It is an app for Android TV and Google TV sets and boxes, with a companion app on an Android phone.

Does Family Filter TV work on Samsung, LG, Roku or Fire TV?

Not on the built-in apps of Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS), Roku or Fire TV. See the page on which TVs work for what does run.

What does Family Filter TV filter?

Spoken profanity only. It mutes the words while the picture keeps playing. It does not filter violence or nudity.

Does it work with Netflix?

Family Filter TV follows along while you watch Netflix and other apps on your Android TV: you pick the film or episode on the phone and the TV mutes the swearing. This needs version 0.2.21 or newer, and English titles only for now. Family Filter TV is not affiliated with Netflix.

What does Family Filter TV cost?

There is a 14-day free trial, then US$14.99 a year, with three devices included and up to six. Google Play charges in local currency.

Other comparisons

Sources

Sources, checked 10 October 2026: TVGuardian's own site, tvguardian.com, and its support article "How does TVGuardian work?". Price and connections are not given here; see their site.

Family Filter TV is an independent app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to TVGuardian, Stremio, Netflix, Google, or any product named on this page. Product names belong to their owners.