The best spy apps make it easier than ever to monitor the activities of your partner, children, or employees. Whether you’re looking to protect your family or ensure your business is running smoothly, spy apps offer a discreet way to monitor online behavior, track locations, and stay informed.
In this guide, we’ve compiled the best spy apps available, highlighting both free and paid options to suit a variety of needs and budgets. Explore our top picks to find the perfect tool for your peace of mind.
The Best Spy Apps on the Market – The Shortlist
There are countless legitimate reasons as to why someone would want a spy app. 57% of marriages ended in divorce due to infidelity. Another? 46% of internet users under the ages of 13 to 17 years old have faced online harassment.
Parental control, tracking a spouse, and employee monitoring are the top three reasons why people use these hidden phone trackers. But, with a market loaded with sub-par products, it can be hard to find a reliable one that works and is 100% discreet.
From our experience of testing all the market leaders, we’re confident that these are the best spy apps. They cost between $11 and $50/month and let you remotely spy on everything the person does (both online and offline), including viewing information they try and delete.
Our Top Recommendations
Spynger – Overall, the best spy app to catch a cheating partner through deleted info
mSpy – Top spy app for monitoring physical surroundings with remote access features
uMobix – Best spy app for parents and others needing to remotely control devices
Spybubble Pro – Best for monitoring partners and teenagers on social media
Scannero – Best for instantly locating any device worldwide by phone number for just $0.89
While nothing of value is free, these tools do offer refunds and guarantee periods that can be used as a risk-free trial. We highly recommend this over completely free tools that come with far more risks than benefits.
The Best Free Spy Apps
Mobicip – Best for co-parenting and collaboration
Qustodio – Best for large families with multiple devices
FamiSafe – Best for schools and large teams
Bark – Best for cross-platform parental control
⚠️ The best free spy apps are so tempting, but we’ve got to warn you about the threats of using free spyware. Most don’t work, and those that do sell user data. Others are malware and pose a serious threat to your device.
In short, we do not recommend a free spy app. Even with tools that work, constant upselling and a lack of features make it hard to recommend them to anyone looking for complete peace of mind about what their loved one is up to.
For example, while the tools above offer free versions, they lack features like screen recording and real-time alerts when certain keywords are typed on browsers or in messages—something premium and even cheap spy apps offer.
Unlike, say, password managers, which often provide feature-rich free versions as an industry practice, phone spy apps are almost always paid software. That’s why, if you’re looking to use one for free, it’s best to opt for a free trial or use the guarantees that come with trustworthy apps like Spynger.
Our Top 5 Recommended Spy Apps For 2024
While the best free spy apps offer basic functionality for parental control, for less than $10 a month, you can get far more insight into what they’re up to. We tested the best spy apps hands-on to understand how they compare and their suitable use cases.
Here are our findings:
1. Spynger – Overall, The Best Premium Spy App With Top Features & Affordable Plans
Spynger is created by a California-based security startup. It can help monitor iPhones and Android devices and offers a number of remote control features. While it’s not free, it’s competitively priced, and its ongoing discounts make it a compelling value proposition.
While most spy apps let you monitor calls, social media, gallery, and location, Spynger goes a step further. It allows you to read deleted text messages, which can be incredibly helpful if you’re trying to catch a cheating husband or wife.
The Spynger UI
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price (/month)
Standout Features
Spynger
Monitoring texts to catch cheating spouses
$9.28/month
– Powerful email and WiFi tracker– Custom keylogger alerts– Deleted text monitoring
It’s also one of the best spy apps for email tracking in 2024. You can check if your child or partner is using emails to engage in inappropriate conversations.
Spynger doesn’t just show you the contents of email chats—you’ll also learn the time and date sent, the subject line, attachments, and more.
We were equally impressed by Spynger’s WiFi tracking features. Usually, a good spy app detects which network your target has connected to. With Spynger, you cannot only see this but also block the target’s access.
You can also trust Spynger for its keylogging capabilities. The spy app monitors everything that the target types and lets you blacklist certain keywords. If the user types these, you’ll receive a real-time alert.
As one of the best keyloggers, it can also help you find out the usernames and passwords of the target’s accounts.
Pricing
Spynger is priced ever so slightly lower than mSpy, making it one of the most affordable spy apps available today.
If you sign up for the annual plan and use one of the company’s ongoing promos, the cost is less than a third of a dollar a day. That’s as good as a free spy phone app—but with far more legitimate features.
Need more? Read our full Spynger review.
Pros
View WhatsApp texts, calls, files, and links
Simple, easy-to-use interface
Handy resources on cheating spouses and relationships
A variety of social channels supported
Cons
Social media tracking unavailable on non-jailbroken iPhones
2. mSpy – Top Spy App with Leading Remote Access Features
Founded in 2003, mSpy has specialized in spy app technology for many years now. While you can’t call it a free remote monitoring app for Android or iPhone, it costs less than $20 a month, making it one of the best apps in terms of value for money.
The mSpy UI
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price (/month)
Standout Features
mSpy
Monitoring physical location and surroundings
$11.66/month
– mSpy lite app on Apple App Store– Stealth Mode– Priority support through mAssistance
One of the unique features we found in our mSpy tests is ambient recording. It lets you turn on the target’s phone’s microphone and record whatever is happening around them.
Is someone bullying your child? Is your spouse engaging in illicit conversations? mSpy can get you proof. Similarly, you can remotely activate the target’s phone’s camera.
This will take snapshots of their surroundings so you can ensure their safety. Powerful features like these are hard to come by in free spy phone apps, which is why it might make sense to invest in a paid option.
We were also impressed by mSpy’s built-in screen recorder. If you only want to record your target’s digital activities, it’ll capture anything that’s happening on their screen – whether they’re watching videos, talking to someone, or otherwise.
Of course, you can enjoy all the core features you’d expect from a top spy app, like social media tracking, call monitoring, being able to see browser history, app activity, and more.
Pricing
While mSpy may not count as one of the best free spy apps, it is very affordable, especially if you subscribe to an annual plan.
Typically priced at about $16/month, the company is running promos in 2024, which effectively brings the price down to just $11.66/month.
mSpy’s pricing chart
Unfortunately, there’s no free trial option, but you can access a free demo to get an idea of what you can expect. You could also sign up for one month ($69.99 without discount) to use the app for one month, with no commitment.
Learn more with our in-depth mSpy review.
Pros
Powerful remote recording capabilities
Lightweight app, not easy to detect
Extremely affordable
Monitor emerging channels like Discord
Cons
You need to jailbreak iPhones for advanced tracking
3. uMobix – Best Spy App for Parents and Others Needing to Remotely Control Devices
uMobix is a security technology company headquartered in London. It offers one of the best spy apps in 2024 for remote device control. It’s competitively priced according to industry standards and costs less than a dollar a day to use.
The highlight of our hands-on uMobix tests was the degree of control we were able to exert over the remote target device.
Not only can you block certain apps and websites – a staple of top parental control apps – but you can also disable messages, restrict calls, regulate data storage, or block the device entirely.
The uMobix UI
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price
Standout Features
uMobix
Remotely controlling the target device
$11.66/month
– App activity schedules– Detect spyware and malware on your kid’s phone– Deleted information viewer
You can also retrieve deleted information. Let’s say your child receives a text from a friend mentioning alcohol. They’ll probably delete it immediately, but with uMobix, you can retrieve the text and learn the truth.
What’s more, the spy app even detects renamed contacts. This can be very helpful when you’re trying to catch a cheating partner who might try to disguise the name of their ex or someone else.
Another uMobix feature we really liked is the ability to stream audio and video. You can remotely turn on the target device’s camera or mic and live stream the audio or video feeds to your dashboard.
uMobix has all the core features you’d expect and then some. For instance, it’ll tell you if the target has swapped their SIM card for a secret SIM. You can find out their real-time social media online status. The list goes on.
Pricing
uMobix is priced similarly to mSpy and Spynger, so your decision will depend on your use cases and the features you’re looking for. Signing up for an annual plan, however, offers significant cost savings.
uMobix’s pricing chart
We were happy to see that uMobix offers a one-day free trial. While this doesn’t make it a free spy app, it’s just enough to give you an accurate understanding of the features before you buy.
Here’s a full uMobix review for more details.
Pros
Many ways to remotely control the device
Powerful mobile app for parents
A plethora of social media and messaging platforms covered
One-click installation process
Cons
Parenting app available only on Android
4. SpyBubble Pro – Best for Monitoring Partners and Teenagers on Social Media
SpyBubble is a 2010-founded parental control software company based in the USA. It’s well-reviewed and has a presence in America and Europe. The company builds software for couples, parents, and those requiring digital investigation tools for work, making it a highly versatile product.
We were happy to see that SpyBubble Pro is compatible with nearly every phone model out there, old or new. From popular brands like Samsung to Mi, Meizu, and others, you can track your kids or your partner no matter what device they’re using.
The SpyBubble Pro UI
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price
Standout Features
SpyBubble Pro
Social media monitoring
$12.49/month
– Remote Instagram control– Live call tracker– 14-day money-back
One area where the app really shines is social media tracking. As always, you can monitor your target’s social chats and file exchanges. Moreover, you get an in-depth view of their social profiles.
The Facebook profile tracker, for instance, displays their likes, shares, posts, and friend lists in real-time. Likewise, on Instagram, you enjoy an unprecedented level of control with SpyBubble Pro.
You can view and track what your target is doing and take action. For example, let’s say your child is following an Insta account that shares inappropriate content.
You can unfollow or even block the account so that such content doesn’t show up on your kid’s feed. You can also control Instagram DMs and block messages from accounts you find objectionable.
Besides these, SpyBubble Pro offers all the core features you’d need, including geolocation tracking and call monitoring. Importantly, you’ll be able to see the target’s live call status—i.e., who they’re talking to in real time.
Pricing
Like most leading spy apps, SpyBubble Pro lets you choose from monthly, quarterly, and annual plans. An annual contract costs $12.49/month, which is quite affordable considering the app’s features.
The company offers a 14-day money-back guarantee if you follow its terms and conditions, such as obtaining consent before installing the app. For more information, read our full SpyBubble Pro review.
Pros
Fantastic social media tracking capabilities
Data stored on secure servers in the European Economic Area (EEA)
Live updates every 5 minutes
Support team to guide you through the installation process
Cons
Tracking data will be deleted after 180 days maximum
5. Scannero – Best for Locating Any Device in the World Instantaneously
Scannero.io is one of the best spy apps to use if you’re interested in pure-play location tracking. It doesn’t require any physical access whatsoever. And you don’t even have to know your target’s Google or Apple ID.
You need only the person’s phone number to track them. It’s on our list of best spy apps because of its simplicity. You enter a person’s phone number into the Scannero app or website.
It’ll then send a text message to the target phone that acts as a stealthy tracking link.
The Scannero UI
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price
Standout Features
Scannero
Location tracking
$49.80/month
– Data breach scanner– Anonymous voice texts– 1-click phone locator
As soon as the target clicks on the link, they’ll (unknowingly or knowingly) give their consent. This works on any phone with a SIM card, regardless of the operating system or OS version.
If you’re looking for the best free spy app, Scannero can be a good choice. While the app isn’t free to use, it costs only $0.89 for the first 24 hours.
You can try the service out, find someone’s location virtually for free, and test the app’s other features without any contractual obligations. Speaking of other features, Scannero isn’t just a basic location tracker.
We were particularly impressed by the reverse phone lookup capability, which lets you identify the owner of any phone number. So, if your spouse is receiving calls from an unknown number, you can find out the truth.
Scannero also acts as a data breach scanner. It checks multiple online databases to see if your email and phone information has been leaked. And, if you need to send someone a secret message, the app can convert notes into an anonymous voice message.
Pricing
Scannero has a straightforward pricing model that doesn’t leave much room for maneuvering. You can either opt for a 1-day trial for $0.89 or buy the monthly plan for $49.80/month.
Scannero’s pricing
This is both a good and a bad thing. You don’t get to enjoy any long-term discounts that you’d usually get from an annual contract. However, it also means there’s no chance of being locked into a plan.
Learn more with our full Scannero review.
Pros
Doesn’t require any tech skills
Not intrusive and virtually undetectable
Works with any phone
You don’t need Apple or Google ID
Cons
Limited to spying on the target’s location
The Top 4 Free Spy Apps Reviewed
Here’s our review of the top spy apps available for free. Discover their key features, pros and cons, and the starting price for those considering an upgrade to a paid plan. Read on to find the best option for your needs.
1. Mobicip – Best Free Spyware for Co-Parenting
Mobicip is a 2008 parental control and spy app company based in the US. It’s predominantly used for parental control and to monitor students up to K-12. It’s also an excellent collaborative spy app, as you can co-parent on the same plan.
Using Mobicip, you can set daily or weekly limits on your target’s mobile use. We liked that the spy app lets you define precise limits for different categories, such as social media, games, and watching videos.
You can even create custom, reusable schedules and give them names—e.g., ‘homework’ and ‘sleep’—so you can apply them later.
The Mobicip UI
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price
Standout Features
Mobicip
Co-parenting and families with teenagers
$2.99/month
– Remote device locker– Social media monitoring– Co-parenting and child dashboards
Mobicip’s AI-powered content filter is compatible with most platforms your target is likely to use. You can use it to block inappropriate content on YouTube, any social media channel, or your kid’s favorite browser.
You can also turn access to specific categories ‘on’ or ‘off ‘, safeguarding nearly every aspect of your child’s web experience. We also found the ‘family locator’ feature particularly beneficial.
You can create geofences around specific locations, such as a school, library, or movie theater, and you’ll get alerts when your loved one has left or reached the spot.
Most impressive of all, there’s a ‘child dashboard’ where your kids can view and set their own app restrictions, essentially self-regulating their screen time and developing healthier digital habits.
This is so important, given that one of the common challenges with spy apps is that the target – your child or family member – may feel intruded upon.
Pricing
If you’re using Mobicip as a free spy app for iPhone, Android, or any other platform, you’ll be happy to know it offers a 7-day free trial, which is ample time to gather preliminary data from your target’s phone. This generous trial period makes Mobicip one of the best free spy apps for couples needing a co-parenting solution.
For those who decide to upgrade, Mobicip is very affordable at just $2.99/month. The best part? For this price, you can monitor five devices. For $4.99/month, you can extend this coverage to 10 devices, and for $7.19/month, 20.
Free Trial
Paid Plan
– Web filtering– Lock the device remotely– Coverage for 1 target device
– App blocker– Screen time limits– Location monitoring– Social media monitor– Activity schedules– Coverage for up to 20 devices
Pros
In-depth knowledge base for troubleshooting
Very affordable even for monitoring 20 devices
Parenting advice from experts included
Cons
Doesn’t accept debit card payments
2. Qustodio – Best Free Spy App for Large Families
Qustodio, founded in 2012, is highly popular, and for good reason. It’s undoubtedly a powerful spy app for parental control.
You can monitor 10 devices at once, making it popular for various use cases, including but not limited to parental control, monitoring your spouse, employee tracking, and everything in between.
Its content filtering features let you block inappropriate websites containing mature content, gambling, or violence. We found that the Qustodio app even alerts you when they try to access blocked content.
The Qustodio UI
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price
Standout Features
Qustodio
Families and parental control
$54.95/year
– Youtube monitoring– Daily, weekly, and monthly reports– Emergency SOS button on the child’s phone
Another impressive aspect of the software is its compatibility. Not only does it offer one of the best free spy apps for Android and iPhone, but you can also download it on PCs and tablets.
In fact, we were surprised to find that Qustodio even supports Kindle, so you’re covered no matter what device your target is using. Furthermore, the Qustodio spy app lets you set daily time limits.
You can modify precisely how much screen time is allowed per day—let’s say, a little more on the weekends or a little less on school days. This gives you unprecedented control over your target’s phone activities.
Of course, location tracking, geofencing alerts, call monitoring, and reports are included. If you need support, Qustodio has a Care Plus package that includes human assistance in English or Spanish.
Pricing
Pricing is one of the main reasons why Qustodio is on our list of the best free spy apps in 2024. It’s one of the few spy apps to offer a 3-day free trial of its entire suite of premium features.
To get started, simply visit the website and download Qustodio for your preferred device. Then, enjoy the most comprehensive free spy app—no credit card is required upfront.
Qustodio’s pricing chart
Qustodio’s free plan will be useful for beginners. You can filter websites, set daily time limits, and pause internet activity. However, you can’t block apps or track the target’s location.
Activity reports, too, are limited to seven days instead of the 30 days you get with a paid plan. To remove these restrictions, you can sign up for a trial of one of Qustodio’s paid plans.
Once you’ve completed your free spy app trial, you can upgrade either to a Basic plan for $54.95/year or the Premium plan for $99.95/year.
Free Trial
Paid Plan
– Safe Search– Web filtering– Daily mobile use limits– 7-day activity reports– Coverage for one target device
– Everything in the free plan– Activity alerts– Panic button– Location monitoring– 30-day activity reports– Coverage for unlimited devices
Pros
Compatible with Kindle eBook readers
Excellent customer support
Custom alerts for phone activities
Great visual interface
Cons
Limited remote device-blocking capabilities
3. FamiSafe – Best Monitoring Solution for Schools and Team Members
FamiSafe offers a host of useful features for monitoring family members, employees, or students. Its biggest selling point is scalability, as it can accommodate hundreds of devices in one plan.
Like Qustodio, it supports a wide range of devices. Its monitoring capabilities comprise four things: device activity, media consumption safety, web safety, and location services.
The YouTube monitoring capabilities are particularly impressive. Not only can you monitor what your child is watching, but you can remotely block specific videos or even entire channels.
It uses AI to detect and block inappropriate content, making the feature extremely accurate. We found that you can monitor for explicit content containing certain keywords, such as bullying or drugs.
The FamiSafe UI
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price
Standout Features
FamiSafe
Monitoring devices in bulk
$9.99/month
– Exhaustive Tik tok histories– Calendarized driving reports– AI inappropriate content detection
FamiSafe’s activity reports are also incredibly detailed. They show you how much time the target is spending on each app and on which days. The reports even include their web activity.
You can use the spy app to view if your child has installed/uninstalled specific apps or even block apps remotely. Besides this, we found that it even offers driving safety controls.
While most spy apps will give you live location and route mapping, FamiSafe lets you see their average driving speed, time spent driving at high speeds, and if they’ve been speeding or hard braking.
That’s why FamiSafe is highly recommended for parents with teenagers or kids who’ve recently got their learner’s permit or driving license.
We were impressed by the app’s artificial intelligence, which scores the media stored on your kid’s phone based on how inappropriate or dangerous it is. This, unfortunately, only works on mobile, though.
Pricing
FamiSafe earns a firm position on our list of the best free spy apps because of its free plan. The company lets you download and use its app for free, albeit with some limitations.
You can only monitor one device and view activity data for the current day. To unlock its full potential, upgrade to the premium version for $9.99/month.
FamiSafe’s pricing chart
FamiSafe’s annual plan for $59.99 offers the most value since you can track unlimited devices. It also offers a bulk monitoring plan for schools and small businesses, which costs $2,399.80/year for 151-200 devices—again, great value for a spy app of this caliber.
Free Trial
Paid Plan
– Web filtering– Time limits– Location data for only 1 day– Activity reports for only 1 day– Coverage for 1 target device
– Everything in the free plan– Activity alerts– Panic button– 30-day activity reports– Location monitoring– Coverage for unlimited devices
Pros
Lets you monitor 10+ devices in 1 plan
Powerful AI content filtering
Offers detailed reports
Cons
Lack of feature parity between Android and iPhone
4. Bark – Best for Cross-Platform Parental Control
Bark is excellent for parents and schools looking to ensure kids’ safety online. It has a lot of the same features as Qustodio, but any Bark subscription lets you monitor unlimited accounts and computers for no additional price.
You can choose between several Bark apps for various monitoring needs, from in-depth parental control for kids and tweens to simple screen-time management for teenagers.
Bark works on more than just phones and computers. You can use this app for parental control on any internet-connected device, including gaming consoles and smart TVs. The only big downside is that Bark is only available in the US, Australia, and South Africa.
Spy App
Best For
Starting Price
Standout Features
Bark
All-around web filtering and screen time management
$6/month
– Automatic screen time schedules– Remote app, web, and contact approvals– Tamper-proof prevention of deleted texts
The phone monitoring app lets you remotely view and approve apps and contacts on your kids’ phones. You can even set automatic alarms to alert you when you view potentially inappropriate online content. Then, you can block any app or site remotely with one click.
You can also view their texts and social media activity, and Bark even prevents the deletion of texts. So, you’ll know what they post and whom they interact with to keep your mind at ease.
This peace of mind extends outside the home, too. Bark also has GPS monitoring features to let you see their location check-ins and set geofencing alerts in case they venture into a remote or dangerous area.
Last but not least, Bark lets you control your kid’s or teen’s screen time on any device with a fully customizable screen time schedule. For example, you can block any website or app, like YouTube or Fortnite, while your kid is doing their homework or when going to bed.
Pricing
Bark’s pricing is great in many ways. For starters, it’s one of the few apps with a 7-day trial for phones plus a generous 30-day money-back guarantee for desktops.
Secondly, you can choose to pay only for the features you know you’ll use. A Bark Phone plan, for example, starts at $39/mo and includes all Bark monitoring features, including remote app and contact approvals and text deletion prevention.
The Bark App includes only web and app controls, such as automatic alerts, app and web monitoring, and custom screen time schedules.
Bark Home is the cheapest option at $6/mo. It lets you monitor web activity, apps, and screen time on unlimited devices (except computers, PlayStations, and smart TVs).
Free Trial
Paid Plan
– 7-day text, app, and social media monitoring– Location check-ins and alerts– Automatic alerts– Coverage for one device
– Coverage for unlimited devices– Everything on the free trial– Remote website and app blocking– Customizable screen time schedules– Remote app and contact approvals– Prevention of deleted texts
Pros
7-day trial for Bark App
30-day guarantee for Bark Home
Unlimited devices covered (including desktops and PlayStation)
Monitor social media activity on over 30 apps, including TikTok
Cons
Only available in the US, Australia, and South Africa
No remote installation
Are Free Spy Apps Legit?
While some free spy apps may be legit, it’s best to avoid free-forever apps that make tall claims but can’t back them up with company credibility or good reviews. It’s better to opt for free trials or purchase discounted subscriptions to low-cost spy apps.
While it’s tempting to install a free spyware app instead of a paid one and potentially get all the information without spending anything, most free spy apps are not legit. This is because:
Spy app infrastructure costs money: It’s expensive to build and maintain remote monitoring infrastructure that can collect and relay data over long distances. If the company isn’t charging you anything at all, it could be a red flag.
Spy apps collect sensitive data: When you install a spy app on someone’s phone, it will collect sensitive information like call logs, location, and private images. Fraudsters can exploit this and either sell your information to a third party or hold you ransom for it.
Spy app scams prey on user vulnerability: Users often resort to free spy apps out of desperation, worry, or concern – e.g., for a cheating spouse or a child who might be facing bullying. They may be convinced by spy app scams to download fake software.
For these reasons, the spy app marketplace is riddled with malware and fake products. For example, take a look at prospybubble.com. It’s a dupe of SpyBubble Pro and actually installs another spy app on your device rather than the app you were looking for.
That’s why we recommend that you approach free spy apps with caution. While a few may be legit, it’s difficult to tell the wheat from the chaff.
Choose trusted software with reliable free-use options and upgrade to a paid plan when you’re comfortable.
How to Choose the Best Spy App with a Free Trial
Apps like Mobicip, Qustodio, and Bark are all excellent options with a free trial. But if none of these is the right fit for you, here’s a quick checklist to keep in mind when searching for a top spy app solution to try for free:
Features: The app should have the specific features you need. For example, most spy apps have social media monitoring, but not all have keyword alerts or hidden installations. Not all apps have remote control features to block inappropriate websites, either.
Compatibility: Most spy apps are only for newer phone models, and very few work on computers or laptops. Make sure the app you choose is compatible with the target device platform and OS.
Performance: Does the app do what it promises? Does it run smoothly, or is it laggy and resource-intensive? While you won’t know before actually using it yourself, online reviews sometimes mention these factors, so they’re worth checking out.
Ease of use: Does the app have a simple installation process, and is the app intuitive? Product reviews and demos are an easy way to get an idea of how user-friendly the app is.
Scope of the trial: Many spy apps have a 24-hour trial period, but a longer trial period (3–7 days) gives you more time to get a feeling for how the app works. It’s also a bonus if the trial lets you try most or all of the features on the paid plan.
Price: Unfortunately, no good monitoring app is entirely free, so you should also consider the cost of upgrading to a paid plan. A budget-friendly app that can do a lot is obviously ideal.
How We Test Spy Apps For Our Reviews
For our reviews and roundups, we subscribed to the monthly plan for all eight applications discussed in this guide.
Our tests proceeded in three stages – core feature tests to see the depth of monitoring, compatibility tests to understand the difference across environments, and usability tests to gauge the learning curve.
In addition, we referred to each platform’s learning portal to review the documentation and support options. This allowed us to understand the value each spy app offers and whether it’s worth the investment.
The findings shared in this article are also bolstered by our experience of testing paid and free spy apps for in-depth reviews. The team at TechReport has been at the forefront of technology journalism since 1999.
We’ve authored reviews on FamiSafe, EyeZy, Phonsee, and countless others. In addition to our hands-on experience with these apps, we also consulted trusted user opinion forums such as G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot.
All of this combined allows us to present our objective, unbiased analysis of the best free spy apps.
Step-By-Step Guide – How to Use a Spy App
While they utilize sophisticated internal technology, spy apps are easy to install and use.
You’ll need to complete four steps:
Sign up for the spy app
Install the app on the target device by following the instructions in your email
Delete any traces of the installation
Return to your dashboard to start monitoring.
Regardless of whether you’re using a paid or free spy app – or the brand you’ve selected – the process is largely the same. Today, we’ll explain how to use a spy app using mSpy as an example.
Step 1 — Sign Up for the Spy App
Visit the company’s website to sign up for the plan of your choice. Make sure to open the right page – sometimes, fraudsters may run Google Ad campaigns posing as the real thing. Double-check the domain name before signing up.
Creating your mSpy account
Enter your email ID and click on ‘Try Now’ to proceed. mSpy will prompt you to choose your operating system and preferred subscription.
Once you complete the payment, you’ll receive an email containing your password, username, control panel link, and installation URL. Save the email or note the data in Notepad or a similar app. Make a note of this for the next step – installation.
Step 2 — Install the App on the Target Device
Next, physically access the target’s phone – let’s assume it’s an Android device. First, shut down Play Protect so apps like mSpy can be downloaded. Go to Play Store settings and turn off the ‘Scan apps’ and ‘Improve harmful app detection’ toggles.
Turn off Play Protect to enable spy app installation
Now, you’re ready to install mSpy on the target’s phone. Open the browser and type in the installation URL you received previously via email. Follow the installation wizard and provide any permissions necessary.
You’ll complete the process quickly, after which you’ll need to remove all traces of it.
Step 3 — Delete All Traces of the Installation
While this step isn’t mandatory, deleting traces of the installation ensures that the spy app doesn’t intrude upon the target’s regular user experience.
For instance, if your teenage kid constantly sees the active spy app, they may be prompted to try and get a second phone. So, open the browser history and clear it.
Also, open the device’s file storage and delete anything you’ve downloaded. Visit the device’s home page and remove any new icon that may have appeared.
Step 4 — Return to Your Dashboard
You’re now ready to use the spy app. mSpy (and most of its equivalents) can be used on desktop and mobile devices. We recommend starting with the desktop UI so you can familiarize yourself with the app’s many features.
How to navigate the Mspy app
The navigation pane will be on the left, and the dashboard, maps, text chains, and other information will appear in the center. Scroll down the left navigation pane to try out different tools, such as social media monitors, GPS trackers, and media viewers.
Can Somebody Check for Spy Apps on Their Device?
Although many spy or monitoring apps have a stealth option, it’s important to note no app is entirely invisible. Even hidden apps can leave traces of their activity on the target device, so yes, someone could check for spy apps on their device based on these signs:
For iOS, a jailbroken phone is a major giveaway of spy app activity. If you find Cydia, Sileo, or similar apps in your library, it’s likely your phone has been jailbroken.
On Android, the Play Protect feature might be turned off, or the ‘install apps from unknown sources’ option is on to allow spy app installation
Phones with spyware have noticeably faster battery drain, and they tend to heat up often
The phone might lag more often than usual or shut down and restart randomly
Masked spy apps still show high data usage, especially those with a screen recording feature
Spy apps also have extensive permissions, which are easy to see in a phone’s app settings.
For this reason, even if you plan to supervise your child, it’s best to be upfront about using monitoring apps instead of having them find out you’ve been tracking their activity secretly. It’s also a good idea to get familiar with the legality of using spy apps in your jurisdiction.
Verdict
The best free spy apps offer a limited free trial because even if a completely free spy tool is legit, its lack of functionality renders it useless for many use cases.
You won’t get keyword or location alerts or advanced features like screen recording. Whether basic functionality will suffice depends on your needs, but overall, we highly recommend premium spy apps.
Many of them cost less than $10 a month and are well worth the investment. You’ll get full insight into what the target user is up to, both online and offline, and, importantly, without the target user knowing.
Our advice is to do your research, not believe in marketing hype alone, and look for a spy app that meets your unique needs (and budget). We recommend Spynger. It’s affordable and incredibly powerful.
FAQs
What is the best spy app to use?
Spynger is easily the best spy app for parental control and practically every other use case. It’s 100% discreet and lets you monitor all the leading social media apps and view deleted texts. It even alerts you when specific words are typed in messages or search bars.
Are free spy apps good?
Yes, some free spy apps like Qustodio, FamiSafe, and Mobicip are good, but overall, we recommend opting for a premium (even cheap) spy app over free options. Most don’t work or pose a serious threat to your data and device, and those that do work lack features and make it difficult to get peace of mind.
What are the best free spy apps?
The best free spy apps are Qustodio, FamiSafe, and Mobicip, but these offer basic parental control capabilities when compared to premium tools like Spynger. Despite costing just $9.28/month, it offers far more than these free spy apps, including keyword alerts and remote controls.
What’s the best spy app for Android?
The best spy app for Android in our tests is Spynger. While it’s not a free Android spy app, Spynger’s ultra-affordable pricing at less than $1/day, combined with an impressive feature set, makes it among the best and most reliable for Android and iPhone alike.
What is the best spy app for iPhone?
According to our tests, Spynger is the best spy app for iPhone. While you’ll have to pay a small monthly fee, it’s extremely affordable at just $9.28/month. Plus, there’s no risk of fraud, scams, or malware, which is often the case with free iPhone spy apps.
How to find hidden spy apps on Android for free?
You can find hidden spy apps on Android for free by looking for red flags like bloated storage, weak battery, and poor app performance on your phone. There are also codes to verify hacked or tapped cell phones. Another option is to use a spy app removal tool to find and eliminate hidden spy apps.
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