Are you a parent who intends to monitor your kids’ mobile device activities? Or are you an employer that wants to monitor your employees’ business-related mobile activities?
Even if you simply want to keep a tab on your mobile phone activities, there are several apps available for that.
Listed below are the 20 best phone monitoring apps.
20 Best Phone Monitoring Apps
MSpy
MSpy is a popular phone monitoring app for parental control. The app allows you to monitor several phone activities remotely including sent and received text messages, call history, GPS location, web history, social media activities, etc.
This app is recommended because it’s easy to use. It supports background mode such that the user of the phone you’re monitoring won’t know there’s any such app running. The data you monitor is encrypted so it’s safe. Furthermore, it keeps the data you see current by updating it every 5 minutes.
MSpy is available for Android and iOS devices although with different requirements. The app is a global phone that can be used in any country.
Also, it’s a premium app but its subscription plan is relatively affordable. MSpy costs less than $1 per day.
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iKeyMonitor
This is the ultimate monitoring app for Windows, iOS, and Android mobile devices. It works by monitoring visited websites, social media platforms, text messages, calls, and GPS locations amongst others. The app has a built-in recorder for viewing call logs and listening to conversations.
With iKeyMonitor, you can set up certain alert words so you get a notification whenever they get mentioned. The alerts are sent by email. You can remotely block some apps you don’t want to be used on the phone you’re monitoring. Furthermore, you can set screen time limits for allowed apps.
The app screenshots the phone’s activities which you can intuitively view from yours as a slideshow. You can use the iKeyMonitor app for free, but the features are limited. A premium subscription is needed to enjoy all the phone monitoring features the app comes with.
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FlexiSpy
FlexiSpy is more than a phone monitoring app. It is also a monitoring software that can be used on a PC. The app is used mainly for employee monitoring compared to parental control and it has a lot of monitoring features – there are more than 150 features available.
When installed on the phone you want to monitor, FlexiSpy stays 100 percent hidden while tracking and logging all activities. You can monitor and record calls and texts with FlexiSpy.
Interestingly, FlexiSpy allows you to intercept calls. Tracked data is permanently deleted after 90 days but you have the option to download it.
Other stuff you can do with the FlexiSpy app includes monitoring installed apps, managing internet data usage, view media, get alerts and reports, etc. It’s a premium app and requires a license to use.
FlexiSpy can only be used conveniently on Android devices. Jailbreaking is needed to install on an iPhone.
SpyEra
SpyEra is described as the most undetectable monitoring app. It works with iOS and Android phones. Plus, it has Mac and Windows applications. The app is cloud-based; hence, every monitored activity is easily synced without the host phone being aware.
In addition, SpyEra has an easy-to-use control panel. You can monitor calls by viewing the call history, recording them, or listening to them live. Every entry being typed into the phone is collected by the Keylogger and you can monitor SMS and email.
This monitoring app allows you to access media files from the other phone so long as they were captured by it. Plus, you can monitor GPS location in real-time.
Notably, SpyEra allows you to change the monitoring settings remotely and you get instant alerts when something important happens.
XNSPY
XNSPY is on our list of the best phone monitoring apps, thanks to its powerful features. Also, it’s one of the safest to use. The app lets you monitor contacts, phone calls, SMS, chat, email, GPS location, etc.
Phone calls can be recorded or listened to live and you can also listen to the user’s surroundings. Interestingly, XNSPY allows you to monitor all scheduled appointments on your target devices. Plus, you can check all their videos and photos.
On Android devices, you can record the screen of social media apps using the IM Screen Recorder. This recorder supports WhatsApp, Facebook, and 7 other social media platforms.
A unique feature you’ll enjoy with the app is the XNSPY analytics. From this section of the app, you can get quick summaries and reports including the phone’s most visited websites, most frequent calls, longest calls, etc.
ClevGuard
ClevGuard is an all-in-one monitoring solution. However, it’s mainly designed to be used by parents in remotely monitoring their kid’s phone activities. It’s a very popular app used by over 400,000 users.
With this app, you can do things like record phone calls, take screenshots, and get a real-time screen view of the device you’re monitoring. Unlike other phone monitoring apps, ClevGuard doesn’t just have a GPS tracker but also a Wi-Fi tracker. It allows you to set up geo-fences and you get alerts when they’re violated.
ClevGuard is a convenient monitoring app that’ll take you just five minutes to fully set up. The app has different variants for overall monitoring of iOS and Android phones and also specific monitoring of apps like WhatsApp, iCloud, etc. All versions of the app are premium and require a subscription.
MobiStealth
Here is a comprehensive mobile surveillance solution. MobiStealth can be used to track all phone activities including text and calls, social media, email, and location. It offers 24/7 monitoring and is tamper-proof and completely undetectable when installed.
MobiStealth comes with the surround recording feature. Also, it allows you to record phone calls to play later. Notably, the app has an email tracker that works for Gmail. This means you can remotely access all Gmail activity of the target device. It’s possible to monitor pictures and web activities too.
You can use this phone monitoring app on Android and iOS devices. For Android device tracking, you must install MobiStealth on the target device. However, installation is not a requirement for iOS devices. A major drawback of MobiStealth is that not all features are available for iOS devices. Hence, it’s most recommended as an Android phone monitoring app.
Spyzie
With an app like Spyzie, you’ll always know what’s happening on your target device. The app has about 30 monitoring features; hence, it is among the best phone monitoring apps.
Spyzie lets you check text messages, WhatsApp messages, call logs, browsing history, etc. on your target device. It has a keylogger that tracks and records all keyboard strokes and you receive alerts for any sensitive activity. Notably, the Spyzie app incorporates data export functionality. Hence, you can export all tracked activity for other uses.
The app lets you monitor all images and videos on your target device and it presents a timeline where you can view all the phone activity at a glance. Plus, Spyzie works with modern iOS and Android smartphones. There are different versions available including the basic, pro, and an ultimate version.
SpyTrac
SpyTrac is one of the most affordable premium phone monitoring apps you can come across. You can use it to remotely monitor any phone for less than $0.50 per day. Notwithstanding, it has all the top features you’ll need in a phone monitoring app.
This is an app for monitoring social media activities, text messages, calls, and other web activities. You can block any app you want and also allows set up alerts for geo-fencing, contacts, etc. Also, you have access to the target phone’s GPS history so you know where the user is and where they’ve been.
With SpyTrac, apart from monitoring photos and videos from the target’s phone, you can easily download them to yours. You can also access their file manager. However, the app only works on Android devices. There’s no version for iPhones and iPads yet.
Cocospy
The Cocospy app is used in more than 190 countries by over a million people. It enables you to monitor both Android and iOS mobile phones.
You can monitor calls, texts, and all installed apps. It has other interesting features like the keylogger which works only on Android devices, geo-fence alerts to monitor movements, and FB Messages Spy for monitoring messages on the world’s most used social media platform.
Also, you can browse through media files, contacts, installed apps, browser history, and more. Parental control with Cocospy is specifically optimized for iOS. If you need a phone monitoring app to track your kid’s iPhones, this app is one of the best options to consider.
MobileSpy
MobileSpy is a smartphone monitoring app designed for businesses, schools, and parents. It allows you to monitor several activities on your target mobile phone in real-time.
It is compatible with modern Android and iOS smartphones. Some of its features include GPS location tracking, access to calls, texts, pictures and videos, access to microphones and cameras, access to social media platforms, etc.
Other advanced features include allowing you to block certain apps, schedule time usage restrictions, geo-fencing, and Wi-Fi logging.
Notably, MobileSpy is a battery-saving app. Hence, it won’t affect the battery of the target’s phone while running. Also, it’s 100 percent invisible and can’t be detected by the phone’s user. MobileSpy is a premium phone monitoring app and there are about three different plans to go with.
Cerberus
Here’s a phone application for security and anti-theft. It’s a recommended monitoring app if you want to monitor your mobile phone in case it is misplaced instead of monitoring others. The app offers triple protection by letting you remote control your device via web, SMS, and it sends automatic alerts.
Cerberus can capture the picture of any intruder who steals your phone. It can lock and wipe data off your phone so the thief can’t access it and it can pinpoint your device’s location on a map. If you’re in a dangerous situation, you can easily source for help using Cerberus and it has Android Wear Support.
The app is also reliable when it comes to monitoring others – most especially kids. You can set secure areas where you don’t want them to be, track their app usage statistics, and always know where they are using GPS.
SpyHuman
SpyHuman is another phone monitoring app designed mainly for parental control. It monitors calls, texts, location, browsing history, and social media activities 24/7 and it’s not difficult to operate. The app is also great as an anti-theft app for monitoring the location of your mobile device.
With SpyHuman, you’re assured of nothing but up-to-date tracking data as the app carries out real-time data upload. Hence, all data you track is backed up and safe. Also, there’s the Live Recording feature that lets you know where your child is by listening to surrounding noises.
SpyHuman lets you browse the target phone’s file explorer – you can go through every file – and it also gives you access to their gallery. You can set up several restrictions on apps and even disable their Wi-Fi. SpyHuman requires a premium subscription; however, you can avail it for free on trial before paying.
iSpyoo
This app comes with over 25 phone monitoring features. It offers real-time tracking and is suitable for monitoring kids and employees. iSpyoo is compatible with Android and iOS mobile devices and you can monitor your target remotely using your phone or online via the website.
With this phone monitoring app, you can track GPS, SMS, calls, contacts, and social media on any target phone. The app is able to record their environment at any scheduled time and you can easily play them via your control panel.
Furthermore, iSpyoo gives you full access to the phone’s media files including photos, voice recordings, and videos.
For employers, iSpyoo is a great app for monitoring your workers’ incoming and outgoing messages. As a new user, you have access to all the app’s features for 48 hours. After that, you have to choose one of the three subscription plans.
Prey
This app is most renowned as a desktop monitoring software. Nevertheless, it is ideal for monitoring mobile phone activities as well. It can be used to monitor your mobile phone against theft and also monitor others, so you know what they’re doing.
Prey marks your phone’s control zones. Once it gets out of these zones, you get an alert. Also, it keeps a log of your phone’s location history which gets updated by the hour. You can remotely wipe or encrypt data on your mobile phone if it gets stolen. Hence, Prey is a recommended phone monitoring app for data protection.
Other anti-theft features the app comes with include evidence reports of whoever took your phone. Notably, the app is optimized to handle multiple tracking tasks at a time.
uMobix
uMobix is a parental control mobile application. It’s most ideal for monitoring social media activities as it has exclusive tracking features for over 30 social media platforms. This includes popular ones like Facebook, Kik, Snapchat, Messenger, TikTok, etc.
The app is also efficient in monitoring phone calls. It tracks incoming and outgoing calls along with the call duration and time stamp. The same is applicable for text message monitoring and uMobix also lets you download media files – photos and videos – from the target device. With its GPS tracker, you can quickly detect the owner’s real-time location.
Notably, the uMobix app is relatively easy to set up. Also, every data tracked is updated within a 5-minute interval so you can count on it being current. You can install uMobix on your iOS and Android smartphones.
Aispyer
Aispyer is one of the best phone monitoring apps because it is easy to use, safe, undetectable, and most notably, power saving. It’s a relatively popular app as it’s used in over 150 countries by some top tech companies. To show how easy Aispyer is, it can be fully installed and set up in just one minute.
The app is secure because you have total control of your data at all times. You can turn off the trackers or completely wipe off all logged data at any time you like. The app uses a unique technology to minimize power consumption as it runs undetected in the background.
Aispyer has different versions for Android and iOS devices for both normal and jailbreak modes. You can do more with the jailbreak version of the app. Not to mention, you can use Aispyer on your Windows or Mac computers.
Spyic
Spyic is a secure app that you can use to monitor calls, messages, location, and app use. It is available for Android and iOS and although it’s premium, you can sign up and use it for free on the first trial.
Additionally, Spyic operates in stealth mode which means it can’t be detected by the owner of the phone. Also, in stealth mode, it doesn’t drain the target phone’s battery and neither does it slow down the device’s performance.
With this phone monitoring app, you can monitor almost every phone messaging channel including SMS, iMessage, and different social media platforms.
Furthermore, you can track the target’s phone location using multiple channels which includes GPS, Wi-Fi, and SIM Card trackers. The SIM tracker is one of the unique features of Spyic. Hence, you always get the real-time location and you can set alerts for no-go areas.
SpyBubble
Here we have a cloud-based phone monitoring app that can be used only on Android mobile devices. A lot can be done using this app. You can capture keystrokes, record phone calls, spy on texts and emails, take screenshots, and spy on social media platforms amongst others.
Anyone would find this app convenient because it is user-friendly. Everything you need is featured in the dashboard so you only need to tap to view different tracked activities. With the GPS tracker, you can locate the target phone’s location on a map and the app is also functional in tracking browser activities.
You mustn’t be with your monitoring device to keep track of your data. As a cloud-based app, you can simply log in using any other device’s browser to monitor activities. The app updates the data on cloud storage every five minutes.
WebWatcher
WebWatcher is the last on this list of the best phone monitoring apps. It can be used to monitor Android and iOS devices and as a cloud-based application, you can monitor the tracked activities from any device.
The WebWatcher app presents you with a list of all the apps on the target’s phone, the apps used, and the time duration. It is ideal for monitoring social media most especially Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
You get alerts when any risky activity is detected or any risky photo is saved. Notably, you can use WebWatcher to track not just sent and inbox messages but also deleted text messages.
Bottom Line
Now, you know the 20 best phone monitoring apps. You should note that these apps are privacy-invading apps.
Therefore, you should only install them with the consent of the target phone’s owner, although there are some exceptions for parental control. If used without the owner’s consent, you could be in legal trouble.
