Ever since mobile phones became commonplace in every household of the world, cell phone spying also emerged as a rather popular phenomenon everywhere. Carry out a bit of research on the Internet and you’ll find a great multitude of mobile phone spying software, each one claiming to be better than the other.
But how do you figure the best one among them?! The only option is to spend endless hours learning about them and doing a detailed comparative analysis for each one of them.
Having done it personally we can very confidently say that it’s indeed a very tedious task!
So why reinvent the wheel?!
As we’re constantly engaged in reviewing the top-rated spy apps for iPhone and android phones, you can rely on our research, and cut down all that hard work. We’ve listed the top 3 of them, based on comprehensive studies and day-to-day usage. However, before getting into the details of these apps, let’s talk about what led us to carry out such comparisons and reviews.
Spying is an activity that’s not looked up to very positively in the present-day society, unless it’s absolutely ethical and is done purely with the intention to prevent mishaps and/or misdeeds. We completely agree with anyone who feels that it demands a comprehensive debate.
Before getting actively involved with this website and conducting detailed reviews of the cell phone spying software in the market, we spent a lot of time learning about the pros and cons of this industry. It’s a strong belief that ethical use of these mobile phone spying software can prove to be very beneficial for our society and offer various positive outcomes, negating all its negative aspects.
Furthermore, our team doesn’t just randomly carry out some research on the Internet and write these reviews. Rather, we spend a great deal of time to understand and learn about these applications in good detail. What more, we even go ahead and try them personally to offer you an unbiased opinion on them.
Let’s now go over these top 3 mobile phone spying apps for iPhone and Android devices:
FlexiSpy
Unarguably the most powerful mobile phone spying app for iPhones and Android devices, FlexiSpy consists of everything you expect from a mobile phone spying software and much more. It records keystrokes, phone calls, access to SMSes, email, Whatsapp and even Facebook messages. What more, you can even track the location of the device, and remotely turn on its microphone to record the cell phone owner’s conversations, all without his/her knowledge.
Please note, although you need to root or jailbreak your device before installing FlexiSpy on an Android phone or an iPhone, the kind of features it offers, well justifies the need for such a procedure. Rooting or jailbreaking a phone might seem complex, but gives you access to comprehensive features including IM spying, calling interceptions, call recording, microphone access and much more.
Getting started with FlexiSpy
Once you’ve purchased the FlexiSpy app, you’d receive a confirmation email consisting of your login details, and step-by-step instructions for its easy installation.
You’d need to visit the FlexiSpy website and choose the device you wish to installation the spy app on. Thereafter, you’d be provided several on-screen instructions to complete the app installation. After its successful installation, every bit of the target phone’s data would be automatically sent to the FlexiSpy server. You can access all this data by logging into the FlexiSpy website from your smartphone device or a computer.
Different FlexiSpy packages and their features
FlexiSpy is currently available in two different versions – Premium and Extreme. While the Premium version of the app offers you all the basic features available in other popular spying software as well, the Extreme version takes the spying activity to an altogether new level with the call recording and call interception features. You can refer to the comparison chart provided on the FlexiSpy website and go through the features that are most relevant for you.
Let’s not briefly take you over both these FlexiSpy versions.
FlexiSpy Premium version
As mentioned above, the premium version of this application contains all the standard features expected from a mobile phone spying application, enabling you to easily track every call, text message, multimedia file, websites visited and other activities on the target device.
However, considering the fact that the target device is rooted, you can even capture the user’s Facebook activities and IMs sent through Skype, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.
Following are some of the other well-known features of the FlexiSpy Premium version:
GPS location tracking – This mobile phone spying app makes use of the GPS service on the target device to keep a constant tab on its location. You are provided details of the target device’s location history on the map. Other than that, you can even track its current location on a real-time basis.
Keylogger – The mobile phone spy app logs in every keystroke on the target device. Hence, you also get access to usernames and passwords entered by the cell phone user on various websites.
Screenshots – The app enables you to take screenshots of the applications being run on the device, from a remote location.
FlexiSpy Extreme version
Other than all the features available in the Premium version of FlexiSpy, the Extreme version also allows you to easily record and listen the calls made by/to the target device, control its microphone and camera remotely and even send fake text messages from it.
Some of the key features of FlexiSpy’s Extreme version are:
- Call recording
- Live call interceptions
- Taking pictures through the target phone, from a remote location
- Ambient recording (easy recording of the conversations happening in the phone’s surroundings)
- Live access to the ambient conversations (secretly bugging the target device)
A bit on FlexiSpy’s advanced features
Live call interceptions
As is evident from its name, this FlexiSpy feature enables you to intercept live phone calls on the target device, allowing you to monitor them while they are actually taking place, without the knowledge of the user.
This feature works by hooking you on to a live call as a third-party, quite similar to how conference calls happen, without letting anyone know that you’re actually on the line. All this while, your phone stays in muted mode. The only condition for this feature to work on the target device is that it should allow for three-way calling. Hence, you must check with the target phone’s carrier and make sure that this specific feature is indeed available and enabled on the target device. In most cases it is.
Call recording
This FlexiSpy advanced feature enables you to record both the outgoing as well as incoming calls (including Skype and Whatsapp calls) on the target device. However, please note, you’d be able to record calls coming from and made to only some specific numbers. All the recorded conversations are automatically uploaded to the FlexiSpy account, from where they can be downloaded onto a computer or a compatible device.
Ambient recording
The ambient recording feature of FlexiSpy is quite similar to how sound recording works. It enables you to secretly record conversations happening around the target phone. To activate this feature, you must start ambient recording from under the Call Controls on the FlexiSpy website, entering the duration for which you want the recording to happen. This would switch on the target device’s microphone (in the stealth mode), and record conversations happening around it.
Please note, FlexiSpy continues to add more and more new features to both its versions, so you must constantly check with their official website to stay on top of the new offerings/features.
How it works?
For FlexiSpy to work, you must download and install it on the target phone you want to monitor. Once installed, it’d work silently in the background, recording all the activities of that phone, and uploading them regularly on to the FlexiSpy server.
Thereafter, you can just log into your FlexiSpy account and go through all pertinent activity reports. You’d also get unrestricted access to all the photos, emails, text messages, social media interactions, GPS locations, contact details, browser history and more.
How much does it cost?
As detailed above, the FlexiSpy mobile phone app is presently available in two different versions. These versions with their corresponding prices are as follows:
FlexiSpy Premium:
- $ 68 (USD) for one-month’s access
- $ 99 (USD) for three months’ access
- $ 149 (USD) for one-year access
FlexiSpy Extreme:
- $ 199 (USD) for three months’ access
- $ 349 (USD) for one-year access
Although FlexiSpy Premium seems like a very good value for money deal, as its packed with a good number of comprehensive features (better than many of its market counterparts), it’s the FlexiSpy Extreme version that takes the cake. Although the latter might seem slightly expensive to many, its advanced features make it worth every penny you spend on it.
On the whole if you’re looking for the most comprehensive mobile phone spying application in the marketplace, that gives you complete control of the target device, we can assure you there’s none that comes even remotely close to FlexiSpy, in almost every aspect.
mSpy
By far the most popular cell phone monitoring software among the parents, mSpy is actually one of the best-sellers in this market segment. Parents everywhere are actively using mSpy to monitor their children’s off-line and online activities.
Using mSpy mobile phone app is pretty easy – all you need to do is download and install the application on to your child’s mobile phone and it’ll then continue monitoring all its activities in the background.
mSpy is presently available for both android and iOS devices, providing a web-based control panel, enabling you to monitor your child’s phone activities from a remote location and giving you direct access to his/her social media usage (including Facebook), Snapchat, phone calls, instant messages, text messages and more. You can also track your child’s current location through this app and check where s/he is on a map.
One area where mSpy lags behind FlexiSpy is that you cannot listen in to live phone conversations and make call/ambient recordings of the target phone. Other than that, it does every other mobile phone spying task efficiently.
Furthermore, the target iPhone doesn’t necessarily need to be jailbroken to use mSpy.
How mSpy works?
mSpy carries out its task by recording activities happening on the target phone and uploading them to your mSpy account. In order to use the service, you must subscribe to their monthly or annual plan, offered in two different versions – basic or premium. The subscription can be cancelled at any point of time.
After subscribing to mSpy, you must log in to your mSpy account (on their website). Thereafter, you need to download and install the mSpy application on the target device. Howevere, the website offers you comprehensive instructions to carry out the software download and installation.
Once installed, mSpy runs smoothly in the background (of the target phone), completely invisible to the user. Hence, your child doesn’t get to know at any point of time that he/she is actually being monitored. mSpy instantly starts this monitoring and recording activity as soon as it goes live on the target device.
The activities recorded by mSpy include: IM chats, browsing history, emails, text messages, social media activities, phone calls, GPS locations, key strokes, browsing history, videos, contact details and more.
Their support team is pretty active and is accessible round the clock via phone, email and live chat.
Why should you use mSpy?
mSpy works as the most comprehensive phone monitoring software for concerned parents everywhere as it comes loaded with various high-end features, offered at a reasonable price.
Following are some of the most liked features by a large majority of parents using this software:
No jailbreaking needed – As also mentioned earlier, your kid’s iPhone doesn’t need to be jailbroken to use the software. In fact, mSpy was among the first such mobile phone spying software that offered its services without the need of jailbreaking. How this works is that it extracts all the target phone’s data from the iCloud backup. Thus you’d need your kid’s iCloud login details, that is his/her Apple ID and password, to use the software.
Keylogger feature – mSpy captures all key strokes made on the target mobile phone. So, in case your child uses a certain social networking application which cannot be directly tracked by mSpy, you’d still be able to see what he/she is typing on that platform.
Device change – Regardless of whether you opt for the annual or monthly subscription, you’d be able to use mSpy on only one single device at any given time. But mSpy does give you the flexibility to deactivate the license on a particular device and reactivate it for a completely new one. You can make such switches as many times as you like.
Geo-fencing – You can access the map available in the control panel on mSpy website and the mark the forbidden and allowed areas for your kid. Once marked, you’d start getting instant alerts whenever your child enters or leaves those specific areas.
Easy uploads over wi-fi – This option comes as a godsend for the phones that are on limited data plans! You can access the upload settings from within the control panel and choose to upload the activity logs only when the target device is within a Wi-Fi area. This can help avoid excessive data charges.
How much does it cost?
The mSpy mobile phone spying app can be subscribed to using the following different options:
mSpy Basic
- $ 29.99 per month
- $ 59.99 per quarter or
- $ 99.99 per year
mSpy Premium
- $ 69.99 per month
- $ 119.99 per quarter
- $ 199.99 per year
As is evident, the annual plan works best for anyone wanting to regularly use the software and save money.
You can even opt for the family kit, allowing you to use mSpy on three different devices. These plans are offered at a starting price of $ 359.97 for 6 months or $ 479.97 for one year.
Other than that, you have a choice of a phone and computer combo as well, enabling you to monitor both at a nominal price of $ 84.99 per month.
Hoverwatch
Hoverwatch is another very convenient and powerful mobile phone surveillance app used by many people. As with the other popular apps of the same kind, this one also works in stealth mode and offers a comprehensive range of monitoring options to the user.
Hoverwatch is mostly used by employers that wish to protect their businesses as well as concerned parents who want to keep a constant track of their kids’ off-line and/or online activities. Using Hoverwatch gives you instant access to all the ongoing and incoming phone calls, received and sent SMS messages, social media activities, GPS location, emails, web browser history, camera activation, chats and more, on the target phone.
What more, this mobile phone spying app is pretty affordable and is pretty easy to use. It serves as the ideal mobile phone spying and for anyone wanting comprehensive cell phone monitoring.
Hoverwatch – Main features
Hoverwatch offers a comprehensive range of cell phone monitoring features, some of which are:
Complete invisibility – Hoverwatch’s invisibility feature enables the app user to stay completely hidden from the target device user. The phone tracking software continues supplying accurate info about the device, staying constantly under the radar.
Call tracking – The software once installed on the target phone remotely records every incoming and outgoing phone call. The recording is done in the form of audio files that can be later downloaded on to your computer. Every data is automatically uploaded to the Hoverwatch server.
GPS location tracking – The app can provide you with the accurate GPS location of the target smart phone. It makes use of the GPS system and various Wi-Fi spots for easy tracking of the target phone. Hence, you can locate the cell phone user even if he/she has turned off the GPS feature on his/her device.
SMS spying – The app saves all the MMS and SMS data on the target device on to its control panel. All the text messages, both sent and received, are actively recorded, and can be accessed through the website later. You can also get to know the names and phone numbers of the people the messages were sent to or received from.
Easy detection of SIM-card changes – Hoverwatch spying app allows you to continuously monitor the target cell phone even if the user changes his/her SIM card.
Internet tracking – The application continuously saves the data related to the URLs visited by the target cell phone on. You can later on the review all these webpages and figure out if they are appropriate or not.
Online camera management – Hoverwatch allows you to take a picture through the target cell phone whenever the user unlocks his/her device. The application waits for a few seconds (upon unlocking) and then takes this picture using the front camera of the phone.
Easy tracking of Chat software – This mobile phone spying software enables you to go through all the messages sent or received through Whatsapp, Viber and Facebook messenger. You can easily track and save the audio recordings, videos and photographs of the target device, on to the Hoverwatch server.
How much does it cost?
Hoverwatch mobile phone spying app can be currently purchase using three different plans:
Personal plan for monitoring one single device
- $ 19.95 for one month’s use
- $ 49.95 for three months’ use
- $ 99.95 for 12 months’ use
Family plan for monitoring up to 5 devices
- $ 39.95 for one month’s use
- $ 99.95 for three months’ use
- $ 199.95 for 12 months’ use
Business plan for monitoring up to 25 devices
- $ 149.95 for one month’s use
- $ 299.95 for three months’ use
- $ 499.95 for 12 months’ use
Final Word
As a final word we’d like to state that these mobile phone spy programs are by far the best we’ve found after thorough theoretical as well as practical research.
They are way more efficient and useful compared to any similar regular app you might find on Apple Store or Google Play.
While mSpy and Hoverwatch take care of all the popular mobile phone spying needs, FlexiSpy is to go-to spying app for anyone wanting complete control over the target device.
If you’re serious about capturing every minute activity on the target device, and don’t want to miss out on anything, FlexiSpy Extreme version is what you need. In fact, you won’t look at any other spying software once you’ve used FlexiSpy.