• See texts, calls, GPS, social media, and much more!
  • Compare the best phone spy apps for Android and iPhone
  • Money-saving information. We did the leg work, so you don’t have to.

These reviews have been updated on August 11, 2023, to include the latest updates and functions

#1 – Turbo Spy

TOP PICK: The best spy app without having the phone. Works on all phones and tablets. No possession is needed.

Turbo Spy is the best spy app that enables you to monitor the activities of any phone or tablet without having the device or being anywhere near it. It works great on all Androids and iPhones and is compatible with all operating system versions. It is great for beginners and all those with limited knowledge of “techie” things. If you can use your cell phone, you can use Turbo Spy!

Best App to Spy on a Phone

Turbo Spy is the only app with its exclusive OTA (over-the-air) link that allows for a simple download and remote connection with the target phone. All you have to do is download the app to the phone you want to monitor and activate it. You can begin monitoring.

How it Works

Turbo Spy works by establishing a remote connection over the internet with the target phone (the phone that is being spied on).

Three Easy Steps:

  • Download – Use the OTA (over-the-air) link to download the app to the phone want to monitor.
  • Activate – Enter the license you get from Turbo Spy to activate.
  • Monitor – From your cell phone, tablet or computer view texts, calls, GPS and all available information from the target phone.

Features

  • Spy without having the phone – All available phone activity is captured and transmitted via a remote connection established and maintained over the internet. You do need to have the phone you are monitoring to view information from that phone.
  • The OTA (over-the-air) – Download the app. Then enter the number of the phone you want to spy on.
  • Text messages –  See all texts (includes iMessages on iPhone) that have been sent or received (even if they have been deleted). Includes the date, sender, and complete message (photos, videos, and attachments, if any, are included).
  • Calls – Records all incoming and outgoing phone calls.
  • GPS – Tracks a phone to within 50ft of the actual location.
  • Undetectable – Activity is captured and transmitted silently.
  • WhatsApp –  Content of all messages sent and received with telephone number and contact of each message (photos, videos, and attachments, if any, are included).
  • Social media –  TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat messages.
  • Keylogger –  Captures and records all keystroke entries performed on the phone.
  • Photos & Videos – All photos & videos on monitored phone
  • Web browser – See every website visited on device with active links.
  • Emails – Content, sender and receiver of all email messages
  • Installed apps – All apps currently installed on the device.
  • Works with – All Android’s and iPhone’s

Using the OTA (over-the-air) link, you can remotely download the app and monitor a phone without having it with you or anywhere near you. Once a remote connection is established, Turbo Spy continuously uploads activity from the phone to your secure online account, allowing you to monitor a phone from your phone without being anywhere near it!

#2 – Cloud Monitoring App

Works with all Androids and iPhones. An excellent choice!

Another app that allows you to keep track of a phone without having it in your possession! That’s Cloud Monitoring App in a nutshell. Incredible technology that’s easy to use for the average “Joe.” Downloaded over 1 million times and going strong, Cloud Monitoring App is still one of the best parental control apps you can buy.

Cloud Monitoring App has been on the market since 2017. They helped pioneer the technology and remain the leader in phone monitoring applications. You just can’t go wrong with this app. Tried and accurate and up-to-date to work with all Androids and iOS devices.

How It Works

Cloud Monitoring App quickly establishes a remote connection with the monitored phone by using an exclusive (OTA) over-the-air link that is sent to the monitored phone.

Downloading and activation are super fast and super easy! Once the OTA (over-the-air) link is sent Cloud Monitoring App app does the rest of the work. All you have to do is enter the number of the phone you are monitoring.

Features

  • OTA (over-the-air) link: Enables remote downloading for quick and easy monitoring of any phone.
  • Undetectable: Activity is uploaded to your secure online account periodically.
  • Social media: Captures and records copies of both incoming and outgoing messages for Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
  • Text messages: Get an exact copy of every text sent or received (deleted texts can be viewed).
  • WhatsApp: Content of all messages sent and received with telephone number and contact of each message (photos and videos included).
  • Calls: Records all incoming and outgoing phone calls.
  • Keylogger: Captures all keystrokes performed on Androids and iPhones.
  • GPS tracking: Tracks a phone within a few feet of its actual location.
  • Works with: All Androids and iPhones

If you’re looking for a low-cost app for Android or iPhone, Cloud Monitoring App should be at the top of your list. It’s competitively priced, offers many useful features, has a user-friendly web interface, and it’s straightforward to use, even for beginners.

#3 – Auto Forward

Works great on all phones and tablets. No possession is needed.

Auto Forward is a cell phone monitoring and tracking software that enables users to view information from any phone, like calls, text messages (and iMessages), social media activities, GPS, and more, without having the phone that is being monitored. Text messages that have been deleted can also be captured and recorded, including the exact date and time and the person who sent the message.

How It Works

The remote access download link creates a synchronized connection between the monitored phone and your phone (or any internet-enabled device). Activity from the monitored phone is captured and uploaded for you to see.

Setup

  • Download the app to the phone.
  • Activate the app with the license key they give you.
  • View all captured activity on your phone or any internet device.

Top Features

  • Undetectable:  Activity is captured and sent silently.
  • Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and more.
  • Text messages: See an exact copy of every text sent and received from the monitored phone. This includes instant messaging apps like Messenger, WhatsApp, and Kik.
  • WhatsApp: All activity, including calls, texts, videos, private chats, and more.
  • Keylogger: Captures all keystrokes performed on the device.
  • Calls: Records all incoming and outgoing calls.
  • GPS tracking: Tracks a device’s location to within a few feet.
  • Works with: All Android and iPhones.

#4 – DDI Utilities

DDI Utilities is a next-generation utility program that can extract and deliver large amounts of data and activity from any phone quickly, easily and silently without having it anywhere near you.

DDI is fast taking over space in the market once occupied by phone monitoring programs that just don’t work anymore. As new models and operating systems are introduced it has become more difficult to find an app that actually works. DDI Utilities works!

How DDI works

DDI Utilities download procedure is simple. All you have to do is text the download link to the phone you want to monitor. When the link is activated (tapped on) the automatic install begins and within minutes stored data and activity from the phone uploads to your secure online account. Log into your account using the user/pass provided and you can see all captured files and activity.

Features

  • Text messages: An exact copy of every text that was sent or received. Deleted texts can also be recovered.
  • iMessages: All iMessages sent and received.
  • Keylogger: Captures all keystrokes executed on the phone.
  • Social Media: Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter messages posts.
  • GPS location: The GPS tracking system of DDI Utilities will track the phone to within 50 feet of its actual location.
  • Photos: All photos, new, old and deleted.
  • Videos: All videos residing on phone.
  • Works with: All Android’s and iPhone’s

If you have tried regular employee monitoring apps with no success, you will want to buy DDI Utilities. It has been shown to succeed where the older, more traditional programs no longer can.

#5 – PhoneSpector

PhoneSpector LLC, the U.S.-based company behind the PhoneSpector phone monitoring app, boasts more than 500,000 phone tracking and monitoring software users. They’re on track to hit one million users in the next two years. Very impressive!

It was easy to see why they were so confident once we tested the app. All you need to do is install the app, then activate it with the license key given to you at the time of purchase. The whole process took less than 45 seconds, easily the fastest of any monitoring app we tested. 

This app is an excellent choice for anyone needing to monitor a phone. It has a lot of great features plus excellent customer support. PhoneSpector was the only company with live operators ready to answer customer calls. It’s an exceptional product backed by excellent customer support. You can’t go wrong with this mobile monitoring app! 

Developer: PhoneSpector LLC.

It is illegal in most countries to install monitoring/surveillance software onto a cell phone or any electronic device for which you do not have proper authorization.

With this type of monitoring software, you’ll need an easy-to-use program that features full telephone support. Skip any company that doesn’t include a toll-free phone support for its phone monitoring apps. If you’re note able to use the program you paid for, you’ll become as frustrated as I did without free phone support 

Another thing that’s important to know before using a phone monitoring app is that unlike typical apps from Google Play or the App Store, most mobile monitoring apps like mSpy, Flexispy, Spyzie, and more require you to have more knowledge of how apps and mobile phones work. They’re not for tech newbies: Even I experienced some amount of frustration when I used their software. 

You won’t waste your time or money with the mobile monitoring apps I’ve listed above. I’ve tested each of them myself to be sure that they are what I believe to be the best monitoring apps on the internet.