Best spy apps with a free trial (2024)

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Short on time? Here’s the best spy app:

  • 🥇 uMobix — Superior spying capabilities like location tracking monitor on any smartphone or tablet. View all incoming and outgoing calls on any phone. See all sent, received, or deleted SMS. Read messages sent and received via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and more. Get real-time location of anyone along with history of visited places.

The search for an effective spy app with a free trial is akin to navigating a treacherous maze. Many claim to offer comprehensive monitoring but often disappoint in practice. Some lack essential functions like call and message tracking, while others are easily detectable or bypassed.

Amidst this chaos, a few exceptional options emerge. These gems provide a free trial and deliver on their promises, ensuring comprehensive monitoring of your child’s online activities.

After weeks of meticulous research and testing, we found and tested one effective spy app called uMobix. This powerful toolkit for responsible parental monitoring includes call and text oversight, location tracking, and web content filtering. To top it off, there’s a 14-day refund window, providing peace of mind for those seeking risk-free exploration.

Best spy apps with free trial

Here are the best spy apps with a free trial (100% tested):

🥇 1. uMobix

uMobix stands as a popular spy app, enabling users to track the exact whereabouts of their loved ones using their devices. Setting up involves creating an account, installing it on the target device, and effortlessly accessing location information via a personalized dashboard.

umobix

uMobix

Monitor what happens on any smartphone or tablet. View all incoming and outgoing calls. Get timestamps, duration, caller info. Monitor all sent, received, or deleted SMS. Read messages sent and received via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and more. Get real-time location with history of visited places.

Its utility extends to monitoring where your children or spouse frequent, ensuring appropriateness and safety. Beyond location tracking, uMobix offers an array of features for comprehensive monitoring:

  • Call logs tracking
  • Contact list access
  • Keylogger functionality
  • Automatic updates
  • Text message surveillance
  • Monitor 30+ popular apps and social media platforms
  • Streaming oversight
  • Viewing deleted information (messages, calls, contacts)
  • Tracking web browser usage
  • Remote control features (deleting unwanted apps, restricting apps, blocking websites, call restrictions, message deletion, etc.)
  • Media tracker for photos and videos
  • Notifications alert system

Pros of uMobix include easy one-click installation, a user-friendly interface, a live demo option, compatibility with iPhone and Android devices, a 14-day money-back guarantee, and a one-day trial offering full access to advanced features.

uMobix is the best spy tool based on our research; its only drawback is that it offers just a one-day free trial.

🥈 2. Qustodio

Qustodio isn’t just another tool in the spy app arsenal; it’s the premier parental control app with a free trial available. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive monitoring features make it the go-to solution for parents concerned about their children’s online safety.

qustodio

Qustodio

Over 7 million parents trust Qustodio’s parental control tools to keep their kids’ screen time safe and balanced on every device. Create a risk-free environment for your kids online. Qustodio provides peace of mind by allowing you to easily monitor and manage your kids’ activity on all devices, wherever they go.

One standout feature is Qustodio’s web filtering. It allows for custom rules across 25+ website categories to protect children from harmful content and alerts you to attempted access, providing valuable insights into a child’s online interests.

The Family Locator tool is equally impressive. It offers real-time location tracking, a timeline of visited locations, and geofencing capabilities, allowing you to define safe zones and receive alerts when they’re breached.

Qustodio doesn’t stop there. Detailed activity reports provide a comprehensive overview of online activities, from web searches to app usage. A dedicated YouTube monitoring feature tracks searches and watched videos, ensuring age-appropriate content consumption.

For those needing a deeper level of surveillance, call and SMS monitoring allows for oversight of communications and contact management. However, due to the invasive nature of this feature, open communication with the child is advised.

Qustodio’s compatibility across devices like Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Chromebook, and Kindle, coupled with affordable pricing and a risk-free trial period, solidifies its position as a top contender in spy apps. All plans come with a 3-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee

🥉 3. Bark

Bark offers a unique approach to parental monitoring, blending extensive social media surveillance with a focus on child privacy. This makes it a top choice for parents of older children, particularly teenagers who value online independence. Instead of bombarding parents with every detail of their child’s online activity, Bark flags potential concerns, striking a balance between supervision and trust. A 7-day free trial is offered to explore its capabilities.

Bark excels in content monitoring, surveilling text messages, emails, photos, videos, and over 30 social media platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. Unlike Qustodio, Bark only alerts parents to potential issues like bullying, violence, anxiety, or drug-related content.

Location tracking is another area where Bark shines. It provides real-time updates and geofencing, though its geofencing radius is limited compared to Norton Family.

Bark’s activity reports are less impressive. They offer general information about device usage without detailed browser or app history. However, deeper insights can be gleaned from the parent dashboard.

Bark’s pricing is simple, with Bark Jr. and Bark Premium plans. The Premium plan offers all features for $14.00 per month, while Bark Jr. omits content monitoring at $49.00 per year. Both plans cover unlimited devices and offer a 7-day free trial, but lack a money-back guarantee.

In conclusion, Bark stands out for its unique approach to parental control. Its strength in social media monitoring and privacy focus makes it ideal for parents of older children. While it has limitations, particularly in activity reporting, it remains a strong contender for those seeking a balanced approach to supervision and trust.

4. Norton Family

Norton Family isn’t just another tool in the parental control arsenal; it’s a top-tier spy app with a comprehensive suite of features to address children’s online safety concerns. Its generous 30-day free trial allows ample time to evaluate its premium features before making a decision.

One notable feature is App Supervision. It monitors and blocks apps on a child’s device, providing detailed activity reports and insights into app usage. Blocking apps like Netflix, WhatsApp, and YouTube is seamless.

Location Supervision is another powerful tool. It tracks current and past locations, allowing for the creation of geofenced zones covering up to 2 miles, a significant advantage over competitors like Qustodio.

Search Supervision monitors searches on major search engines and YouTube, providing valuable insights into a child’s interests. While not as comprehensive as Qustodio’s YouTube monitoring, it remains useful.

Video Supervision monitors YouTube and Hulu videos watched within the Norton Family browser. While limited to this browser, it’s still a valuable feature for monitoring video consumption.

Norton Family offers great value at $49.99 per year, especially when bundled with Norton’s 360 Deluxe internet security package. Combined with the 30-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee, it presents a compelling choice for parents seeking peace of mind.

5. Famisafe

FamiSafe is the prime choice for parents of newly licensed drivers. Its unique driving safety monitoring feature allows vigilant oversight of teen driving habits, ensuring adherence to safe practices. The free plan with all features and a 3-day trial on the annual plan offers a risk-free opportunity to evaluate its capabilities.

Drive Safety is FamiSafe’s standout feature. It provides comprehensive reports on driving behavior, detailing speed metrics, distance traveled, hard brakes, and more. In testing, the driving reports proved accurate and easy to understand.

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However, FamiSafe’s real-time social media monitoring is inconsistent. While it documents searches, it often fails to flag or block inappropriate content, especially on iOS. Competitors like Bark and Qustodio offer more robust social media monitoring solutions.

FamiSafe’s location tracking is commendable. It provides live updates every 15 minutes and allows for geofencing up to 3,280 feet, although not as extensive as Norton Family’s 2-mile radius.

FamiSafe offers flexible pricing with monthly, annual, and free plans. While the free plan includes all features, it’s limited to one device and daily reports. The annual plan offers a 3-day trial, and all plans come with a 7-day money-back guarantee.

In conclusion, FamiSafe presents a unique blend of standard parental control features with the added benefit of driving safety monitoring. It’s a valuable tool for parents of teens, especially new drivers. The affordable pricing and money-back guarantee make it a risk-free option worth exploring.

 6. Mobicip

Mobicip presents a compelling option for parents seeking control over their child’s online experience. Its unique scheduling capabilities and robust social media monitoring make it an effective surveillance tool, and it offers a 7-day free trial.

Mobicip’s web filtering, powered by AI and machine learning, effectively scans and blocks websites based on 15+ predefined content categories. While it performed well in tests, expanding the category list would enhance its capabilities compared to competitors like Qustodio and Norton Family.

Social media monitoring is another strong suit. It allows for surveillance of activities on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, scanning for inappropriate content. However, it lacks the extensive coverage offered by competitors like Bark.

Location tracking is accurate and reliable, offering real-time updates and a 30-day history. Geofencing, with zones up to 0.62 miles, further enhances location-based monitoring.

Mobicip’s tiered pricing caters to various needs. The Lite plan, priced at $2.99 per month, offers basic features for up to 5 devices. The Standard plan, at $4.99, extends coverage to 10 devices, while the Premium plan, at $7.99, offers advanced features and covers up to 20 devices. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 7-day free trial.

In conclusion, Mobicip strikes a balance between features, making it a worthy choice for parents seeking web and app filtering, location tracking, and social media monitoring. While room for improvement exists, its competitive pricing and comprehensive feature set make it a valuable asset for monitoring children’s online activities.

How to choose the best spy apps with a free trial

Choosing the right spy app for parental monitoring requires careful consideration. Prioritize apps that offer comprehensive monitoring features, going beyond basic call and message tracking to encompass app usage, web browsing, geofencing, and social media monitoring. Leading brands like Qustodio and Norton Family are known for their extensive capabilities.

Usability and performance are crucial factors. A good spy app should be easy to set up and navigate and should not hinder device performance. Additionally, it should be designed to prevent tech-savvy children from circumventing its restrictions.

Take advantage of genuine trial options offered by many top vendors. Norton Family, for example, provides a generous 30-day trial period.

Consider apps with unique features and benefits that cater to specific needs. FamiSafe’s driving behavior monitoring is an example of such a specialized feature.

Finally, remember the importance of transparency with your child. While the term “spy app” implies covert surveillance, open communication can foster understanding and trust. Some apps even offer child-friendly explanations for content restrictions, promoting a healthy digital relationship.

Top spy apps that didn’t make the list

In the world of covert surveillance, not all tools are created equal. Scannero is an impressive spy tool, especially for cell phones. It offers a one-day trial for just $0,89.

scannero

Scannero

Find anyone location by cell phone number. Scannero is a reliable phone tracker by number that can find anyone, anywhere on earth. The Scannero phone number tracker is not free, but it is the closest you can get to a free spy app without compromising your safety. Scannero offers a 24-hour trial for only $0.89, making it by far one of the most affordable options.

Some, like mSpy, offer powerful capabilities such as message monitoring across various platforms and a stealth mode for discreet operation. However, the lack of a free trial or money-back guarantee makes it risky for those seeking a test run.

Eyezy presents another intriguing option with its diverse range of spying features, but its limitation to iOS and Android platforms limits its versatility. Furthermore, like mSpy, it lacks a free trial or refund policy, making it a less appealing choice for risk-averse individuals.

While renowned as a top parental control app, Kaspersky Safe Kids falls short in the realm of spying, particularly on iOS devices where key features are absent. This limitation makes it unsuitable for those seeking comprehensive surveillance on Apple devices.

Will my kid see uMobix installed on their device?

In the spy world, discretion is key. uMobix understands this implicitly. Upon installation, uMobix automatically masks its presence, effectively vanishing from sight. Your child will remain unaware of its existence, unable to detect or remove the app. There will be no telltale app icons or notifications to arouse suspicion.

umobix

uMobix

Monitor what happens on any smartphone or tablet. View all incoming and outgoing calls. Get timestamps, duration, caller info. Monitor all sent, received, or deleted SMS. Read messages sent and received via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and more. Get real-time location with history of visited places.

However, it’s important to note that initial installation does require physical access to the target device. Once installed, uMobix operates silently in the shadows, ensuring your surveillance remains undetected.

Which spy app is best for iPhones?

uMobix is the best spy app for iPhones. Its extensive spy features, covering online and offline activities, ensure comprehensive protection for children. uMobix boasts industry-standard parental controls such as web filtering, app filtering, location tracking, and geofencing, alongside unique features like in-depth YouTube monitoring. Furthermore, its user-friendly apps cater to parents and children, making it accessible even for those unfamiliar with parental control software.

Is a spy app legal?

In the shadows of surveillance, the question of legality is often raised. Spy apps, when employed ethically, are considered legal tools. Parents have the right to monitor the devices of their underage children, and employers can track company-owned devices to ensure productivity and security. However, in many jurisdictions, using spy apps to monitor someone without their knowledge or consent, such as a partner or friend, crosses a line into illegality.

Transparency and consent are paramount in the ethical use of spy apps. Always be aware of local regulations and laws to avoid any legal complications. Remember, the shadows of surveillance should not be used to violate the trust and privacy of others.

Do spy apps really work?

The answer is a resounding yes but with a caveat: the effectiveness of a spy app is directly proportional to the brand’s reputation and dedication to quality. Established and reputable spy apps, such as uMobix and Qustodio, have undergone rigorous testing and refinement, ensuring they deliver on their promises. These apps monitor and offer actionable insights, empowering you to make informed decisions regarding your children’s digital well-being.

Can an app spy on my phone?

Certain malicious apps are engineered to discreetly infiltrate your phone and monitor its activities. These clandestine agents can track your movements, intercept your messages, and even gain unauthorized access to your camera.

To shield yourself from this insidious threat, exercise caution when downloading apps. Stick to trusted platforms like Google Play or the App Store, as they employ stringent security measures. Additionally, regularly review app permissions, ensuring they are limited to only the information necessary for their function.

As an added layer of protection, consider enlisting the services of a reputable security solution like Norton Antivirus. Such software can detect and neutralize these intrusive apps, safeguarding your digital privacy.