$350 bucks.

That’s how much it will cost to get your hands on the top of the line iPhone monitoring app sold by Flexispy.  Now for most people, dropping $350 bucks on a cell phone app is a bit out of their budget.  So what options are available if you don’t have much money to spend, but really need to get your hands on an iPhone monitoring app?

Not many people realize that there are a few low cost monitoring apps available for the iPhone, but the apps are not advertised as a “monitoring product” or they’re just sort of flying under the radar.  I’ve looked around, and have put together a list of the top low cost iPhone monitoring apps that are anywhere from FREE to $50 bucks.

If you’re looking for a low cost way to monitor an iPhone, I’m sure you’ll find something here that will do the trick.

By the way, If you know of any other low cost iPhone monitoring apps that are not on this list, send me an email or leave a comment, and I’ll be sure to add it to this list in a future update.

IPHONE MONITORING APPS FOR ANY BUDGET

LESS THAN A BUCK

FIND MY IPHONE (part of Apple’s MobileMe service)

HOW MUCH? FREE for the first 60 days, then $99 per year after.  Although not really FREE, the fact that you get a 60 day trial without putting up any cash, is sort of FREE in my book.  :)

WHAT IS IT & DOES IT DO? ‘Find My iPhone’ is advertised as a service for an iPhone owner to locate their lost or stolen iPhone.  Although advertised as a tool to track your iPhone, it’s also a great tool for anyone who wants to track someone using an iPhone (such as your kid).  Similar to most monitoring apps, you do need access to the iPhone, but once you set it up, you can instantly get updates on their location via your online MobileMe account. You’ll also get to see the contacts they have stored on their phone, so you know who they are calling. It doesn’t list any call data, text messages, or provide any other insight, but it does a fantastic job at tracking the iPhone user.

To get started, all you need to do is sign up for a Mobile Me account by taking advantage of their free 60 day trial, and then set it up on the iPhone you want to track.  Once you do set it up, you’ll find the tracking details almost identical to the tracking details provided by iPhone spy apps sold by Flexispy and Mobile Spy.

Here is an actual screenshot from inside a Mobile Me account.

As you can see from the screenshot above, you get a nice aerial view with the ability to further zoom in or out.  You can also select between a map or satellite view.What I like most about this service compared to the other iPhone tracking apps sold via the app store, is that you don’t need to request permission from the iPhone user every time you want to locate them.

Bottom line, this is a great iPhone tracking service that can provide you a fantastic way to track an iPhone.  Way to go Apple.

MORE INFO: www.apple.com/mobileme

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SECURITY CAM

HOW MUCH? $0.99 cents

WHAT IS IT & DOES IT DO? The Security Cam app is sold via the app store and what it does is essentially turns an iPhone into your very own personal spy cam. The way this iPhone spy app works, is that it enables you to snap photos based on various triggers.  For example, you can set it to snap a photo when a certain audio trigger is tripped.  Other features include a countdown timer that snaps a photo when time expires, and the ability to add a date/time stamp to the photos. Keep in mind that this app is installed on YOUR iPhone.  It’s not a traditional iPhone monitoring app that will enable you to monitor an iPhone user, but it does have spy capabilities since you can set it up to monitor a room (as shown in the pics below), or any other setting where you want to keep an eye on whats going on.

Here is an actual screen shot of the app.

MORE INFO: www.crowdedroad.com (or just do a search in the app store)

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CONTACT SPY

HOW MUCH? $0.99 cents

WHAT IS IT & DOES IT DO? Contact Spy is an online ‘reverse people look up’ app for the iPhone.  The way it works, is it provides you a way to quickly search for more details of anyone on your own personal contact list.  Information Contact Spy will look for include the following:

- Web sites that mention and/or refer to your contact.
- Images that match your contact’s name.
- News of your contact.
- Blogs that mention your contact’s name.
- Addresses (US only) of your contact.

I realize this is not really an iPhone monitoring app, but in a way it is because Contact Spy is giving you a way to easily investigate someone you might meet at a networking event, or similar function.

Here is a screen shot.

MORE INFO: www.razix.com/contactspy.htm (or just do a search in the app store)

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LESS THAN $5 BUCKS

NIGHT RECORDER

HOW MUCH? $2.99

WHAT IS IT & DOES IT DO? Besides having probably the coolest user interface I’ve seen on an iPhone monitoring app, Night Recorder is advertised as an app to help treat Parasomnia, by  recording the sounds you make while you are asleep.  The way this app works, is by using adjustable audio triggers to start a recording.  This means you can leave your iPhone somewhere, such as:

• Under your car seat.
• In a room while you go to the bathroom, in order to hear what is said while you are not in the room.
• Under your bed if you want to see what happens when you are not around.

The possibilities of using this app as an iPhone monitoring app are really only limited by your own imagination, and at only $2.99, it’s a great deal.

Features include being able to adjust the sensitivity of the mic, transfer your files via WiFi, and an option to have new audio files every time a new recording takes place, or make one continuous recording.

Check out the screen shots below.

MORE INFO: www.ipaguri.com/nightrecorder/ (or just do a search in the app store)

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LESS THAN $50 BUCKS

MOBILE SPY

How Much? $49.97 (3 month license)

WHAT IS IT & DOES IT DO? Mobile Spy was the first company to sell spy software built exclusively for the iPhone.  It’s a great entry level iPhone monitoring app that has a great set of features, which should be more than enough for anyone who wants to monitor an iPhone.

Features include the following:

• View Call Logs – Each incoming and outgoing number is logged along with duration and time stamp.
• Read Text Messages - Every text message is logged even if the phone’s logs are deleted. Includes full text.
• iPhone GPS Tracking – GPS positions are uploaded every thirty minutes with a link to a map.
• Browser History – Every website visited in Safari will be recorded into a list inside your account.

All of this for only a bit shy of $50 bucks.  In my opinion, this is great value for the money.  It’s not the best product in terms of features, but for anyone with a limited budget and who doesn’t need any of the more advanced features found on Flexispy’s PRO-X, then it’s a good deal.

By the way, in order to install Mobile Spy (or Flexispy), you will need to jailbreak/unlock the iPhone.  There is no way to install it without first jailbreaking/unlocking the iPhone. If you think you will not be able to do this, then don’t buy this app.

Here is a snapshot of how the user account looks when looking up the iPhone’s location history.  If you click on the ‘view map’ link, you’ll be taken to Google Maps, to see where the GPS coordinates are on a map.

MORE INFO: www.mobile-spy.net

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DON’T FORGET

One thing to point out, both the Find My iPhone & Mobile Spy require physical access to the iPhone in order to install the software.  This means also being able to bypass the PIN code if the user has one protecting their iPhone.  There is no way to install either app without physical access to the phone.

The other apps are installed on YOUR iPhone, so there isn’t any restrictions you are going to be faced with.

Remember, if you know of any other iPhone monitoring apps that should be included in this list, email me or leave a comment, and I’ll add it to this list in a future update.

Thanks for reading!

Spy Phone Guy

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DISCLAIMER: Cell phone monitoring software is designed for monitoring your children or employees on a smartphone you own or have proper consent to monitor (in compliance with applicable laws), and you must inform anyone who uses a device upon which the software is installed that their activity may be monitored. You should NEVER attempt to spy on a cell phone you don’t own, monitor your spouse, significant other or adult children with any cell phone monitoring product without the consent and knowledge of such persons. Doing so may be illegal, and violate local, state, and federal laws in your country and you could be subject to civil or criminal penalties. We will cooperate with authorities in investigation of any allegations of misuse. If you are uncertain of your rights to monitor the usage of a cellular device, you should consult legal counsel BEFORE purchasing.

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