Stalkerware Apps List

What is stalkerware?

Stalkerware (also known as spyware) refers to apps that secretly monitor and report back on your activities. A cyberstalker will install it on your smartphone, tablet, or computer without your knowledge. Once on your device, it’ll actively track your location, phone calls, text messages, keystrokes, and more.

Stalkerware is used by stalkers and abusive partners to monitor, intimidate, and control their victims. You might be wondering, is spyware illegal? The answer is yes. It’s usually illegal to install spyware on someone’s device as it falls under the crimes of cyberstalking or digital abuse.

How does stalkerware work?

Stalkerware is covert, meaning that it can hide on your device and prevent you from uncovering it. Often, victims are completely unaware that stalking software is on their devices. Here’s how it works:

1. The stalker installs stalkerware on a device. Usually, they’ll need physical access to a victim’s device to install it. However, stalkers can install advanced stalkerware remotely through phishing tactics or vulnerabilities.
2. The stalkerware hides itself. Stalkerware often pretends to be a legitimate app and hides its icon from the home screen. It runs in the background and pretends to be a system process to avoid detection.
3. Data collection and transmission. Once in, the stalkerware app will track your location and device activity, transmitting it back to a server to which your stalker has access. They’ll be able to see how you use apps, what files you have, and much more.

As you can see, stalkerware is a dangerous and worrying invasion of privacy. That’s why it’s vital to understand how to know if your phone is being tracked.

Popular stalkerware for iOS

Staying on top of your device security can help you know the most popular types of stalkerware. That way, you know what to look for when you check the phone for spyware. If you uncover one of the known spyware apps, you can act as quickly as possible to remove it.

1. mSpy

mSpy is a spyware app marketed as a parental control tool for monitoring children’s phone activities. It’s also sometimes used by employers to track their company devices. It’s available on macOS, Android, Windows, and iOS devices.

mSpy can log calls, monitor text messages and social media, track your location and browsing history, access your emails, log your keystrokes, and more.

Despite marketing itself as a legitimate app, it’s been heavily criticized for misuse. For instance, NPR featured a story of abusive partners and stalkers tracking their victims using mSpy. In 2018, an investigative reporter also found that anyone could gain access to the data of hundreds of thousands of mSpy users, showing how unsafe it is to use.

2. FlexiSPY

FlexiSPY is another spyware app marketed as legitimate monitoring software. It calls itself “the world’s most powerful monitoring software for computers, mobile phones, and tablets.” It offers a huge range of invasive tools, including being able to monitor all Android and iPhone communications and everything that happens on a PC or Mac.

However, like mSpy, it’s most commonly used by jealous spouses to stalk their partners without their consent. Security companies like F-Secure have called FlexiSPY malware because it can allow attackers to steal data, remotely control devices, and monitor user activities without their knowledge.

3. Eyezy

Eyezy is a surveillance app that can track text messages, browsing history, calls, GPS, social media, and keystrokes. It offers robust monitoring features, but it’s yet another app that infringes on personal privacy and poses a serious risk to your online safety. SafetyDetectives tested the app and found that not only does it pose risks, but many of the advertised features don’t even work properly.

4. Spynger

The Spynger developers market it as “the ultimate cheater tracker app to catch them red-handed.” It’s one of the only spy apps that markets itself as spyware, offering to catch your cheating partner in the act if you install the app on their device. This makes it illegal in many countries, as it involves installing the app without the consent or knowledge of your partner.

Spyngers features include monitoring keystrokes, tracking device location, and monitoring calls, social media, and texts. It can also track photos that the device receives and logs all internet searches performed on the device.

5. GEOfinder

GEOfinder is a phone tracking app that’s available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. When you install it on a smartphone, it can track the device’s location as long as the phone is online. It also claims to be able to track phones via a phone number alone.

GEOfinder is one of the least worrisome apps on this list, as its features are mostly for keeping in touch with family members and friends. It only tracks device location, unlike other spyware apps which record a range of personal information.

6. SpyBubble

SpyBubble is another app that claims to be able to catch cheaters red-handed. It claims to track a phone’s mailbox, SMS messages, phone calls, Reddit activities, and even Signal messages. In addition, it can restrict apps, messages, and calls from unwanted people, letting you control what happens on the device remotely.

7. Scannero

Scannero is a website that claims to be able to track a phone by its phone number alone. However, when you input a phone number, it tells you it’s found the phone—but you can only see its location if you sign up and pay a premium. In most countries (if not everywhere), it’s impossible for private citizens to track phones through phone numbers. It’s very likely that Scannero is a scam, so we recommend staying as far away from this company as possible.

8. ClevGuard

ClevGuard is a parental control app that gives you access to your child’s call history, text messages, screen time usage, and real-time location. You can set alerts that notify you if your child uses a particular keyword, and you can also control their access to particular apps.

While marketing itself as a helpful app for monitoring your children’s online activities, jealous partners and controlling employers are its most common users.

9. Phonsee

Phonsee claims to protect the safety of your loved ones with maximum security and peace of mind. The iPhone app lets you track a device’s location in real time, alerting you if the phone goes into or out of designated safe zones. It also offers a suite of features to track browsing habits, messages, social media, and more.

To use Clario Anti Spy’s Spyware Scan feature:

1. Download Clario AntiSpy and create an account.
2. Go to Spyware scan and press Run deep scan. This will find any hidden spyware on your device.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions, then review the report. Follow the instructions to remove any spyware apps that Clario Anti Spy identifies.

Stalkerware apps for Android

Like the iPhone, scammers have developed a huge range of spyware and stalkerware apps for Android phones. Many of these are the same culprits that target iPhones. Here are the main stalkerware apps to look out for:

1. AndroidLost

AndroidLost is an Android stalkerware app that can read SMS messages and control devices remotely—including taking pictures, sending messages, and forwarding calls. The developers call it an “anti-theft app” because it lets you control your Android if it’s stolen, but it also lets stalkers control their victim’s phones and track their activities. It was withdrawn from the Google Play Store a few years ago, suggesting that the app is unsafe to use.

2. Highster Mobile

Highster Mobile is a remote cell phone tracker and spy app that can remotely access a device’s texts, calls, GPS location, and more. It’s available for Android and iPhone and claims to monitor a range of social media and Android system apps.

To install Highster Mobile, you need to root your Android, which will void the warranty and expose you to more risks. It also has a shaky history of not performing as advertised and having poor customer support.

3. mSpy

As described above, mSpy is one of the most well-known parental control apps available on Android, iPhone, Windows, and macOS. It can track almost every activity that takes place on a smartphone, making it a powerful and dangerous choice for stalkers who want to track someone without their consent.

4. FlexiSpy

FlexiSpy for Android works the same way as it does for iPhones. It can track a broad range of smartphone activities, from calls to social media and more. However, you have to root the Android phone to install FlexiSpy, removing the warranty and increasing the risk of being caught.

5. Cocospy

Cocospy monitors Android smartphones and tablets. Its advanced features can track your child’s online activities or monitor your employees’ behaviors at work. However, it's less powerful than some of the other apps on this list, being able to manage contacts, WhatsApp messages, call logs, and browser history remotely. It can also set geofences that alert you when the phone goes out of bounds.

6. TheTruthSpy

TheTruthSpy is a free app that tracks phone geolocations, calls, and text messages. It has a range of features, from tracking GPS locations to monitoring Snapchat and Viber messages. However, in 2022, TechCrunch discovered that TheTruthSpy has a serious vulnerability that lets hackers access a stack of customer data, including photos, IMEI numbers, and advertising IDs.

7. SPYERA

SPYERA is an app that lets you remotely monitor Android phones and tablets, as well as iPhones, iPads, Windows PCs, and macOS devices. It features a keylogger as well as giving you access to phone calls, messages, social media apps, and more. It can even send you a recording of the phone’s immediate surroundings.

However, with a 1.5/5 star rating on TrustPilot, it probably isn’t a trustworthy app. Most reviews complain that the features don’t work, that support is nonexistent, and that refunds aren’t issued.

Conclusion

Stalkerware are malicious apps that stalkers and jealous partners often install on their victim’s devices to track their activities. They pose significant risks to privacy and security, letting perpetrators access sensitive information and control devices from afar. To protect yourself, you need to be vigilant and stay on the lookout for suspicious apps.

For increased protection against stalkerware, use Clario Anti Spy—the best Android spyware detector—to safeguard your devices and uncover lurking spyware with a button click. Clario Anti Spy is also available for iOS devices.