Best Free SMS Trackers without touching Target Phone (2023)

Introduction to SMS Trackers

It cannot be denied that we have progressed into a virtual world. Practically everyone owns a mobile phone, and nowadays almost everyone uses a smartphone. The development of technology is such that all we need these days is good internet connection and Google to get us what we want and where we need to go.

Naturally, the freedom and advantage of having information readily available to us on the internet have begun to also pose dangers. We have a responsibility to use this freedom and knowledge wisely.

Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, a lot of people make the choice not to respect others lives and choose instead to be a threat of being a part of violator behavior that compromises another’s safety and privacy without their consent.

As such, there is often a need to take protective measures against violation of privacy, malware, viruses, online sexual predators, cyberbullying (bullying a victim online), hacking, legality and copyright issues, and the likes.

It is most often necessary for parents to have parental control measures in place on the device of their child or children, but occasionally adults may want to track SMS of another adult too, such as in the event of an unfaithful spouse. 

With that, SMS trackers were produced. SMS trackers, or SMS tracking software, function to monitor the online activities of whomever you want it to, within jurisdiction laws. An SMS tracker app works on both Android and iOS. 

In today’s article, we will list the best free SMS trackers without installing on target phone for Android and iPhone.

Best Free SMS Trackers to Intercept text messages without access to target phone (Android and iPhone)

1. Spyic

Spyic is a leading SMS tracker app without installing on target phone. The company has a reputation for being a fantastic phone tracker and monitoring solution.

Since its launch, this app has gained major popularity and has made appearances on established platforms. Till date, Spyic has gained a following that reaches most countries around the world.

The Spyic SMS tracker and spy app has an easy installation process with real-time updates on an easy-to-use interface with a straightforward dashboard to boot.

All SMS, social media chats, call and chat content, media files received by the target device will appear as alerts on the app user dashboard, along with its date and time punched in, all the while being hidden from the target smartphones.

This is a feature that first caught the interest of parents who wanted a monitoring app with spy feature, surveillance software or spying app to monitor activities and know what their teens were watching online.

Other than the features mentioned above, Spyic enables users to have GPS location tracking, track web browsers activities, review installed apps on the target device, as well as log keystroke on Microsoft Office, notes apps, email address, password and even the calculator!

It basically has everything you need for an SMS tracker software.

Compatibility

The Spyic SMS tracker app is compatible with all iPhones and iPads, as well as phones and tablets which run on Android 4 and above. No jailbreak or root is required.

Do note that to install Spyic on the target cell phone, an initial 5 minutes of physical access and Wi Fi is required. Otherwise, to install the app and set up an account for this free SMS tracker app is simple to use, with just your email and phone number required at the initial stage of the app download.

Following the setup, physical access to the target phone will no longer be necessary. The app runs on discreet or stealth mode, and all subsequent tracking data and tracking by SMS may be done remotely.

Pricing and Subscriptions

Spyic offers a few plans for use.

For Android: Basic, Premium, and Famil.

For iOS: Family, Premium, and Business.

Prices range from $39.99 to $999.99 per month depending on plan. All have the option of 1-month, 3-months or 12-months licenses.

In our opinion, Spyic is a SMS tracker that offers incredible value for money. A bonus feature that we love is the excellent customer support to help choose the right package.

2. mSpy

Our favourite SMS tracker without installing on target phone is the leading spy app called mSpy. Parents and employers love this SMS tracker because they offer basically every feature you would require in a spy tool.

This SMS tracker will enable you to see all the target person device activities including phone call activity, phone number saved in contacts, text messages and conversations, screenshots taken, language used, all photos and videos shared and received, all social media activity, and it also offers a GPS tracking feature that works with time stamps. 

mSpy works with some cool features that other spy apps and SMS tracker app do not have, including a multilingual support team that operates 24/7 and provides fantastic customer support and tech support; data on the target device which is automatically updated at five-minute intervals; monitoring of all incoming and outgoing text messages including those deleted; tracking of keystrokes with a fantastic keylogger; big storage space for all data and information gathered, with the feature to export data later on.

Pricing and Compatible Devices:

mSpy is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. But for iPhone, there are two versions: Jailbreak and No-Jailbreak. 

There are 3 bundles offered by mSpy, and prices differ depending on whether you use Android or iPhone, and which version of this spying app you require.

Prices start at just $29.99 per month, making this SMS tracker perfect for those on a budget. They do offer a free trial for those who would like to try out free SMS and text message tracking as well as location tracking on their phone or for their children.

The cost may be up to $69.99 per month, depending on how many devices you intend to monitor and how many months you subscribe for – you have the option of 1-month, 3-months or 12-months. 

3. Hoverwatch

Hoverwatch is a fantastic free SMS tracker without installing on target phone. People use it to keep children safe and employees on track by monitoring their text messages and smartphone activities.

This app for tracking SMS and spying is sufficient if parents require an app with simple monitoring functions. Among the major pros of this app are the ability to:

Track SMS messages, MMS, monitor text messages, chats and conversations; monitor WhatsApp; monitor Instagram; monitor GPS location via GPS tracker; view phone call logs; perform voice call recording with time stamps and data; spy on Facebook messages; spy on web browser and search history; monitor and control app download, monitor and control target phone usage, read emails, view password, and more.

This is an SMS tracker application with stealth mode. Some of its most notable features are: able to spy on the target phone without relying on the phone internal logging system, and availability of timestamps for all multimedia files attached to messages on the target device or smartphones.

Pricing and Compatibility

Hoverwatch is available for Android devices, Windows and Mac.  

They offer three options: Personal, Professional and Business. The Business option would usually be used by companies to monitor their employees. 

All three offer the option of 1-month, 3-months and 1-year for use of all spy features, with prices starting at just $24.95. They offer a free trial for those who would like to try out free SMS and text message tracking as well as location tracking on this message tracker apps.

4. FlexiSPY

FlexiSPY is also one of the best SMS tracker that allows you to install without access to target phone. It is affordable and reliable, with many features sought-after in an SMS tracker. Flexispy provides more than 150 tracking options.

Users will be able to spy on all SMS text messages, and iMessages of iPhone and iOS users. You will see all text messages received and sent, including deleted messages which contain keywords.

Besides ordinary SMS text messages, you will be able to track instant messages, see the list of phone numbers saved in contacts, monitor all chats via social messengers and social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Skype etc.

FlexiSPY also offers an excellent additional service, which is assisting you to jailbreak your iOS device and root your Android device if you have no time or do not know how to do so yourself. Of course, those who do not want to jailbreak and root their devices will want to skip this SMS tracker.

This is one of the SMS tracker apps that comes with some pretty solid features that make it an excellent option for any device. The features include the ability to monitor a wide range of messaging apps and social media, including but not limited to Instagram, Twitter, Skype, Snapchat, Facebook and WhatsApp; call recording; a great keyword alert function that will notify you when the target device user types a specific word; the extreme version of Flexispy allows you the option to also send face texts using the target person phone.

Compatibility

FlexiSPY is compatible with all iPhone and all Android smartphones and devices. As we mentioned, it will require jailbreaking and rooting your devices to create an account with your email and access the features of this software though. 

Pricing and Subscription

You have the option of the Lite, Premium or Extreme plan for both Android and iPhone. Features will differ based on the plan. Unfortunately, a trial period is not currently available for this messenger tracking app. 

A parent who wants the best SMS tracker apps for their kids phone as well as access to all instant messengers apps, text message, call logs, GPS tracking and social media apps should look through the three options to decide which plan best suits their monitoring needs.

You can purchase the FlexiSPY SMS tracker for between $29.95 to $199.

5. Cocospy

Cocospy is a crowd-favourite because it is a simple SMS tracker without installing on target phone that helps you to keep track of the necessary, whether it is to keep an eye on your kids or employees. It also has a user-friendly interface.

Cocospy is one of the common SMS tracker apps and it contains all basic functionalities of an SMS tracker including call logs monitoring and a GPS tracking feature.

Some of the noteworthy features of Cocospy that any SMS tracker must have includes: ability to spy on text messages and chat messages on multiple social media platforms simultaneously, including but not limited to WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger; the ability to remain as a discreet SMS tracker and works unnoticed in the background; one that does not require too much storage space that causes the phone to drop in performance.

Compatible Devices

Cocospy is compatible with all Android and iOS devices. Installation as well as user account creation are straightforward with just a few steps including providing your email address, and it features a control panel that is simple to use on the phone.

Pricing and Subscription

Cocospy offers 3 options.

For Android: Basic, Premium, and Familyplan.

For iOS: Family, Premium, and Business plan.

It costs between $39.99 to $999.99 per month depending on device type and plan. All plans have the option of 1-month, 3-months or 12-months licenses. 

6. KidsGuard Pro

KidsGuard Pro is a fantastic SMS monitoring app that was created with the modern-day parent in mind.

The KidsGuard Pro software will integrate with the contacts in the child ‘s phone so that the parent will be able to identify the people their kids are interacting with by name. Additionally, the parent can perform a specific keyword search if they have some doubts or concerns about their children ‘s behaviour.

Among the best features of this tracker for text messages is also the ability to see all information about phone calls via call log access; the inclusion of voice recording; spy on website browser history and website search activity including the incognito website browser;

The KidsGuard Pro is one of the best spy apps that contains additional features on top of text message tracking, such as real-time location monitoring, geofencing, monitoring of all applications installed on the child smartphone, all social media monitoring, and more.

In addition to that, Kids Guard Pro has clipboard-like features, in the sense that everything copied by the child from one place to another place on the child smartphone, it will appear on the user app interface.

A major bonus of this app is that the phone logs are separated into individual sections, making it easy to track conversations and texts on the cell phone by application.

Compatible Devices

The app is compatible for use on all Android 4 or higher, and also on most iOS devices.

Pricing

KidsGuard Pro is available for purchase in 3 plans; either 1-month, 3-months or 12-months.

It costs between $29.95 to $99.95. They do offer a 3-day free trial for those who would like to try out the basic usage, which includes free SMS and text message tracking as well as location monitoring on this SMS message tracker apps for their phone, and perhaps on their children or significant other.

7. iKeyMonitor

iKeyMonitor is one of the few SMS tracker apps specifically created for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows.

With this app, you can monitor text messages and calls on as many phones as you like. You will also be able to view details of phone calls, track GPS location, track site history, view and download photos and videos from the intended phone, save texts, control download of apps and games on android phones, and more.

In the initial stage of installing the app, users will need internet access to key in their name as well as email details. Installation of this app is super simple and quick to do.

Some of the major pros of this apps are that iKeyMonitor offers a free trial for people who are interested to see what it is like to use a spy app to track someone; the app will include the main features such as the ability to track text messages, website history data, calls history data, and geofencing – which is one of the most major pros of any parental control spy apps.

Compatibility

The iKeyMonitor app to track messages is compatible with all Android and all iOS equipment.

Pricing

It is free on the app store and Google play store for you to try with limited features. To purchase it, pricing starts at $49.99 per month.

One of the best things about this app to track messages is that they have a 30-day money-back guarantee for those who have made payment but later decide that they do not want it.

8. XNSPY

XNSPY provides easy access to both Android and iPhone for SMS tracking as well as other mobile phone spying purposes.

With no need to root or jailbreak the phone, XNSPY makes SMS tracking easy, and users will also be able to see call history, read all email conversations on the device, track internet usage, track website search history, track socmed activities, and the like.

All in all, XNSPY is a simple to use SMS tracker which will provide you with the information you need.

Pricing

XNSPY is compatible with all Android as well as iOS devices, differing only slightly in the features available.

For the iPhone user, one thing to note is that jailbreaking requirements also differ according to version.

They have two plans for your phone – the Basic plan and the Premium plan. Pricing starts at $49.9 per month.

Both the Basic plan and Premium plan have licenses available for 1-month, 3-months and 12-months.

9. SpyHuman

This is a free SMS tracker and one of the best free ones available on the Google play store.

With this app, you will be able to track the SMS messages of your loved ones, view the details of their calls, view names and details on their contact list, read their chat content, and be updated on the location of the phone owners.

Do note that this app is designed only for Android, and there is a 7-day free trial available for their Premium subscription.

Some of the advantages of this app are: no rooting required; they provide 24/7 customer support to help you with any problem that may arise as you are using the app; and all the basic spy app features are available with this app, such as tracking calls and texts and tracking socmed apps.

Compatibility

As mentioned, SpyHuman is only available for Android phones and tablets.

Price

The trial plan is completely free, with access to the basic features mentioned above.

Payment for the full version starts at $9.99. The company also has a money-back guarantee for 48 hours from the purchase.

10. Highster Mobile

Highster Mobile is another cell phone monitoring app that has a software to secretly track messages, monitor phone calls, emails and passwords, as well as gather other information from a phone using any operating system. It is an app that makes SMS tracking easy and effective while remaining invisible.

Parents find the phone monitoring features helpful when they want an app to keep an eye on their children, and employers have also given feedback that this is a good, simple SMS tracker and phone tracker app. 

Some features of this apps that enables it to make the cut on this list of best SMS trackers: This app provides a log of all messages – even messages that have been deleted can be recovered by this app; Highster Mobile also has the ability to retrieve iMessages that have been removed from the smartphone; one thing customers mentioned is that the live support of this app team is excellent and they will help you to solve whatever problem you face with this SMS tracker.

Compatibility

This messaging tracker app is compatible with iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac operating systems.

Prices

Highster Mobile can be bought one-off rather than by monthly subscriptions. The options are priced from $29.99 to $69.99.

They provide a full refund within 14 days of payment if the terms of refund remain uncompromised.

Conclusion – SMS Tracker I recommend

All the apps above can track and spy on SMS effectively. But given a choice, I would go with mSpy or SpyIC for their reliability and all the extra features that could come along handy. Plus, the price points are pretty fair too.

FAQ

What are the Best SMS Tracker apps without installing on your Target Phone?

The best sms tracker app that allows you to spy on sms without accessing your target phone would be mSpy. It allows you to install the tracking app on the target device remotely.

Why do you need a free sms tracker?

A free sms tracker allows you to read and record phone text messages without incurring huge monthly expenses on software. You can leverage free trials that certain spy apps offer. However, most of the times, you would need to subscribe to a monthly subscription to unlock all the features of the spyware.