How We Review Spy Apps

At RealSpyApps.com, we take pride in offering the most detailed reviews for our users. To ensure that all products we promote are up-to-par, we’ve developed a comprehensive testing methodology which is an integral part of every review process.

We rate every cell phone spy app based on a couple of different factors – speed, reliability, customer service, features, ease of use, rooting & jailbreaking, compatibility, stealth mode, multi-platform support, and remote installation. 

For a spy app to be recommended by our team of experts, it has to pass all the aforementioned tests with flying colors. Here’s our review and research process a bit more in-depth.

Purchasing the Product Independently

At RealSpyApps.com, we believe that the only legitimate way to ensure unbiasedness in our reviews is to purchase all reviewed products independently. So far, we have tested dozens of spy apps, all of which we’ve purchased ourselves.

We don’t accept nor promote any promotional trials and accounts. The goal of our reviews and research is to test the overall user experience as if we were regular users trying out the app at the comfort of our homes.

Our research team keeps all these subscriptions active. From the beginning of 2021, we spent over $2,000 on subscriptions and over 100 hours on testing the software. We prefer keeping all subscriptions active to ensure that all our information is up-to-date.

Installing and Testing on Multiple Devices

We’re aware of the fact that our website is frequented by international users with access to different devices and operating systems. 

To ensure that we’ve tested the software through and through, our experts install it on all available devices and platforms – Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Kindle, etc. We also test it on multiple different devices for each operating system to ensure maximum accuracy.

Ease-of-Use and Accessibility

Our audience is mostly tech newbies who are in the market for a cool spy app to solve their problem, be it employee unproductivity, a cheating spouse, or a naughty teen who’s lurking around the dangerous web.

We want to promote software that is accessible and easy-to-use. When we conducted a survey a couple of years ago, we received a number of reports complaining about how most review websites don’t test user experience. So, we decided to make this an important factor during our review process.

Some things we take note of include:

  • Is everything clearly labeled?
  • Are there any bugs?
  • Is there a tutorial?
  • Are the installation instructions easy to follow?
  • Is the user interface clean and easy to navigate?
  • Does it offer voice support for visually impaired audiences?

Features, Performance, Compatibility

Features are one of the most important factors when it comes to rating software. Because most software we review is paid, we want to ensure that our readers get a good value for their money. 

We only promote apps that are fast, reliable, and offer target phone updates in real time. If an app is compatible with multiple operating systems, that’s always a plus.

Most common features we seek out include:

  • Stealth mode
  • Social media spying – Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tinder, etc.
  • Instant messenger spying – Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, WeChat, etc.
  • Screen Recording 
  • GPS location tracking
  • SIM location tracking
  • Viewing call logs and browsing history
  • Reading sent and received SMS messages

Does It Require Rooting or Jailbreaking?

Rooting and jailbreaking are aggressive processes which can cause more damage than good, especially if you’re not an advanced tech user. If not done properly, you can brick your device and lose all data on the phone. This negatively impacts the software’s usability, so this is an important factor in our review process.

Some spy app providers require rooting and jailbreaking in order for advanced features to work. However, we tend to promote software that either offers a separate ‘’no root’’ or ‘’no jailbreak’’ option, or doesn’t require rooting and jailbreaking altogether.

Is the Spy App Visible?

Another important factor is the apps’ visibility. The whole purpose of spy software is to be invisible and fly under the radar. If your target notices the app on their phone, they’ll be able to delete it and all your covert attempts will go to waste.

We prefer apps that are invisible and offer a reliable stealth mode, meaning that, even if the app has to appear in the app list in Settings, it has to have a covert name like ‘’System Services’’ or ‘’Update Service.’’ That way, even if your target sees it, they’ll think that it’s a system app and leave it alone.

Can You Install the Spy App Remotely?

Remote installation is a massive plus. Unfortunately, though, remote installation is only available for iOS users, given that you can obtain access to your target’s iCloud credentials. Remote installation is much easier and quicker, and it’s also the most secure. 

For Android devices, we check whether the physical installation process is lengthy or quick & easy. We don’t support applications that are complicated to install and use, so this factor plays a big role in the overall score.