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mSpy pricing ranges from $11.67-$69.99/mo. That's a lot to spend on an app that's missing key parental control features like screen time management and content filtering.
We dug into mSpy's plans so you know exactly what you're paying for. But if you're looking for a better value, we've deemed Bark, Qustodio, and Aura Parental Controls as some of the best parental controls because they all outperform mSpy at a fraction of the cost.
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Parental controls app that builds a social persona for your kid based on their messaging habits and flags behavioral shifts
Screens for cyberbullying and in-game harassment across apps like Discord and Fortnite without reading DMs
Lets you set per-app time limits for 100+ apps and pause all internet access instantly from the dashboard
mSpy plans range from $11.67-$69.99/mo, depending on the specific plan and subscription term you choose. There are two tiers of plans: Premium and Extreme. There’s also a Family Kit plan that offers mSpy Premium for up to three devices at a discounted rate.
mSpy is considerably more expensive than most of its competitors. For example, Bark Premium costs $8.25/mo for an annual subscription. mSpy Premium, the most affordable option, starts at $11.67/mo.
| mSpy Premium | mSpy Extreme | mSpy Family Kit | |
| Monthly cost | $48.99/mo | $69.99/mo | N/A |
| Three-month cost | $28.00/mo | $41.99/mo | $57.74/mo |
| Six-month cost | N/A | $23.99/mo | $42.00/mo |
| Annual cost | $11.67/mo | $13.99/mo | $28.00/mo |
Discounted monthly prices apply only to the initial term, and rates revert to the full price after renewal. This is pretty standard practice, but worth mentioning.
While mSpy offers powerful spying features, it also has several downsides.
If you’re looking for more robust content monitoring or a more affordable parental control app, we’re big fans of Qustodio, Aura Parental Controls, and Bark. Based on our in-house testing, we can recommend these top monitoring tools for safeguarding children online.
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Parental controls app with a free plan, plus per-app screen time limits in 15-minute increments
Panic Button lets kids instantly alert trusted contacts with their location from their Android device
Activity reports update quickly, showing app usage, web searches, and screen time all in one dashboard
Qustodio covers everything mSpy misses. It has screen time management, content filtering, per-app time limits, and location tracking all starting at $4.99/mo for the Basic plan.
While mSpy is built for covert surveillance, Qustodio is built for parental oversight. You'll get the tools to actually manage what your child does online, not just watch it happen.
Parental controls app that builds a social persona for your kid based on their messaging habits and flags behavioral shifts
Screens for cyberbullying and in-game harassment across apps like Discord and Fortnite without reading DMs
Lets you set per-app time limits for 100+ apps and pause all internet access instantly from the dashboard
Aura takes a different approach than any other app on this list. It builds a behavioral profile of your child based on their messaging patterns and flags shifts that might signal anxiety, depression, bullying, or predatory contact. It's the least invasive option here and the best fit for parents of teens who want insight without surveillance.
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Parental controls app that monitors texts, email, and social media for signs of bullying, self-harm, depression, and predatory contact
Works across Android, iPhone, Chromebook, and gaming consoles, not just phones
Uninstalling requires a code from the parent dashboard, so kids can't quietly remove it themselves
Bark takes a smarter approach to monitoring. Instead of logging everything, it uses AI to scan texts, emails, and 30+ social media apps. It alerts you only when something concerning is detected, like bullying, self-harm, depression, or predatory contact.
Bark Premium starts at $8.25/mo and covers unlimited devices, while mSpy Premium covers just one.
mSpy offers a large range of features to help keep tabs on your child’s devices and online activity:
For most people, there are better options than mSpy. Its monitoring features lean a little too heavily toward invasive spying, rather than parental controls. It lacks core parental control features that parents need, such as screen time management and category-based filtering.
mSpy is also more expensive than the best parental control apps we’ve tested, making it difficult for us to recommend it to most parents.
Learn more about how mSpy compares to other parental control apps:
Yes — at least, in theory. mSpy does a fairly good job of keeping itself hidden (especially mSpy Extreme). However, if the child is tech savvy and has free access to device settings, they can remove the app.
Yes, mSpy can block websites. On Android, you can create a list of specific websites to block or block entire categories. On an iPhone, the device needs to be jailbroken to achieve the same functionality.
No, mLite is not the same as mSpy, although they’re similar. mLite is essentially a free, bare-bones version of mSpy. mLite includes GPS location tracking and a handful of very basic parental control features. mSpy is more fully featured, offering a vast array of tracking and monitoring tools.
Generally speaking, no, mSpy is not better than Bark. While mSpy provides powerful tracking and monitoring tools, it’s very expensive compared to Bark, and supports a maximum of only three devices. Bark supports unlimited devices and also offers features that are likely to be more useful for monitoring a child’s device usage.
Additionally, mSpy is more comparable to invasive spyware, whereas Bark offers legit parental controls.
Parental controls app that monitors texts, email, and social media for signs of bullying, self-harm, depression, and predatory contact
Works across Android, iPhone, Chromebook, and gaming consoles, not just phones
Uninstalling requires a code from the parent dashboard, so kids can't quietly remove it themselves
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