We’re in a computing era where the internet is mostly used from a mobile device. Right from waking up in the morning to falling asleep at night, we access the internet mostly from our mobile devices. With such excessive usage comes the never ending hike in mobile data plans. So, it’s no surprise if you want to keep track of the data usage on your Android smartphone. Staying within the limits of our limited data plan is a tough task for sure and thus, here is our list of the 5 best apps to monitor data usage on Android:
1. Traffic Monitor
The Traffic Monitor app is an all-in-one app that provides various in-app utilities like the Speed Test, App Data Usage Monitor, Signal Quality check and Network info. You can set a data usage limit after installing the app and it will start a Data Billing Cycle. Also, you can check data usage by location for home and work. There’d also an option to set widgets to get data usage report right on the home screen.
Install: (free)
2. My Data Manager
My Data Manager is a more advanced app to manage network usage and keep track of mobile data usage. What makes it advanced is that it lets you set your daily budget for your mobile data and if your usage exceeds, you’ll get an alert. Apart from that, it also keeps a history of the data used throughout the day. You can set multiple plans for broadband, mobile data and also for roaming network usage.
Also, it packs in some great alerting features. It can send you alerts for Forecast usage warning, Billing cycle and if there are lots of data left during the last days of your data plan. You can even set a custom alert. The persistent notification in the notification bar also comes in handy for a quick look at data usage.
Install: (Free)
3. Data Usage Monitor
If you are looking for a simple data monitoring app, the Data Usage Monitor app should be a great choice. The app doesn’t pack any other eye-catching features but it excels with its usage-centric approach. You start with setting your data limits and positioning the baud rate meter on your screen. Thereafter, you can keep track of the data usage from the home screen of the app. It shows per hour data usage and per app data consumption.
Install: (Free with in-app purchases)
4. Opera Max
Opera Max is a well-known app for data saving on Android devices, but it can also help you keep track of the data usage. Its timeline approach for data usage statistics is a great way to know which apps in the background might have consumed data. You can further go into App Management tab and turn off the background data usage for the particular app. Overall, Opera Max is a pretty handy data monitoring app and its additional data saving features are a real bonus.
Install: (Free)
5. Network Connections
Network Connection is one of those apps that will help you check which apps are spying on your data in the background. Normally such apps need to have root access but Network Connections requires no root. To start network monitoring, you’ll have to tap on “Start Live Capture”. It’ll show the IP address of the app servers to which the network is sending/receiving the data. Tap on any IP address and it’ll show you more information regarding any spying done by apps and where is their destination server. The Live Capture is limited to the trial version. You’ll need the unlock key for full access.
Install: (Free, Pro key $3.99)
SEE ALSO: 8 Best Data Saving Android Browsers to Surf the Web Faster
The Best Network Monitoring Android App?
The best network monitoring app, in my opinion, is My Data Manager. I liked the way you can customize your data plan based on the budget that’s available and you’ll never get out of data if you stay within the budget. Apart from that, Network Connections is also a great app to keep your eye over data theft by third-party apps. Well, that is all from our side, do let us know what’s your best network monitoring app in the comments section below.
