Best Baby Monitor Apps for 2023

This article about the Best Baby Monitor Phone Apps was written by baby travel expert Celine Brewer and may contain affiliate links.

After my first few family trips with our baby, we discovered that we prefer to rent apartments with separate bedrooms. This, of course, required me to pack a baby travel monitor. But, I also like to pack as lightly as possible, which led me to discover there are a wide variety of baby monitor apps available for traveling parents. It didn’t take me long to download an install one on my phone!

If you have an extra iPad or mobile phone, you can turn it into a baby monitor using one of the many baby monitor apps available on the marketplace. The strategy I use when traveling with a baby monitor app, is that I bring my current phone and my previous phone with me. That way I can keep my current model with me at all times, and use the previous model in my baby’s room.

As a parent who loves to pack lightly, I can tell you that being able to turn existing mobile devices into baby monitors makes life so much easier. It’s one less thing you have to pack and keep track of when you’re traveling with a baby.

Having a baby monitor app is one of my top items to get babies to sleep while on vacation. While the baby monitor app itself won’t help your baby sleep, it will give you peace of mind if you have your baby sleeping in a different room in a vacation rental or when visiting grandparents. With a comfortable baby travel crib and a quiet space, you can relax while your baby sleeps!

Technology changes quickly, and apps update often. It’s sometimes difficult to decide which is the best baby monitor app to use, so based on my real-life experiences traveling with babies, I’ve done the research for you. Read on to find the best baby monitor app for iPhone or Android users.

If you just aren’t comfortable relying on an app or don’t have two devices, check out our recommended baby monitors for travel.

Best Baby Monitor Apps

Now let’s get to the good part. Here are my eight best choices for a baby monitor app on the market today.

1. Cloud Baby Monitor App

The Cloud Baby Monitor app offers live video streaming with noise and motion notifications. This baby monitor app for Android or Apple devices allows you to talk to your baby through the app. A bonus fun feature is that it has 2-way audio and video capabilities, which means your baby will be able to hear and see you as well. This function feels like a FaceTime call. 

Turning on and controlling a nightlight, white noises and lullabies are a few other bells and whistles you’ll find on the Cloud Baby Monitor app. The Cloud Baby Monitor app is one of the most feature-rich baby monitor apps we’ve found. It also works on most all types of devices.

Device type: Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch), Mac, Apple TV, Android

2. Baby Monitor 3G App

Listed in our top baby travel essentials, the Baby Monitor 3G app has the same primary features as the Cloud Baby Monitor with just a couple of trade-offs. You can only monitor one baby at a time. And the feature list does not include 2-way video capabilities. But this app offers an activity log so you can look at sleeping patterns and replay sounds. You can also control the microphone sensitivity so you can hone in on every sound in the room.

Device Type: Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch), Mac, Apple TV, Android

3. Dormi Baby Monitor App for Android

As you can imagine by this app’s name, Dormi Baby Monitor is only available for Android devices. That being said, it’s quite feature-rich and a great value if you’re an Android user. As with most of the other apps on this list, Dormi features live video and the ability to talk to your baby through the app.

In addition, the website for this app says it has “Intelligent Audio.” The microphone’s sensitivity will auto-adjust to the noise level in the room. The website also boasts sophisticated video software that decreases battery drainage. And it features night vision for low-light camera functions.

Other bells and whistles for this baby monitor Android app:

• Notifications come through even when you’re talking on the phone.
• If the baby device receives a call or text message, the app will alert the parent device.
• You can monitor the temperature of your child’s room through the app (if the device in the child’s room has an ambient temperature sensor).

Device type: Android

4. Luna App

Luna is a fairly basic baby monitor app with video and many of the standard features. It offers live stream video and audio, and you can talk to your baby through the app. But you won’t find many of the bells and whistles featured in some of the others. 

Much like the Dormi, the interface is graphic, with the option to press a button for live video. However, Luna’s video streaming starts automatically when there is a noise in your baby’s room.

A big perk to this app is the manufacturer’s claim that it uses four times less battery power than other baby monitoring apps. If you’re looking for just a basic iPhone baby monitor app, this could be a good choice. 

Device type: Apple (iPhone and iPad)

5. Annie Baby Monitor App

The Annie Baby Monitor app ranks right up there with the Cloud Baby Monitor app for features and device types. This iPhone or Android baby monitor app offers all the bells and whistles, and the interface looks great. The view is sleek and modern, much like Cloud. However, one reviewer stated that the controls for the volume, light, etc., lay over the top of the video, obstructing part of the view.

Reading through the reviews, it appears some people have had technical issues with Annie. Examples given are that it often loses connectivity between devices, and it seems to want to use cellular data, even when the WiFi signal is strong. These complaints were more prevalent on the Android platform than on Apple. And app developers are usually able to correct these kinds of issues with updates as they’re discovered.

Device type: Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch), Mac, Android

6. Nancy Baby Monitor App

Nancy Baby Monitor App is another app made by the same company as the popular baby monitor apps Annie and Baby Monitor Free. Nancy’s interface looks similar to Annie’s, except it doesn’t work on Mac.

Nancy appears to be a bit scaled-down and basic compared to Annie. There doesn’t seem to be an activity log offered, nor the ability to monitor your baby from multiple devices. The price point is similar, though, so you may as well choose Annie over this one.

Device type: Apple (iPhone, iPad), Android

7. Baby Monitor & Alarm App

The Baby Monitor & Alarm app is made by the same company as the Baby Monitor 3G, but it is a very different app. Baby Monitor & Alarm is only for Android, and it does not have live stream video. The app will call a 2nd phone when your baby wakes up.

This app has a few other features, like an activity log and the ability to play lullabies or your recorded voice to your baby. This is a helpful feature when you’re trying to get your baby to sleep on vacation, as the comfort of your voice could help her sleep. But the lack of video and voice options seems like a deficiency since most all devices now have video capabilities.

Device type: Android

8. Alfred Home Security Camera App

This app is advertised as a security camera that can be used as a baby monitor app. Alfred Home Security Camera can do pretty much everything any of these baby monitor apps can do. It does not offer a lullaby or white noise option, but it has an added feature of saving unlimited recordings of movement to the cloud, which the other popular baby monitor apps do not do.

Check out these white noise machines for travel.

Alfred offers low-light capabilities (night vision) but does not have a nightlight (flashlight) option like some of the best baby monitor phone apps do.

You might not have thought about a security camera app being the best baby monitor app. But even with these minor differences, the Alfred Home Security Camera app could easily double as a baby monitor video app.

Device type: Apple (iPhone, iPad), Android

Functions to Look for in Baby Monitor Apps

First, let’s talk about what functions to expect in a baby monitor app. Several of the best baby monitor apps offer various bells and whistles. These extra features can be nice to have, and we’ll mention some of them in our list. But here are a few basic functions you should look for in a baby monitor smartphone app:

Live Video Streaming

Most of the best baby monitor apps offer live video streaming. With today’s technology in most mobile devices, there isn’t a reason to not have this function. Therefore, we consider video feed to be a basic feature for all baby monitor apps for iPhone or Android devices. Being able to view your baby in real time on your baby monitoring app gives you extra peace of mind.

Multiple Device Capability

The ability to monitor your baby from more than one device has many benefits. For example, you and another parent, grandparent, or babysitter can all keep an eye on your baby at the same time from different places. Or if you’re out of town, you can view your baby from your mobile phone and the other parent can monitor your baby at home at the same time.

Runs in the Background When Using Different Apps

This feature is related to reliability. If you get a phone call or need to use your device for something else while you’re monitoring your baby, the worst thing that could happen is the baby monitor app you’re relying on to notify you of activity doesn’t work. Reliability of a baby monitor app is extremely important.

Other Features for Baby Monitoring Apps

When it comes to baby monitor apps, it’s a busy marketplace. Some are feature-rich, and some are basic. Here are a few common features you might find in addition to the main ones listed above:

• 2-way audio
• 2-way video stream
• Multiple baby stations
• Activity log
• Nightlight
• Night vision (low-light camera feature)
• Plays lullabies or white noise

My Recommendation for the Best Baby Monitor Apps

Of all the baby monitor smartphone apps I reviewed for this article, Cloud Baby Monitor, Baby Monitor 3G, and Annie Baby Monitor seem to be the most feature-rich, well-rounded ones. And they work on pretty much every device.

If you’re an Android user, you might want to consider the Dormi Baby Monitor. Its maker seems to have decided to specialize in all things Android and do it well. They have leveraged the best of Android devices to wow its users with a few features none of the rest have making it the best baby monitor app for Android users.

While you won’t find a free baby monitor app in this list, they won’t break the budget either. If you are unsure, download a free version to try it out before buying.

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