A keylogger is another name for a keystroke logger which is also known as a keyboard capturer. As the name suggests, a key capturer is a software that captures your keyboard’s actions. It tracks and logs all the keys that are stuck on a particular keyboard so that all the actions performed using that keyboard can be recorded. A keylogger often runs in the background and captures the keystrokes secretly, so that the user doesn’t know that his actions are being recorded, and/or monitored.
Although most keyloggers are software-based, some keyloggers also come in the form of hardware. Since hardware keyloggers are not discrete, most people don’t prefer using them. Keyloggers also save passwords, credit card information, and even personal messages. It takes browser history to another level altogether.
Whether keyloggers are legal or illegal, is hard to tell. It is just another piece of technology that cannot be categorized as legal or illegal. It depends upon the intention of the user. If you mean no harm, then the use of a keylogger is perfectly safe and legal. You can use a keylogger to monitor your own activity, for instance, the time you spend on social media or research. You can also install a keylogger to monitor your child’s activities, which is essential in today’s world where the internet is becoming a dangerous place by the day. Some people also use keyloggers to ensure that their employees are not leaking any confidential information and doing their tasks whereas, some people deploy keyloggers to understand human-computer interaction.
Top 11 Tested Keyloggers compatible with Windows OS
#1 Spyrix Free Keylogger
Spyrix keylogger enables you to record and monitor all keystrokes. Although there is a pro version available, the free version itself consists of several useful features. Spyrix allows you to track activities remotely from anywhere in the world with its free version. It gives you access to the cloud via an account that has all your details and all the recorded information. You don’t need to download any files. Monitoring your computer was never this easy. It also records screen activities by taking and storing screenshots whenever you switch any program. You get all the details regarding online activities, computer activities, messenger chats, social media, and every single thing. Spyrix is truly a one-stop solution for all your keylogging issues. You can even uninstall Spyrix keylogger remotely.
#2 Keyturion Free Keylogger
Keyturion free keylogger is a great choice as it offers valuable features and functions. It monitors all the activities including screenshots, website visits, printed documents, files and folders, application time tracking, etc. It is efficiently designed to monitor your kids as well as employees. Apart from this, it has a search and data group function which stores the data lost due to any mishap. As it comes with password protection and sends logs only to one’s mentioned email, it is a completely reliable and excellent keylogger.
#3 KidInspector
Kidinspector is basically intended to monitor and track your child’s activities on the computer as well as any smart device. However, it can be used by anyone to track their computer’s activities. KidInspector offers a variety of features and services and even enables you to control the internet usage of a certain device. You can also block URLs, keywords, and websites by category. The KidInspector, alike Spyrix stores all your files on the cloud which can be accessed from anywhere, at any time. Visited websites, search queries, active Windows screenshots, chats of social media, and instant messengers can all be recorded and monitored by KidInspector. So, if you want a keylogger for free, then try out KidInspector as it is easy to use and easy to access.
#4 Actual Keylogger
The actual keylogger is quite popular due to its undetectability. Actual keylogger, one of the oldest keyloggers, is hard to detect and cannot be found in Explorer, Task Manager, Add/Remove Programs, etc. Hence, no one would know that the system has a keylogger. Actual keylogger records all active programs, website history, screenshots, clip, and print activities, etc. You can access the actual keylogger by the hotkey (Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F7) and run command (akstart). This virtually undetectable keylogger is a great choice to start with.
#5 REFOG Free Keylogger
REFOG keylogger’s free version offers basic and simple features yet is truly a useful tool. With a user-friendly interface, this keylogger records everything. Right from passwords, active windows, screenshots, etc, you can track each computer activity. Easy to install, this keylogger creates logs of chat messages, launched app and games, voice conversations, browser history, and log-on logoff events. However, as with KidInspector and Spyrix, REFOG Free Keylogger doesn’t let you access data from anywhere and unlike Actual Keylogger, REFOG Free Keylogger is not virtually undetectable. However, password protection, along with an easy user interface makes it a good choice.
#6 Revealer Keylogger Free
Although Revealer Keylogger Free might not be an excellent choice when it comes to keylogger, it is still quite useful and works satisfactorily for parents and employers who want to monitor their computers’ activities. Revealer Keylogger Free is easy to use, offers password protection, doesn’t make your computer slow, and doesn’t show up in Add/Remove Programs. It enables you to monitor Facebook, MSN, Skype conversations along with several other social media and instant messenger services. It is well known for its user-friendly interface.
#7 Ardamax Keylogger
Ardamax keylogger is another user-friendly keylogger that offers chat monitoring, website history, webcam activity, etc. This keylogger enables you to monitor activities on your computer remotely. This keylogger takes periodic screenshots of the activities on your computer. You can also check the activity log from your email. However, the fact that logs by Ardamax Keylogger aren’t easy to read makes it a good choice for some people and a bad one for others.
#8 Real Free Keylogger
Real Free Keylogger requires a password anytime you use it for monitoring, settings change, or anything else. One of the best things about Real Free Keylogger is that it can be used in stealth mode as well. The default hotkey for Real Free Keylogger is (Ctrl+Alt+X) which enables you to activate it in stealth mode. As with most other keyloggers, you can view a detailed history of your computer’s activities. However, there is a drawback – you cannot access this keylogger’s notifications via email and screenshots – considered to be the basic features for keyloggers – in the free version.
#9 Best Free Keylogger
Best Free Keylogger is another excellent choice to track and record all the activities performed on your computer. These activities include chats, communications, keystrokes, launched apps, and web activities. One of the ultimate features of this keylogger is the Smart Read, which gives you easy-to-read text instead of unintelligible keystroke sequences. This keylogger provides you with detailed information via emails and FTP.
#10 KidLogger
KidLogger, as the name suggests, is a free keylogger that is intended to help parents to monitor their kids’ online activities. This free keylogger also has a pro version which consists of advanced features. Apart from the basic keystroke tracking, the KidLogger can track the number of hours, website history, app history, communication history, writing history, as well as the duration of computer usage, etc. KidLogger is a great option for those parents who wish to protect their kids from the dangers of the internet and online predators. Skype, Facebook, Viber, Whatsapp, Kik, and many other instant messengers are tracked by KidLogger which then sends the reports to you by email or you can log on locally to check the same. KidLogger can monitor 5 devices and keep the records for 9 days.
#11 Sourceforge Keylogger
Sourceforge is a minimalist keylogger that was originally designed for backup. Written in Python, which is a well-known, high-level programming language, SourceForge keylogger has been designed to emphasize code readability. Sourceforge has updated itself and has become a well-known name in the world of keyloggers. Its stealth mode is excellent for those who wish to keep keylogging a secret from computer users. However, this keylogger is not so easy to use and requires certain knowledge.
Note: Individuals aspiring for a promising IT career must go for a Microsoft certification.
Download Free Windows Keylogger
So, these were some of the best keyloggers for Windows. All of these keyloggers are free and some of these keyloggers come with a pro version as well. Most of these keyloggers with the free version provide basic features which are enough for simple keylogging monitoring for both parents as well as employers. The pro version offers advanced keylogging options, hence you can go with a pro version if you think you require the advanced features. However, the basic version of Spyrix and KidInspector is truly amazing and you should definitely check those out.
Which keylogger would you go for? What do prefer – a free keylogger or a pro version of a keylogger?
sager says
best free keylogger is the best
samsi says
very much useful article thanks for writing..
Sven says
Keyturion free and best free keylogger both cool
Alex says
What about Iwantsoft Free Keylogger? It is listed in most top-10 ratings.
Ali says
Great
Pepe says
Spyrix Only tells you you have 5 days free once installed