Nowadays, only those who don't use computers have never heard of keyloggers. Initially developed as software for stealing passwords and other sensitive data, now keyloggers have turned into comprehensive tools for parental and employee monitoring or solutions for someone who wants to know how their computer is used in their absence. Yet, keyloggers remain half-illegal software.

If you install one on your computer and warn all other users about the monitoring, it is alright. However, installing a keylogger on a computer that does not belong to you and without the owner's permission violates the person's right for privacy and may lead to legal penalties.

Due to their ability to collect sensitive data, keyloggers are hunted by the antivirus and anti-keylogger software. Most powerful keyloggers can boast of algorithms able to bypass those, but in fact, these algorithms only make them the primary target for anti-spyware programs. Besides, most antiviruses may block any attempt to remotely install a keylogger.

Antivirus programs are updated almost daily, and no by-pass algorithm can 100% guarantee that one day you won't find your keylogger blocked and deleted and valuable data lost to your unpleasant surprise. That is why adding your keylogger to exceptions and making sure that using it does not infringe anyone's privacy is crucial in employing this type of software.

Below we present our overview of ten powerful keyloggers on the market today.

Spyrix Free Keylogger

Powerful. User-friendly. Free. All these are about Spyrix Free Keylogger. Even if you have never dealt with a keylogger, you will have no trouble installing and using the program at all. The program has a user-friendly interface and a convenient built-in log viewer where you can check all the logs in the chronological order or by category: screenshots, keystrokes, apps and user activity, printer tasks, removable drives activity, etc.

More than that, Spyrix Free Keylogger will show a complete list of installed programs on the monitored computer, which allows more control over computer usage.

Don't have daily access to the computer that you want to monitor? No problem, because Spyrix Free Keylogger has a remote monitoring feature. It delivers all logs to a secure online account where you can check all the logs just like you would on the target computer. More than that, there you can find comprehensive analytics of the activity, such as active and inactive time, mostly used apps and more.

A cherry on top is live viewing of the screen of the monitored computer, so you can always know what the user is up to at the moment without a single glance at the logs. The online monitoring account also allows configuring all the settings or uninstalling the program remotely.

Probably, you are already impressed by now but wait. Spyrix Free Keylogger is free unlike other programs with similar features in our list. Like free. Lifetime. This undeniable advantage brings Spyrix Free Keylogger to the top of our today's rating.

Actual Keylogger

Another powerful, yet user-friendly piece of software is Actual Keylogger. It tracks keystrokes, screenshots, visited webpages, printer tasks, running apps and much more. The program can also assess active and idle time and monitor the user's activity in social media and chats, which managers can find quite useful.

Don't be afraid of getting lost in loads of collected information. Actual Keylogger presents the logs in the convenient chronological order and can filter them by type of activity (keystrokes, visited websites, etc) and time of the event. Apart from a built-in log viewer, Actual Keylogger has other ways of log delivery, such as by email, FTP and others, which are rather useful when you do not have access to the monitored computer.

Another feature that comes quite handy is the hidden mode. The program runs in the background and thus is not obvious for the user. Additionally, it is password-protected, so that you don't need to worry about unwanted access to the collected information.

All In One Keylogger

All In One Keylogger is indeed one of the most fully-featured keyloggers on the market today. It works as an invisible ninja, collecting keystrokes, screenshots, visited websites, sent and received messages in social media chats, printer tasks, change of files and folders directories and more. It can also block unwanted websites and applications, which is a huge plus for worried parents and employers striving for productivity.

If the computer you are monitoring has a webcam, All In One Keylogger can use it to record sounds in the room or snap images, turning the computer into a simple security system. The program offers a variety of convenient ways of log delivery: by email, FTP, LAN or copying collected data to a USB drive.

There is no need to worry about privacy, as the program is password protected and can encrypt collected logs. An additional advantage for system administrators is the one-click or pre-configured installation, which is a huge time-saver for large companies with extended staff.

Total Logger

Another comprehensive monitoring tool in our list is Total Logger. The program can boast of an impressive feature range: keystrokes logging, screenshots, file operations and visited websites tracking, monitoring chats in social media, sound and video recording from the user's webcam. You can build a pre-configured installer and deploy it to the target computer secretly.

Checking the log is not a problem too, as the program delivers the log by email, FTP, Dropbox or LAN. Thus, you can get a complete picture of the user's activity without ever touching their computer with a single finger. Sounds wonderful, isn't it?

NetBull Keylogger

One of the unique features of NetBull Keylogger is its ability to recover user names and passwords stored in the most popular browsers. Apart from that, the program can secretly log everything that the user types: messages, emails; record texts copied to the clipboard, track programs and computer usage.

NetBull by-passes firewalls and antiviruses and installs silently, after which it is invisible anywhere on the computer including Task

Manager and the list of installed programs. If you need to stop monitoring, you can press a set hotkey and the program will be deleted, as simple as that.

The app has a clear intuitive interface and a convenient built-in log viewer, but if you don't have access to the monitored computer every day, you can opt to receive logs by email or FTP.

Perfect Keylogger

Perfect Keylogger indeed meets its name by offering all the features that are expected of the software of the kind. The program has an invisible mode and is undetectable even in the Task Manager. Moreover, it can rename its executable files and registry entries for more stealth.

Perfect Keylogger is easy to install and use, you can even create a pre-configured package and install it remotely and silently on the computer that you want to monitor. The software logs all keystrokes, including typed messages and passwords, and sends alerts if a certain unwanted word or phrase is typed. Webcam snapshots and screenshots are a great visual aid to text logs.

Email and FTP log delivery come handy if you do not have constant access to the computer that you are monitoring. Perfect Keylogger can even compress and password-protect the log file for more privacy.

HomeGuard Activity Monitor

Initially designed for parental monitoring, HomeGuard Activity Monitor will yet be useful to anyone who wants to control the usage of their computer in their absence. The app can record keystrokes, take screenshots, monitor visited websites, printer tasks and USB connections as most of the modern keyloggers do. Besides, HomeGuard Activity Monitor has an advanced content filtering feature which allows blocking websites based on content, not only names.

Other useful features are the restriction of the Internet, certain apps or computer usage and blocking certain Internet connections. You can also block deleting or moving specific files. These restrictions can be applied only to particular users of the computer and only at a determined time of the day, which allows you even more control over who and how uses your computer in your absence.

Elite Keylogger for Windows

Perhaps, the main advantage of Elite Keylogger is its invisibility. The program can hide itself from the lists of running processes, installed applications, the Start menu and anywhere else.

Besides, Elite Keylogger employs several unique algorithms to avoid detection by antivirus and anti-keylogger software. However, the range of features of the program is somewhat limited in comparison with previous software on our list. Elite Keylogger offers a solid basic feature pack: keystrokes (including passwords) and the clipboard tracking, screenshots, recording all visited websites, running applications, emails and social media chats monitoring.

Revealer Keylogger PRO

If you are tired of all the bells and whistles and want a simple basic keylogger, Revealer Keylogger PRO is your choice. The program offers a well-developed keylogging feature which can intercept keystrokes in all applications, including passwords and chat messages. Additionally, Revealer Keylogger PRO snaps screenshots whenever the user types some text or clicks the mouse.

All collected information is available remotely, as the program can deliver it via email, Dropbox or LAN. You can set a convenient delivery frequency from once to several times of the day.

And the last but not the least: the program has an invisible mode which allows it to stay undetected in the Explorer, Task Manager and the registry.

Viotto Keylogger

Another solid keylogger with all the basic features you might need - keylogging, screen capture, running apps and visited webpages tracking, clipboard logging.

Yet, two features distinguish Viotto Keylogger favourably from other similar software on the market. The first one is its lightweightness - it is only 80 kb, thus requiring very little system resources, which contributes to its invisibility. The second advantage is selective logging - the program can log only specific apps, windows or webpages usage.

pctattletale

Quite a peculiar sample in our list is pcTattletale. Their slogan is "More than just another Windows 10 keylogger" and this is truly so. The program logs keystrokes like a usual keylogger, but it also makes a screenshotshot every time the user clicks the mouse. After that, the program compiles these screenshots into a video recording of the screen with captured keystrokes shown above the recording. This recording can be viewed later from your account remotely from any computer or even a smartphone.

Constant recording of the screen guarantees that you will never miss an action or a keystroke, yet checking logs becomes quite time-consuming. Instead of a glance through a log file, you may have to watch minutes and minutes of video. Video controls letting you skip to a certain time are quite helpful in this case.

Today's keyloggers have long overgrown their initial purpose of recording keystrokes. A modern keylogger is a powerful tool able to monitor almost any activity on the target computer, thus serving a wide range of purposes from parental monitoring to controlling your computer. However, it should be used with caution and only on devices that you have proper authorization for.