The emergence of the Work from Home trend in employment has led to a lot of changes in the ways that companies tend to monitor their employees. One of the most significant changes is the use of keyloggers, also known as keystroke loggers. Along with other monitoring tools, this technology has become a necessary tool that helps ensure employees are functioning to the best of their abilities.
What is a keylogger, and why should you use one?
A Keylogger (often referred to as a keystroke logger or keyboard logger) is a surveillance technology that allows you to monitor every single keystroke on a computer, phone, or other device. Outside monitoring, all keystroke activities can also be recorded for future reference.
Previously, keyloggers were commonly used as spyware tools, which allowed cybercriminals to monitor the activity of a device to steal someone's personal information. However, nowadays, they are much more commonly used by employees to monitor employers than by cybercriminals.
There are many benefits to using a keylogger. When it comes to monitoring employees, the most important one is that you can guarantee that the user is not slacking off and is completing all their tasks as needed. It is also possible to monitor which apps or websites an employee is spending most of their time on, as well as how quickly they are completing each task.
Much like you can track their performance through a keylogger, you can also track any possible unauthorized activity they perform while working or using company-owned electronics. It could be the key to curbing violations of the employment contract, company ethics code or security code.
Top Free Keylogger Tools
While there are many keylogger tools that you can try, the following 11 tools are not only free but also able to handle the task of monitoring employee activity exceptionally well.
1. Spyrix Free Keylogger
Spyrix is developed by an American software company that was formed in 2009. Their free keylogger allows you access to any other PC you would like to monitor. Its features go beyond keystroke monitoring though, as it also allows you to block specific websites and even record someone's screen. For usage in a professional environment, you will need to use their employee monitoring and not their personal monitoring, which is to be used within your own home.
Other features of Spyrix Free Keylogger include:
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Screenshot Capture
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Apps Activity
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Monitoring of external drives and removable devices
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Printer monitoring
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General Analytics and Report
Pros:
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Easy-to-use user interface
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Available in multiple languages
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Multiple features for more extensive monitoring
Cons:
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Only available for PC, no mobile app
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Not available for MAC
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Limited access to customer support
2. KidInspector
KidInspector is a monitoring tool, which as the name implies, is focused on providing parents with a way of monitoring their children's online activities. Most of the different monitoring options available in this software are directly targeted toward parents, which is why there are ways to block different websites, as well as categories such as "Adult-content" and "Shopping". The analytics report can be quite extensive and it includes a lot of graphics, which can be good if you want to monitor a device's previous activities.
Pros:
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Available for all devices, including MAC, iOS, Android and Windows
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Easy to block multiple categories of websites and apps
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Analytics can be viewed from any device
Cons:
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Not created for monitoring employee performance
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Many of the features are directly focused on monitoring children
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Mainly monitors activity, not keystrokes
3. Actual Keylogger
Actual Keylogger is a highly customizable monitoring tool that will allow you to not only record information from your employee's computers but also organize the information accordingly. Among the different things you can monitor are several controls for website blocking, monitoring activity on social networks, and even print tasks. Actual Keylogger is one of the most encompassing monitoring tools and it can be used to monitor employees who are slacking off. The specific business version of this product can also be great for those wanting to keep an eye on their employee productivity.
Pros:
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Business version available
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Website monitoring is an option
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It can be activated on a PC, but it won't appear in the list of installed programs or task manager
Cons:
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Costly when needed for multiple computers
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Not available for smartphone devices
4. Ardamax Keylogger
Ardamax Keylogger is a simple-to-use monitoring tool that allows you to record keystrokes, take screenshots and monitor the microphone activity. Its features also include tracking website visits. However, one of the things you will not be able to track is the emails received on a device or the files and attachments that were downloaded.
Pros:
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Trial version available
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Multiple monitoring features
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Administrative tools designed for constant monitoring
Cons:
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There is no advanced integrated report
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Options for administrative tools are limited
5. Kidlogger
Kidlogger is a parental control software app that will allow you to monitor the activity on a device. This particular software was not designed to be used by employers, even though that could be an option. One of its benefits is that Kidlogger is actually available for all devices, including Android, Windows, and Mac.
Pros:
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Available on all Devices
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Monitoring of all communication platforms
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Time tracking of specific activities and recording of keystrokes
Cons:
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Not designed to be used for employee monitoring
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If you need to monitor more than 5 devices, there is a subscription cost
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Limit to log history
6. IwantsoftKeylogger
Iwantsoft Keylogger is a great option for those who want to have full access to all available activities on a user's computer. Because of the wide range of monitoring it offers, employers can get a more holistic picture of their employees' activity. The keylogger is not visible to users at the time of operations.
Pros:
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Maintains a complete history of every website visit
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A secret hotkey combination is needed to make the software visible
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Remote Control and Report viewer available
Cons:
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For more extensive features users need to purchase the Total Logger
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No Keystroke or inactivity time recording
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Does not record if opened files are copied
7. Revealer Keylogger
Revealer Keylogger is a great option if you want basic monitoring. The free version of this tool does not include many of the monitoring systems used in other software. For example, both screenshots and email notifications are only available in the paid version of the tool. However, the easy-to-use interface still makes the free version a great, simple-to-use option.
Pros:
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The free basic version is available
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Fairly easy-to-use interface
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Multi-lingual options
Cons:
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The free version lacks a lot of the necessary monitoring tools
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When compared with other tools, the monitoring options are too basic
8. Refog Keylogger
Refog Keylogger is one of the most extensive free keyloggers available. It includes many features that other keyloggers require you to pay for. Among them are recording screenshots and keystrokes, monitoring website visits and application usage, as well as documents. There are also advanced features available in the advanced version of this software.
Pros:
· Stealth mode available
· Many features available even in the free version
Cons:
· Free version doesn't allow remote reports
· Only available for PC
9. All in One Keylogger
All in One Keylogger is a great keylogger available in 12 different languages. Apart from recording the activity on a computer, it is also used for sound recording. This is great if you want to have microphone audio recordings or webcam monitoring while your employees take meetings.
Pros:
· Camera and Microphone Monitoring
· Stealth mode
· Interface available in multiple languages
Cons:
· Can be pricey
· Complicated setup
10. Elite Keylogger
Elite Keylogger is another easy-to-use keylogger with an intuitive interface. With Elite Keylogger you will be able to intercept incoming and outgoing email messages as well as monitor web activity. There are also 8 categories of monitoring available: Keystrokes, Screenshots, Internet Activity, Applications History, Clipboard, Email History, Passwords, and Printed Documents.
Pros:
·Easy-to-use interface
· Monitoring of URLs and messages/emails
· Stealth mode available
Cons:
· No file activity monitoring
·Not available in many languages
· One side message interception
11. Real PC Spy
Real Pc Spy is a computer surveillance system that allows you to record all activities on a PC. With this software, you will be able to check typed keystrokes, chats, websites visited, file activity, and even user names and passwords used. Because of its stealth mode, it is completely hidden from everyone but the system owner.
Pros:
· Stealth mode
· Great typed keystrokes monitoring
· Full file and web activity monitoring
Cons:
· Only works with Windows
· Complicated uninstallation
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing the right Keylogger tool, it will be all about the price point you want to pay for more advanced features. Generally, most keyloggers will offer a lot of basic options in their free version, but some go above and beyond to offer more options to employers. These stand out from the crowd and are frequently the choice that companies will go for when needing to monitor productivity.
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