Review of The Best Free Keyloggers for PC and Phones [2023]

Constantly worrying about the online safety of your teen child? Or maybe you are an entrepreneur afraid of data breaches in your company? Keylogging software can prove helpful when trying to stay ahead of your child’s internet activity or protect your company from information leaks. While keyloggers are often associated with malicious activity, there are ethical and legal uses for keyloggers. Here are a few examples.

Parental control: You can use keyloggers to monitor a kid’s online activity to protect them from online dangers. The FBI estimates that one in seven kids has been exposed to unwanted sexual solicitations online. Thus, seeing what your kids do online is critical to prevent them from falling victim to online predators.

Employee monitoring: Employers may use keyloggers to monitor employee activity on company devices. Advanced keylogging software enables you to become proactive by protecting your employees and the company’s sensitive data.

However, it’s important to remember that the use of keyloggers must comply with local laws and regulations. In many countries, installing a keylogger program on someone’s device without their consent is illegal. It’s also essential to respect privacy rights and only use keyloggers legitimately.

For more information about keyloggers and how they work, read our HeyLocate’s blog article: What is a Keylogger and How to Use It.

Table of the Best Keystroke Loggers

Services Reviewed – 50+

Services Selected – 10

We took some resources from the top reviews of the best, and almost all of them were awful. So trust only verified sources of information or blogs of specialized services related to telecommunications. For example, like our HeyLocate blog.

Free Keylogger Software for PCs

We have tried free keyloggers for PC and here is our verdict.

Spyrix

Spyrix free keylogger is from Spyrix, an American software company that develops PC and internet monitoring products for businesses, homeowners, schools, and governmental agencies. Spyrix was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Torrance, California.

Spyrix free keylogger YouTube channel receives visitors daily. It has a 3.2-star rating on Trustpilot and 3.29 stars on Sitejabber, meaning it’s a legit free keylogger with real users.

Compatibility:

Win7 x32, Win7 x64, WinServer, WinVista x64, WinXP, Win8, Win10.

User Experience:

I needed physical access to the PC to install Spyrix. I also disabled the PC’s antivirus. After experimenting with it, I could see Spyrix screenshots of the PC’s activities in real-time on the online dashboard. I clicked on one WhatsApp screenshot, and it showed the conversation at that time.

Spyrix captures keystrokes typed, showing the app that was in use. It could get keyboard activities of all apps installed on the PC, which did not show on the task manager. 

The free version did not allow me to see the visited websites. Hence, it’s the best free one for monitoring employee devices for productivity tracking and reviewing what employees were doing on their PCs during their working hours.

Try Spyrix

Logixoft Revealer Keylogger

Logixoft is a French-based security and monitoring software company founded in 2008. The Logixoft Revealer Keylogger claims to have over 10 million downloads in 200 countries. Our findings show that it has a presence on Twitter and YouTube. Its customers give the software 2.9 stars on Trustpilot.

Compatibility:

Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and Vista, in 32 or 64-bit version.

User Experience:

The Revealer keylogger requires physical access to the target computer. The free keylogger could record keystrokes typed on the PC. The program operated in invisible mode by hiding it using the operation Ctrl+Alt+F9. It also offered password protection to prevent someone else from accessing it.

This free keylogger software records keystroke and the application they are typed in, such as Word or Chrome.

Based on my experience, the free version of the Revealer keylogger is ideal for parental control and employee monitoring since it can produce a report of time spent in all apps. It could also reveal what’s typed on a website, making it easy to know how a kid spends their time online or employee productivity.

Try Logixoft Revealer Keylogger

Refog Keylogger Mac

Refog was founded in 2002 to provide parental control and employee monitoring solutions. The company claims its product has been downloaded in 5 million computers in 201 countries. Refog has 2.3K followers on Facebook and has a 3.7-star rating on Trustpilot.

Compatibility:

Mac OS 10.5-10.15.

User Experience:

Refog free keylogger did not require credentials to download and install on a Mac computer. Only a Master keyword is needed to start remote monitoring on the target computer. This keylogger for Mac could record every keystroke on all programs. These include Word, Google Docs, Chrome, etc.

I could access the recorded data on the keylogger’s online dashboard. I liked the screenshot slide feature, which meant I didn’t have to click on each screenshot to see the computer’s activity.

After experimenting with this tool, I found the Refog free keylogger ideal for monitoring kids. Its browser monitoring can show all the website URLs, which is crucial for keeping kids safe from online dangers.

Try Refog Keylogger

Elite Keylogger for Mac

Elite Keylogger was founded in 2015 as a parental control solutions provider. It is headquartered in the US and has followers on Facebook and Twitter.  We did not find Elite Keylogger reviews on Trustpilot and Sitejabber. We believe it could be because the company does not have an extensive web presence.

Compatibility:

Mac OS 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) or higher and 64-bit processor.

User Experience:

Elite Keylogger for Mac installed in a series of steps. The free version is visible, while the paid version has an invisible mode. Some antiviruses could detect this keylogger software, so they must be closed before installing Elite Keylogger.

I liked that this software keylogger has an automatically uninstall option, so I could choose its automatic removal over one week, one month, or three months.

Based on my experience, Elite Keylogger could monitor all keystrokes made on the computer’s keyboard. It could reveal information typed in documents, email messages, etc.

This free keylogger also works with Instant Messaging apps like Skype, Viber, and Adium to record both sides of a chat. The Pro version is designed to show chat logs.

Other information captured with the Elite Keylogger includes screenshots, web activity, and text copied and pasted to the clipboard.

Elite is the best free keylogger for parents, employers, and anyone seeking evidence in a legal case. You can set up an FTP site for remote monitoring.

Top Android Keyloggers

As our research showed, most keylogging apps are not readily available on the Google Play Store. Therefore, you must allow app installation from third-party sources to download keyloggers on Android phones.

KidLogger

KidLogger was developed by SafeJKA S.R.L software company, based in Moldova. The app launched in 2021 and works on Windows, Mac, iPhones, and Android.

It’s especially useful on Android devices, since all its features work properly on Androids. This free keylogger has 700+ followers on Facebook and a rating of 3.6 stars on Trustpilot.

Compatibility:

Android 4.1 and higher.

User Experience:

KidLogger required physical access to the target Android device for the keylogger download to work. I also disabled Play Protect on Google Play Store and allowed downloads from unknown sources.

KidLogger could capture typed keystrokes on the basic version. Its standard and professional accounts have additional features such as accessing applications, files, documents, and typed URLs.

KidLogger is the best free keylogger for monitoring kids, since it is not password protected. It is good for seeing your kid’s online activity and instant messages. The log files go directly to your email, so you can monitor your child’s Android device remotely.

Try KidLogger

Snoopza

Snoopza is a free keylogger software that does more than capture the target device’s screen. The website has received 765K+ visitors, meaning it’s well-known among users who want to monitor Android devices.

Snoopza also has a YouTube channel to guide users on installing the free keylogger on their target device. Moreover, the app is also reviewed on Trustpilot, with users giving it 2.6 stars because of the lengthy installation process.

Compatibility:

Android 4.0 or higher.

User Experience:

First, I disabled Play Protect on the target device before downloading this Android keylogger. The app only requires about 5 minutes of access to the device to complete setting up. After this, this free keylogger for Android started to capture screenshots of the phone’s activity.

Snoopza also recorded camera pictures and tracked activity on text messaging apps, social media, and browsers. This free keylogger kept detailed logs of conversations, including the duration and contact name.

Based on my experience with it, Snoopza is the best free keylogger for parents, spouses, business owners, and investigative agencies. This app can prove useful if you want to reveal what your kids type on their browsers or learn about an employee’s activities during work hours.

Try Snoopza

mSpy

mSpy is a popular parental monitoring app with a keylogging feature. It can report all activities on an Android device. As a parental control solutions provider, this app was founded in 2010 by a Czech-based company.

The mSpy app is quite popular, with 35K+ followers on Facebook, 3.7K+ on Twitter, and 18.1K subscribers on YouTube. This monitoring app has 4K reviews on Trustpilot with a 3.6-star rating and 1800 reviews on Sitejabber with a 4.2-star rating.

Compatibility:

Android 4+, iOS.

User Experience:

I did not need to jailbreak or root my Android device to install mSpy. Once I logged in to my online account, I accessed the keylogger feature to view typed keystrokes on the target device. The app recorded the text alongside the app used and the time the recording was created.

Besides keylogging, mSpy could also view activities on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. It also showed text messages and call logs on the target device. mSpy also has a keyword alert feature that I could set up on the keylogger to be alerted when a specific phrase is used.

mSpy has lots of features that make it a premium app. However, using this service or app has proven that the yearly subscription is worth it and comes off as cheap compared to other apps with similar features.

Based on my experience, mSpy is best for kids’ monitoring or collecting evidence of a spouse cheating. It can also monitor employee devices to ensure they spend their working hours on work-related programs and activities.

Try mSpy

Best keylogger for iPhone

Keep in mind that sometimes iPhone may require a jailbreak to use keylogger on it.

iKeyMonitor

iKeyMonitor parental control and employee keystroke monitoring app is one of the best free keyloggers with useful features on the free version. It has 16K+ followers on Facebook and 2K+ followers on Instagram. Users have given it a 3.7-star rating on Trustpilot, with some saying it is the best tracking application they have ever used.

Compatibility:

iOS 9 – 14.

User Experience:

iKeyMonitor works on a jailbroken iPhone. Nevertheless, it can use iCloud credentials, which I used to install iKeyMonitor on the target iPhone. My investigations showed that iKeyMonitor has one of the most advanced keyloggers among tracking apps.

This app’s keystroke logger accurately and swiftly recorded keystrokes and logged them for me to review. I used it to find passwords for online accounts. The Alert-Words feature allowed me to pick words the keylogger could look out for and notify me when my kid uses them.

Besides being a good children’s device monitor, iKeyMonitor is also ideal for employee monitoring. It can help monitor websites, applications, file transfers, emails, and networks in real time. Besides, you can use it as a backup in case you lose your phone for easy recovery of passwords.

Try iKeyMonitor

iCloud

iCloud Apple service stores files, photos, notes, passwords, and other data in the cloud. You can use your child’s iCloud credentials to access that information like a keylogger.

Compatibility:

All iOS versions.

User Experience:

The only thing I needed to access my kid’s iCloud was their Apple ID and password. I could see photos saved on the cloud, access emails, contact, and even track the device using Find My iPhone.

iCloud also allowed me to access other data stored on the cloud, such as documents, notes, calendars, and presentations built with Keynote Online.

Besides, I could also access Keychain to view all accounts stored in the Apple ID. Using iCloud as a keylogger is only viable for monitoring a child’s device using their Apple ID. Hence, you can access your child’s device online without physically accessing their iPhone.

Try iCloud

Eyezy

Eyezy mobile surveillance and phone tracking app was launched in 2021. It has since garnered a following on Facebook and Twitter. It has a 3.6-star rating on Trustpilot and 4.3 stars on Sitejabber revealing it’s a legitimate app.

Compatibility:

iOS 13+.

User Experience:

Eyezy requires jailbreaking an iPhone to access all its features. It has one of the best keyloggers features, which records all keys pressed on the target iPhone. This keylogger tool allowed me to view the typed text, and it takes screen captures every five minutes to ensure it records all activity.

With the help of pre-set keywords, Eyezy could alert me if those phrases were used in any app, including instant messengers. I liked the user-friendly interface and could also set data information at set intervals.

After experimenting with Eyezy, I found this app great for parental control. I could block apps, websites, and Wi-Fi networks. Eyezy could also see their phonebook, which could be helpful when analyzing online strangers.

Try EyeZy

Conclusion

The best free keylogger lets you monitor keystrokes and information that can potentially help your children, employees, company, or lawsuit. It’s great when a free keylogger works as intended. However, not many have the advanced features of paid keyloggers. Still, you may find them helpful in tracking internet activity on family and company devices.

Our investigations narrowed down to the best software keyloggers for Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone. Spyrix is the top option for Windows since it runs without detection, while Refog free keylogger works great on Mac devices. The mSpy keylogger is ideal for Android monitoring thanks to its advanced features. Lastly, you will benefit from the detailed keylogging power of Eyezy for iPhones.