If you're interested in computer monitoring software, you'll discover quickly that a lot of programs today feature some form of a keylogger designed to record every keystroke on the PC being monitored.

But when all of this information is thrown at you, you may find yourself struggling to understand what exactly a keylogger does, and what the difference is between a hardware keylogger and a software keylogger.



In the past keyloggers were considered nothing more than password stealers, but today the functions of a keylogger are many, and will probably come in handy when you need to purchase computer monitoring software.

A keylogger can capture the usernames and passwords used by your children to access social media sites like Facebook or Myspace.

It can also record inappropriate conversations that happen via instant messenger, reveal dangerous materials in an email, and even preserve offline documents that are typed up and then later deleted.

Clearly this is a tool that comes in handy for those looking to purchase parental control software, employee monitoring software, and computer monitoring software in general.

When you purchase computer monitoring software with a built-in keylogger function, you're getting a software keylogger that ought to be completely invisible to the PC user.

This is due to the stealth that's almost always required for computer monitoring.

In contrast a hardware keylogger is a physical device plugged into the computer you're monitoring.

Hardware keyloggers are plugged into a USB port (or a PS/2 "keyboard" port on an older computer). Hardware keyloggers tend to be good in quality and fairly cheap, but their visibility makes them useless of you're planning to record computer use discreetly.

In fact, it's kind of hard to miss the keylogger sticking out of the computer, so "discreet" just isn't part of the plan with hardware keyloggers.

On the other hand, software keyloggers tend to be more expensive than hardware keyloggers, mostly because software keyloggers also come with the many different tools associated with computer monitoring software.

However, quality is key with software keyloggers, since lower quality computer monitoring software and keyloggers don't tend to offer the user much in the way of organization for the data being gathered.

This leaves you to slog through a lot of information in search of the data that might actually be important - kind of like a digital needle in a haystack.

And, poor quality software keyloggers can malfunction or fail to be properly invisible, ruining the sole purpose of purchasing one in the first place.

But, when it comes to keyloggers we have to say that a good quality software keylogger is worth the price.

The best versions feature trigger keywords to record only the information that you deem important, and they organize the data in a format that is easy to read.

They're also invisible, and in the best case, can be accessed from a remote location so you don't have to go back to the PC being recorded to get your results. This remote accessability is one of the best features of our number one rated computer monitoring software, WebWatcher.

Besides that, you'll also get all of the nifty tools that come with good quality computer monitoring software, like website blocking, screenshots, and computer usage time limits.

If you're interested in a top quality software keylogger, take a look at our reviews for SpyAgent, IAmBigBrother, and our favorite, WebWatcher.