online HUD programs

Ok, so Im new into the online poker however i noticed all of you use some programs for statistics. So I got two questions:

Arent those programs banned from most of the sites since they give edge.

From those who arent banned which would you recommend and why

they programs like poker tracker and hold em manager are not prohibited

they also dont give you an edge, yes they are helpful but they dont get you anything you cant figure out with a pen and piece of paper

the programs that are banned typically rely on a central database of hands observed by a third party. Those that are allowed rely on hands you took part in or (depending on poker site) you observed yourself.

Ok i would like to try some program which has nice design. I believe that if there is not a good way of representing the data, there wont be mcuh use of all of the statistics. Also, better representation of data is making finding patterns much more easier. So from those two you mentioned: holdem manager and poker tracker which would is with better design ?

both can be customised to fit your needs. just try them out (free trial for both)

Of course they give you an edge. Try keeping a paper trail on table players in the time alloted for response clicks/bets/etc.

It is electronic tracking, not a part of the software downloaded to you by the poker site.

Isn't 'helpful' but not an 'edge' something like being a little bit pregnant?

I understand that there are programs that the sites do not 'prohibit', but you are still attaching an electronic tracking device/software to ME as a player without my knowledge and/or consent.

Its mostly an edge when multi-tabling. I played at my parent's house for ~2 weeks over the holidays, and I 2-tabled 6-max. Because there were only 2 to pay attention to, I was taking detailed notes on player's limp/calling ranges, watching how they play draws, ect. Those notes were a far bigger edge than just knowing they're a 60/15 fish, which you pretty much notice when they sit down with $41.35 at $50NL and open limp the first 2 hands.

So yeah, I wouldn't play 4+ tables without a HUD. You just can't get reads on that many players, so you need a program to keep track of it for you. But even still, my win-rate (bb/100) playing 1-2 tables with no HUD is higher than playing 6-7 tables with a HUD. However, I make more hourly playing more tables, hence why I do it.

is poker tracker worth the mony? and how does it work ?