- Once you install your VPN client, you’ll be ready to start your torrenting endeavor in the safest manner. Why not check out our list of the best torrent sites? Our List of the Best Torrent Clients for Mac 2018.
- Use any of these clients with your torrent files to download content over the BitTorrent network. While these programs are free and legal to use, it doesn't mean the actual content you're downloading via the torrent is legally available in this way.
WebTorrent is the first BitTorrent client that works in the browser, while WebTorrent Desktop is a desktop version that brings torrent streaming to Windows, Mac, and Linux. That means you can watch movies and TV, or listen to audio books and music while the torrent download is still taking place.
BitTorrent is one of the most efficient ways of sharing files via the internet. The underlying technology distributes fragments of data with a cluster of users, which removes the need to host files on a physical server and many of the costs and limitations of doing so.
If you’ve just switched to a Mac, you might no longer be able to use your old favorite Windows BitTorrent clientThe Best PC Software for Your Windows ComputerThe Best PC Software for Your Windows ComputerWant the best PC software for your Windows computer? Our massive list collects the best and safest programs for all needs.Read More. You might be new to torrents altogether, or simply looking for a rock solid client with the right number of bells and whistles.
The good news is that you don’t need to pay for the privilege. Here are our favorite free torrent clients for the Mac platform.
No Paid Clients
There are a good number of BitTorrent clients out there now that charge an entry fee. These are different to the ad-supported free versions, of which there are a few in the list below, though some go as far as offering demo versions that impose pesky limitations.
Some will restrict your download speed, or limit the number of concurrent downloads you can have. We’re great proponents of supporting your favorite apps by buying softwareWhy I Buy iPhone Apps (and You Should Too)Why I Buy iPhone Apps (and You Should Too)If I have a choice between a free app and a paid app that do very similar things, I’ll buy the paid app every time.Read More, but when it comes to BitTorrent we’ve yet to see enough to justify opening your wallet.
That’s why we’ll only be taking a look at completely free, open source, and “free” products that come with a premium option in this article. You won’t find any of these on the Mac App Store since Apple doesn’t take kindly to the practice of file sharing.
1. Transmission
Benefits: A simple native Mac client that looks the part, with excellent performance and a good set of features to boot.
I’ve always loved Transmission, and it’s the client I’m still using on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately, Transmission’s reputation took a hit in 20164 Transmission Alternatives for Mac BitTorrent Users4 Transmission Alternatives for Mac BitTorrent UsersTransmission was struck with malware twice in one year, so you might want to consider a new Mac torrent app.Read More when malware was discovered bundled in the installer. This was Mac’s first example of ransomwareIs Ransomware Really as Terrifying as You Think?Is Ransomware Really as Terrifying as You Think?Ransomware is a regular nuisance. A ransomware infection takes your computer hostage, and demands payment for release. Often, payment doesn't secure your personal files. But is it really as terrifying as you think?Read More, a result of an unpatched security hole in the installer software used by the Transmission team.
Fortunately, there’s been no major drama with Transmission for a while, which is reassuring since it’s probably the best Mac torrent client out there. Many users favor it for its raw simplicity — a single list view for torrents, with a few controls and filtering options up top.
There’s a rock-solid web interface which makes adding torrents and magnet links from a web browser super easy, even on your smartphone. You can limit how much bandwidth your torrent downloads swallow up, with a simple scheduler for enforcing a speed limit during set times.
There’s also blocklist management for avoiding bad peersIs Popcorn Time Safe? How to Torrent SafelyIs Popcorn Time Safe? How to Torrent SafelyPopcorn Time is illegal. If you're thinking of using it, here are several things you should know before you put yourself at risk.Read More, a decent level of customization, and you’ll even see your current upload and download speeds in the Mac dock (a nice touch). It’s not the most feature-loaded client on this list, but if you don’t need plugins and finite scheduler control it’s your best choice.
2. Deluge
Benefits: A wealth of plugins allow you to expand Deluge’s functionality way beyond that of a regular torrent client.
If Transmission doesn’t do everything you want it to, I’d recommend looking at Deluge next. It lacks the sleek and simple interface, and it’s not written natively for the Mac since it’s also available for Windows and Linux. However, it does include support for plugins, which really opens up what you can achieve with a torrent client.
Deluge has been around for a while, and you can tell from a quick glance at the interface. The icons are very Windows XP, and the three-pane UI looks almost like a version of Outlook from the early 2000s. But despite this, performance remains fairly good (though be aware that adding more plugins will likely slow things down).
Features can be bolted on using the plugin system, with a good number included when you first install. You can set up a schedule for managing bandwidth, enable the web UI to add torrents from other computers, and subscribe to a blocklist to better guard your privacy.
Head to the Deluge plugins list to find all manner of tools for batch renaming or moving files, alternative schedulers, bandwidth managers that stop Deluge from choking your connection, and RSS torrent managementHow To Use RSS Feeds To Download Torrents AutomaticallyHow To Use RSS Feeds To Download Torrents AutomaticallyRead More for automatic downloading.
3. qBittorrent
Benefits: A long-running, simple, and open source client that forgoes the plugins but gets the job done.
Just like Deluge, qBittorent is an open source projectHow Contributing to Open Source Projects Can Teach You Life SkillsHow Contributing to Open Source Projects Can Teach You Life SkillsWe've looked at the benefits of using open source software, but what about the other way around: contributing to them? Can getting involved in an open source project aid your personal development?Read More based on the libtorrent library. qBittorent lacks the plugins found in Deluge, but I prefer it for its general look and feel. Performance is as expected from a cross-platform client, and it includes a few nice touches like a right-click context menu for adding torrents and changing settings from the Mac dock.
The client makes the list since it’s still actively maintained, with Windows and Mac binaries readily available (alongside some unusual alternatives, like Haiku and IBM’s OS/2). As far as torrent clients go, it does the job though it lacks the polish of a client like Transmission.
The feature set is fairly bold, with a web UI included, folder monitoring for new .torrent files, actions for completed transfers, speed limits, and a fairly limited but functional scheduler. There’s also the addition of a lock button, which allows you to lock the client with a password — handy if you’re downloading files on a shared computer.
qBittorrent is a nice compromise between the simplicity of Transmission and the raw power of Deluge. If you don’t mind the interface, it’s a solid choice.
4-5. BitTorrent/uTorrent
Benefits: The only “official” BitTorrent client, while uTorrent might be the most recognizable name in file sharing.
BitTorrent Inc. is the company behind the only “official” client, and it’s come a long way since the old “one download at a time” dialogue box that changed the way files are distributed on the internet. The company has since bought uTorrent, and seemingly merged the two products together.
I downloaded both the official client and the latest version of uTorrent for Mac, and beyond the application icons and version numbers, I couldn’t find a single difference between the two. They both use the same interface, and presumably the same underlying technology.
I can only find “pro upgrade” options for the official BitTorrent client, with the website citing a $20 upgrade to remove the non-intrusive adverts, and add virus scanning and streaming support for downloads in progress. I don’t recommend you upgrade though since the adverts are barely noticeable and the other features aren’t worth the money.
It can’t be ignored that both of these clients are solid, with web UI support, feeds in the sidebar, a comprehensive scheduler with bandwidth management, and actions that kick in when your transfers complete. It’s a matter of personal taste, and it might not be the best client, but it’s far from the worst.
6. WebTorrent Desktop
Benefits: Stream movies and other media before they’re finished downloading.
And now for something a little bit different. WebTorrent is the first BitTorrent client that works in the browser, while WebTorrent Desktop is a desktop version that brings torrent streaming to Windows, Mac, and Linux. That means you can watch movies and TV, or listen to audio books and music while the torrent download is still taking place.
There are a few caveats with this approach. An abundance of seeds is vital so that the client can prioritize the right torrent fragments (so the beginning of the video or audio files download first). That means only well-seeded torrents will be viable, but fortunately, there’s an abundance of free downloads through websites like The Internet Archive5 Types of Free Content Riches You Can Dig Up at the Internet Archive5 Types of Free Content Riches You Can Dig Up at the Internet ArchiveThe Internet Archive keeps a variety of old content alive on the Web for the future. What kind of content can you dig up, and why should you care? Let's find out.Read More.
In addition to streaming the content, WebTorrent Desktop also saves the file to your Downloads folder. You can choose to play the files within the client, or use an external app like VLC. That’s about as deep as WebTorrent gets in terms of customization, which is why it might not make an ideal everyday client.
However, it’s a handy app to have around, and it’s completely free and open source. It even comes loaded with a few recommended films you can stream right away, like Sintel and Big Buck Bunny10+ Amazing Short Films You'd Not Believe Were Made With Free Software10+ Amazing Short Films You'd Not Believe Were Made With Free SoftwareJust like its previous short films online, the Blender Foundation used only open-source or free software to produce movies of at least 10 minutes.Read More.
What About the Rest?
There are many more torrent clients out there, but you can give them a miss for the most part. The biggest omission on this list is probably Vuze, a free client with a $30 upgrade that adds CD burning and a few other bells and whistles. While Vuze works fine as a client, it’s somewhat bloated and doesn’t add any particularly notable features.
Worse still, it’s written in Java and so has a tendency to be pretty sluggish. It might be worth a shot if you’re still not satisfied after trying all of the above, though.
Which torrent client do you use on your Mac? Let us know in the comments below!
Explore more about: BitTorrent, File Sharing.
Hello everyone, how are you all doing today? I hope you are all having a wonderful Thursday morning. My Thursday is going just great, I am actually getting ready to have some early morning lunch and then I will be busy with work at Oxavi Group Inc as I prepare more articles for our sister site https://www.ChromeGeek.com, anyway, please read on…
Today we will focus the best BitTorrent clients for Windows. Torrents are what they call P2P technology and they continues to dominate the internet when it comes to downloading and uploading content. Before we give you the list of the Bittorrent clients for Windows 10, lets find out what is a ‘torrent’ and if it is legal, safe and ultimately if it is even worth your time to use.
What Are Torrents?
A Torrent is a file extension for a BitTorrent file format used by BitTorrent clients. Torrent files contain text and point out the trackers for a download to begin downloading from distributors (known as seeders or uploaders) and requesting clients (known as leechers or downloaders).
- Are Torrents Safe?
Tricky question but mostly yes, but sometimes no because you can download a file that has a virus or some spyware/malware attached to it. Make sure you only download from validated sources. - Are Torrents Legal?
Yes and no, again it depends on where you live and what type of files you are downloading. Just use your own judgement and don’t download too much, if I can give you any advice it would be that, don’t download 10TB of files all day and be surprised when your ISP sends you an email or letter asking you, “Wtf are you downloading?”
#1. Download uTorrent For Windows 10
Install uTorrent on Windows 10
uTorrent is a the most popular BitTorrent client, distributed by the creators of the BitTorrent protocol. uTorrent was designed to use as little of the computer’s resources as possible while offering a lot of the functionality expected from ‘full-featured’ clients, it works perfectly for Windows 10.
- Micro-Sized Yet Feature Filled – Most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients are present in µTorrent, including bandwidth prioritization, scheduling, RSS auto-downloading and Mainline DHT (compatible with BitComet). Additionally, µTorrent supports the Protocol Encryption joint specification (compatible with Azureus 2.4.0.0, and now BitComet 0.63) and peer exchange.
- Resource-Friendly – µTorrent was written with efficiency in mind. Unlike many torrent clients, it does not hog valuable system resources – typically using less than 6MB of memory, allowing you to use the computer as if it weren’t there at all. Additionally, the program itself is contained within a single executable less than 160 KB in size.
- Skinnable and Localized – Various icon, toolbar graphic and status icon replacements are available, and creating your own is very simple. µTorrent also has support for localization, and with a language file present, will automatically switch to your system language. If your language isn’t available, you can easily add your own, or edit other existing translations to improve them!
- Actively Developed and Improved – The developer puts in a lot of time working on features and making things more user friendly. Releases only come out when they’re ready, with no schedule pressures, so the few bugs that appear are quickly addressed and fixed.
uTorrent Screenshot
#2. Download Tixati For Windows 10
Install Tixati on Windows 10
Tixati is a proprietary cross-platform BitTorrent client written in C++ designed to be light on system resources. Its developers release standalone and portable versions with each new client versions. It has received a positive reception, and most reviews praised it for its lightweight design
Tixati is super lightweight and easy on resources. It focuses on one of the newer tricks in torrents: trackerless torrent swarming. It has anti-throttling features and variety of priority adjustments to help tweak performance.
Despite its lightness, Tixati has advanced bandwidth management features. All of this combined with its ad-free interface and worry-free installation makes it a popular torrent client.
Tixati Screenshot
#3. Download Torch Browser For Windows
Install Torch Browser On Windows 10
Torch Browser is a feature rich web browser with lots of customizable tweaks to make your Internet experience better.
Torch Browser Key Features
- Drag & Drop – With this feature you can search, translate or share links easily.
- Built In Torrent – You can manage your torrent downloads directly within the browser window.
- Media Grabber – You can save almost any media type that you come across on the web.
- Easy Sharing – You can share your up to date information with your Facebook and Twitter accounts directly from the browser.
Overall, Torch Browser is a powerful, fast, feature rich web browser. It is fully customizable and gives you a safe and secure browsing experience.
Torch Browser Screenshot
#4. Download qBittorrent For Windows
Install qBittorrent On Windows 10
qBittorrent is Free Software (more than just freeware! Free as in Freedom) released under the GNU GPLv2 license. You don’t have to pay for it and this won’t change. Its code is open and available to everyone and reusable under certain conditions. qBittorrent – of course – does not contain any malware, spyware, advertisements or undesired third-party programs.
- It is Free/Libre Software (you can see the code and see what qBittorrent is doing).
- Its development team is very active and friendly.
- It is stable and it has a low footprint (generally, 20-60 MiB of RAM used), whilst providing all the features you may need.
- It uses the high-tech libtorrent (Rasterbar) library, which means greater download and upload speed as well as excellent support of the latest features of the BitTorrent protocol.
- It is easy to use and all of its features are well documented.
- It is an international program, supporting Unicode and containing translations into more than 25 languages
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qBittorrent Screenshot
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#5. Download Deluge For Windows
Torrent Client For Mac
Install Deluge Bittorrent On Windows 10
Deluge is a full-featured BitTorrent client for Linux, OS X, Unix and Windows. It uses libtorrent in its backend and features multiple user-interfaces including: GTK+, web and console. It has been designed using the client server model with a daemon process that handles all the bittorrent activity. The Deluge daemon is able to run on headless machines with the user-interfaces being able to connect remotely from any platform.
Deluge features a rich plugin collection; in fact, most of Deluge’s functionality is available in the form of plugins.
Deluge was created with the intention of being lightweight and unobtrusive. It is our belief that downloading shouldn’t be the primary task on your computer and therefore shouldn’t monopolize system resources.
Deluge Screenshot
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