To download torrents quickly, you need the best torrent software. We are going to look at the 5 best torrent software choices below so that you can find the best one for your needs. Turn on the best
Best torrent software: 5 to choose from
Best overall torrent software: Vuze
Available on: Windows, Mac
Vuze has both free and paid versions. While the paid version is obviously going to give you more, the free version is still very useful. In fact, it is the torrent software which I have personally used for years.
I, and many others, use the self-described “Most Powerful BitTorrent Software on Earth” because of the following:
- Offers media playback
- Subscriptions to your favorite ongoing content
- Support for magnet file links
- The addition of powerful plug-ins
- Remote control through the web or mobile
- Some video conversion
Apart from these, it also allows you to download any torrent. For those who have been in the torrent game for a long time, you may remember Vuze as Azureus.
If you choose to go with the paid version, Vuze Plus, you can expect the following advantages:
- Unlimited use of the DVD burning feature
- Built-in antivirus
- Playing downloads while they are still in progress
I’m not sure if those features are worth $30/year, but they may be to you.
Best middle-of-the-road torrent software: qBittorrent
Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux
The qBittorrent software was built with speed and simplicity in mind, with just the right features for the average user. It didn’t pack every single feature it could think of but only a few of the essentials.
Its most noteworthy features include:
- An integrated torrent search engine
- Sequential downloading
- Torrent creation tool
- RSS feed support
- Some encryption
- A media player
- Torrent prioritizing
It is also noteworthy for being an open source software as well as being cross-platform. If you are looking for a torrent software that has a few features but doesn’t bog you down with options you don’t need, qBittorrent is a good choice.
qBittorent has no ads or garbage. It's open-source, runs on Mac/Windows/Linux and looks like utorrent. I love it!
— Warcrusher for the People (@BuddhaPhi) July 25, 2016
They also have a number of unofficial search plug-ins created. The most useful ones link directly to The Pirate Bay and YTS.
Best customizable torrent software: Deluge
Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD UNIX
Deluge has been around for a long time. In that time, it has had a lot of plug-ins built for it. So much that writing a list of those plug-ins would be a whole article on its own. Here’s a summary:
- Automatic priority assessment
- Copying files to a different location when they are completed
- Automatic partial file deletion
- Scheduler which allows you not to download certain files
- Streaming audio or video while downloading
Deluge offers you the chance to highly customize your torrent software to your needs. Die-hard users of this torrent software have a highly personalized version which appeals to the exact way by which they want to download torrents.
Users have the option to:
- Do alphabetical downloading
- Download files to specific directories on their computer
- Adjust the speed according to current network conditions
- Create graphs of their torrent software’s performance
- Schedule their downloading
- Rename downloads by batch
- Integrate with Chrome and Firefox
The stock version of Deluge is still quite useful. If you want a piece of torrent software that grows with you as you advance, you can start with this basic software and build from there.
Best lightweight torrent software: Tixati
Available on: Windows, Linux
If you want a truly lightweight piece of torrent software, it doesn’t get much more stripped down than Tixati. It is so stripped down, you might feel like you are running something in MS-DOS. Adding to the feeling of simplicity is the fact that there are no ads; it runs off donations.
Do not let its simplicity fool you. It will still allow you to enjoy these features:
- Outgoing bandwidth throttle
- Get detailed views of the torrent swarm
- Use magnet links
- See advanced bandwidth charting
- Peer connection encryption
- Bitfield graphs to see file completeness at a glance
- Moving files to a different partition even while downloading
Tixati runs on Linux and Windows. It even has a version that runs directly off a USB.
Tixati for External Media: This portable version of Tixati is meant to run on a USB flash drive or other portable… http://t.co/Y7O4Guj1
— SofoPAC (@sofopac) December 12, 2011
Mac users though are out of luck. Take a look at the next torrent software if you need torrent software for your Mac.
Best torrent software for Mac or Linux: Transmission
Available on: Mac, Windows, Linux
The first three pieces of torrent software listed above is going to be used on both Mac and PC. But if you want something that was built from the ground up for your Mac, then Transmission is your choice. It was built from donations and has no ads. That’s why many users enjoy this.
Other features which Transmission users use include:
- Speed limits
- Magnet link support
- Encryption
- Port forwarding
- Web seed support
- Browser-based remote control plug-ins
- Remote control plug-ins for Android, BlackBerry, iOS
All these are done in a very fast and lightweight piece of software that is perfect for your Mac. As mentioned in the subheading, it works just as well for those for Linux. It is the same torrent software, but it was built from the ground up for your Linux.
Then in 2016, a version was finally released for Windows:
Mac's best torrent client is finally here for Windows #transmission https://t.co/Ju3GmlsSMx pic.twitter.com/F7MRYCt17n
— WonderHowTo (@WonderHowTo) March 28, 2016
Choose the best torrent software
No single piece of software could be classified as the best torrent software. Above we looked at five different pieces of software that had their own strengths:
- Vuze: For overall torrent needs.
- qBittorrent: Middle-of-the-road software for the average user.
- Deluge: Highly customizable software for an advanced user.
- Tixati: The most stripped down torrent software.
- Transmission: For your Mac or Linux needs.
Every single person who wants to download torrents can choose one from the five above and have an excellent piece of software for downloading. Be sure to read our guide on DMCA notices so that you can protect yourself while using torrent software.