Best Torrent Apps for Mac, PC, Android
We can help you find the best torrent apps regardless of what device you are using and if you prefer to download or stream.
A torrent file acts like a key to start downloading say a movie online. The file itself has been fragmented among multiple users and you need a piece of software that can open the file, find the location of the seeders who are sharing that file, and then download and compile the different parts into the final file (movie, TV show, software, game, etc).
When choosing the best torrent client, you want a mixture of speed and functionality. You don’t download a massive piece of clunky software that has tons of functions you will never use. You also don’t want something that is so lightweight you can’t do everything you need to do.
So, let’s look at our top picks for the best torrent applications
Vuze
(Mac, PC, and Linux)
Vuze is built on Azureus clients and is arguably the best free torrent client out there. Still relatively new it is growing in popularity due to its massive library of feature-adding plugins, social features, and intuitive design. The large plugin library allows for the software to come in a lightweight package with maximum customization.
While most people use the free version, you also have the option to pay an annual license fee to enable Vuze Plus if you don’t want to see ads. The list price for the license fee is $39.99, but it is frequently on sale for around $10. Other features include the ability to preview files, and a handy virus scanner function, which is a must-have when downloading unknown files. It is always good to scan a file before you open it.
Vuze offers great functionality, a slick and simple user design that makes it more than amply qualified for our best torrent apps list. For more advanced users you can also integrate Tor. Maybe a bit too complex for a complete beginner but a great package.
You can also connect Vuze to your VPN adapter and search for content, which is a great bonus. Read our article on the best VPNs for torrents if you currently don’t subscribe to a service. This is an area where is better to be safe than sorry. Torrents leave your ISP-assigned IP address visible to the world. This is particularly precarious when uploading as that is what gets you in trouble. ISP’s are legally obligated to send copyright infringement claims when they receive notices from the content owners. If you receive enough of these claims within a given period of time, they will turn off your Internet connection.
QBittorrent
(Mac, PC, and Linux)
QBittorrent was first created in 2006 and remains a great starter option for someone new to torrenting. It’s ideal because it covers the essentials and not much else. Features include magnet links, private torrents, torrent creation, port forwarding, IPv6 support, super-seeding, and bandwidth scheduler. You can also download additional plug-ins if you want to add more features, just be aware that it doesn’t have the same extensive library of Vuze or uTorrent.
What has made Qbit a community favorite is the fact that all of its code is open-source, which makes it hackable and fixable and also allows developers to design better add ons to complement the existing code and overcome problems. Open source code is great for inspiring a community and encouraging people to crowd share fixes to known bugs.
A massive upside of Qbit is that it has no ads. As a truly open-source piece of software, you can donate if you want to, but it means you are going to get a simpler experience. The software is updated regularly, and it is fast and lightweight.
Although the interface and website are a bit dated, this is still a powerful option. I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that QBittorent also offers support for IP filtering tools like Peer Guardian and Peer Block. While these tools are better than nothing when it comes to privacy, you should still consider using a VPN or seedbox to be safe.
Deluge
(Mac, PC, and Linux)
Deluge offers an enormous library of plugins making it one of the more powerful pieces of software available for torrents. Just like Qbit it is open source but seems to have gotten a bit more TLC and community support. It was originally released in 2006 and has supported magnet links since 2009. The developers’ goals are to provide a secure, feature-rich platform in a lightweight package. Deluge is well known for creating methods to defeat bandwidth throttling attempts by ISP’s, like Comcast.
You can also enjoy the experience ad-free, and gain access to a host of official and unofficial plugins, as well as extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
The user interface is minimalist, smooth, and really easy to use. The software itself is lightweight and offers the capability to either be a simple torrent client or to be customized endlessly by more advanced users who want to adapt this client for daily use.
You also get the option to encrypt your inbound and outbound traffic. Though one drawback of Deluge is that it has no inbuilt search function for content.
ReviewVPN cannot attest to the legality, security and privacy of the applications discussed on this site. It is highly recommended that you use a VPN service while streaming or using Kodi. Currently, your IP 129.226.177.116 is visible to everyone and your Browser is being tracked by Advertisers & ISP Provider. Here are the main reasons why you must use a VPN: A VPN works be replacing your ISP-assigned IP address and creating an encrypted tunnel. We recommend the no log service offered by IPVanish. It works well on a Firestick and offers the fastest possible speeds.
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uTorrent
(Mac, PC, Linux, and Android)
uTorrent was once the most popular free torrent client online. A lot of users jumped ship when BitTorrent bought uTorrent. Their main complaint was that the software became inundated with a large amount of advertising which really ruined the user experience.
uTorrent still has a lot going for it. It is one of the most lightweight applications going with a tiny 3MB footprint. Making it extremely fast to run, you can also integrate it with your Android device. As well as having a cool auto-shutdown function, which means it will shut down your computer once your downloads have been completed.
What really holds uTorrent back and why it is losing ground is that there are a lot of ads, no search function built into the client. Also, there is a lot of third-party adware, which slows it down if you look under the hood.
Also, since BitTorrent bought it, it doesn’t seem to be getting much love in terms of updates, meaning the software will get more dated over time. It seems BitTorrent bought it more to kill a competitor than integrate it with its own software. That said, one of the nicest features is the ability to play videos within the client itself. This can create an experience similar to Popcorn Time.
BitTorrent
(Mac, PC, Linux, and Android)
You would expect a lot from the official BitTorrent client. After all, the name is synonymous with torrent. Unfortunately, apart from the ease of use, there is a lot to be desired. It has become bloated as BitTorrent has moved to really monetize it as much as possible. There are a lot of adverts as well as software packages which are pushed on you as you use the application, though you can avoid a lot of it.
The main feature of BitTorrent is that it is extremely light coming in at around 1MB. It also has excellent search features. Other pluses are that the software is simple and easy to use, which makes it ideal for first time users. It is also highly configurable. For the streamers in the group, it is capable of playing video files once they start downloading from magnet links within the software itself. Streaming on the fly requires paying for the Pro version though.
BitTorrent is great for convenience and as expected you can access a wide library of content, so it’s great for beginners but once you get the hang of it, chances are you will look elsewhere for a less ad bloated piece of software. Prices range from free for the ad-filled version all the way up to $69.95 a year for the Pro version with a VPN included. You can also pay just $4.95 a year to remove the ads or $19.95 for the Pro version sans VPN.
Flud
(Android – Tablet and Phone)
Flud is a great addition to the torrent space out of India. It only comes in an Android version, but it is wildly popular with almost 300,000 reviews currently in the Play Store with an average rating of 4.6. It does contain ads, but they aren’t obnoxious and there is also a version without ads for a very reasonable $1.49.
Features include support for magnet links and RSS feeds. It also has encryption support and support for IP filters, like Peer Guardian and Peer Block. Since many users are on their phones, you can select in the settings whether or not to allow it to download from just WiFi or to also use cellular data. The app supports large files for 4GB+. It also has UI features designed for tablets and phones. A start-stop timer also allows users to schedule their torrents. All these great features allowed Flud to gain a well-deserved spot on our list of the best torrent apps.
Our biggest concern regarding this app is that the last update was in 2017. As torrents begin to wane in popularity with the rise of Web-based streaming, it wouldn’t be surprising if developers this talented were able to focus on more lucrative efforts. This would be a shame for the community.
BiglyBT
(Android – Tablet, Phone, Chromebook & Android TV)
BiglyBT is free, open-source, and most importantly ad-free. It is a branch of the open-source Vuze / Azureus clients. The latest update was also just a few months ago, so consider development on this app as highly active. It offers a unique swarm merging feature for faster downloads and repairs without seeds. Users can also pick specific files from within the torrent they want before starting the download. Light and dark themes are available. The app can also be remotely accessed for those in the group who like to control their downloads while they are at work. All these great features combine to make one of the best free torrent apps available.
Other Best Torrent Apps
- Transdrone – lets you manage torrents on a home server or seedbox.
- LibreTorrent great free Android app based on libtorrent.
- aTorrent is another great free Android app.
Final Thoughts
Finding the best torrent apps for your purposes is a daunting process. This is a market that seems to stand still while constantly changing at the same time. In fact, the majority of the clients on our list are more than 10 years old at this point. The good news is most of the apps are consistently adding new features with on-the-fly video streaming becoming an ever more critical component.
Doomsday forecasts about the death of torrents are unlikely to ever be accurate. While popularity has waned from the heyday when it was the most popular way to download movies and music on the Internet, P2P isn’t going anywhere. It is an inexpensive way for the community to share large amounts of data around the world. It is also much vulnerable to the government or other powerful efforts to end the transmission of data.
Whether you are new to torrents or as old school as they come, I say keep it up. I do highly recommend doing it safely though. I strongly recommend using either a VPN or a seedbox to protect your privacy. IPVanish is currently our number one rated VPN service. They offer fast speeds, cheap prices, and zero-logs for maximum privacy. As added bonuses, it can also be used to access geographically restricted content like the BBC, HBO, Hulu, Spotify, etc. Think about it.
