BitTorrent is still a reliable and pretty fast way to download large files. It might not be the best method out there, but sometimes it sure is the easiest. The clients are straightforward enough and the files are easy to come by. A while ago, we gave you a list of the best BitTorrent clients for Linux. You can also make use of our handy torrent guide.
Today, I will give you a list of the best Bit Torrent clients out there right now – each suited for somewhat different needs. However this list is not about the small technical aspects of each client, but is rather aimed at the average person who wishes to download files using BitTorrent.
Tixati [Windows & Linux]
Tixati is a fairly new BitTorrent client that would appeal to beginner and veteran torrent users alike. The interface is very slick and easy to use, and if you’re not sure what every little thing means, you can easily focus on what you know.
Tixati can supports magnet links, DHT and all the other usual things such as RSS. It’s highly customizable, with a wide array of bandwidth throttling options, different download and upload priorities and impressive control over user interface. With all those options in mind, Tixati is also aimed at beginners, and keeps prompting you with helpful messages and tips as well as the most important settings which you have to configure.
Deluge [Windows, Mac & Linux]
Deluge is a minimalist BitTorrent client with far less options than Tixati, but it will definitely appeal to those who simply want to download torrents and maybe glance at some statistics.
The interface is simple enough to use, although no helpful tips are provided for beginners. Deluge is a bit of a hefty download as it requires you to download and install the GTK+ runtime environment. If this is not a problem for you, Deluge offers all the usual basic features such as bandwidth throttling, and a set of plugins you can install to increase its functionality (RSS, for example, is supported only though a plugin).
Try this client if all you want to do is download, or if you’ve been around torrents for a while and don’t mind working a bit for customization.
Vuze [Windows, Mac & Linux]
If you’re looking for a bit torrent client that will download torrents and that’s it, please don’t try Vuze. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Vuze did something different than most other clients – they offer much, much more than just downloading torrents.
Vuze ia a Java application (decide for yourself whether this is a pro or a con) which you can use to do anything from playing HD media, to searching for files; from playing games to managing RSS subscriptions. It even integrates with your iTunes library. Too much? It might be, but if you’re looking for an all-around solution, Vuze is a terrific option. Despite all these features, the regular torrent options are still rather accessible.
Download Vuze if it seems just too good to be true. Beware of the third party software it offers on installation, though.
uTorrent [Windows, Mac & Linux]
It’s hard to compile a list like this without mentioning uTorrent. uTorrent is probably the best-known BitTorrent client, and it still works very well. But despite its name (micro), uTorrent doesn’t feel so tiny anymore. It seems to have gone though a bloating process in the past few years, and is now a full-blown BitTorrent client for the masses, complete with third-party programs you need to opt out from during installation.
These problems aside, it’s still a very good BitTorrent client which offers everything from DHT and magnet links to drag-and-drop interface for adding files. By way of helping newbies, uTorrent offers a Setup Guide which helps you test your network and configure it in order to get the best performance. This is pretty useful even if you already know what you’re doing. uTorrent also offers a rating system to help other users know which torrents are better than others.
If you think you can stomach the slight bloatedness of the client, be sure to give it a try.
Worth Mentioning: BitTorrent [Windows & Mac]
This is not really another client, as BitTorrent and uTorrent are pretty much the same thing nowadays. Take uTorrent, change the main color from green to purple and jiggle the UI around a bit, and you get BitTorrent.
BitTorrent actually feels a bit less bloated, and offers about the same features as uTorrent does. The UI is cleaner, with less options in it, which could be a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it. BitTorrent is also not available for Linux (as far as I could see), which could be somewhat of a deal breaker for Linux users.
Bottom Line
I’m always in search for a balance between functionality and minimalism. When it comes to Bit Torrent clients, Tixati is the surprising winner for me. It has all the option an average person could want, but still feels lightweight enough and easy to understand.
Which client do you use? Have any recommendations for clients we missed? Share in the comments.
Image credit: Shutterstock
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Thanks for the heads up on Tixati. Very nice. It’s what uTorrent used to be. Been using BitTorrent until now and I’ve been getting fed up with the overload of information I don’t care for.
Yeah, I was surprised at how bloated uTorrent and BitTorrent have become. It’s a shame, really.
I’ve tried all the clients you have mentioned except Tixati (I’ll have to give it a shot, and my favorite client on Linux is still qBittorrent. It’s is light and fast and yet not light on features.
I love qBittorrent as well. It also works great on the mac
I use BitSpirit. It has mant features and is actively in development.
Thanks!
For windows i totally say: torrent monster
is awesome!!!
Thank you! I actually didn’t know about this one.
I liked uTorrent when I used Windows back in the day. But since I switched to Ubuntu I tried a few clients, but finally stayed with Transmission. I love its simplicity.
uTorrent i have to say has always been very faithful to me, and never given me any problems. No cons that i can think of.
Bitcomet is also one of the best torrent clients. I used to get better download speed than utorrent.
But it slows down the browsing speed, thats why i switched to utorrent, otherwise i will be using Bitcomet only.
.. or if current uTorrent is too bloated, use an older version!
Deluge wins out just because of the daemon/gui architecture for me, and it’s a pretty good client anyways.
I have tried a few and like uTorrent best; don’t find it bloated at all.
Interesting, I don’t hear mentioned BitComet from a long time now. Interesting because back in the day (3-4 years ago) this was one of the most used torrent clients. Of course i don’t use it now (utorrent), but I remember the days :)
Thank Ari, I tried out BitComet but it had quite large ads which the others lack, and I didn’t manage to get better speeds with it. This is why I didn’t include it in the list. It does look like a good client.
Exactly what I’ve been doing! It’s really too bad about what happened to them.