Top Torrent Clients 2019

The small and lightweight torrent client available for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android smartphones, uTorrent tops the list of file sharing program. The free version of uTorrent may come with ads, but has most of the features that one may need while torrenting. The pro version of uTorrent comes with streaming and premium customer support.

  1. Top 10 Torrent Clients 2019
  2. Top Bittorrent Sites 2019
  3. Top Torrent Clients 2019
  4. Top Torrent Clients 2019 Free

Deluge looks like most other BitTorrent clients when you first install it but don’t let its simple looks fool you. It’s a powerful BitTorrent client with some fantastic features. Deluge is designed to be a minimal BitTorrent client out of the gate, but hugely extensible through the use of plugins. The company behind it offers some official. The Best BitTorrent Clients for 2019. BitTorrent is a powerful protocol for downloading everything from perfectly legit content to the shadiest stuff on the web. The best torrent clients include qBittorrent, Deluge, uTorrent, Vuze, BitTorrent, and many others we include in this list.

Cloud torrent clients are getting more and more popular every day, due to the security and privacy they provide for users while downloading torrents. They also offer extra features that standard clients do not provide. Since all the downloading happens in the cloud, on the company’s servers, you do not have to worry about mobile data. You can, therefore, use cloud torrent clients on your mobile devices. You just put in the torrent that you want to download, and the torrent client downloads it for you. After the successful fetching of the torrent, the user can download the torrent file to their phone or computer via a secure channel. Your Internet service provider does not see what you are downloading. This feature is why cloud torrent downloaders are ideal for users who have some kind of restrictions, whether it’s at work or governmental laws. Downloading torrents this way is faster, easier, and mainly more secure than your regular desktop clients.

Many companies provide cloud torrent downloaders, and at first glance, most of them look the same. Once you researched deeper into what they offer, you will find many differences. We tested 8 of the most popular cloud torrent clients on the market, and we have a complete analysis of them for you.

Security

Now, the most important thing when it comes to downloading torrents. All of the clients we tested provide encrypted connections between the user and the cloud system. Torrents are never downloaded on the user’s side. Everything is downloaded on the company’s servers, so they use their dedicated IP for torrent downloading. The users’ IP is never exposed to the world.

A VPN is not needed at all. As a matter of fact, it would slow down the download speed from the cloud storage to your device. Clients like Seedr and Bitport offer extra security in the form of a built-in antivirus, which scans every single downloaded file for viruses.

Torrent downloading

In cloud torrent clients, there are two types of downloading. The first one is torrent fetching to cloud storage, and the second one is downloading offline to a users device. In torrent fetching, we found huge differences between the many different clients. With the eight we tried, we tested the downloading of the same files, which came from public trackers. These two files had 700mb and 5gb. We also tried the same with private trackers. Overall, four torrents were tested, with each one of them having at least 50 active seeders. The fastest clients were Nody and Bitport, both of them even downloaded at high speeds from private trackers.

On the other hand, some had major problems with the download speed. One of them, Streamza, was unable to download from private trackers at all. Seedr was also unable to download from a private tracker but was rather fast in downloading smaller files from public trackers. Well-known Boxopus also downloaded from public trackers really fast but extremely slow from private trackers.

Offline downloading is the downloading of the successfully fetched torrents to the user’s device. The huge advantage here was Bitport and Seeder, who have their servers all around the world. For the maximum download speed, it is important to choose a server that is closest to you. Bitport finds this server by itself.

Design

You can usually guess a quality client just based on the design. Nody has the best design, which offers a user-friendly cloud and shows posters for each torrent file. It is a very handy feature. You can also find a nice design in Bitport, who thrives in a user-friendly experience. Another noteworthy client is Megabox, which offers many elegant animations. A slightly above average is Boxopus, which has a minimalistic design and a great logo. Next in line would be Seedr, which has a lot of problems with formatting various web elements, and the design is not consistent at all. It looks like Seedr created many designs at the same time and used little bits and pieces of each. Furk and Zbigz have a utilitarian design, but it is very outdated now. The worst design by far has Streamza. It looks like a big mess with a lot of the links not working.

Video player

This tool is very useful if you want to stream the videos right from the web without having to download anything to your computer. Unfortunately, some clients do not offer this feature at all. Boxopus lacks this feature completely, while Zbigz, Furk, and Streamza have a video player with only the basic features. They do not include extra features like SD/HD playback and subtitles. Next, Seedr, Nody, and Streamza contain the previously mentioned features with Seedr also, offering a live streaming feature. The best video player is from Bitport. Although it doesn’t have the fastest converting, it streams all types of videos, including 4k in 60fps.

Extra features

It is important to also look at the extra features when picking a torrent client. Most of the clients have a browser plugin which you can use to add torrents directly to the client with one click in the browser. Next is a mobile phone app. It usually offers the viewing of the videos, and some offer the ability to download offline. Boxopus, Streamza, Bitport, and Furk provide Android app. The iOS app is offered by Bitport only, which also provides an app for Apple TV.

We are sure you can imagine a situation where you need to download some files to your Dropbox or Google Drive instead of your computer. Downloading to Google Drive is offered by Bitport and Boxopus, who also provides a download to Box. Bitport is the best when it comes to automatization. They offer an RSS feed, which automatically downloads new torrents to your cloud, which can also be combined with their PC sync client. Seedr, Bitport, and Zbigz offer an interesting affiliate program.

Reliability

If you try to download ten torrents, and only seven of them get downloaded, then you really cannot rely on the torrent client. We recommend that you find reviews of others before paying for a torrent client. Some clients, for example, Boxopus, have a lot of server outages, so you have to be careful. If your desired torrent client offers a trial plan, then definitely try it before buying the full version.

Results

The results, based on our tests, are following.

The best cloud torrent client is Bitport.io, especially for its extra features, reliability and the fast download speeds. The second is Nody.me. It has a nice design with a social sharing feature. The third is Megabox, which combines a great overall experience from a start to the end.

Rating
Links

96


85


76


72


69


67


60


54

What do you think? Do you have the same experience? Let us know in the comments below.

The world might be gravitating to online streaming, but peer-to-peer file sharing through torrents remains ever-popular. It's important to stay safe while torrenting by using a virtual private network (VPN), even when sharing something entirely legal, but which clients are the best for the job?

ProPrivacy has compared several BitTorrent clients out there to find the cream of the crop, so you don't have to! Keep reading to discover which one is best for you.

What are the best BitTorrent clients?

There are many BitTorrent clients out there to choose from and not all of them were built equal. Take a look at what ProPrivacy considers the best of the best to torrent with:

qBitTorrent

qBitTorrent is the best torrenting client out there, being both open source and full of features

PROS

  • Open source
  • Lightweight
  • Efficient
  • Can bind to VPN
  • Fully featured

CONS

  • Can't think of any

As a long-term Vuze fan, it took quite something for this lightweight open source BitTorrent client to replace Vuze on my desktop. One reason I stuck with Vuze for so long is the ability to bind the torrent client to my VPN interface.

Although not strictly necessary if your VPN software features a kill switch, I have always appreciated this extra layer of security. It prevents the client downloading torrents when the VPN is not active.

qBitTorrent not only supports this feature, it makes it much easier to implement. This was a big factor in me making the change, as was qBitTorrent’s lean-and-mean 100 MB or less install size (exact size depending on platform). There is no bloat with qBitTorrent!

Despite this, qBitTorrent features just about everything most torrenters will need. This includes BitTorrent protocol encryption, torrent prioritization, torrent querying, selective content download, torrent creation, remote access, and RSS subscription. You can search for torrents from within the client, and the built-in media player is handy.

qBitTorrent is 100% free and ad-free. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. For a more detailed look at this excellent software, including instructions on how to bind qBittorrent to your VPN interface, please check out 5 Best VPNs for qBittorrent.

Transmission

Transmission has overcome older problems to build a reputation for itself as a great torrent client

PROS

  • Open source
  • Lightweight
  • Tons of features
  • Pretty
  • Available natively on many obscure OSs

CONS

  • Not much (vulnerability should be fixed by the time most of you read this)

Transmission started life as a Mac and Linux-only BitTorrent client, where it built up a formidable reputation. Windows users can now also get in on the act. Although a very capable BitTorrent client, the main draw of Transmission is its beautiful user interface, complete with Growl notifications for Mac users.

But it’s not all about looking pretty. Transmission features webseed support, BitTorrent protocol encryption, watch directories, tracker editing, global and per-torrent speed limits, and more. It also supports optional add-ons that can expand its feature-set. These include RSS subscription tools and a Kodi plugin.

Transmission has recently hit the headlines thanks to a vulnerability that can be exploited by hackers. I discuss this a little later in the article, but a patch is available, and the issue is very easy to fix yourself, anyway. I have therefore decided to not let this problem affect Transmission’s ranking in this 5 Best guide.

Clients

Transmission is 100% free and open source. It is available for Windows, Mac OSX/macOS, Linux (many distros), FreeBSD, Gentoo, and more.

The Transmission Vulnerability

A security researcher discovered a flaw in Transmission that could allow hackers to execute malicious code on targets’ computers. In theory, this could allow them to completely take over the infected system.

The flaw took advantage of lax security in Transmission’s remote web access feature. Note that this is a proof of concept attack, and there has been no evidence of it being exploited in the wild. The current version of Transmission has already implemented a fix.

Alternatively, if you wanted to be sure, the flaw is easy enough to fix for yourself. If you don’t use the remote web access feature, simply turn it off! Go to Preferences -> Remote and uncheck 'Enable remote access.” If you do use the remote web access feature, then change the default password to something secure. Easy!

Note that the security researcher who discovered the flaw has hinted that other BitTorrents clients may also be vulnerable. It is probably a good idea to check similar settings in whatever client you are using.

Vuze

Vuze might not be as lightweight as others in this list, but its feature-packed approach will appeal to some

PROS

  • Ridiculously fully featured
  • Can bind downloads to VPN
  • Lots of plugins available to increase functionality
  • Built-in video player
  • Great Android apps

CONS

  • Somewhat bulky and resource-heavy
  • Ads
  • Tries to install crapware
  • Only partially open source
  • Interface could be prettier and more intuitive

Vuze is a granddaddy of BitTorrent clients. It is no longer open source, and it creaks somewhat under the weight of its myriad features. It is, in other words, the polar opposite of lightweight clients such as qBitTorrent.

But who said a shed load of features is necessarily a bad thing? Most torrenters will never use all the tools available, but there is really almost nothing Torrent-related that Vuze can’t do. This includes being able to bind Vuze to your VPN adapter, but also loads more funky stuff such as content discovery through automated subscriptions, having an integrated media player, remote management, and much more.

You can convert files to multiple formats using Vuze’s drag-and-drop interface and analyse your downloads using a wealth of statistics and visualizations. Vuze is a power user’s dream.

On the downside, Vuze is resource-heavy and rather ugly (especially when compared to Transmission!) Its clunky interface is also showing its age. This situation is not helped by the inclusion of ads in the free version, or by the fact that you need to be careful during installation if you do not want to also install a load of crapware.

Although Vuze is primarily free, a premium version is also available for $29.90 USD per year. A Vuze Plus subscription removes the ads and provides built-in anti-virus scanning, a DVD burner, and 'play now' support. It is, admittedly, pretty funky!

This also brings me to the point that, despite its open source roots, Vuze is now closed source proprietary software. It is worth noting that reports of Vuze’s demise appear to be very premature. Vuze 5.7.6.0 was released in October 2017 and is fully functional.

Unlike the desktop client, the excellent Android app is lightweight and ad-free. A pro version is now available via in-app purchase (about $4), but I have been unable to determine what features this adds (and am too skinflint to shell out the money necessary to find out!).

Vuze Remote is a handy app for Android that allows you remote control your desktop torrent downloads.

Vuze is available for Windows, Mac OSX/macOS, Linux, and Android.

Popcorn Time

Popcorn Time has taken a leaf from Netflix's streaming book to present a video-only torrenting service

PROS

  • Instant streaming of high quality BitTorrent content!
  • Open source
  • Very smart interface
  • Chromecast, Airplay and DLNA support
  • Available on just about every platform

CONS

  • Only for video content

All the other programs on this list are BitTorrent clients. You download a .torrent file or click on a magnet link, and the content downloads to your computer where it is stored locally.

Popcorn Time is different; It is an open source app that uses BitTorrent technology to stream high quality video content to all major platforms. This means that unlike with traditional BitTorrent clients, you can watch a film or show without waiting for the download to complete. You might be thinking 'is Popcorn time safe?' While it can be dangerous for your computer, using a VPN can keep your machine secure.

It is notable for having a very slick and intuitive interface, and for providing access to a huge library of up-to-date content.

2019

Although primarily a streaming platform, content can also be downloaded locally (and some content is always cached). Various versions (forks) of Popcorn Time are available, but I strongly advise only using one of the forks recommended in Best VPN for Popcorn Time guide.

Specific features vary a little depending on which fork you use, but steaming to your big-screen TV via Chromecast, Airplay and DLNA is pretty standard.

Popcorn Time is free, and respectable versions are free from ads and other crapware. It available for Windows, Mac OSX/macOS, Linux, and Android. PopcornTime.to even has an iOS VPN App that can be installed without jailbreaking your device.

Deluge

Deluge has no ads, compared to some of the more popular torrent clients out there

PROS

  • Open source
  • Lightweight
  • Lots of features
  • Expandable via plugins (incl. RSS)

CONS

  • Less fully featured than some other clients

Like qBitTorrent, Deluge is a fairly conventional but lightweight and open source BitTorrent client. Its feature list is not huge, but should be more than enough to satisfy most users. Features include remote web management and support for magnet links.

Functionality can be further extended with a range of both in-house and third-party plugins. Highlights include plugins for RSS support, Growl notifications, streaming while downloading, and more.

Deluge is completely FOSS, with no ads or crapware. It is available for Windows, OSX, Linux (various distros), and FreeBSD.

Check out our 5 best Deluge VPNs page for a list of the best services to use with this BitTorrent client.

Why not uTorrent or BitTorrent?

uTorrent and its almost-identical sibling, the official BitTorrent client, remain the most popular BitTorrent clients in the world. It is, therefore, reasonable to ask why I have not included it in this best 5 BitTorrent list. Please note the different between BitTorrent as a protocol and the BitTorrent client to avoid confusion.

Both uTorrent and BitTorrent are closed source and supported by ads. These ads can be turned off if you delve deep enough into the software’s settings, but this is still very irritating. It is my personal view that this means uTorrent has all the disadvantages of Vuze, but not as many useful features.

So if you want a slightly clunky closed-source ad-supported BitTorrent client, but one that compensates for this by offering a wealth of features, then use Vuze. Other opinions are available.

What is BitTorrent?

BitTorrent is a popular peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing protocol. Instead of being stored on a centralized server from which you download, torrented files are shared among many other BitTorrent users. Popular files can easily be shared among hundreds of users in this way.

When you 'download” (which is something of a misnomer when it comes to torrenting) a file using the BitTorrent protocol, what you are actually doing is sharing small pieces of it with everyone else who is downloading that same file.

A file is 'downloaded” once you have all the pieces needed to reassemble that file. It is considered good form to 'seed” (continue sharing) the file for a while after it has been downloaded, in order to help others reach 100% completion.

Why use a Client?

Although still very popular, BitTorrent use has declined somewhat in recent years. This is in part thanks to the wealth of legal streaming options available from providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, hulu, and many more. The popularity of illegal options, such as Kodi and streaming websites, is also a factor. For top tips and the best VPN for Streaming, take a look at the guides below:

The more traditional method of downloading using a BitTorrent client, however, continues to offer some major advantages:

Top 10 Torrent Clients 2019

  • BitTorrent content is downloaded locally, so it is available forever and can be easily physically transferred between devices.
  • Literally, any kind of digital content can be download – not just video content. This includes software, images, eBook, games, and… you name it!
  • But when it does come to video content, the quality is often considerably higher than streamed content. This is because there is no need to keep file sizes down to avoid buffering issues, since content is played locally.
  • BitTorrent is a very efficient and resource-light way to share and promote your own content with others.

Many Linux distros find torrent links are the best way to distribute their software without having to host it on costly servers.

Use a VPN when torrenting

BitTorrent content is shared among multiple home computers. This is not good for privacy because sharing files with a bunch of other random 'downloaders” on the internet is hardly private.

Using the right software (which includes many popular BitTorrent clients), it is very easy to see the unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of every other person also sharing ('downloading”) the same file.

As demonstrated in Vuze above, I can see the IP addresses of every other person who is downloading the same files as me.

Is torrenting legal?

Yes, torrenting is entirely legal, while the content you share might not be. Torrenting is just a protocol that allows you to share things peer-to-peer. Since laws differ around the world, it's difficult to say what is legal and what isn't, although sharing copyrighted material without the express permission of the owner almost always errs on the side of illegal.

It's pretty easy to catch those that torrent illegally shared content, because the nature of torrenting means your IP address is on show to anyone else sharing the file. All the copyright holder, or a third party representing them, would need to do is notify your internet service provider (ISP) to take legal action against you.

Clients

This is why it is important to use a VPN to protect yourself online.

Why should I use a VPN when torrenting?

Top

A VPN will protect you while downloading because:

  • A VPN will hide your IP address from other downloaders. As mentioned in the previous section, torrenting puts your IP address on display for others that are sharing the file. Connecting to a VPN server masks your IP address to protect your privacy.
  • A VPN encrypts all internet traffic between your computer and the VPN server. This means that your ISP cannot see what you've been getting up to online. Of course, deep packet inspection will reveal that you have been downloading, but they will be none the wiser as to what.

VPNs with robust logging policies will have nothing to hand over to the authorities, no matter what pressure they may come under. A VPN will also unblock websites if they are censored for any reason.

So as long as P2P is permitted, a VPN is very effective at protecting your privacy while downloading.

For a more in-depth look at how VPNs work, please check out VPNs for Beginners – What You Need to Know. For a more in-depth guide to using a VPN while torrenting, check out Best VPN for Torrenting guide.

BitTorrent protocol encryption

Some BitTorrent clients support BitTorrent protocol encryption. These include Transmission, qBitTorrent, and Vuze. It is a feature designed to hide the fact that you are torrenting from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

VPNs also do this, as well as hiding your real IP address from other torrent users and anyone else watching on the internet. Furthermore:

Analysis of the BitTorrent protocol encryption has shown that statistical measurements of packet sizes and packet directions of the first 100 packets in a TCP session can be used to identify the obfuscated protocol with over 96% accuracy.

This means that even the most basic Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) techniques can determine that you are using BitTorrent. Now, it is true that DPI can also easily detect VPN use (unless obfuscated), but while there are many legitimate reasons to use a VPN, there is only one reason to use BitTorrent protocol encryption…

Using BitTorrent protocol encryption is therefore probably better than using nothing at all, but using a VPN provides much better protection while downloading.

How do I use a BitTorrent client?

One reason for the popularity of online streaming services (including via the use of Kodi boxes) is the perception that torrenting is a geeky pastime that requires technical know-how. In reality, however, torrenting is very easy:

  1. Download and install a BitTorrent client from the list above.
  2. (Optional but strongly recommended) Ensure you have a VPN running. This will bypass censorship of torrent sites, hide your IP from others you fileshare with, and hide your downloads from your ISP. Check out our VPN for Torrents guide for a list of recommended services.
  3. Visit a BitTorrent website. These websites host links to torrent files. You can browse for content that interests you, or search for something specific. Many websites include user-reviews of torrents, which can help you pick good torrents.
  4. When you have found the content you want, simply click on the torrent link or magnet link. The torrent will open in your BitTorrent client and begin downloading.
  5. When the download is 100% completed, enjoy! Some BitTorrent clients have media-players built-in, but VLC will play pretty much any media file you can throw at it.

Seeding

BitTorrent is a decentralized file-sharing platform. In order for it to work, users share files with other users. This happens while you download a file, but it is considered good form to leave your BitTorrent client open after you have finished downloading a file in order to benefit other users.

This is called seeding, and it is considered good netiquette to seed to a ratio of at least 1:1 (i.e. upload the same amount of data you downloaded). Most BitTorrent clients will display the seed ratio of downloaded files.

Other Stuff

You don’t need to know much more about torrenting than the information provided above. If you ever wish to explore the subject further, however, this glossary is a good introduction to the jargon used.

Movie torrents, in particular, have a great deal of jargon associated with them. To make informed decisions about the content you plan to download, it is useful to familiarize yourself with it.

Top Bittorrent Sites 2019

One thing to watch out for on public torrent sites is sponsored links. These are often prominently displayed and are deliberately designed to confuse. They typically point to either commercial direct download sites or Usenet services. Look for a link that specifically says 'Torrent” or 'Magnet Link.”

Find the best torrent sites

Findinf the best torrent sites can be quite difficult these days due to the blocks ISPs imposes on these websites. However, check out our best torrent sites article for a list of our favorite in 2021.

Conclusion

If anything, the torrenting crowd is over-served by great BitTorrent clients! Indeed, this top five list hardly even scrapes the surface of the many that are available. The fact that most of them are free and open source software (FOSS) warms the cockles of my heart!

Top Torrent Clients 2019

With such a wealth of options available, I’m sure many of you will have a favorite that is not listed here. If so, do please write in to tell me and other readers why you think it is so great!

Get 3 months free
  • Fastest VPN we test
  • Servers in 94 countries
  • Unblocks Netflix, iPlayer and more
23hours
25seconds
Get ExpressVPN 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

The fastest VPN we test, unblocks everything, with amazing service all round

Longtime top ranked VPN, with great price and speeds

One of the largest VPNs, voted best VPN by Reddit

Top Torrent Clients 2019 Free

Strong presence, no-logs policy

Comments are closed.