A torrent is an efficient peer-to-peer (p2p) file-sharing solution that many people use to access games, movies, software, and many other file types online. Downloading files using a torrent, however, requires two key steps: Get the torrent file from a torrent website first, then use a torrent client to connect with peers sharing the torrent to start downloading the file you seek.
It is simple to download torrents because there are numerous sites from which you may do so, but the question is which torrent client is best for MacOS. This is because Apple can be restrictive about which applications are compatible with its operating systems, so it might be hard to find a torrent client for MacOS that works.
Since torrents can only be downloaded on any device with the help of a torrent client, we tested a number of torrent downloaders for Mac and hand-picked the most well-featured ones that are also compatible with Mac computers. So we will discuss the best torrent clients for MacOS below to make it easier for users to choose which torrent client to use on their Mac computer.
What Are the Best Torrent Clients for MacOS?
Since a torrent only carries details about the file you wish to download, downloading the file you seek requires a torrent client. Here are the best safe and fast torrent clients you can use to download/upload torrents on Mac computers:
qBittorrent – Overall Best Torrent Client for Mac
qBittorrent is a free and open-source torrent client for MacOS that has been around for a while and has consistently been an excellent torrent downloader.
Even if you’ve never used torrent to access files before, it’s suitable for anyone thanks to its user-friendly and well-organized UI. Since it has so many cutting-edge features, qBittorrent is the ideal torrent client for Mac.
Sequential downloading is one of its features, which enables you to stream media files as they download. Furthermore, qBittorrent supports remote access, download scheduling, and Bittorrent extensions for extra functionality.
It supports both magnet links and the use of torrent files for downloading. This client shows all the torrent download information during a download, including the size, peers, seeds, and other statistics.
qBittorrent is accessible on Windows and Linux apart from MacOS, allowing you to use it on a variety of operating systems.
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Integrated search function
- Scheduling
- Multiple file transfer speed
Cons
- Its settings can be too complicated for torrent newbies
- It can be slow on older computers.
Transmission – Fastest Bittorrent Client for Mac
Transmission, a free, open-source torrent client for Mac, is one of the best alternatives for popular torrent clients like qBittorrent because of its advanced capabilities.
Transmission is remarkably simple to use even with its extensive features, which is one of the main reasons Ubuntu chose to make it the default torrent client for their operating system.
Another advantageous feature of this torrent client is that it is lightweight, which means it needs little RAM and can work well on older Mac computers.
Transmission has a visually pleasing UI, has simple customization options, and also has a variety of features, including remote access. It supports both add-ons and extensions, and it is one of the most stable torrent clients you will find.
You don’t need to be concerned about it working with your Mac because it easily connects with Mac computers, including the Apple Silicon Macs.
Pros
- Cross-platform compatibility
- Lightweight
- Visually pleasing UI
Con
- Integrated search engine
- No proxy server support
BitTorrent Web – Easy-to-Use Torrent Client for Mac
BitTorrent Web is a peculiar online torrent downloader designed to be used directly from your browser. You can download a variety of torrent files on your Mac computer with this reliable torrent client.
This torrent client for Mac is incredibly simple to use because it doesn’t require any configuration before you can start transferring torrent data; it is designed to begin doing this as soon as it is installed.
BitTorrent Web allows you to search for torrents directly from its profile, and apart from that, you can add torrent files to it or use magnet links to download files on it.
One of the best features of this torrent downloader is that it has a media player built in that lets you stream torrents. In addition, BitTorrent Web supports DHT and RSS feeds.
You should be aware that this torrent client only supports Macs running Catalina and lower at this time. It offers a Pro edition with a number of advanced features. The problem with this software is that its free edition has limitations and doesn’t provide adequate details about the torrent you are downloading.
Pros
- It is web-based, so less RAM will be consumed
- Easy to use
- It is secure
- Remote access
Cons
- Being web-based means, it has limited advanced features
- It has a paid version where the most advanced features are.
uTorrent Web – Best Web-based Torrent Client for MacOS
uTorrent Web is another browser-based torrent client available on all operating systems. It is also one of the best alternatives to the BitTorrent Web client and has similar features.
Among the torrent clients for Mac OS we are talking about in this article, uTorrent Web excels in terms of the user interface. The user interface is simple to use and uncluttered with unnecessary stuff.
It enables torrent searching directly from the client and has a bandwidth booster tool for faster torrent download speeds. In addition, uTorrent Web supports multi-downloading and lets you order downloads according to priority.
Furthermore, uTorrent Web offers a feature that is uncommon among torrent downloaders: the ability to play torrents, including audio and video ones, while they are still downloading. It comes in both a free and a pro version, but the free version is quite excellent. However, after using the free version, we discovered that it sometimes shows ads that can be annoying to users.
Pros
- Clean user interface
- Allows sequential download
- Allows you to play torrent while still downloading
Cons
- Sometimes shows ads
Vuze – Best Open Source Torrent Client
Vuze is a powerful and open-source torrent client for MacOS that is reliable and easy to use. Although Vuze isn’t extremely lightweight, that does not affect how it functions on computers. This torrent client has a very effective file management system and a built-in search engine.
Despite being free, Vuze is arguably the most feature-rich torrent client on the market. The free version includes ads, but it is still more than capable of satisfying your torrenting needs. The Pro edition removes ads and adds additional features, such as a built-in antivirus, DVD burning, and media playback while downloading a media torrent.
Pros
- It doubles as a full-fledged video player
- It has powerful features
- It uses encryption to protect your data
Cons
- The free version has ads
BiglyBT – Most Secure Torrent Client For Mac
BiglyBT, an open-source bittorrent client for MacOS with an extensive feature set, is a derivative of the Vuze open-source project. It has a simple and clear user interface and is an ad-free torrent client.
Among the features this torrent client has is the ability to set limits on downloads by peer set, tag, and even network. The client also enables remote access from Android devices to manage torrent files easily.
If you are concerned more about online privacy, BiglyBT will be the ideal torrent client to use because it offers superb security features like proxy searches and VPN detection for enhanced integration.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Wide range of customization options
- Secure program
- Frequently updated program
Cons
- Not as lightweight as some of its alternatives
Folx – Full-featured Mac Torrent Client
Folx is a powerful downloader that can be used to download torrents and other online files. This client has a user-friendly, clean, Mac-style interface.
It includes various features that make torrenting on your Mac computer easy and secure. This includes allowing you to prioritize downloads, break downloads into threads, support for magnet links, proxy server downloading, and many other features.
Folx, however, has a paid version that has extra features like built-in torrent search, multi-threading, download scheduling, and more. It is safe to assume that since this torrent client is compatible with all MacOS versions, it will work on your Mac computer.
Pros
- User-friendly client
- Fast torrent download
- Powerful features
Cons
- The free version has limited features
FrostWire – Best Free Torrent Client for Mac
If you are looking for a free, open-source, and feature-rich torrent client for MacOS, FrostWire is a great option. It not only serves as a torrent file downloader but also functions as a feature-rich and open-source torrent-sharing application.
FrostWire provides a smart search engine, enabling you to find even the rare torrent links without the need for a web browser. However, it doesn’t restrict you from using magnet URLs or torrent links from other sources to download torrents via FrostWire.
Furthermore, FrostWire offers a convenient built-in file manager and a media player, allowing you to preview and play torrents as they download. One of the many advantages of this torrent client is the ability to selectively download specific files from torrents or download the entire torrent as a whole.
Pros
- Feature-rich torrent client
- It has a smart search engine
- It is free
- It has a built-in file manager
Cons
- It is not lightweight
Deluge – Powerful Torrent Client for MacOS
Deluge is a great open-source torrent client for MacOS. It is resource-efficient and has a wealth of features, making it a good choice for anyone looking to download torrents on their Mac computers.
One of the best things about Deluge is its support for plugins for extra functionality. This includes features like local peer finding, encryption, and download limits per torrent.
The only downside to Deluge is that its user interface is a bit outdated. However, this is a minor issue considering all of the other great features that Deluge offers.
Overall, Deluge is a great torrent client for MacOS. It is powerful, efficient, and has a wide range of features. If you are looking for a reliable torrent client for your Mac, then Deluge is a great option
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Highly customizable
- It supports plugins
Cons
- It has a dated UI
What is a torrent client?
Some people might consider it insufficient to talk about the best torrent clients to use on your Mac computer without addressing why a torrent client is needed in the first place. When I first started using torrents to download files, I also didn’t understand why I had to add magnet links or torrent files to a torrent client in order to start downloading the files that I wanted.
I later understand that a magnet link and a torrent file provide information about the file you wish to download. However, the only way to get the file from the peer-to-peer network is by using a torrent client.
A torrent client establishes a connection with a tracker, a server that keeps track of the peers downloading a specific file. The tracker then provides the torrent client with the IP addresses of the peers currently sharing the torrent file you are downloading so that the torrent client can begin downloading the file(s) from them.
To keep the P2P network alive, torrent clients also help with uploading and seeding torrents.
How do I download torrents on MacOS
If you are using a Mac computer and wants to download torrent on it, here are the steps to do so:
- Install a VPN on your device and launch it to hide your IP address and location.
- Visit one of the popular torrent sites and search for the movie you want to download.
- Select the movie link with a good number of seeders and download the torrent file or copy the magnet link.
- Now open the torrent file with a torrent client on your Mac computer and wait for the download to complete.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the best torrent streaming apps on Mac?
There are situations where you want to watch torrent videos without downloading them; during these instances, torrent streaming apps come in handy. WebTorrent and Webtor are two of the best torrent streaming apps available for Mac.
What is the fastest torrent client for Mac?
qBittorrent has long been a reliable torrent client for Macs, but Transmission is the fastest torrent client for Macs if that is what you want. In addition to the torrent client itself, a lot of other factors, such as your internet speed, the number of seeds and peers accessible for the torrent, and the size of the file, also affect how fast a torrent file is downloaded.
Is it legal to download torrents?
As long as you are not accessing copyrighted materials, it is legal to download torrents.
Best Torrent Apps for macOS – Final Thoughts
The best torrent client for MacOS has been covered in this article, and while these programs have some common features, they also have several that set them apart. All the apps covered are best for Mac computers, but you will have to choose one based on the particular feature(s) you are looking for in a torrent client. On the other hand, you should note that some of these torrent clients might need emulsion to run on your Mac computer if they are incompatible with the MacOS version you are running.
Want to automate your torrents? Learn how to install CouchPotato on Linux for automatic movie torrent downloads.
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