The best client to download torrents

August 29, 2024
9 / 10

Every year we download less content to our computer: the technological evolution has led music consumption to turn towards streaming thanks to services like Spotify, instead of MP3 downloads, and the viewing of movies and series to video-on-demand, with Netflix as the leader in the sector, instead of downloading them to our PC. But that doesn't mean that downloads are dead. Therefore, nobody should be surprised that we continue downloading content to our PC, despite not doing it so often, and one of the best methods is definitely using the BitTorrent protocol for the exchange of files peer-to-peer or P2P. And although this protocol has its own official download client, if you download uTorrent for PC you'll have your hands on an all-time favorite to download all sorts of videos, audios, documents, eBooks, and software to computers.

The king of P2P downloads.

uTorrent or BitTorrent? What's the difference?

Despite the fact that we've just told you that muTorrent, which how it should really be pronounced, is absolutely fantastic and you're probably thinking that it's much better than the official app to download torrents to Windows, that isn't totally true. Some people still say that this client is lighter and helps downloads to be completed quicker, but we have to say that since 2006 both desktop applications are developed in parallel by the same company, and it's hard to believe that in the case of favoring one development over the other they would put their money on the software that doesn't carry their name. Despite not showing any clear differences, the program created by Ludvig Strigeus still has many more fans.

Main features

Download uTorrent for PC to be able to enjoy all the following features and functions:

  • Search for torrents from the app or add those downloaded from sites like The Pirate Bay or Kickass.
  • Pause, cancel and resume the transfers at any moment.
  • Assign the bandwidth to be used by each download
  • Progressive downloads that allow you to play incomplete downloads.
  • Create torrent files to share with other users of this peer-to-peer network.
  • Access complete statistics such as the average, maximum and minimum speed, and the number of seeders and leechers.
  • Possibility to control downloads remotely by means of a mobile device with uTorrent Remote.
  • Configure the download queue to establish the maximum number of active downloads.
  • Modify the connection settings to optimize the maximum download speed.

uTorrent Pro for the most demanding users

Everything we've told you up to this point is regarding the program's free version. But if you're fed up of having to put up with the more or less invasive adverts offered, you can always go for the Ad-Free version for the price of 5 dollars a year.

Forget about bothersome adverts while downloading.

Furthermore, if you haven't got enough with removing the ads, you can always subscribe to the Pro edition for 20 dollars a year, to enjoy many different features: no adverts, instant preview of torrents while downloading, antivirus protection and access to new functions before anyone else.

How to download faster?

That's the question that many users ask themselves: how to optimize the download speed of torrents? Exploring the web you'll find plenty of tutorials that will tell you to open this or the other port, adjust the bandwidth limiting the upload speed and configuring the download queue with this or the other number of simultaneous downloads. The truth is that we have to take into account a series of details that will help us to download faster, but without exaggerating with everything we read on the Internet:

  1. Open the port assigned in the program or change it for another one to avoid being blocked by your router or firewall. If you don't know which one to choose, go for a random one.
  2. Control the number of active downloads: limit the number of transfers to make sure the bandwidth isn't shared out among too many downloads.
  3. Share the torrents you download, even if it's only for a little while. It will save you from receiving download speed penalties.
  4. The more users that share a file, the higher the download speed, so keep an eye on the number of seeds.
  5. Update to the program's latest version: an updated client will always work better than an outdated one, and it's also much safer.

What's new in the latest version?

  • Changes to the viral video section.
Antony Peel

A Telecommunications Engineer, chance led me to the translation industry, where after a few years, I discovered another side of the world of technology while translating what others were writing about mobile applications and software. That...

Features

uTorrent Tips & Tricks

  • uTorrent or BitTorrent: Comparison and differences

    The Torrent download protocol lets you download all types of files easily and quickly. Two of the most popular torrent download managers are uTorrent and BitTorrent. If you are wondering which one to use, in this article, we compare them so you can make the right decision.

  • How to configure uTorrent to download faster

    Setting up uTorrent to download faster is very easy. Actually, you will only have to adjust some values, as detailed below. First, open the uTorrent settings. You can do this with the key combination CTRL + P, or by pressing Options, and then, Preferences.