Comparison of BitTorrent clients explained

The following is a general comparison of BitTorrent clients, which are computer programs designed for peer-to-peer file sharing using the BitTorrent protocol.[1]

The BitTorrent protocol coordinates segmented file transfer among peers connected in a swarm. A BitTorrent client enables a user to exchange data as a peer in one or more swarms. Because BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer communications protocol that does not need a server, the BitTorrent definition of client differs from the conventional meaning expressed in the client–server model.[1]

Bram Cohen, author of the BitTorrent protocol, made the first BitTorrent client, which he also called BitTorrent, and published it in July 2001.[2]

Many BitTorrent programs are open-source software; others are freeware, adware or shareware. Some download managers, such as FlashGet and GetRight, are BitTorrent-ready. Opera 12, a web browser, can also transfer files via BitTorrent.

In 2013 Thunder Networking Technologies publicly revealed that some of their employees surreptitiously distributed a Trojan horse with certain releases of Xunlei, the company's BitTorrent-ready download manager.[3] [4] Xunlei is included in the comparison tables.

Applications

General

NameDeveloperPlatformLatest releaseLicenseNotes
Version Date
BitCometBitComet Development GroupmacOS
Windows
BitLordHouse of LifemacOS
Windows
BitTorrentBitTorrentAndroid
macOS
Windows
DelugevariousBSD
Linux
macOS
Solaris
Windows
FlashGetTrend MediaWindows
Free Download ManageralervdAndroid
Linux
macOS
Windows
FrostWireThe FrostWire ProjectAndroid
Linux
macOS
Windows
KGetKDEBSD
Linux
KTorrentJoris Guisson, Ivan VasićBSD
Linux
macOS
LftpAlexander V. LukyaBSD
Linux
macOS
Windows
LimeWireLime Wire LLCLinux
macOS
Windows
MiroParticipatory Culture FoundationLinux
macOS
Windows
MLDonkeyMLDonkey ProjectBSD
Linux
macOS
MorphOS
Solaris
Windows
μTorrentBitTorrentAndroid
macOS
Windows
Opera 12Opera SoftwareFreeBSD12.16
Linux
macOS
Solaris
Windows12.17
qBittorrentChristophe DumezBSD
Linux
Haiku
macOS
OS/2
Windows
rTorrentJari SundellBSD
Linux
macOS
Solaris
Windows
RobertSponge, co-developer of I2PBSD
Linux
macOS
Windows
ShareazaShareaza Development TeamWindows
TixatiKevin HearnLinux
Windows
TonidoCodeLatheBSD
Linux
macOS
Windows
TransmissionvariousBSD
Linux
macOS
OpenWrt
Solaris
Windows
TriblerThe Tribler TeamLinux
macOS
Windows
VuzeVuzeAndroid
Linux
macOS
Windows
XunleiThunder Networking TechnologiesAndroid
iOS
macOS
Windows
NameDeveloperPlatformLatest releaseLicenseNotes
Version Date

Operating system support

BitTorrent clientWindowsmacOSGNU/LinuxBSDiOSAndroidOther
BitComet
BitLord
BitTorrent[5]
Deluge
FlashGet
Free Download Manager
Frostwire[6] [7]
KGet
KTorrent
Lftp
LimeWire
Miro
MLDonkey
μTorrent[8]
Opera 12
qBittorrent[9] [10]
Robert
rTorrent
Shareaza
Tixati
Tonido
Transmission
Tribler
Vuze[11]
Xunlei
NameWindowsmacOSGNU/LinuxBSDiOSAndroidOther

Interface and programming

BitTorrent clientGUIRemoteCLIOtherProgramming languageBased onIPv6μTP
BitComet[12] C++-
BitLordPython, C++libtorrent (Rasterbar)
BitTorrent 5, MainlinePython-
DelugePython, C++libtorrent (Rasterbar)[13]
FlashGet
Free Download ManagerC++libtorrent (Rasterbar)
FrostwireJavalibtorrent (Rasterbar)[14]
KGetC++-
KTorrentC++-[15]
lftpC++-
LimeWireJavalibtorrent (Rasterbar)
MiroC++libtorrent (Rasterbar)
MLDonkey[16] OCaml-
μTorrent[17] [18] C++[19] -[20] [21]
Opera 12C++-
qBittorrentPython, C++libtorrent (Rasterbar)[22]
rTorrentC++libTorrent (Rakshasa)[23]
ShareazaC++-
TixatiC++-[24]
TonidoC++libtorrent (Rasterbar)
TransmissionC++ (rewritten from C), Objective-Clibtransmission[25]
TriblerPython, C++libtorrent (Rasterbar)
VuzeJava, SWT-[26]
XunleiC++-
BitTorrent clientGUIWebCLIOtherProgramming languageBased onIPv6μTP

Features I

BitTorrent clientProtocol versionMagnet URI
(BEP 9)
Preload Magnet metadata
(BEP 9)
Super-seeding
(BEP 16)
Embedded trackerUPnP[27] NAT Port Mapping ProtocolNAT traversal[28]
(BEP 55)
DHT protocol[29]
(BEP 5)
Peer exchange(PEX)
(BEP 11)
EncryptionUDP tracker
(BEP 15)
LPD
(BEP 14)
Proxy server
BitComet1, 2 Separate download
BitLord1
BitTorrent 5, Mainline1
Deluge1
FlashGet1
Free Download Manager1
KTorrent1
LimeWire1
MLDonkey1[30]
μTorrent1[31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37]
Opera 121[38] [39]
qBittorrent1, 2[40]
rTorrent1[41] [42]
Shareaza1
Tixati1, 2
Tonido1
Transmission1, 2[43] Patch available[44] [45] [46] [47] [48]
Tribler1
Vuze1
Xunlei1
BitTorrent clientProtocol versionMagnet URIPreload Magnet metadataSuper-seedingEmbedded trackerUPnPNAT Port Mapping ProtocolNAT traversalDHTPeer exchangeEncryptionUDP trackerLPDProxy server

Features II

BitTorrent clientCacheHash Web seedingHTTP Web seedingBroad-catching (RSS)
(BEP 36)
PrioritizationSelective downloads
(BEP 53)
Sequential downloadingSOCKSTracker exchange
(BEP 7)
Remote control via webSearch engine
(BEP 18)
Auto updatesReviews and Comments
BitComet[49]
BitLord
BitTorrent 5, Mainline
Deluge Plugin via PMS
FlashGet
Free Download Manager
KTorrent via PMS
LimeWire
MLDonkey[50] via PMS
μTorrent[51] [52] [53]
Opera 12
qBittorrent via PMS
rTorrent via PMS
Shareaza
[54]
Tixati[55]
Tonido
Transmission[56]
Tribler (DHT)[57]
Vuze[58] in paid version [59] Plugin[60]
Xunlei
BitTorrent clientCacheHash Web seedingHTTP Web seedingBroad-catching (RSS)PrioritizationSelective downloadsSequential downloadingSOCKSTracker exchangeRemote control via webSearch engineAuto updatesReviews and Comments

Libraries

General
BitTorrent libraryInitial releasePlatformLatest releaseLicenseNotes
VersionDate
libtorrent (Rasterbar)[61] Linux

macOS
Windows
MonoTorrentLinux
macOS
Windows
rTorrent (libTorrent Rakshasa)[62] Linux
macOS
BitTorrent libraryInitial releasePlatformLatest releaseLicenseNotes
VersionDate
Operating system support and programming language
BitTorrent libraryGNU/LinuxWindowsmacOSAPIProgramming language
libtorrent (Rasterbar)C++
MonoTorrentC#
rTorrent (libTorrent Rakshasa)C++
BitTorrent libraryLinuxWindowsmacOSAPIProgramming language
Supported features 1
BitTorrent libraryProtocol versionSuper-seedingTrackerUPnPNAT Port Mapping ProtocolNAT traversalDHTPeer exchangeEncryptionUDP trackerLPDFast extensionsMagnet URIμTP
libtorrent (Rasterbar)1, 2[63] [64] [65]
MonoTorrent1, 2
rTorrent (libTorrent Rakshasa)1
BitTorrent libraryProtocol versionSuper-seedingTrackerUPnPNAT Port Mapping ProtocolNAT traversalDHTPeer exchangeEncryptionUDP trackerLPDFast extensionsMagnet URIμTP
Supported features 2
BitTorrent libraryCacheWeb seedingWebTorrentBroadcatching (RSS)PrioritizationSelective downloadsSOCKSRemote control via webEngine
libtorrent (Rasterbar)
MonoTorrent
rTorrent (libTorrent Rakshasa)
BitTorrent libraryCacheWeb seedingWebTorrentBroadcatching (RSS)PrioritizationSelective downloadsSOCKSRemote control via webEngine

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: . BitTorrent User Manual . Glossary . http://www.bittorrent.com/help/manual/glossary#client . 2 July 2013 . . . 28 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130628015036/http://www.bittorrent.com/help/manual/glossary#client . live .
  2. Web site: Cohen . Bram . BitTorrent – a new P2P app . Decentralization · Implications of the end-to-end principle . . 2 July 2001 . 2 July 2013 . 29 January 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080129085545/http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/decentralization/message/3160 . dead .
  3. Web site: Google-backed BitTorrent client spread malware to Windows PCs and Android devices . Van Der Sar . Ernesto . 14 October 2013 . . 19 November 2013 . 18 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131218142524/http://torrentfreak.com/google-backed-file-sharing-spreads-malware-131014/ . live .
  4. Web site: Google-Backed File-Sharing Service Spreads Malware . Gibbs . Samuel . 15 October 2013 . . Guardian News and Media . 19 November 2013 . 18 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131118213046/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/15/google-bittorrent-malware-windows-android-xunlei-china . live .
  5. Web site: Download - BitTorrent® - Android torrent app. BitTorrent (software). 22 March 2017. 23 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170323054508/https://www.bittorrent.com/downloads/android. live.
  6. Web site: Download FrostWire . frostwire.com . 26 July 2018 . 27 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180727054709/http://www.frostwire.com/downloads . live .
  7. Web site: Java 6 (OpenJDK) Released for OS/2, eComStation – OSnews. www.osnews.com. 5 February 2022. 20 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210420032040/https://www.osnews.com/story/24903/java-6-openjdk-released-for-os2-ecomstation/. live.
  8. Web site: Android Downloads. μTorrent® (uTorrent) - a (very) tiny BitTorrent client. 22 March 2017. 24 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170324045909/http://www.utorrent.com/downloads/android. live.
  9. Web site: qBittorrent Official Website . qBittorrent Official Website . 11 January 2016 . 9 January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160109163543/http://www.qbittorrent.org/download.php . live .
  10. Web site: Android client (not remote/controller) · Issue #4027 · qbittorrent/qBittorrent . . 21 March 2017 . 4 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200604062431/https://github.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent/issues/4027#issuecomment-152734893 . live .
  11. Web site: Vuze Torrent Downloader application for Android. Vuze. 22 March 2017. 30 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170130142557/http://www.vuze.com/products/vuze-android/. live.
  12. BitComet command line interface see BitComet Command Line – BitComet Wiki
  13. Web site: Kaba. Martin. Deluge BitTorrent client gets uTP support. Kabatology. 17 April 2016. deluge-utp. 27 February 2013. 25 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160425131953/http://www.kabatology.com/02/27/deluge-bittorrent-client-gets-utp-support/. live.
  14. Web site: FrostWire 5.7.2. 2014-04-11. 5 March 2015. 2 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134218/https://frostwire.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/new-frostwire-5-7-2-with-utp-support/. live.
  15. Web site: KTorrent 4.0 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090740/http://ktorrent.pwsp.net/?q=node%2F42 . 2015-04-02 .
  16. Web site: Gui - MLDonkey . 25 February 2017 . 25 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170225212619/http://mldonkey.sourceforge.net/Gui . live .
  17. Web site: uTorrent command line options – Forums - μTorrent – The Lightweight and Efficient BitTorrent Client . 15 February 2009 . Forum.utorrent.com . 28 November 2009 . 8 December 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091208161703/http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=53988 . live .
  18. Web site: Web API . www.utorrent.com . 6 July 2013 . 1 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130801095910/http://www.utorrent.com/community/developers/webapi . live .
  19. Web site: General – FAQ - μTorrent – a (very) tiny BitTorrent client . www.utorrent.com . 28 November 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090318175258/http://www.utorrent.com/faq.php#How_can_.C2.B5Torrent_be_so_small_and_so_fast.3F . 18 March 2009 . dead .
  20. Web site: μTorrent 1.8 released . 9 August 2008 . Forum.utorrent.com . 28 November 2009 . 20 November 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091120140320/http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=44003 . live .
  21. Web site: µTorrent 1.9 alpha 15380. µTorrent Community Forums. 26 November 2008 . 15 September 2015. 28 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151028161306/http://forum.utorrent.com/topic/42439-%C2%B5torrent-19-alpha-15380/. live.
  22. Web site: News Releases . 2023-11-13 . www.qbittorrent.org . 2019-12-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191213192059/https://www.qbittorrent.org/news.php . live .
  23. Web site:
    1. 507 Ipv6
    . GitHub. 2016-10-10. 3 June 2020. 20 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201020032700/https://github.com/rakshasa/rtorrent/pull/507. live.
  24. Web site: Tixati.com - News. tixati.com. 9 April 2022. 9 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209051548/https://www.tixati.com/news/. live.
  25. Web site: Transmission 2.30 . 2012-07-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150524013026/https://trac.transmissionbt.com/wiki/Changes#version-2.30 . 2015-05-24 . dead.
  26. Web site: Vuze 4.6.0.0 . 8 March 2015 . 2 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124548/https://wiki.vuze.com/w/Version_4400_4702_Changelog . live .
  27. Automatically configure port forwarding (requires Router with UPnP support)
  28. Many clients claim to support this, but just UPnP calls for opening a TCP port is not effective and disabled by factory default in most new hardware. "UDP NAT Traversal" is the proper working solution, supported by just a few.
  29. DHT permits use of trackerless torrents (with supporting clients) to resume normal torrents when their tracker is down. However, some trackers that register their users for keeping tabs on fair usage (such as a ratio of bytes downloaded to uploaded) may not reliably measure and update usage for users employing DHT.
  30. Web site: MLDonkey 3.1.3 release notes . Forum mldonkey.sourceforge.net . 13 February 2013 . 14 February 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130214053946/http://mldonkey.sourceforge.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=32169 . live .
  31. Web site: μTorrent 3.13 Apk For Android . apk20.com . 22 November 2015 . 7 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151207013526/http://www.apk20.com/apk/5903/ . live .
  32. Web site: μTorrent 1.6 released . July 2006 . Forum.utorrent.com . 28 November 2009 . 13 December 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091213050128/http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=11463 . live .
  33. Web site: uTorrent: Make Your Own BitTorrent Tracker . Filesharefreak.com . 28 November 2009 . 18 December 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091218120012/http://filesharefreak.com/tutorials/utorrent-make-your-own-bittorrent-tracker/ . live .
  34. Web site: Setting up μTorrent for your internet connection . www.utorrent.com . 28 November 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090315005429/http://www.utorrent.com/setup_guide.php . 15 March 2009 . dead .
  35. Web site: µTorrent 2.0 beta 17539 - Announcements - µTorrent Community Forums. 5 August 2009 . 29 June 2010. 24 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100624080826/http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=60602. live.
  36. Web site: How To Encrypt BitTorrent Traffic . Torrentfreak.com . 16 April 2006 . 28 November 2009 . 16 December 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091216030048/http://torrentfreak.com/how-to-encrypt-bittorrent-traffic/ . live .
  37. Web site: Announcements » μTorrent 1.7 Release Candidate 6. 28 June 2007. 12 December 2009. 1 March 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100301190555/http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=25655. live.
  38. Web site: Weekly – Desktop Team – by Opera Desktop Team . My.opera.com . 27 February 2007 . 28 November 2009 . 18 June 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060618005308/http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/blog/show.dml/251672 . live .
  39. Web site: Opera 9.5 Beta 1 for Windows Changelog . Opera.com . 28 November 2009 . 10 March 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100310082311/http://www.opera.com/docs/changelogs/windows/950b1/ . live .
  40. Web site: Bittorrent client qBittorrent 4.4.0 released with v2 torrent support . ghacks.net . 8 January 2022 . 15 January 2022 . 15 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220115235900/https://www.ghacks.net/2022/01/08/bittorrent-client-qbittorrent-4-4-0/ . live .
  41. Aided with a shell script documented in Web site: That magnet uri ticket thing reincarnated . libtorrent.rakshasa.no . 4 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927222544/http://libtorrent.rakshasa.no/ticket/2100 . 27 September 2011 . dead .
  42. Web site: local peer discovery . libtorrent.rakshasa.no . 17 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100413231237/http://libtorrent.rakshasa.no/ticket/1188 . 13 April 2010 . dead .
  43. Web site: Transmission 4.0 Open-Source BitTorrent Client Released, Here's What's New . 9to5Linux . 7 February 2023 . 7 February 2023 . 8 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230208052515/https://9to5linux.com/transmission-4-0-open-source-bittorrent-client-released-heres-whats-new . live .
  44. unofficial build transmission daemon cygwin Web site: Magnet Links - choose what files to download . Sourceforge.net . 27 April 2016 . 22 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160922225402/https://sourceforge.net/p/transmissiondaemon/discussion/general/thread/6929551a/ . live .
  45. unofficial build Transmission-Qt Web site: Transmission-Qt . Sourceforge.net . 27 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120825050551/http://sourceforge.net/projects/trqtw/ . 25 August 2012 . dead.
  46. unofficial build cfpp2p GitHub transmission Web site: magnet download not verified for existing data . github.com . 27 April 2016 . 4 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200604062428/https://github.com/cfpp2p/transmission/commit/c81be4700920ead21771f2fb2f6e2f099896a02d . live .
  47. Web site: transmission/libtransmission/peer-msgs.c . github.com . 30 July 2020 . 5 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220205024918/https://github.com/transmission/transmission/blob/20119f006ca0f3a13245b379c74254c92f372910/libtransmission/peer-msgs.c#L2454 . live .
  48. Proxy support was removed in version 2.12: Web site: Ticket #3688 . trac.transmissionbt.com . 11 June 2011 . 31 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110831100012/https://trac.transmissionbt.com/ticket/3688 . live .
  49. Supports the Getright Webseeding spec since v1.14, see BitComet Wiki
  50. See task #4401 SOCKS proxy ; however, http proxy is supported.
  51. Web site: uTorrent 1.7 Stable Finally Released . TorrentFreak . 13 July 2007 . 28 November 2009 . 3 February 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100203064329/http://torrentfreak.com/utorrent-17-stable-finally-released/ . live .
  52. Web site: How to use RSS & BitTorrent to download TV shows . TorrentFreak . 14 October 2006 . 28 November 2009 . 23 November 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091123032531/http://torrentfreak.com/how-to-use-rss-bittorrent-to-download-tv-shows/ . live .
  53. Web site: uTorrent – Free software downloads and software reviews – CNET . fa . Download.com . 28 November 2009 . 11 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090311043145/http://www.download.com/uTorrent/3000-2196_4-10528327.html . live .
  54. Web site: Shareaza. sourceforge.net. 19 December 2017 .
  55. Web site: Tixati News . Tixati . 19 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220831203601/https://tixati.com/news/ . 31 August 2022.
  56. Web site: BEP 53 select-only magnet URI · Issue #5582 · transmission/Transmission . .
  57. Web site: Tribler . 9 February 2017 . 29 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170329141157/https://www.tribler.org/faq.html . live .
  58. Supports the Getright Webseeding spec in addition to the Bittornado spec Web site: Archived copy . 2006-05-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110812124123/http://bittornado.com/docs/webseed-spec.txt . 2011-08-12 .
  59. Web site: Stream Torrents - Vuze Bittorrent Client. www.vuze.com. 1 June 2014. 4 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140804092826/http://www.vuze.com/features/playnow. live.
  60. Web site: Additional Vuze Features - VuzeWiki. wiki.vuze.com. 8 March 2015. 2 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402141811/http://wiki.vuze.com/w/Additional_Vuze_Features. live.
  61. Web site: libtorrent – Browse Files at . Sourceforge.net . 21 March 2010 . 15 August 2012 . 25 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025132330/http://sourceforge.net/projects/libtorrent/files/ . live .
  62. Web site: Timeline – The libTorrent and rTorrent Project . Libtorrent.rakshasa.no . 15 July 2012 . 15 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131104110338/http://libtorrent.rakshasa.no/timeline . 4 November 2013 . dead .
  63. Web site: Libtorrent Adds Support for BitTorrent v2, a Potential Game-Changer . TorrentFreak . 12 September 2020 . 15 January 2022 . 16 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220116001329/https://torrentfreak.com/libtorrent-adds-support-for-bittorrent-v2-a-potential-game-changer-200912/ . live .
  64. Web site: libtorrent manual: features. 12 December 2009. 2 November 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121102075327/http://www.rasterbar.com/products/libtorrent/features.html. live.
  65. Web site: Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting.. code.google.com. 5 February 2022. 18 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210418021745/https://code.google.com/archive/p/libtorrent/downloads. live.