Then version 3 happened. The uTorrent app was no longer simple and lightweight. It started with a simple change in the icons and ended up with employing a lot of ads. Banner ads, sidebar ads and then promotional content. Ads aren’t necessarily bad. It’s what keeps apps and websites like ours going. And we’ve already told you how to disable ads in uTorrent. But for me at least, they always seep back. For me, it was high time to find a 2005 alternative to uTorrent, without actually using the 2005 version of uTorrent. I’m glad to tell you this – it exists.
1. qBittorrent
qBittorrent is lightweight, open source and has the remote control feature we all love so much on uTorrent. Its UI is also quite similar. Oh and it’s fast. It doesn’t use any tricks or boosters. It just does the basic things right – and the internet lords reward it with full, unthrottled speed. You’ll find the traditional seeds, peers, and trackers panel along with control over the specific file downloads. For RSS enthusiasts there’s an RSS feed reader and downloader as well. Powerful queueing and prioritizing controls for multiple torrent downloads are also available.
2. Deluge
Deluge, just like qBittorrent is lightweight yet powerful. It has all the features of qBittorrent plus one extra thing that makes it great – plugin support. That’s the only reason to recommend Deluge. Go to Deluge’s plugin page and see if anything interests you. All these plugins will mostly appeal to pro users. There are plugins to batch rename files, to control upload ratio based on file downloads, an RSS plugin to automatically download TV shows, and a plugin to monitor torrent progress right from your Chrome browser.
3. BitTorrent
BitTorrent client is from the BitTorrent company (which now also owns uTorrent) that started the whole torrent thing. Their app is pretty sophisticated but that’s pretty much it. It’s not ad free, at least not the free version and while it does have speed-boosting features, they’re not as effective as you’d like them to be.
4. Vuze
Vuze is on the far end of torrenting apps. It’s the exact opposite of qBittorrent. Vuze is a big app packed with features. While it’s said to be lightweight, it really isn’t. But the plethora of features make up for it. There’s an integrated torrent search engine and a dedicated subscriptions section. Vuze’s web remote feature that lets you control your downloads from anywhere in the world is also pretty sweet. If you don’t use a dedicated media player like VLC or GOM, Vuze can help you out. The app will play high definition videos without any problems. The app also has the ability to stream downloaded content to other devices around you, including your TV. Using iTunes, the app will let you sync downloaded videos to your iPhone/iPad directly. You can also stream content to PS3/XBox 360 that’s on the same network.
Which Is The Best uTorrent Alternative?
qBittorrent is the modern equivalent of everything uTorrent used to stand for. It’s free, doesn’t have any ads, is lightweight, and has fast download speeds. And for most people out there, that’s all they need. I’m one of them. Deluge is for people who want to add a bit more spice to their chicken curry. The plugin support is fantastic and opens up a whole new world of torrenting. If that excites you, go for it. Vuze is for people who are looking for a flexible media center app that also happens to download torrents. Vuze is much more than a torrent app and will only appeal to people who enjoy the extra media packaging. So when it comes to replacing the classic uTorrent of old, the winner is.. qBittorrent.
What’s Your Favorite Torrent client?
Are you still using uTorrent? Or the pre-catastrophy version of uTorrent? Have you switched to something else? Tell us your torrent life story in the comments below. Top image via Shutterstock, Shutterstock. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
