You'll need a free torrent client if you want to download files over the BitTorrent network. Once you've located a torrent file from a torrent website, you'll need some way to download it—and that's where a torrent client becomes necessary.
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There are several different kinds of free torrent clients. Some torrent clients have more features than others and some even run from a website, meaning you don't need to install any software at all.
Below is an updated list of the best free torrent programs and web services available online. Use any of these clients with your torrent files to download content over the BitTorrent network.
While these programs are free and legal to use, it doesn't mean the actual content you're downloading via the torrent is legally available in this way. You should be familiar with the copyright laws in your country before using a torrent client to download movies, music, software programs, etc.
If you're not sure about the legality of downloading movies or music via torrents, or you keep running into fake torrents, please know that there are plenty of places where you can download movies for free, legally. There are also legal methods to getting free music, like with free music streaming services, free online radio stations, and websites that offer free music downloads.
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Insert a USB flash drive to your Mac. Make sure it's at least 8GB, which is usually marked on the USB stick. You can also check by right-clicking the USB drive on your desktop and clicking Get Info. Android is an open, mobile-phone platform that is currently under development. The Android developers kit will allow you to develop Android applications that. Do you have questons or comments about Mac Tools? Call 1-877-MACTOOLS.
uTorrentWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
uTorrent is one of the more popular free torrent clients. The installer size is tiny and only a fraction of system resources are used when the program is running.
You can subscribe to RSS feeds in uTorrent to automatically download new torrent items that are pushed through the feed.
uTorrent Remote is a feature that comes built-in that allows remote monitoring and administration of your uTorrent client. You can add, pause, and delete torrents from any browser or Android device.
This free torrent client can be installed on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, as well as Android devices.
Android
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FileStream.meWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
FileStream.me is another online torrent client that works by entering torrent links or uploading torrent files into your account and then having FileStream.me upload the files for you so you can then download them through your browser.
The free version of FileStream.me is ad supported, limits torrents to 200 MB for each file, gives you three days to download your torrents, can hold up to 200 GB of data, can fetch two torrents at once, and might restrain your download speed if you're downloading lots of files.
However, it does hide your IP address, let you resume downloads, allows streaming video and audio files, offers an Android client, and doesn't limit your monthly access.
Since FileStream.me runs from a browser, you can use it to download torrents on any OS that supports a modern web browser.
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ZBIGZWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
ZBIGZ is similar to Filestream in that it downloads and seeds torrents for you and then lets you download the files as regular HTTP data. Because it works this way, it may be preferred if your ISP is restricting your access to torrent downloads.
Among other limitations, ZBIGZ allows your torrents to be no larger than 1 GB. Plus, your download speeds are topped off at a mere 150 KB/s.
The ZBIGZ online torrent client works for any operating system that can load the web page, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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BitLordWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
You can password protect the BitLord program, stream video/audio before the download is complete, and search for torrents inside the program without leaving the client.
You can also add RSS feeds to BitLord to help keep track of new torrent releases.
BitLord is a free torrent downloader for Windows and macOS.
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VuzeWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Another free torrent program is Vuze (formerly Azureus). There are tons of awesome features in this program, such as media playback support and a built-in browser for searching for torrents.
Vuze lets you control its functions from a browser or desktop client.
A folder that connects directly to iTunes is included in Vuze so that you can drag downloaded media into it to include them in your iTunes library.
Vuze can automatically hibernate your PC, shut it down, or run a program when downloading or seeding is finished.
For more features, you can get Vuze Plus. It comes with DVD burning capabilities, a built-in antivirus tool, and removes ads.
The Vuze torrent client can be installed for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Mac System Tools
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FrostWireWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
FrostWire can search for torrent files on several websites at once, with available filters to narrow down results by file size and seed count.
There are also tons of Internet radio stations included with FrostWire with the ability to add custom streams.
In addition to using it on Windows, macOS, or Ubuntu OS, a FrostWire app is available for other devices, too, like Android. If on the web, you can chat with other FrostWire users through their community chat room.
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DelugeWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Deluge is a pretty simple, free torrent client. You can adjust the max upload slots and speeds, as well as download speeds and encryption.
There are plenty of plugins you can grab for expanding Deluge's settings. There are plugins for an email notifier, scheduler, web interface, stats, auto RSS downloader, and many others.
Deluge is available for many Linux distributions along with macOS and Windows.
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BitCometWhat We Like
BitComet is a free torrent program with remote access and virus scanning.
There are advanced options like scheduled bandwidth limits, long-term seeding, and CometID VIP Acceleration.
BitComet can be configured to auto shut down, reboot, hibernate, or sleep when all downloads are complete, which is a useful function.
You can install BitComet on Windows computers only.
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qBittorrentWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
qBittorent has a clean interface with a password protection option, built-in RSS reader and web browser, web interface for remote control, and many detailed advanced options like anonymous mode and defining a particular network interface for transmissions.
Even with the advanced features, qBittorrent is easy to use and isn't confusing in the slightest.
Managing your own computer from afar or troubleshooting a family member's PC without being in front of it is much easier when you have a good remote desktop utility to rely on. This week we're going to look at five of the best remote desktop and management tools, based on your nominations.
We've talked about remotely controlling your PC from anywhere and troubleshooting other people's PCs, now it's time to have your say. It's been a while since we looked at remote desktop tools, and now that one of our favorites, LogMeIn, is killing its free service, we thought it was time to take a fresh look at the field and see what's turned up.
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While LogMeIn is a fine product, the fact is there are other utilities out there that offer the same—or better—features to users for free, and you came through with tons of options. Here are the five you recommended the most, in no particular order:
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The polls are closed and the votes are counted! To see which of these great remote desktop tools earned the top spot as the Lifehacker community favorite, head over to our Hive Five followup post to check out the details!
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Most Popular Remote Desktop Tool: Teamviewer
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Teamviewer
Teamviewer supports Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS, and is free for personal use. It's probably the most obvious alternative to LogMeIn, and the most popular contender from the nominations thread. Not only does Teamviewer offer remote support and remote management—as in you don't necessarily have to have the remote side set up before you need to connect—it also sports useful features like wake-on-LAN to wake up a sleeping computer and put it back to sleep when you're finished, file transfer capabilities, clipboard passthrough, support for connecting from mobile devices like phones or tablets, and more. Teamviewer even supports online meetings and collaboration, so multiple people can connect to one host or share a session if they need to.
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The beauty of Teamviewer is that all of the features I mentioned are free, setup is incredibly easy, and the app actually has more features built-in to it than you'll probably ever really need. Those of you who nominated it praised its ability to manage multiple systems from one computer without having to remember them, the fact that Teamviewer works well without you having to make a ton of firewall modifications or do port forwarding, their support for two-step authentication, and more. Read more in the nomination thread here.
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Splashtop
Splashtop supports Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS, and is free for personal use (up to five computers, and depending on how you use it). It's perhaps most notable as a tool that allows you to stream audio and video across computers with minimal latency, so if you love watching movies on your tablet that are stored on your desktop but don't want to deal with apps or compatibility issues, Splashtop is a great tool. It's not limited to that these days though—You can use the applications on your remote device like you were sitting right there, manage files without transferring them first in their own native applications, and more.
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The only downside to Splashtop free is that it starts to get pricey when you really need remote access. $2/month will get you the ability to access your home computers off network, which is arguably the biggest draw of a remote access tool—so you can actually access your PC when you're away, or a friend or family member's PC without going to their house. It does require a little setup on the client side before you can connect too, but if your goal is to enjoy media remotely and do some light troubleshooting, it's worth a look. Check out its nomination thread here.
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Chrome Remote Desktop
Chrome Remote Desktop supports Windows and OS X (and Linux, sort of), and is completely free for personal and commercial use. It's essentially just a Chrome app that you have to install in Chrome on any computer you want to connect to. You'll have to be logged in to Chrome on any computer you want to connect to as well, which is a bit of a bummer, but the great thing is that it runs in your browser, is super-easy to set up, and it's remarkably fast. It's not packed with additional features, but if all you need is to do some quick, cross-platform troubleshooting or access some files remotely, it's fast and free, and uses a web browser you probably already have installed. The video above from Tekzilla shows you how it works.
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It's not perfect—Chrome Remote Desktop has no mobile apps or support at all (although the word is it's coming soon), has some trouble with multiple displays, and it's pretty featureless when it comes to things like wake-on-LAN, file transfer, streaming, and other support tools, but what you trade in heft you get back in simplicity and ease-of-use, which is exactly what those of you who nominated it praised it for. Check out the nominations thread here.
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Microsoft Remote Desktop (RDC)/Apple Remote Desktop
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Microsoft's RDC protocol and Apple's own Remote Desktop platform both use existing technologies within each respective operating system to give remote administrators the ability to connect from anywhere they need to, access their files, troubleshoot problems, or work with files and applications as though they were using the remote device. If you live in a Windows world, for example, enabling RDC on your home server and connecting directly to it over your LAN is much easier than downloading and setting up a third party tool. If you're connecting remotely across the internet, you can still do it, but you'll need to forward ports and lock things down for security's sake. Plus, there are mobile clients available. Apple's Remote Desktop on the other hand is a bit more complicated—instead of just remote access, you get complete remote management, including the ability to update software, install software, manage users, and fully support a remote computer. ARD is $80. RDC is free (it's not a fair comparison, feature-wise, and we're not trying to compare the two to each other.)
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The biggest benefits to both though is that once you're set up, and with minimal effort on the client side, you don't need to do anything else, and you have tons of options and features that let you manage, access, and troubleshoot the remote PC. Since both platforms use protocols built in to their respective operating systems, cross-platform support is a matter of finding a tool that works on each OS that connects to the other, and that offers the features you want. Those of you who praised each mentioned as much, and noted their ease of setup. Check out the nomination thread for RDC here, and for ARD here.
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VNC
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VNC, or Virtual Network Computing, is less of a specific product and more of a platform. It uses existing protocols to send keyboard and mouse actions to a remote computer, and in turn it sends the screen from that remote system back to your viewer. Depending on the VNC client and server software you use, you get more features, like clipboard syncing, file sync and transfer, and more. That's the catch though—there's a VNC client and server that supports every operating system, mobile and desktop, and as long as you know what you're doing and set it up properly, you'll be able to connect to any system you control, anywhere you have internet access, completely for free. The 'Official' VNC software is RealVNC, which offers its client and server apps for Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, and even Chrome for free (but will happily add features and support if you're willing to pay for them).
The other nice thing about VNC is that because it's a simple protocol, you don't necessarily have to match client and server—you can use one server on your PC at home and a free client on your phone to connect to it. VNC isn't difficult to set up, but it can be tricky to set up correctly—as in, in a way where there's minimal latency when you're trying to work with your computer remotely (easier said than done, especially over the Internet), VNC can communicate securely through your firewall at home, and without worrying that your home IP address will suddenly change and prevent you from connecting. Again, not hard, but a knowledgeable hand should do it. RealVNC may be the official VNC software provider, but TightVNC has always been one of my favorites, and it's free. UltraVNC is another option. VNC definitely has the benefit that your data isn't passing through a third party, there are no proprietary tools or services to subscribe to, and you're in complete control. You do have to set it up in advance though, which may make it great for remote access, but not necessarily remote support. Check out the nominations thread here.
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Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to vote for the Lifehacker community favorite:
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The honorable mention this week goes out to Mikogo, a cross-platform remote management and online meeting platform that supports WIndows, OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS. On the desktop, using it is as simple as opening your browser, and you don't have to install heavy plug-ins to connect with it. It's richly featured and great for web conferences, remote support, and presentations. We mentioned Mikogo a while ago, and while they've come a long way and added a ton of new features (including VoIP chat), they're largely premium and enterprise-oriented (check out their pricing plans here.) They do offer free accounts for personal use though, so it's a great option if you only need to do remote support.
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Have something tosay about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn't included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Don't just complain about the top five, let us know what your preferred alternative is—and make your case for it—in the discussions below.
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The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at [email protected]!
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Title photo by Greg Mote.
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