Downloading torrent files is easy – but only if you have the best torrent client that’s aligned with your needs. For some of you, this could be a very simple application that automates the process of engaging in P2P traffic. Of course, there are also more advanced users who wish to customize everything. With this in mind, we’re going to tell you about the best torrent clients for Mac in 2021, with our list of bulletproof recommendations.
Before we get started, we’ll recommend a few links that you’ll most certainly find to be useful. By the end of this article, you’ll know what’s the best torrent client for macOS – depending on your needs and priorities. However, you’ll need to know from where to download torrents. So, you can check out the best torrent websites right now, or even better – the best torrent search engines. However, don’t forget about your security and privacy while downloading torrents. Therefore, make sure to do everything you can to hide your torrent IP address and here’s also a quick reminder on encrypting your torrent traffic. With this knowledge, you’ll be well on your way to using P2P file transfer in a safe manner.
Finally, we are going to present you the 9 best free torrents clients for Mac in 2021.
1. Transmission
Transmission takes the first place on our list of recommended macOS torrent clients. As you can imagine, there are numerous reasons for that. First of all, this is an incredibly simple application that does its job without much input. Add a torrent file and Transmission will take it from there. Incredibly simple, right?
Transmission’s simplicity is also its weakness. We know that there are a lot of power users out there who like to have complete and in-depth control. Even though Transmission offers some advanced features, they are well hidden. Therefore, we’d like to recommend this client to those looking for something simple and well-integrated with macOS. You can count on interactive notifications and smart usage of system resources.
- What We Like: Full integration with macOS; Highly polished UI; Great for newbies; Comes fully automated; Fast performance.
- What We Don’t Like: Lacks a deeper level of customization; High-end users can find a better alternative (keep reading this article).
- Price: Free of charge.
- Visit: Transmission
2. uTorrent Web
We’re sure that seasoned P2P users know all about uTorrent. This is, without any doubt, one of the best torrent clients for Mac. As its name says (you read it – micro torrent), this is a very lightweight application that takes little of your system resources. In turn, it provides plenty of interesting features, including some highly advanced ones.
In case you’re running macOS Catalina, know that you can’t use uTorrent Classic anymore. However, you’ll get to use uTorrent Web – which, upon its installation, will be a part of your Web browser. However, you can use it to download and stream media files – which is something that wasn’t available in the past.
- What We Like: Very easy to use; Light on system resources; Video streaming.
- What We Don’t Like: MacOS users now must use uTorrent Web (the Classic edition is no longer available).
- Price: Free of charge.
- Visit: uTorrent Web
3. qBittorrent
After recommending something simple, let’s take a look at the other end of the spectrum. A torrent client named qBittorrent provides plenty of additional features made for power users. The perfect user of this software is someone who handles a large number of torrents and wants complete control.
The current UI of qBittorrent isn’t the most intuitively designed. However, the application has come a long way since its early, hectic days. There’s a large toolbar at the top which brings the standard set of controls. Then, there’s a detailed sidebar that helps you organize a bunch of torrents. And finally, the bottom-placed toolbar can be used to perform all kinds of advanced operations. All in all, we are more than sure that power users are going to love qBittorrent.
- What We Like: Effortless torrent creation; Open-source software; Comes without ads.
- What We Don’t Like: Occasional bugs (nothing overly serious, though).
- Price: Free of charge.
- Visit: qBittorrent
4. BitTorrent Web
We mustn’t forget to mention the original BitTorrent client which is still one of the most popular torrent clients for Mac. It brings everything from a straightforward interface, up to the ability to search for torrents online. And as many of you already know, macOS users now get to use a next-generation BitTorrent client – its ‘Web’ edition.
In case you decide to try BitTorrent Web, you will see that this is a Web-based application. You install it just like any torrent client, but it runs through your Web browser. You’ll get to download torrents, search files, stream media, and plenty more. All in all, this is definitely one of the most capable P2P clients for macOS – despite its recent transition to the Web.
- What We Like: A long-standing application; Excellent performance; One of the most popular P2P clients for macOS.
- What We Don’t Like: The all-new BitTorrent Web is a big step in a different direction.
- Price: Free of charge.
- Visit: BitTorrent Web
5. Folx
Next on our list of the best torrent clients for Mac, we have Folx. This is a highly interesting download manager that also handles torrents with ease. As such, it acts as the central place for all your downloads.
First, you need to know that Folx brings a highly polished interface. You can start by using the built-in search tool. The application will display a long list of results, so you can begin to download files in an instant. As you can imagine, you can also add torrents manually. However, it’s also worth knowing that Folx PRO brings a few unique features. It can split downloads into 2 threads for faster downloading. In addition, it can automatically resume interrupted downloads, which can be a real lifesaver at times. Finally, Folx can be used to download videos from the Web, from websites such as YouTube and Vimeo.
- What We Like: A highly modern UI; Integrates with macOS deeply; Can split downloads; Handy tagging system; Built-in search engine.
- What We Don’t Like: Advanced features available in the PRO version only.
- Price: Free / $19.95 (PRO).
- Visit: Folx
6. WebTorrent Desktop
WebTorrent is a different kind of torrent application. Instead of downloading torrents, it streams them. What this means is that you can use it to stream movies, music, and audiobooks. In addition, you don’t have to wait for a torrent to be fully downloaded – it will start to play as soon as it becomes active.
First of all, we need to praise WebTorrent’s UI. It is very simple and minimalistic – and therefore fits perfectly with the MacOS’ aesthetics. Once you find a streamable torrent, you can simply drag and drop it onto the application’s UI. WebTorrent will do the rest. It will find seeders, connect to them, and start downloading the file. After a few seconds, you will get to see a large media player with all of the needed controls.
- What We Like: Comes with a beautiful interface; Lightweight and fast; Created for streaming media files (while downloading them).
- What We Don’t Like: Irregular updates (the application seems stable, though).
- Price: Free of charge.
- Visit: WebTorrent Desktop
7. Deluge
Deluge is one of the oldest applications of its kind. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s outdated. In fact, it has recently received an update that brought numerous changes. Today, this is an easy-to-use torrent client that brings just about everything you’ll ever need (if you can handle its old-school UI, that is).
Aside from the standard set of options, Deluge brings options like selective downloading, prioritization, and supports magnet URLs. In addition, it also supports UPnP and NAT-PMP port mapping that helps you download torrents as fast as you can. It even brings support for IPv6 and proxy servers. In case you can’t find a tool that you need, you can rely on a world of plugins for Deluge. There’s a large number of those, where some of them are quite capable.
- What We Like: Plenty of customization available; Suitable for high-end users; Supports plugins; Great performance, overall.
- What We Don’t Like: Rudimentary UI.
- Price: Free of charge.
- Visit: Deluge
8. Vuze
The competition between torrent clients is quite tough. That’s why Vuze is not a typical client but instead tries to offer everything you need to find healthy torrents and download them. It might be overly complex for new users, but experienced torrent users will feel right at home with this software.
Out of the box, Vuze comes with a search option to find torrents. You can enter a name, hash, or even a tag and you’ll see a long list of options. Once you decide to download a torrent, it will be automatically opened in the app and it will start to download. And when it comes to downloading, you can count on support for all modern protocols. This includes DHT, PEX, Magnet URLs, and pretty much everything else.
- What We Like: Built-in search functionality; Native support for VPNs; Plenty of advanced options; Plenty of customization available.
- What We Don’t Like: Takes time to learn the ropes.
- Price: Free / Starts at $3.99 per month (Vuze Plus).
- Visit: Vuze
9. BitLord
BitLord started out as a fairly simple P2P Mac client but has grown in a big way. Today, we have an all-new version which comes as a highly optimized application. You get a built-in torrent search with type suggestions, bandwidth controls, RSS subscriptions, automatic port configuration, and plenty more.
What needs to be said is that BitLord isn’t the most polished torrent clients, at least when it comes to its UI. However, it gets the job done and comes with many useful features that advanced users are going to love. And this why we still believe that BitLord is one of the best Mac torrent clients.
- What We Like: Can do P2P file searches; Supports RSS subscriptions; Provides detailed statistics; Pretty stable, in terms of performance.
- What We Don’t Like: Comes with an outdated UI.
- Price: Free of charge.
- Visit: BitLord
Dear readers, this is where we end our overview of the best torrent clients for macOS in 2021. We hope you’ve managed to find something interesting. And if you have any recommendations for us – make sure to post a comment below. Thanks!