uTorrent

If you’re looking for a good BitTorrent client, try uTorrent. It has what other BitTorrent clients have, such as scheduling, bandwidth management, and Mainline DHT, plus extras like a unique protocol that detects and corrects for heavy traffic. Animated ads for games and other software keep uTorrent free, but the developer warns of counterfeits that charge for the software or subscriptions.

Pros

Easy to set up: The setup wizard can automatically add an exception for uTorrent in Windows Firewall, though you may have to configure uTorrent manually in other firewalls or security apps. We could set uTorrent to start with Windows; handy for scheduling downloads.

Easy to use: A customizable user interface let us display a lot of information and buttons or keep it clean with just the basics. Tabs manage Files, Info, Peers, Ratings, Trackers, and Speed. Help, FAQs, forums, a Web page, and other resources are at hand.

RSS feeds: RSS auto-downloading makes for speedy feed updates.

Cons

Ad-heavy: Ads in freeware don’t bother us (much) but uTorrents are geared toward young adult males, and some of the online services they advertise might not be appropriate for some users.

Copyright issues: It’s illegal to use BitTorrent (or any P2P network or technology) to post or download copyrighted material (music, movies, games) and uTorrent makes that clear with a note in the setup process. Music and video producers often post exclusive tunes and clips in promo bundles, for example.

Bottom Line

Heavy users might need more than uTorrent’s free client offers, but the rest of us will find it more than sufficient, with the usual caveats about P2P sharing.