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The Five uTorrent Replacements for Mac (2024 Update!)

Probably you are now looking for a uTorrent replacement for Mac. A torrent client that does not install crapware or bloatware on your Mac without your consent? A lightweight, fast, and reliable torrent client, as the older uTorrent 2.2.1 was? 

uTorrent has been the preferred BitTorrent client for many years. However, more and more people are starting to complain about the bloatware and ads built-in with previous uTorrent versions (3.4.2, for instance, being quite troublesome). When you installed the old uTorrent 3.4.2, it installed background programs like crypto mining without your consent— not good! People have lost a lot of trust in uTorrent ever since. 

In this post, we will review the top five uTorrent alternatives for Mac. These torrent clients do not install bloatware, are fast, free, lightweight, and come with fantastic and unique features.

utorrent replacement for mac

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The 5 Alternatives to uTorrent for Mac.

Below are the top 5 uTorrent replacements for Mac. Our two top choices for uTorrent alternatives for Mac are Transmission and qBittorrent. But of course, there are more.

  1. Transmission. A fast and free torrent client native to Mac computers. It can be installed as a desktop app, thin client, Qt, terminal, web client, and GTK+.
  2. qBittorrent. A free, open-source, cross-platform BitTorrent client. It is known for being fast and for its built-in torrent search engine.
  3. Folx. A downloads manager and torrent client specially designed for mac computers. It is free but can also be obtained as Folx PRO through its paid version. 
  4. Deluge. A free and open-source BitTorrent client. Deluge is referred to as the king of customization. It comes free from ads. 
  5. BiglyBT. An open-source BitTorrent client forked from the original Vuze (former Azureus). This torrent client comes with a conversion tool for transcoding media. 

1. Transmission

uTorrent Replacements for Mac
Photo by Transmission

Transmission is not only a good uTorrent alternative for Mac, but it is actually one of the best torrent clients for Mac computers. The latest version (Transmission 3.0.0) is a fast and free BitTorrent client, using fewer resources than uTorrent (and other clients). The initial release of Transmission was in Sep 2005, and the last stable release was in May 2020. 

Transmission also allows remote torrent management with two remotely-controlled clients, Web, and Terminal. In addition, the Transmission Deamon is perfect for deployment on servers, embedded computers, or using it as headless. 

Highlights: 

  • Free software licensed under GNU General Public License. 
  • Support for Local Peer Discovery and Peer Exchange (PEX).
  • Micro Transport Protocol (μTP).
  • Full support for BitTorrent protocol encryption. 
  • Support for DHT and RSS.
  • Dock and Growl notifications (only for macOS)

Download Transmission here

2. qBittorrent

uTorrent Replacements for Mac
Photo by qBittorrent

qBittorrent is another excellent alternative to uTorrent for Mac. It is also a free BitTorrent client as uTorrent is, but a difference is that qBittorrent is fully open-source and based on the Qt 5 toolkit and the libtorrent-rasterbar library. qBittorrent is designed to be the open-source alternative to uTorrent (and other popular proprietary torrent clients). uTorrent users swap to qBittorrent, not only because it is open-source but also because it is highly reliable. In addition, learning how to tweak qBittorrent settings can turn it into one of the safest and fastest BitTorrent clients out there.

qBittorrent also comes with unique features such as a built-in torrent search engine, a torrent creator, and a visually good-looking web user interface. It is supported by various platforms, including Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, and macOS (versions supported include Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey.)

Highlights: 

  • Lightweight installer. 
  • Web UI is visually appealing and minimalistic. 
  • Built-in torrent search engine. 
  • RSS feed support. 
  • Support for DHT, PEX, LPD
  • Full support for BitTorrent protocol encryption.

Download qBittorrent macOS with DMG or PGP signature (FossHub).

3. Folx. 

uTorrent Replacements for Mac
Photo by Folx

Folx by Eltima is another fantastic uTorrent replacement for Mac. This app is both a download manager and torrent client specially designed for Mac. The torrent client is free and fully compatible with the latest macOS versions, including macOS High Sierra, macOS Mojave, and macOS Catalina. 

Folx is designed to centralize all torrenting activities into a single app. So that means you don’t have to deal with going into your browser, downloading torrent files, looking for them in your file manager, and loading them into the client. With Folx, the entire workflow happens in one place, and you can even configure it to automate specific processes. 

Highlight. 

  • Flox’s web UI is visually appealing.
  • Improve speed by splitting downloads into two threads.
  • An IDM replacement for Mac. 
  • Integrate your favorite browser. 
  • Allow auto-download resuming. 
  • Download torrents from a proxy

Download Folx for free. 

Folx Paid version? If you want more, you can get better features with Folx PRO, including smart speed adjustment, download scheduling, password manager (vault), multi-threading, built-in torrent search, and Apple Music integration. The price for a personal license of Folx PRO is $19.95.

4. Deluge

uTorrent Replacements for Mac
Photo by Deluge

Deluge is another fantastic alternative to uTorrent for Mac. It is a free, open-source, and cross-platform (Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, and Unix. ) BitTorrent client. One of the biggest highlights of Deluge is that it is the best torrent client for customization. The torrent client can be configured to a new level with different implementations using official and third-party plugins. 

Unlike newer versions of uTorrent, Deluge comes without extensions and advertisements, consuming lower resources. The torrent client can be used as a standalone regular torrent client desktop or in a client-server scenario. You can install the thin client to run in a computer’s background (server) and connect remotely via WebUI from any platform (client). 

Highlights. 

  • Full support for BitTorrent encryption.
  • Free from adverstisment. 
  • Supports plugins. 
  • Superlight (under 15MBs)
  • Support for DHT, PEX, and prioritization.
  • Support for magnet links. 

Download Deluge for Mac. The latest macOS-supported release of Deluge is 1.3.15.

5. BiglyBT

uTorrent Replacements for Mac
Photo by BiglyBT

BiglyBT is our last choice as one of the best uTorrent replacements for Mac. This BitTorrent client is fully featured, open-source, ad-free, and bloatware-free. BiglyBT was forked (in 2017) from the original Azureus open-source project created back in 2003. As of 2024, BiglyBT’s community continues its development and enhances the platform with new features. 

BiglyBT is written in Java, and it is based on the original code from Vuze (former Azureus). Aside from allowing users to download torrents, BiglyBT also enables them to convert the downloaded media to different formats. In addition, BiglyBT also allows users to stream the media to streaming TV box sets or game consoles. The torrent client is compatible with Mac OS X 10.11.0 or later. 

Highlights. 

  • Remote control app.
  • App optimized for mobile, tablet, Chromebook, and Android TV. 
  • Faster torrent downloads with swarm merging. 
  • Repairs torrents without seeds. 
  • Remote control via Andoird app.
  • Outstanding organization, discovery, and social features. 
  • Media playback and conversion (transcoding).

Download BiglyBT for its official site.

Final Verdict 

uTorrent was fantastic—an ultralight, fast, and secure BitTorrent client until it became unreliable. uTorrent (or BitTorrent Inc) started to include crapware and bloatware. But it turned downhill in the uTorrent version 3.4.2. This decision made their new users (and loyal ones) lose all credibility. 

In our post about the five uTorrent replacements for Mac, we went through the torrent clients currently loved by the community for many reasons. Our top two choices for uTorrent alternatives for Mac are Transmission and qBittorrent. But there are also other fantastic alternatives to uTorrent, for instance, Folx, Deluge, and BiglyBT.

What is your favorite torrent client for Mac? Why? 

We would love to hear from you. 

About Diego Asturias

Avatar for Diego Asturias

Diego Asturias is a tech journalist who translates complex tech jargon into engaging content. He has a degree in Internetworking Tech from Washington DC, US, and tech certifications from Cisco, McAfee, and Wireshark. He has hands-on experience working in Latin America, South Korea, and West Africa. He has been featured in SiliconANGLE Media, Cloudbric, Pcwdld, Hackernoon, ITT Systems, SecurityGladiators, Rapidseedbox, and more.