Alternatives to aria2
The scriptable download engine
aria2 ranks #8 of 11 in Download managers, with an Alt Score of 70. It is licensed under GPL-2.0 and free from Free. 8 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Users and developers who need reliable command-line control over downloads, including sysadmins scripting batch transfers and developers embedding a download engine into their own tools via RPC.
A lightweight command-line download utility that speaks HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent, and Metalink. It can pull a single file from multiple sources and protocols at once to maximize connection throughput. A built-in JSON-RPC and XML-RPC interface allows remote control and integration with GUI frontends or custom scripts.
aria2 runs as a CLI process or background daemon, splitting a download into segments fetched in parallel across multiple connections, mirrors, or protocols simultaneously, then reassembling them into the completed file. It can be driven interactively, via config/input files, or programmatically through its RPC interface.
Where aria2 stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave aria2
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Download Master, developed by WestByte, is a free Windows download manager that accelerates transfers via multi-threaded file segmentation, resumes broken downloads over HTTP/HTTPS/FTP, and grabs stre.
Xtreme Download Manager (XDM) is a free, open-source download accelerator for Windows, macOS, and Linux that splits files into segments for multi-threaded downloading and captures video/audio links fr.
yt-dlp is an open-source command-line tool for downloading video and audio from YouTube and over a thousand other sites, with format selection, playlist handling, and post-processing via ffmpeg.
Folx is a paid macOS-native download manager and BitTorrent client from Electronic Team (formerly Eltima) that splits downloads into up to 10 threads, schedules tasks, and includes browser integration.
Persepolis is a free, open-source download manager built as a graphical front-end for the aria2 download engine, available on Linux, Windows, and macOS.
4K Video Downloader is a commercial desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux that downloads videos, full playlists, channels, and subtitles from YouTube and other sites in up to 8K resolution.
Feature comparison
How aria2 compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Download managers checklist | aria2 | Download Master | Internet Download Manager | Xtreme Download Manager (XDM) | Free Download Manager | yt-dlp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Segmented downloading | ||||||
| Browser integration | ||||||
| Video grabbing | ||||||
| Scheduler | ||||||
| Resume support | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| No bundled adware | ||||||
| Speed limits | ||||||
| CLI |
Every fact and feature listed for aria2 is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-08
aria2 is a utility for downloading files. The supported protocols are HTTP(S), FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent, and Metalink.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/README.rst -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-08
aria2 is a utility for downloading files.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/README.rst -
Status maintenance verified 2026-07-08
Latest release 1.37.0 (2023-11-15); low activity.
We will ship MINOR updates on the 15th of every month. We may skip a release if we have had no changes since the last release.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/README.rst -
License GPL-2.0 verified 2026-07-08
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2, June 1991
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/COPYING -
Segmented downloading Yes verified 2026-07-08
* Segmented downloading
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/README.rst -
Browser integration No verified 2026-07-08
Exposes RPC; third-party extensions can integrate but aria2 ships none.
JSON-RPC (over HTTP and WebSocket)/XML-RPC interface
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/README.rst -
Video grabbing No verified 2026-07-08
No stream/video extraction.
aria2 is a utility for downloading files. The supported protocols are HTTP(S), FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent, and Metalink.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/README.rst -
Resume support Yes verified 2026-07-08
Continue downloading a partially downloaded file.
https://aria2.github.io/manual/en/html/aria2c.html -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-08
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2, June 1991
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/COPYING -
No bundled adware Yes verified 2026-07-08
OSS CLI tool via GitHub; no installer bundle or adware.
aria2 is a utility for downloading files.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/README.rst -
Speed limits Yes verified 2026-07-08
--max-overall-download-limit=<SPEED> ... --max-download-limit=<SPEED>
https://aria2.github.io/manual/en/html/aria2c.html -
CLI Yes verified 2026-07-08
* Command-line interface
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aria2/aria2/master/README.rst
FAQ
Yes. Xtreme Download Manager (XDM), Free Download Manager and yt-dlp have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Xtreme Download Manager (XDM), yt-dlp and JDownloader — every license claim links its source.