# Alternatives to Deluge
Plugin-based cross-platform client.
Deluge ranks #3 of 7 in Torrent clients, with an Alt Score of 75. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free from Free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 8 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/deluge/
Category: Torrent clients
## Overview
- **Who it's for**: Users who want a lightweight, cross-platform BitTorrent client they can run locally or as a headless daemon on a home server or NAS, including those who prefer managing torrents remotely via a web or desktop interface.
- **What you get**: A free, open-source BitTorrent client built on libtorrent with a separable daemon and thin-client design, so the UI (GTK desktop app, web UI, or console) can run independently of the download process. It supports a plugin system for extending functionality (e.g., scheduling, notifications, label management) and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- **How it works**: The deluged daemon handles torrent downloading and management in the background, while a client (desktop GTK app, Deluge Web UI, or console UI) connects to it locally or remotely to add torrents, monitor progress, and configure settings.
## Profile
- **License**: GPL-3.0 (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-09)
## Ranked alternatives
| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [BiglyBT](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/biglybt.md) | 80 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 2 | [Transmission](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/transmission.md) | 80 | GPL-2.0-or-later | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 3 | [qBittorrent](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/qbittorrent.md) | 75 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 4 | [µTorrent](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/torrent.md) | 75 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 5 | [Tixati](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tixati.md) | 50 | ? | Windows, Linux, Android |
| 6 | [rTorrent](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/rtorrent.md) | 35 | GPL-2.0 | Linux, macOS |
Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/
## Feature comparison
Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).
| Torrent clients checklist | Deluge | BiglyBT | Transmission | qBittorrent | µTorrent | Tixati |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Donationware | Donationware | Donationware | Freemium | Donationware |
| Starts at | Free | Free | Free | Free | $4.95/yr | Free |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0-or-later | GPL-2.0 | Proprietary | ? |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Windows, Linux, Android |
| No ads | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Sequential download | Partial | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
| RSS automation | Partial | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web UI / remote control | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encryption & proxy support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? |
| Resource footprint | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | Yes | ? |
| Streaming while downloading | Partial | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | ? |
| Cross-platform | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
## Sources
Sources for Deluge. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
- **Starts at**: Free — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Yes, Deluge is Free Software, as defined by the Free Software Foundation, and is released under the GPL, giving our users complete freedom.”
- **License**: GPL-3.0 — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Deluge is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3 with the addition of the following special exception:”
- **Pricing model**: Free — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Yes, Deluge is Free Software, as defined by the Free Software Foundation, and is released under the GPL, giving our users complete freedom.”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Deluge is a full-featured BitTorrent client for Linux, OS X, Unix and Windows.”
- **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Note: Latest stable 2.2.0; the Unreleased section lists in-progress features and commits continue into 2026.
- Quote: “## 2.2.0 (2025-04-28)”
- **Sequential download**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Note: Provided by the SequentialDownload plugin, not a core feature.
- Quote: “Download pieces in sequential order for watching while downloading.”
- **RSS automation**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Note: Provided by the YaRSS2 plugin; the About page lists RSS as 'via Plugin'.
- Quote: “An RSS plugin configurable through the GUI”
- **Web UI / remote control**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Note: The same feature list also names a Web UI; deluge-web serves it on port 8112.
- Quote: “Connect remotely to the Deluge daemon”
- **Encryption & proxy support**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Note: The same feature list includes a separate 'Proxy support' bullet.
- Quote: “BitTorrent Protocol Encryption”
- **Open source**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Deluge is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3”
- **Resource footprint**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Deluge was created with the intention of being lightweight and unobtrusive.”
- **Streaming while downloading**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Note: Enabled via the SequentialDownload plugin, not built in by default.
- Quote: “Download pieces in sequential order for watching while downloading.”
- **Cross-platform**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Deluge is a full-featured BitTorrent client for Linux, OS X, Unix and Windows.”
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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/