# Alternatives to Free Download Manager Free cross-platform downloader. Free Download Manager ranks #4 of 11 in Download managers, with an Alt Score of 75. It is proprietary, free from Free and available on Windows, macOS, Android and Linux. 7 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/free-download-manager/ Category: Download managers ## Overview - **Who it's for**: People who regularly download large files, torrents, or online videos and want faster, more reliable downloads across Windows, macOS, Android, or Linux. - **What you get**: A free, open-source download manager that splits files into segments to download them in parallel for up to 10x faster speeds. It includes a built-in BitTorrent client for torrents and magnet links, automatic resume of interrupted downloads, and add-ons for grabbing video from web pages. Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge let it intercept downloads automatically. - **How it works**: FDM detects downloads via browser integration or lets you paste a URL/magnet link directly, then accelerates transfer through multi-part segmented downloading and manages queuing, scheduling, and bandwidth limits from a desktop app. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-08) - **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-08) - **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-08) - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Android, Linux - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-08) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Download Master](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/download-master.md) | 80 | Proprietary | Windows | | 2 | [Internet Download Manager](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/internet-download-manager.md) | 80 | Proprietary | Windows | | 3 | [Xtreme Download Manager (XDM)](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/xtreme-download-manager.md) | 80 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 4 | [yt-dlp](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/yt-dlp.md) | 75 | Unlicense | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 5 | [aria2](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/aria2.md) | 70 | GPL-2.0 | ? | | 6 | [Folx](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/folx.md) | 70 | Proprietary | macOS | | 7 | [JDownloader](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/jdownloader.md) | 70 | GPL | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 8 | [Motrix](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/motrix.md) | 70 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 9 | [Persepolis Download Manager](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/persepolis.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 10 | [4K Video Downloader](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/4k-video-downloader.md) | 40 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Download managers checklist | Free Download Manager | Download Master | Internet Download Manager | Xtreme Download Manager (XDM) | yt-dlp | aria2 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Free | Donationware | One-time | Free | Free | Free | | Starts at | Free | $9.95 | €21.50 | Free | Free | Free | | License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | GPL-2.0 | Unlicense | GPL-2.0 | | Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, Linux | Windows | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | ? | | Segmented downloading | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Browser integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | | Video grabbing | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | Scheduler | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | | Resume support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Open source | ? | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | No bundled adware | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | | Speed limits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | CLI | ? | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | ## Sources Sources for Free Download Manager. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-08) - Note: Current v6.x is closed-source freeware (v3.9 was open source). - Quote: “Free Download Manager is completely free and has no ads.” - **Pricing model**: Free — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Free Download Manager is completely free and has no ads.” - **Starts at**: Free — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Free Download Manager is completely free and has no ads.” - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Android, Linux — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Cross-platform support: For Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux.” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Free Download Manager 6.34 Released” - **Segmented downloading**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “FDM splits files into several sections and downloads them simultaneously, so you can use any type of connection at the maximum available speed.” - **Browser integration**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Official browser extensions — Required for the best browser integration. [Chrome] [Firefox]” - **Video grabbing**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-08) - Note: Via add-ons, not a native built-in grabber. - Quote: “Use add-ons to download files and videos from supported websites.” - **Scheduler**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “The smart scheduler lets you start and pause downloads, launch applications, and connect or disconnect from the internet at specific times.” - **Resume support**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “If a download is interrupted, you can resume it from where it stopped without starting over.” - **No bundled adware**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Free Download Manager is completely free and has no ads.” - **Speed limits**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Note: 'Adjust traffic usage' bandwidth control. - Quote: “Choose from several traffic usage modes so you can browse the internet and download files at the same time.” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/