# Alternatives to qBittorrent The ad-free open source default. qBittorrent ranks #5 of 7 in Torrent clients, with an Alt Score of 75. It is licensed under GPL-2.0, donationware from Free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 7 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/qbittorrent/ Category: Torrent clients ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Users who want a full-featured BitTorrent client without ads, bundled toolbars, or paid upgrades — from casual downloaders to power users managing large numbers of torrents, often as an alternative to µTorrent. - **What you get**: A free, open-source, cross-platform torrent client (Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD) with a built-in search engine across multiple torrent sites, an optional web UI for remote/headless control, and support for RSS feed downloading with auto-downloading rules. It includes standard protocol features like sequential and prioritized downloading, bandwidth scheduling, IP filtering, and encryption, plus an integrated torrent creator. - **How it works**: You add torrents via magnet link, .torrent file, or search results, and qBittorrent connects to peers/trackers to download and share pieces of the file. It can run with a desktop GUI or headless (qbittorrent-nox) and be managed remotely through its web interface or API. ## Profile - **License**: GPL-2.0 (verified 2026-07-09) - **Pricing model**: Donationware (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 | [Deluge](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/deluge.md) | 75 | GPL-3.0 | 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 | qBittorrent | BiglyBT | Transmission | Deluge | µTorrent | Tixati | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Donationware | Donationware | Donationware | Free | Freemium | Donationware | | Starts at | Free | Free | Free | Free | $4.95/yr | Free | | License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0-or-later | GPL-3.0 | 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 | Yes | ? | Yes | Partial | ? | ? | | RSS automation | Yes | Yes | No | Partial | Yes | Yes | | Web UI / remote control | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Encryption & proxy support | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Open source | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | | Resource footprint | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | | Streaming while downloading | ? | Yes | ? | Partial | Yes | ? | | Cross-platform | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ## Sources Sources for qBittorrent. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Starts at**: Free — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “qBittorrent is developed by volunteers on their spare time. If you like this piece of software, consider making a donation.” - **License**: GPL-2.0 — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: Binary distributions are GPLv3+ because of bundled GPLv3+ assets, per the same COPYING file. - Quote: “The qBittorrent source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or (at your option) any later version (GPLv2+).” - **Pricing model**: Donationware — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: Thank you" for the software." - Quote: “Donations are welcome as a ” - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “Windows 10+ ... macOS 13+ ... Linux” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “Tue Jul 07th 2026 - qBittorrent v5.2.3 release” - **No ads**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “No Ads” - **Sequential download**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “Sequential downloading (Download in order)” - **RSS automation**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “RSS feed support with advanced download filters (incl. regex)” - **Web UI / remote control**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “Remote control through Web user interface, written with AJAX” - **Encryption & proxy support**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: The official feature list confirms encrypted connections; proxy support is not stated on the official pages checked. - Quote: “Encrypted connections” - **Open source**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “The qBittorrent source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or (at your option) any later version (GPLv2+).” - **Cross-platform**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “Available on all platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OS/2” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/