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.
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.
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.
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.
Why people leave qBittorrent
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How qBittorrent compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Torrent clients checklist | qBittorrent | BiglyBT | Transmission | Deluge | µTorrent | Tixati |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| No ads | ||||||
| Sequential download | ||||||
| RSS automation | ||||||
| Web UI / remote control | ||||||
| Encryption & proxy support | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Resource footprint | ||||||
| Streaming while downloading | ||||||
| Cross-platform |
Every fact and feature listed for qBittorrent is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Starts at Free verified 2026-07-09
qBittorrent is developed by volunteers on their spare time. If you like this piece of software, consider making a donation.
https://www.qbittorrent.org/donate -
License GPL-2.0 verified 2026-07-09
Binary distributions are GPLv3+ because of bundled GPLv3+ assets, per the same COPYING file.
The qBittorrent source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or (at your option) any later version (GPLv2+).
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent/master/COPYING -
Pricing model Donationware verified 2026-07-09
Thank you" for the software."
Donations are welcome as a
https://www.qbittorrent.org/donate -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux verified 2026-07-09
Windows 10+ ... macOS 13+ ... Linux
https://www.qbittorrent.org/download -
Status active verified 2026-07-09
Tue Jul 07th 2026 - qBittorrent v5.2.3 release
https://www.qbittorrent.org/news -
No ads Yes verified 2026-07-09
No Ads
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent-website/master/src/index.md -
Sequential download Yes verified 2026-07-09
Sequential downloading (Download in order)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent-website/master/src/index.md -
RSS automation Yes verified 2026-07-09
RSS feed support with advanced download filters (incl. regex)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent-website/master/src/index.md -
Web UI / remote control Yes verified 2026-07-09
Remote control through Web user interface, written with AJAX
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent-website/master/src/index.md -
Encryption & proxy support Partial verified 2026-07-09
The official feature list confirms encrypted connections; proxy support is not stated on the official pages checked.
Encrypted connections
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent-website/master/src/index.md -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-09
The qBittorrent source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or (at your option) any later version (GPLv2+).
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent/master/COPYING -
Cross-platform Yes verified 2026-07-09
Available on all platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OS/2
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent-website/master/src/index.md
FAQ
Yes. Deluge, µTorrent and rTorrent have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
BiglyBT, Transmission and Deluge — every license claim links its source.