Android is one of the few modern mobile platforms that allow a fully functional torrent client. After all, torrents are not exactly known to be legal sources of material, despite being used to distribute not only pirated content, but also free and freely shared files — custom ROMs for example. Thankfully, despite the controversy over torrents, there are many great applications on the Play Store that handle them. Below is a selection of the best.
Common features of all torrent downloading apps
Before I start enumerating some of the best torrent apps, I will have to mention that they are all quite similar in terms of functionality. Below is a list of the common features that you will find in all of them.
- Opening a .torrent file to import a new download.
- Catching a torrent magnet link from the browser on your phone.
- Picking specific files and folders to download inside a torrent.
- Simultaneous downloads of multiple torrents.
- Limiting the download to WiFi-only to avoid data charges.
- Choosing the specific directly where downloaded files should be saved.
- Modern look (at least Holo) with a tablet-optimized interface.
The four best torrent apps however differ from each other by offering a few individual and unique features.
aTorrent
aTorrent’s differentiating feature is its ability to limit downloads not only to when there is a WiFi network connection available, but also to when the device is plugged and charging to limit battery drain.
aTorrent
Download: aTorrent
BitTorrent
BitTorrent is the official application of the same name that we have all grown to use and love on your desktops. On Android, it adds RSS feed support compared to other apps, so you can always know which files have been last updated. It also has an integrated music player, and it recently added support to saving files on the external storage (microSD card for example) even on KitKat where Google restricted access.
BitTorrent
Download: BitTorrent
tTorrent
tTorrent is one of the rare torrenting applications that is paid ($4.99) and doesn’t offer a free trial of some sorts. In terms of functionality, it brings a queue system that starts downloads after each other instead of simultaneously. It also gives you the ability to set the upload and download speeds, a great feature if you don’t want your entire connection being dedicated to torrents.
tTorrent
Download tTorrent Pro
Flud
Just like most desktop torrent clients, Flud lets you set priorities for files and folders in order to help you get your most important documents first. It also adds a sequential download feature that only downloads one file at a time. And lastly, Flud also has RSS support with an option to automatically download new RSS items when they are detected.
Flud
Download: Flud
I’m personally leaning toward Flud in my quest to find the perfect Android torrenting app, especially because of its priorities settings. But what about you? Which one is your favorite torrent downloading application on Android, and why?
