BitTorrent

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer client used to transfer large amounts of data over the internet through the BitTorrent protocol. The protocol works by connecting users directly whereby they share segments of a file; as they download files they are also uploading in parallel which works great to efficiently manage bandwidth and increase the speed at which files are transferred.

The BitTorrent client was the very first application created for the BitTorrent protocol and was designed in 2001 with version 1.0 released in July of that year. Overall the following versions have always had a good reputation for ease of use especially for beginners; ensuring stability, performance and being light on PC resources. The user interface has been through many modifications to improve usability and includes a number of options to manage your downloads/uploads and provides efficient data on your downloads such as number of peers and speed. Since version 6.0, BitTorrent has become a rebranded version of Torrent.

BitTorrent is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS. BitTorrent 2.0 is the last version to be supported on systems older than Windows 2000. Later versions compatible and supported on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7. BitTorrent only supported on Mac OS X or later.

Pros: Lightweight, simple to use, free from spyware, easy configuration.

Cons: Built-in search tool is limited.