Whether your using BitTorrent protocol to download files online or simply to share between friends and family on your own network, it has definitely become one of the most efficient and preferred methods of sharing files online. For Mac OS X users, there are a plethora of options when it comes to a BitTorrent desktop client that will allow you to download and create torrents. While each app will have similar feature sets, not all are created alike. Below we will take a look at a few of the top freeware BitTorrent clients for Mac OS X.
µTorrent BitTorrent Client for Mac
µTorrent is definitely one of the most popular clients available and touts itself as “the world’s most popular BitTorrent client”. This isn’t for no reason, however, as this client features probably the most robust set of features and is advanced enough for power users yet simply enough for the average Mac user as well. Here are a few of the notable features:
Native Mac, GTK+ and Qt GUI clients Daemon ideal for servers, embedded systems, and headless use All these can be remote controlled by Web and Terminal clients. For Mac users Transmission is one of the greatest BitTorrent clients that is free and very easy to use. Mac BitTorrent client Transmission is arguably becoming popular among computer users. It is what virtually everyone uses to download the legit open source files.
Transmission Bittorrent Client For Mac
- Native Cocoa Mac client
- Lightweight and Fast
- Multiple simultaneous downloads
- Protocol encryption
- Peer-exchange
- Trackerless support (Mainline DHT)
Azureus
Azureus / Vuze BitTorrent Client for Mac
Vuze is another extremely popular client that is most popular among those interested in finding, downloading and optimizing HD video for a ton of devices including PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod, Xbox 360, PS3, PSP and TiVo. Some of Vuze’s features that set it aside from other clients include:
- Find content from across the web with powerful meta-search
- Discover HD videos on the Vuze HD Network
- Download quickly and efficiently with intelligent bandwidth, queue and speed management
Transmission BitTorrent Client for Mac
Transmission, although admittedly much more simplistic than the other popular clients, has remained a favorite among loyal Mac users. The main reason for this is Transmission provides an extremely streamlined, unobtrusive approach to BitTorrent. For those of you that just need a native Mac UI and a quick and easy way to download your torrents, Transmission is more than enough and always in development that wont force yet another media player all-in-one application.
Utorrent
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Mac Bittorrent Client
This weekend, a notice appeared on Transmissionbt.com warning users that version 2.90 of the popular Mac BitTorrent client downloaded from their site may have been infected with malware. The warning reads:
Everyone running 2.90 on OS X should immediately upgrade to 2.91 or delete their copy of 2.90, as they may have downloaded a malware-infected file.Reuters reports that the infected download contained the first 'Ransomware' found on the Mac platform. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a user's hard drive and demands payment in order to unencrypt it. This type of attack has been increasingly popular on the PC, but this is the first time it has been seen on the Mac.
Using “Activity Monitor” preinstalled in OS X, check whether any process named “kernel_service” is running. If so, double check the process, choose the “Open Files and Ports” and check whether there is a file name like “/Users//Library/kernel_service”. If so, the process is KeRanger’s main process. We suggest terminating it with “Quit -> Force Quit”
According to Reuters, Apple is aware of the issue and has already revoked 'a digital certificate from a legitimate Apple developer that enabled the rogue software to install on Macs.'
The malware in question is said to delay encrypting the user's hard drive for 3 days, so we may see the first reports of those affected as early as Monday. Transmissionbt.com offers instructions on how to see you are affected (above). If you don't use the Transmission software, there is nothing you need to do at this time.
Update: Technical details about the malware.
Update 2: Transmissionbt.com says version 2.92 of Transmission will actively remove the malware.