The best torrent clients, according to hackers
3 torrent clients were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended torrent clients with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Built-in search and RSS
Free, feature-rich torrent client with built-in search, RSS and a web UI. Common caveat: it is Qt-based rather than native.
Stable and reliable for years
Free BitTorrent client praised for stability, low system load, and headless use, with a useful command-line and remote daemon. Critics point to bugs, regressions after v4, and tracker overload.
All 3 torrent clients, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | qBittorrent | 29 | 7 | 81% | 10 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Transmission | 19 | 6 | 76% | 10 | — | Approved |
| 3 | rtorrent | 5 | 1 | 83% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same torrent client in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to torrent clients that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.