Transmission Torrent Client Review

Transmission is definitely one of the more popular torrent clients out there, and it’s often found on “best torrent client” lists.

But how good is it, really? And is it better than the competition?

Find out in our full Transmission torrent client review.

Transmission Torrent Client Review: Advantages

Let’s start with the good, the areas where Transmission shines. Here are the best features of the Transmission torrent client:

Completely Free

You don’t have to pay a dime to use Transmission. And this isn’t just a “free version” – the whole app, with all of its features, is completely free to use, with nothing locked behind a paywall.

Lightweight, streamlined UI – with no ads

Most users run their torrent client in the background, so they don’t want it hogging up resources, especially if they’re using a less powerful system.

Fortunately, Transmission is extremely lightweight, especially when it comes to memory (RAM).

Plus, it’s got a simple, straightforward UI that isn’t plagued by the kind of pesky ads you find on certain clients, like uTorrent.

Works great with Mac and Linux

Non-Windows users are often left wondering: “will this software run – and run well – on my system?” But with Transmission, you don’t have to worry.

It runs great on Mac. And as for Linux, Transmission actually comes pre-installed on many distros, like Ubuntu, and it’s the default torrent client for many others. That should speak for itself.

Fully open source

We’re a big fan of open source software. Why? Because unlike closed source software, where only the developers can access the code, open source software’s code can be accessed by anyone. And that means it’s a lot harder for malicious code or backdoors to be snuck into the program and onto your device.

Good news: Transmission is fully open source. It also doesn’t come bundled with the kind of bloatware or other software we covered in our uTorrent review.

Lots of useful features

Transmission comes outfitted with lots of useful features, including client-side encryption and the ability to remotely manage your files via their very handy web client. Within the settings menus, you can set things like maximum download speeds and seed ratios.

Transmission also supports plug-ins, like an RSS feed and even Kodi support.

Transmission Torrent Client Review: Disadvantages

In short, while Transmission provides everything you need at a very low price of $Free.99, there are some minor criticisms:

• The UI can be a little too minimalistic for some
• It does lack some features found in competitors, like built-in proxy support
• The app can be a little finicky at times, especially when you have a large queue of torrents

For that reason, while it definitely has a sizable fan base, it’s not quite as popular as other uTorrent alternatives, like qBittorrent.

Best Transmission Torrent Client Alternatives

Not quite sold on Transmission? Here are a few of the best alternatives for you to consider.

1. qBittorrent

qBittorrent comes with many of the same advantages that Transmission does – and many people actually prefer it. Learn more in our qBittorrent review.

2. Deluge

Deluge doesn’t enjoy quite the popularity of the other two alternatives, but its features still earn it a spot on most “best torrent client” lists. Find out more in our Deluge review. 

3. uTorrent

uTorrent is easily the most popular torrent client, which makes is worth a look. Just watch out for the ads and bloatware, which we covered in our full uTorrent review.

Is Transmission Safe for Torrenting?

The short answer? Kinda.

The long answer? Well, no torrent client is completely safe to use on its own. Instead, you need to pair it with a trustworthy torrenting VPN, which can encrypt your data and change your IP address.

We recommend PIA VPN, because it provides lots of great safe torrenting features, like a built-in kill switch and Wireguard servers, at a very affordable price. 

That being said, in a comparison between torrent clients, its open-source nature, lack of bloatware and ads, and clean history make Transmission a safe pick. The built-in encryption we mentioned earlier is also quite nice, though not a replacement for a VPN.

Transmission Torrent Client Review: Wrap-Up

So, we’ve looked at Transmission’s UI, features, and safety, both good and bad. But the question remains: do we recommend it?

We sure do. While it’s not necessarily the absolute best torrent client, it’s quite good – and as we pointed out, it comes bundled with many Linux distros and works great with Mac. If you’re a Windows user, you might prefer something like qBittorrent, but Transmission is still worth trying.

After all, it is free.

What are your experiences with the Transmission torrent client? Let us know in the comments!