uTorrent Review

uTorrent is easily the most popular Bittorrent client on the web. In fact, it’s used by over 65% of torrenters.

But as we all know, popularity doesn’t always equal quality. How true is that for uTorrent? Is it actually the best torrent client on the market? Or are there better alternatives?

Find out in our detailed uTorrent review.

uTorrent Review: Best Features

So, let’s start the review by looking at what uTorrent does best.

Easy to use

One of uTorrent’s biggest strengths is how easy it is to use. The UI and features are straightforward, with a lot of handy tools to make your life even easier.

Manage download remotely

Want to start, stop, or check the progress of a torrent while you’re on the go – or just in another room? With uTorrent’s remote management feature, you can do all of that from the web browser on your phone or other device.

Limit bandwidth usage

Not everyone has the extra bandwidth available to download or upload at full speed all the time. Or maybe you just want one file to download/upload faster than the others.

With uTorrent’s bandwidth cap, you’ll be able to set how much bandwidth each individual file is able to use.

Manage speeds by schedule

Maybe you want uTorrent to use less bandwidth during your online gaming or streaming sessions, but want to crank it to the max when you’re sleeping or at work.

uTorrent lets you easily schedule speed caps for these or other situations, so that you have plenty of bandwidth available when you most need it.

Automatic sleep or shutdown

You can also set up uTorrent so that it closes itself or even shuts down your computer when it’s finished downloading a file. You can also set your computer to just hibernate or sleep, if that’s what you’d prefer. It’s a great way to save on resources.

uTorrent Review: Drawbacks

But uTorrent certainly isn’t perfect. Here are some of the top drawbacks to the client:

• Free version comes with built-in ads
• Installer tries to inundate you with bloatware
• Doesn’t support plug-ins or addons
• Not compatible with MacOS

However, we’ll show you how to minimize some of these drawbacks (bloatware and ads) in the sections below.

uTorrent Review: How to Install uTorrent

Installing uTorrent is pretty easy and straightforward, but there are some tricky parts to look out for, so we’re here to guide your through the process step by step.

1. First, start by downloading the installer from uTorrent’s website.

You want the Classic version and the Basic plan.

2. Once the installer has finished downloading, run it by clicking on the file. You’ll be greeted by the setup wizard screen.

Click Next, then Next again, and Agree to the License Agreement and Privacy Policy.

3. In our version, we’re then given an “Optional Offer” for Adaware Web Companion.

We want to Decline the offer, since we don’t want unnecessary software on our computer.

4. We then get another offer for McAfee Web Advisor. Nope, don’t want that one either.

Uncheck the box that says Install McAfee WebAdvisor. Then click Next.

5. The Install Options are up to you. Do you want a shortcut to uTorrent on your Start Menu, Desktop, or a Quick Launch icon? You can select all or none of the options that appeal to you.

6. Next is the Configuration menu.

If uTorrent is your only torrent client (or your default), you can leave all of these checked, though we’d uncheck Start uTorrent when Windows starts up since it just makes start up slower.

If you already have another client that you like, you might also want to uncheck the three boxes under File Types.

7. uTorrent will install. When it’s done, you can launch it by clicking Finish or by simply selecting the program on your computer.

There you have it. Utorrent is now installed! gg ez

uTorrent Review: How to Remove Ads from uTorrent

Did you know you can remove the ads that show automatically on uTorrent? Yep, you can, and it’s actually pretty easy.

1. Simply navigate to Options > Preferences > Advanced.

2. Use the Filter box to find each of the following filters. Hint: You can copy/paste them into the box one by one.

• gui.show_plus_upsell
• gui.show_notorrents_node
• offers.sponsored_torrent_offer_enabled
• offers.left_rail_offer_enabled
• offers.content_offer_autoexec
• bt.enable_pulse

3. As you search for each filter, select it and set it to False.

And boom, there you go! Adless uTorrent, for free!

uTorrent Review: Best uTorrent Alternatives

While uTorrent may be one of the most popular torrent clients, it’s not the only one. In fact, there are quite a few very good alternatives. Some might even say they’re superior.

Here are some of the best, all three of which are available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux:

1. qBittorrent

qBittorrent is much more minimalist and streamlined then uTorrent, with no built-in ads. It’s also fully open source. For these reasons and more, we consider it the best torrent client.

2. Deluge

Check any “top torrent clients” list and Deluge is sure to be near the top. Like qBittorrent, it’s open source and ad free, with a solid UI.

3. Transmission

If you have a low spec computer or just hate programs that hog resources, Transmission may be for you. It’s super lightweight, plus it’s open source and doesn’t have ads.

uTorrent Review: Is uTorrent Safe?

We’ve discussed the safety (and lack thereof) of torrenting and P2P countless times on Cogipas. We’ll recap some of the main concerns below, some of which are specific to uTorrent and others which aren’t, as well as how to avoid them.

Watch out for added files and programs

As we highlighted in the ‘Install’ section, uTorrent tries to sneak a few other programs onto your computer during installation, like McAfee Web Advisor, Adaware Web Companion, and Opera browser.

You can avoid this by declining them.

However, it’s worth noting that uTorrent isn’t always so upfront about what they’re putting on your computer. In 2015, they came under fire when they started installing Bitcoin mining software on people’s computer – without even asking them.

This miner was then using people’s processing power to mine cryptocurrency for Bitcoin. Pretty shady.

uTorrent quickly apologized and removed the software and, as far as we know, hasn’t committed any similar blunders since then. But it still begs the question: is a program that constantly tries to install unwanted software or “bloatware” on your computer truly trustworthy? And is it worth the hassle when there are so many good uTorrent alternatives out there?

Use a VPN when torrenting

As with all torrenting and torrent clients, we highly recommend using a good VPN when downloading or uploading through uTorrent.

It encrypts your data and keeps your ISP and copyright trolls from snooping through your torrent activity. Not only does this prevent you from getting in trouble, it prevents your ISP from throttling your P2P traffic.

In our opinion, the best uTorrent VPN is PIA VPN, since it provides all of the security features you need at a great price. 

Use an antivirus

By using proper precautions, like downloading files from reputable uploaders on legit torrent sites, you can greatly reduce your risk of getting a virus when torrenting.

That being said, it’s always a good idea to have a reliable antivirus installed when using any torrent client, including uTorrent. Better safe than sorry, after all.

uTorrent Review: Wrap-Up

So, in our uTorrent review we’ve looked at its strengths, its weaknesses, as well as some ways to get the most out of it, from installation to removing ads.

But what’s the final verdict? Is uTorrent the best torrent client?

In our opinion, it’s certainly not the best – and it’s outclassed by some of the uTorrent alternatives, like qBittorrent. That being said, it’s certainly not terrible, especially if you don’t mind – or remove – the ads.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know your thoughts on uTorrent in the comments!