Best download managers
Discuss download managers at http://www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 22 Jan - 4 Feb 2020 47
hat we liked:
HTTP Downloader is like a
cleaner version of
JDownloader – it
performs almost
identically to our Gold
ard-winner, but the
interface is less cluttered.
This makes it a bit simpler to jump into,
with a sparse interface displaying a
downloads list and core control
settings, such as Start, Stop and Pause.
You can hide these, too, if you want to
reduce the number of on-screen icons.
But don’t let the basic design fool you
- this software is well equipped to
handle anything you throw at it.
There’s support for a whole range of
URL and streaming protocols, and
operation is straightforward. Simply
grab your download link, add it to HTTP
Downloader with a press of the Plus
icon and leave it to do its thing. It’s also
easy to set global download speed
limits, should you need them. Beyond
download management, the Search
function is especially useful because it
lets you quickly track down files you’ve
downloaded previously.
hat we liked:
XDM (or Xtreme Download
Manager, to give it its full
title) is a slick, modern
tool with a design more
akin to a media player than
download manager. Its
clean layout makes it easy to
filter and find downloads, with a main
pane displaying All, Incomplete and
Complete tabs alongside a search bar,
to quickly find what you’re looking for.
Format filters, such as Documents,
Music and Video, sit on the far left, while
other functions, settings and options
are tucked out of sight under headings
along the ribbon – File, for instance, is
where you’ll spend most of your time
managing single and batch downloads,
while Tools contains handy extras,
including a speed limiter and, best of all,
a media converter for quick file
conversions.
Adding XDM extensions to popular
browsers is easy – there’s a complete
list with links to the add-ons. These
‘interceptors’ can be turned off via the
program’s Browser Monitoring switch.
How it can be improved:
As is typical with such streamlined tools,
XDM is aimed at beginners and light
downloaders, and lacks the powerful,
feature-rich software required by
advanced users. We found its option to
download videos failed to work with
many popular streaming sites, and the
search field was a bit hit-and-miss.How it can be improved:
If you want to use HTTP Downloader’s
associated Chrome and Firefox
extensions, you’ll need to download
them from GitHub and manually unpack
them in your browser. This isn’t a huge
hardship but it’s less integrated than
other download managers that direct
you to the Chrome Web Store or add
extensions automatically.OUR VERDICT
HTTP Downloader is a near-identical
alternative to JDownloader.
However, there are a few options
and settings not found here that
power users may miss.OUR VERDICT
XDM offers solid, fast performance,
with a modern layout that’s easy to
navigate. it’s not short enough of
functions to be called ‘basic’, but
it’s still best suited to casual users.InternetDownloadAccelerator
bit.ly/accelerate493
Internet Download Accelerator may
look a tad dated, with its File
Explorer-style layout and tree-view
navigation system, but performance
is fantastic, with exceptional
download
speeds.
However, while
it quickly
downloaded
sound from
videos, it often
failed to merge video and audio,
despite repeated attempts. On the
plus side, it’s also available as a
portable download, although only
the full version, available for most
Windows operating systems, has
browser-extension support.Free Download Manager
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org
No prizes for guessing what this
tool is or how much it costs. Free
Download Manager, like XDM, is
modern-looking and user-friendly,
but it doesn’t
pack as many
features as its
competitors.
Nevertheless,
there’s more
than enough
here for most users and it includes
options for downloading torrents.
The tool is available for Windows
and macOS, with the usual browser-
extension support you’d expect.
Worth a crack, if you’re not
downloading too much too often.Download Accelerator Plus
http://www.speedbit.com/dap
Download Accelerator Plus tackles
the basics, performing most of the
tasks you might need, with a few
extras such as link checking and file
conversion
thrown in for
good measure.
You can
download
videos from
sites such as
YouTube and Daily Motion, but this
requires the free Video Downloader
tool, which is a shame because it
would make more sense to bundle
them together. A minor niggle for
an otherwise quick and decent
download manager.HTTPDownloader| bit.ly/http493 |★★★★★★★★★ BEST OF THE REST
FE ATU RES★★★★★★★★★ PERFORMANCE★★★★★★★★★★ EASE OF USE★★★★★★★★★XDM|bit.ly/xdm493 |★★★★★★★★★
FE ATU RES★★★★★★★★★ PERFORMANCE★★★★★★★★★ EASE OF USE★★★★★★★★★★