Limewire, one of the world’s most popular peer-to-peer filesharing applications, has received a lawsuit from the RIAA, who are demanding $115 million in damages, claiming the application promotes the infringement of copyright. Similar applications like Grokster and Kazaa have been forced to go legal and there is speculation as to just how long Limewire will resist until they have to buckle and pay up. The existence of the popular P2P application is not under threat, but if you haven’t given it a try yet, here’s just what makes it a standout program.

In terms of file sharing, Limewire is the cream of the crop, offering the essential peer-to- peer tools in what is probably the friendliest interface of applications in its class. Beginners will appreciate the search bar, which allows you to select the type of file you’re looking for, video, image, audio, program or file. Limewire has a “what’s new” button to check out what popular files users have recently exchanged. We also enjoyed the direct connect option. If you know the IP address of one of your friends, type it in the box and Limewire will browse that user’s files. This is a quick way of sharing files with someone else and can come in handy when working on a project and exchanging documents. The only little snag we have with direct connect is that it doesn’t let you enter the username, much simpler than looking for your friend’s IP address.

Downloading with Limewire is very intuitive. After you’ve searched and found the file you are looking for, double-click on it to start the downloading process. The speed of your download depends firstly on the quality of your connection (broadband is a minimum), if you’ve correctly opened your router’s ports and whether you’re downloading a popular file or not. We would like to point out the effort that Limewire takes to make itself accessible to beginners. Not only does a tip pop up every time you launch the application, the help option also leads you to Limewire’s support centre, FAQs and a forum to get in contact with other users.

The lawsuit carried out by the RIAA is all the more surprising because of the measures Limewire takes to keep you in the realms of legality. If you decide to download Limewire from its website, you will first have to agree you will not use it for copyright infringement. When you’re configuring the application, you can set content filters, to avoid downloading files that copyright owners do not want you to share. To avoid embarrassing situations, make sure you tick the “block adult content” box, which will filter out any pornographic files from your searches.

The best way of checking the quality of the audio or video you’re downloading is via Limewire’s mini player. It’s fairly basic and to par with the players you find in similar filesharing applications, but we appreciated the way it was integrated in the application.

If there’s one thing that we’re still expecting from the Limewire team, it’s that it finally decides to jump on the BitTorrent bandwagon. Torrents are the way forward when it comes to peer to peer file sharing because of the speed, the security and freshness of downloads. Large files like movies or complete seasons of TV series are much easier to download via BitTorrent. We were also annoyed by the “buy the PRO version” window that popped up every time we started Limewire.

For its wealth of possibilities and huge base of users, (more than 4 million simultaneously on the Gnutella network) we encourage you to give Limewire a test drive. Because of the controversial nature of the application, you should always make sure that you aren’t using Limewire for illegal activities like copyright infringement. However don’t be scared off by the legality issue. Limewire, like most P2P applications is one of the most exciting possibilities that the internet gives us. It would be a shame not to give it a try. You should also check out Frostwire, the not-for-profit project of the Limewire development team.

Download LimeWire Basic 4.18.3 in Softonic

uTorrent has quickly become a favorite among torrent users worldwide thanks to an innovative interface, minute CPU usage and extensive download details.

The program is undoubtedly one of the most reliable torrent clients on the market, thanks to an ultra quick installation process and a minimal use of PC resources. You can have a good number of torrents downloading and still be able to use your PC without suffering any lags.

The interface is simple to use and is divided into the list of torrents and extensive details like peer data, download and upload speeds, file pieces and blocks, or a graph of your current speeds. In an attempt to help you structure all your torrents, the application allows you to set labels to your individual downloads. You can also view the torrents according to whether they are downloading, completed, active or inactive. If you download a good deal of torrents at a time this is a good way of keeping track of the progress of them all. Furthermore, you can easily set up the web interface for uTorrent, which allows you to check your torrents from any PC connected to the internet. All you need is to have one PC taking care of the downloads and set up access to the interface of your uTorrent session.

uTorrent makes it easy for you to look for new downloads without opening up your browser. You can search the main torrent sites by typing the name of the file you are looking for in the box on the top right corner of the interface. uTorrent also includes an RSS downloader to receive feeds of your favourite torrent sites. This little feature is great to check out all new torrents in one click.

The first time you launch uTorrent it lets you check your connection settings online and verify whether your ports are functioning properly. The preferences menu is also replete with tweaking possibilities. You can customize queuing, scheduling and downloading. Setting the location of downloaded files is the only bit that could confuse users as uTorrent makes a difference between new downloads and completed downloads.

You might have guessed it, here at Softonic we have a soft spot for uTorrent. Not only does the mini torrent client use up very little memory, it also comes with loads of information and customization features to make your downloading experience as simple and automated as possible. If you’re tired of the bandwidth hogging Azureus or bored of the basic Bittorrent client, check out uTorrent.

Download uTorrent (µTorrent) 1.8 in Softonic

The P2P protocol is frequently used to exchange files and other data between users, but some people regard it as quite an insecure method.

If you too are worried about security when it comes to online transfers, use Hamachi instead. This handy tool lets you connect two computers via Internet by creating your own private network and protecting it with industry-standard encryption algorithms. This means that your communications will be safe from prying eyes at all times, creating a private channel between both computers.

Hamachi features a simple step-by step tutorial that launches the first time you use the program, showing you how to use the main functions. At first sight, it all looks very easy to use. Complications arise later on when trying to share files between computers: you'll need to have a user account with enough privileges in the target PC, or so it seemed in our testing, during which we were unable to share files due to right issues. Oh well, at least we could have a chat – a very safe one, of course.

Hamachi is a great solution to establish safe, private P2P connections between two computers; unfortunately it's not as easy to use as it seems at first sight.

Download Hamachi 1.0.2.5 in Softonic

Bittorrent and Gnutella might be hogging the headlines of the peer to peer (P2P) world, but close behind comes Ares, a successful P2P application that boasts of having its own decentralized network and a simple, quick access interface. Ares spun-off from Gnutella in 2002, and since then has been building a strong and dedicated community of users.

Installing Ares only takes a few minutes and the interface is simple enough that anybody will feel comfortable with it. The new version has a very sleek and dark interface, not unlike that of WMP 11. When you start Ares, it lets you auto scan your PC to find files you might like to share on the network. Beginners will be relieved to know that there is no complex configuration process involved. Once Ares is installed, all you need to do is select the search tab and type the name of the file you want to download. Once it appears, double click on it to begin downloading. You’ll be able to check its progress in the transfer tab. The recent update adds bittorrent support, opening Ares up to loads of new content.

If you enjoy exchanging words with other users, click on the chat tab and connect to one of the thousands of channels available. You can pick up tips on how to use Ares better, ask which files other users recommend or just chit chat about your life in general. You can even insert emoticons into your conversation and keep a list of your favorite chat channels.

Of all the P2P programs, Ares probably features the widest preview screen. You can set it to fit to screen or adjust it to your preference. This is a great way of making sure you’re downloading the right movie or to get a sneak peak at your downloads.

Unlike WinMX or FileNavigator, the two other spin-off Gnutella projects, Ares did not drop into obscurity and unites a flourishing community of users. However, the same old problems usually seem to arise. According to many Ares users the application suffers from constant connectivity troubles making it difficult to properly search for a file or to successfully complete downloads. Others will worry that Ares is a much smaller network than the globally used Gnutella and does not offer quite as much download sources.

Ares is an ambitious project, and the fact that it still remains standing while eDonkey has fallen at the hands of the RIAA, is characteristic of its reliability. Thanks to a strong community of users, a simple interface, a great preview page and multichat service, Ares remains a P2P application of choice for anybody interested into sharing files over the internet.

Download Ares Galaxy 2.0.9 in Softonic

When it comes to P2P file sharing, eMule usually wins hands down but UseNeXT is an interesting, slightly more sophisticated offering which has a lot to offer.

For starters, depending on your connection, it can be remarkably quick. You can download at speeds of up to 25 Mbps with DSL/Cable and it¡s pretty constant rather than the fluctuations you often get with such services. The network also prides itself on security over it's rivals such as Limewire and eMule - with ISPs continually cracking down on users, UseNeXT promises users far more anonymity than most.

The Usenet archives are supposedly some of the biggest in the world - more than 300 Terabytes of data available at all times and they claim that around 2,000 Gigabytes of new files are added daily. The problem in the past was that UseNeXT used to be a very complicated affair that only tech geeks can handle. However, nowadays, it's been simplified to such an extent that eMule, Limewire and other P2P users will feel more than comfortable with it.

While it can't possibly hope to compete with the reach and depth of the major P2P networks, UseNeXT offers an impressive selection with some super fast downloads.

Download UseNeXT 4.61 in Softonic

Ares Lite is a special version of the peer to peer (P2P) application Ares, of which you can read an indepth review on Softonic. What sets it apart is that it actually uses up much less computer processor. Otherwise, Ares Lite has exactly all the features and interface that you can find in Ares, including the wide preview screen, a multichat section through which you can connect to thousands of channels, and an easy search view.

Ares Lite is a real breather from all the CPU-hogging P2P applications out there. Feel free to browse the net, write a document or even play a game on your PC while you’re downloading files on Ares Lite. Like we wrote in our review of Ares, one of the assets of this P2P application is that it has its own decentralized network, making it a good alternative to Gnutella. We can also praise the large and adaptable preview screen, an indispensable feature of any good P2P program.

If you feel that your version of Ares is weighing on your CPU, or if you want to try a solid, lightweight P2P application then Ares Lite is right up your alley.

Download Ares Ultra 4.0.0.0 in Softonic

Morpheus is one of those age old P2P applications and, with support for Gnutella, eDonkey, Bittorrent and many others, probably the most versatile you can find on the market. The new version aims to turn the P2P client into the ultimate multimedia application. Does it succeed?

Morpheus has gone through a complete facelift and the new version brings a newer interface. The window is divided into 4 tabs: search results, my files, podcasts and Morpheus online, giving you an idea of what it considers important. A pane on the left side allows you to create playlists or keep track of searches and videos – although strangely not music. Morpheus lets you also sync all your downloaded files to import them automatically to iTunes. Oddly enough, the chat tool is now hidden at the top of the interface, next to help and preferences.

Morpheus wants to appear as a multifaceted app, not just a simple P2P program. It includes an embedded browser, Morpheus Online, from which you can check-out the internet or find new files to share while you’re downloading. This is particularly useful when you’re looking for new podcasts. By clicking on the podcast page button in the podcasts tab, you will be taken to Morpheus’ own podcast library. While it’s not as star studded as the iTunes library, it’s full of varied and original content. The podcast tab is wisely divided into podcast and episodes, so you can browse through what you’ve downloaded. However we were quite confused by the whole podcast downloading procedure. The progress bar is hidden in the file window of the My Files tab. Why didn’t Morpheus leave this in the podcast section?

Morpheus has also beefed-up its security. You can now select your antivirus application to automatically scan downloaded files. The program also includes solid parental control so you can enter hazardous terms into the block list to avoid your kids searching for violent or pornographic material. You can also add a password to make sure you control who has access to Morpheus. The application also introduces UDP technology to improve the performance of downloads and allow secure file sharing between 2 firewall protected PCs.

This new version comes with many interesting enhancements, but not enough to get us overexcited. Add to that the many drawbacks we found in the application. The interface for example is way too clunky, and it’s safe to say that lies in the two large ads at the top and the bottom of the program (which disappear if you buy the Pro version). The “My Files” tab has an additional file window at the bottom, which adds to the confusion in the interface. The one click burning function is something we were eager to try out but was nowhere to be seen.

However hard Morpheus tries at integrating cool features like web browsing or podcasting, we figure the application should only be used for what it’s good at i.e.P2P downloading. The program gives access to all the P2P networks, even Bittorrent, and the new version introduces safer and quicker transfer thanks to UDP technology. The other extra features in the application like the library structure or web browser felt a bit awkward, and therefore failed at turning the program into a true multimedia application. Let’s hope Morpheus gets it right in the future.

Download Morpheus Basic 5.5.1 in Softonic

From slow beginnings, BitComet has risen to become one of the most popular torrent client downloads on Softonic. For users accustomed to the often sparse interfaces of torrent apps, BitComet surprises with its flashy icons and multitude of options that give you more control over your downloads. For those that want a no-fuss client, the extra features may simply get in the way.

Once a torrent is selected for download with BitComet, a dialog pops up allowing you to determine the location to save to and select exactly which files in the torrent you want. Once downloading, the regular stop, pause, cancel, update etc options are all available plus a handy “remove torrent & all files” option which removes all trace of an unwanted torrent from your PC. Many users report the download rates are good although note no particular difference with other client speeds. The best feature however is a ‘preview media’ option, which forces the torrent to download sequentially instead of randomly thus allowing you to preview any multimedia downloads. It’s a great way to avoid broken links, but, on the downside, it will slow down your download considerably.

Another interesting feature is the ‘intelligent disk cache’ which really comes into its own on high speed connections. If you are lucky enough to get download transfer rates of 500 kb/s or higher, activating it allows BitComet to cache the data to access the disk less frequently. The result of this is that it doesn’t slow down your PC as receiving large amounts of data can sometimes do.

Forum reports from foreign users suggest that the program has not been translated properly from English, yet this doesn’t affect the capacities of BitComet. The other downside is that the uninstall procedure is not particularly clean. The application directory remains as does the registry entry although you can remove the former manually and the latter with any good registry cleaner.

There are simpler clients out there, such as uTorrent uTorrent and Azureus that offer the same download rates but with less fuss. If you have a particularly fast connection, can’t wait for your files to download before watching them and enjoy a torrent client with lots of whistles and bells, BitComet might be for you.

Download BitComet 1.03 in Softonic

eMule stands out from most of its rival P2P clients in the fact that it is open source. The great thing about this is that you’re free of pesky spyware and adware, leaving you free to get on with your downloading in peace. What’s more, eMule doesn’t rely on one central server like many older clients. By using a multitude of different servers, eMule's network is virtually impossible to shut down, and proves very robust and secure.

A simple user interface goes a long way to making eMule a cinch to use. This doesn’t mean it lacks depth though, and its features are some of the most advanced we’ve seen in a P2P client. For instance, eMule lets you view all manner of information on machines you’re downloading from, call up charts outlining downloading stats and check download status through an advanced progress bar.

The fact that eMule uses a large network of servers means the search results are abundant, but there’s one major annoyance with the client – it’s very slow at downloading files. This is largely because of the way it handles download priority, which takes into account the number of servers you’re connected to, the connection speed, and size of the file. eMule also relies heavily on a ‘credit scoring’ system, whereby people who use the service a lot are rewarded with faster downloads. While some may champion this as being in the true spirit of file sharing, the system makes it awfully frustrating for users new to eMule who are penalized with ultra slow downloads.

Having said this, it’s not difficult to see why eMule has become the most popular P2P app, and if you’re prepared to break the law and download music over a network it makes for the perfect accomplice. If you love downloading, you'll love eMule.

Download eMule 0.49b Beta 1 in Softonic

With the release of Vuze, Azureus is jumping onto the legal torrent bandwagon. This application features the classic and extensive Azureus torrent client and adds to it an online platform from which you can download and submit legal audio and video content.

Vuze’s interface is a complete shake-up to what Azureus users are used to. The bittorrent developer has decided to focus on online multimedia content and introduce user participation. The first thing the user sees is a list of thumbnails of the latest videos uploaded to Vuze. You can browse these files by using the left side menu, divided in time, main channels and tags. The menu at the top also links to hot and new content. Vuze takes the web 2.0 road and you’ll see that most of the files have tags. You can write out a comment and leave a rating. The program also makes it a no brainer to send a video by email and link to content directly from your blog or website. There’s also a little diggit tag for each file, to submit them to the ultra famous social news site. It’s still a shame that Azureus omitted all the other famous social networking sites like del.icio.us or reddit. Maybe in a few months?

If you’re only interested in using Vuze as a torrent client, click the “Advanced tab” and you will be taken to the original Azureus interface. You can open up the gazillion configuration options that have come to define this as the most exhaustive bittorrent client on the planet. There’s even access to extra plug-ins like 3D view, RSS feed scanner or share exporter.

We won’t expand on the qualities of the Azureus client, for which you can read a review here. Vuze tries to innovate by adding social tools to the program and providing legal content. There’s up to nine channels to choose from, be it Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom Sabotage the Film School or Travel, yet we were disappointed with the content in general. On some channels there’s very little to watch and on others you don’t necessarily find what you were hoping for. The trailers channel for example, offers new video games trailers instead of releases of movies. However, with Azureus striking up a partnership with the BBC, you’ll soon get Dr Who, The League of Gentleman and Invasion Earth and surely other content providers will flock to Vuze. Taking this into account, Vuze also includes a special tag to let you know if a file is High Definition or not.

On the downside Vuze does nothing to atone the principal drawback to Azureus: the over extensive use of PC memory. Yes, Vuze is still a bandwidth hog, and there’s nothing to do about it. We also find the new interface to be incredibly cluttered. The old downloads and currently downloading windows are too similar to have to be separated and we don’t understand why Vuze includes a Library tab when you can access content straight from the Home tab.

While the whole interface felt a bit clunky, and the number of legal content is still limited, Vuze is a promising application for sharing and enjoying legal content. If you’re already hooked on the original Azureus bittorrent client, take a leap into the future with Vuze.

Download Azureus (Vuze) 3 1.1.0 in Softonic

Frostwire is a hidden gem among Peer to Peer (P2P) applications. Built on the Limewire code but free of any advertising, Frostwire is one of the most accessible and reliable P2P applications you will find, and it doesn’t annoy you with pop ups or ads asking you to buy stuff.

The simple search bar, divided by category, makes it a breeze to browse for a file, whether it is a video, image, audio, or program. Frostwire has a “what’s new” button to check out what popular files users have recently exchanged. We also enjoyed the direct connect option. If you know the IP address of one of your friends, type it in the box and Frostwire will browse that user’s files. This is a quick way of sharing files with someone else. It can come in handy when working on a project and exchanging documents. The only little snag we have with direct connect is that it doesn’t let you enter the username, much simpler than looking for your friend’s IP address.

Downloading with Frostwire is very intuitive. After you’ve searched and found the file you are looking for, double-click on it to start the downloading process. The speed of your download depends firstly on the quality of your connection (broadband is a minimum), if you’ve correctly opened your router’s ports and whether you’re downloading a popular file or not. When you’re configuring the application, you can set content filters, to avoid downloading copyright protected material, adult content or Windows Media files.

The best way to check the quality of the audio or video you’re downloading is via Frostwire’s media player. Well integrated into the client it gives you an immediate preview or your file.

Frostwire is a pure version of Limewire, built as a not-for-profit project, and its developers claim it will never support DRM or any type of advertising. With the threatening cloud of lawsuits gobbling up P2P clients one at a time and forcing them to go legit, Frostwire’s future is in the balance. But the ad-free P2P client is still on its feet, and that very fact added to its reliability make it one of the most attractive of the remaining P2P clients.

Download FrostWire 4.17.0 in Softonic

Although P2P networking still survives as a means of downloading video, audio and software, many people are now turning to torrents as a means of getting hold of their entertainment. While BitTorrent and BitComet rule the roost in terms of on-the-fly downloads, there are a few other pretenders to the crown that are worthy of a mention. BitSprit is definitely up with the best of them, allowing you to grab hold of torrents quickly without any fuss.

The application is significantly easier to use than many of its rivals, however, BitSpirit disappoints compared with its peers when it comes to tracking active downloads. If you would like to access information on your current download then you need to access the torrent itself, rather than relying on the application to provide you with this information.

That's not to say that BitSpirit is a total failure though, and the application boasts many assets to challenge the other contenders in the market. For instance, the app uses very little PC resources, leading to quick, smooth transfers that occur without any annoying program restarts. The program is very easy to pick up and use and save for a major bug when utilising the UPNP, BitSpirit is smooth and effective.

Originally a Chinese program, the app includes some horrible menu translations, making it often difficult to select the right menu option to access your download. That said, managing file download locations and tweaking options are both really simple operations. You are furnished with plenty of flexibility for accessing your downloads, giving you a host of options for choosing the source location and destination of the file.

If you're looking for a BitTorrent client that gives you access to files quickly through a simple interface, then BitSpirit is a worthy app. However, if you want a larger selection of files with a minimal chance of file corruption or hanging then you'd be better off sticking with the more reliable uTorrent or BitComet.

Download BitSpirit 3.3.2.352 in Softonic

Even though eMule is by far our most popular P2P app, BearShare is still going strong and continues to follow closely behind it on Softonic. Like LimeWire, this P2P sharing app is based on the Gnutella network but unlike LimeWire, it comes with adware so be warned. You will be subjected at various intervals to advertising pop-ups and it seems even if you tell it not to install the ad bundle, it still gets turns up on your PC somehow.

Bearshare's basic interface is functional but very plain. It's got a very similar feel to eMule and it's not difficult to use with a simple search box and file type field, although beginners might be thrown off by the amount of technical information relating to servers, which are best ignored.

So most importantly, what results does it throw up and what's the speed like?. In a nutshell, not half as many or as fast as eMule. We found that the connection speed was quite long and the speeds on the whole slower than you would generally get on eMule. The search times are also rather long sometimes taking up to 10 or 15 seconds to bring up a result. It is also limited to MP3, MPEG, AVI, ASF, MOV, JPEG, GIF and OGG files which is somewhat limited compared to eMule.

BearShare has some pretty basic functions although it does contains a few original tools such as the adult content filter to block or keep adult or X X-rated material from ever touching your hard-drive. This still doesn't stop fake files getting through but offers you a decent level of protection. The bandwidth throttle is also particularly useful and offers options for enhanced connection management and improved downloading.

One of the better features is an option which allows you to connect directly to other friends’ PC's connected to BearShare which and enables you to get considerably faster downloads. Of course, all the other standard functions in a P2P app are there - including automatic resume feature, chat, and media player with full-screen preview mode.

If you're looking for a wide choice of downloadable files, you're definitely better off trying eMule or even LimeWire but if you are a beginner to P2P file sharing, BearShare is a fairly simple and user friendly initiation into the world.

Download BearShare 6.2 in Softonic

The torrent phenomenon is one of the most hyped about in the world of technology among Peer to Peer (P2P) users. It consists of sharing large files, like movies, software, or games anonymously and quickly with other peers. The file you want to download is cut up into small segments shared by users, creating what is called a swarm, and does not go through a central server, significantly reducing the bulk of file transfers, The Bittorrent client is actually the first P2P application to use this technology and became immensely popular when it was released. Torrents are considered by online users as a great way to download recently released movies or tv shows.

Thanks to a straightforward, uncluttered interface Bittorrent appears as a friendly torrent client that beginners will feel comfortable with. We particularly appreciated the integrated search box to look for files on the bittorrent website. Once you’ve found the torrent you want, download it to your PC, open it up inside Bittorrent and let the client do its job. The speed at which you download will depend on the number of seeds, that is people who have the complete file and are sharing it. The more seeds there are the quicker files will download.

You can set multiple torrent downloads and the downloading speed is fairly quick. It’s easy to configure the client and we suggest choosing the right port and setting upload and download rate limits to avoid hogging your bandwidth. It’s also good to set your downloads by priority to monitor more precisely how your torrents are doing.

Compared to the exhaustive Azureus, Bittorrent is very simplistic. It doesn’t provide half as many statistics and doesn’t let you customize the interface. Integrating a search box is a great idea, but it limits searches to the bittorrent website, not considered the most thorough source by torrent aficionados.

If you’re a newbie to the torrent world, Bittorrent is a good bet. It’s safe, stable and sharp. Associated with the huge database of legal torrents that is the bittorrent website, it makes for a very rich P2P experience. Advanced users will probably frown upon its lack of options but others should give it a try.

Download BitTorrent 6.0.3 in Softonic

Azureus is a bittorrent client which lets file-hungry downloaders share large files in an organized and highly efficient way. The majority of users may be more familiar with the well known eMule, and although the system it uses results in a more user-friendly experience, the engine used by Azureus can offer some alternative and vastly superior performance enhancements.

The primary advantage of using a bittorrent client is the sheer speed at which files can be downloaded. Performance-wise, Azureus outstrips all the competition but of course, this comes at a price. The most widely discussed flaw of this software is the huge impact it has on your system's resources. The fact that it has been written in Java has been quoted as the source for its excess of memory usage, and in its attempt to optimize performance it squeezes every bit of bandwidth into getting files to download faster, making browsing the web a painfully slow experience.

There is a wide selection of bittorrent clients available to choose from, so what makes Azureus stand out from the crowd? First of all, it's an open source project, which not only means that it's free to download but that there is a large community of programmers, designers and users who are continually testing and improving upon the latest release. In fact, the Azureus project community is so healthy that it recently won the Sourceforge Community Choice Awards for the "Best Overall" category, as voted by the users.

To appeal to such a large user-base Azureus is packed with a great number of options, which can be used to customize precisely how the software runs. There are also comprehensive statistics about every file you download, with the all important "Estimated Time of Arrival" and the share ratio, which tells you how much of a particular file you have uploaded or "given back" to the community. Incidentally, in the perfect P2P community, every file should have a share ratio of two. (In other words, for each file you download, two users download it from you).

What makes a bittorrent client different to a P2P client such as eMule, is that you must download a reference file, or torrent, from the Net, and open it in the client, as opposed to searching directly for the file within the software. A downside to this is that the reference files may linger on after the file they refer to has been removed from your computer. With that in mind, torrent files often come with a health rating, judged by how many sources there are for that file. Very often, the file will be available to be downloaded very quickly when it is first released but within a few weeks or months, will become either very slow or unavailable.

Azureus is probably our favourite file sharing client but we prefer to use it alongside eMule as they both perform well under different circumstances. If you want to convert your PC in to a download factory then Azureus is what you need, but if you prefer an easy life and aren't put off by the long waits, then stick with eMule.

Download Azureus 2.5.0.4 in Softonic

Mp3 Rocket promises users free downloads including music, movies, games, TV shows & more.
It claims to offer over 12 million songs from its network with unlimited downloads allowed, no monthly fees or bandwidth limits.

Mp3 Rocket is based on the Limewire network and comes bundled with a CD burner tailored to the program so that you can easily make copies of your favourite multimedia files.

Download MP3 Rocket 5.03 in Softonic

Torrent Harvester is a search program for any type of file contained on a web page. It is currently named Torrent Harvester due to the fact that most of the Engines are Torrent Engines, however Torrent Harvester is not limited to searching for Torrents and can search for any type of file given the proper Engine file.

Torrent Harvester was developed with flexibility in mind. There is nothing hard-coded for a particular web-page, all Engine information is stored in user-modifiable XML files or through the included Engine Designer. This makes it possible for users to add Engines for their own favourite Torrent sites, or indeed any sites which list information.

Take a look at what Torrent Harvester has to offer:

• Easily searches a multitude of sites with a single click
• Returns all results in a single list
• Download directly from the list, or visit the website source page for complete details
• Complete filtering and sorting of results, on any column
• Allows searching and downloading on sites which require user registration
• Complete downloading transparency
• Get updates of engines directly from within Torrent Harvester
• Create your own engines for your favourite sites using the in-built Engine Designer
• Completely user-definable engines
• Complete help every step of the way
• 88 Included engines, with more coming all the time via updates

Download Torrent Harvester 0.7 b in Softonic

Soulseek(tm) is a unique ad-free, spyware free, and just plain free file sharing application. One of the things that makes Soulseek(tm) unique is its community and community-related features. Based on peer-to-peer technology, virtual rooms allow you to meet people with the same interests, share information, and chat freely using real-time messages in public or private.

Soulseek(tm), with its built-in people matching system, is a great way to make new friends and expand your mind. Soulseek(tm) does not endorse nor condone the sharing of copyrighted materials. You should only share and download files which you are legally allowed to or have otherwise received permission to share. By using this network you agree to this and the other rules which are linked to from this page.

The intention of Soulseek(tm) is to help unsigned and/or independent artists find a place in the ever-growing music industry, in a place where discussion and the creation of music can take place. Use of this network for what may be deemed illegal in nature may see users prosecuted by law, and the owners and/or operators of the Soulseek(tm) network do not offer protection from said incidents.

Download Soulseek 157 NS 13c in Softonic

Torrents have rapidly become one of the quickest and easiest forms of file sharing and VIP Torrent aims to take this trend to the masses in style.

Like all the best torrent sites and engines, VIP Torrent is based on the Bittorrent protocol although it relies heavily on Java which makes it rather sluggish at times. However, it does connect with hundreds of different P2P networks at the same time meaning that you get a decent amount of hits and download options. The program has a simple wizard to help you configure and setup the client. The main aim of this is to ensure that the ports are opened because without this, you're not going to have very fast downloads. Despite the Java, it still manages to be fairly light on CPU power. The application tries to appeal to a wide range of users by allowing you to select from beginner, intermediate or advanced settings. In each mode, you are presented with a different levels of options based on your expertise. Whatever your level though, probably the most useful innovation is that it displays the "health" of your downloads whilst they are in progress. It's also useful for those that can't wait for a program to download or are worried about fake downloads as it allows you to preview files as they downloading. In addition, it allows you to chat and e-mail other users from which are downloading very easily. It features a very useful health button which allows you to see the status of each of your download file and also a send-to-friend button which enables this option via e-mail, blog entry or webpage.VIP Torrent is a client P2P to share and download all kinds of files.

This is a brave attempt at making an e-mule style client dedicated to torrents although you may find that it still can't replace traditional torrent sites and downloading through a dedicated torrent client in terms of both number of hits and speed.

Download VIP Torrent 1.7.0.0 in Softonic

If you're not satisfied with your Torrent client and feel that you could squeeze some extra mileage out of your connection, then you should give BitTyrant a go.

BitTyrant uses a different type of torrent protocol that's compatible with BitTorrent and is optimized for fast download performance. Now, the big selling point of this client is speed although this cannot be guaranteed depending on what type of connection you have, how many seeds a torrent has etc.

However, the developers claim that it's up to three times quicker than Azureus and much fairer in the way it rewards uploaders rather than downloaders. In terms of interface however, there's little difference - BitTyrant looks exactly like Azureus although there are a few optional features to display statistics relevant to BitTyrant’s operation. There is however an underlying difference between it and other clients. BitTyrant differs in its selection of which peers to unchoke and send rates to unchoked peers. In this way, it theoretically means that bandwidth speeds are used more efficiently and fairly although as I say, much will depend on your own connection and ISP provider.

If you're happy with Azureus then there's no big reason to change to BitTyrant but if you've been experiencing declining download speeds or connection issues, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Download BitTyrant 1.1.1 in Softonic