In fact, FrostWire has more than just a few similarities to Limewire although unlike the latter, it does not carry advertising and there are no annoying pop ups. Just as Limewire was, FrostWire is straightforward and easy to use. A 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 also has a What’s New button to check out what popular files users have recently exchanged.

One particularly handy feature of FrostWire is a special direct connect option. If you know the IP address of one of your friends, type it in the box and FrostWire will browse to that user’s files. This is a quick way of sharing files with someone you know although it would be even better if you could enter the username of a user rather than the IP address.

In terms of speed, much will depend on the speed of your own connection. It definitely helps though if you've correctly opened your router’s ports and whether you’re downloading a popular file or not. To avoid the risk of downloading copyrighted or adult material, FrostWire also allows you to apply content filters. Another handy feature of FrostWire is a built-in media player. Video and audio can be tested using Frostwire’s media player which gives you an immediate preview of your file.

However, one major annoyance with Frostwire is the number of fake files on it. Many songs and files look genuine but are in fact either completely fake or in the worst case scenarios, malicious. You should be very careful when opening files. It should also be noted that FrostWire is basically a stripped-down version of Limewire, but is a not-for-profit project. The developers claim it will never support Digital Rights Management (DRM) or any type of advertising. However, the demise of Limewire due to legal issues mean that FrostWire may well be targeted in the future for closure.

FrostWire for Mac is a hugely popular alternative for anyone who misses Limewire but there are a lot of fake files and it doesn't quite measure up to the latter in most areas.

Download FrostWire 5.5.6 in Softonic

Tribler is an extremely easy-to-use P2P network aimed at file sharing newbies who haven't been able to handle applications, like eMule and Limewire.

Tribler has an extremely clean and simple interface, which displays only the search box, your 'sharing reputation' (based on how many files you've shared) and search results. Despite its simplicity, Tribler is capable of retrieving large amounts of material including video, audio, pictures, and more. The reason for this is that Tribler is integrated into large media sites such as YouTube and Liveleak. Parents will be reassured to hear that an effective family filter is activated by default which is quite effective at blocking adult search terms.

As with most major P2P portals, Tribler allows you to browse simply by media category, and the most popular content is displayed first. What I really liked about Tribler, however, is the preview function. When you select a file, you can choose whether to preview or download it. Preview it by clicking the big Play button and Tribler will search for other users with the file so that you can see whether it's worth downloading. The disadvantage of this though is that the previews take ages to load as it searches for other users with the same material.

The settings are very limited. You can configure a nickname for your profile on Tribler, a maximum upload and download limit, the router port you want Tribler to use, and a default download location. It doesn't save your search terms, so you have to retype them if you want to search a subject regularly.

Overall, Tribler is an excellent P2P file sharing client for those new to it, although seasoned users will find it more than lacking in certain areas.

Download Tribler 5.5.8 in Softonic

MP3 Rocket is very similar to FrostWire and the now-defunct LimeWire, so if you are familiar with them, using the app will be a piece of cake. Even if you are not, it’s an easy-to-use application and suitable for anyone who wants to start downloading movies, music and other content – as long as there are no copyright issues, of course!

MP3 Rocket is based on tabs that allow you to quickly access the search engine, lists of popular files and torrents, your library of shared files and even online TV, radio, games and chat. MP3 Rocket can also be used as an audio and video player, but judged on these features it’s not very interesting and offers nothing that really make it stand out.

However, the main problem with MP3 Rocket is that it simply doesn't work properly. Although it installs fine in Lion, searches fail to return any results with a message informing users that a Firewall may be blocking communication with the server.

MP3 Rocket is a rather outdated way to get your music but still remains a popular app on Windows, although the Mac version doesn't seem to work properly.

Download MP3 Rocket 5.1.9 in Softonic

The difference being that UseNeXT is far more powerful in terms of the hits you'll find and the speed you can download them. UseNeXT provides anonymous and ad-free access to over 200 terabytes worth of MP3s, videos, games, pictures, and software. In addition, it's home to over 60,000 Usenet discussion boards and most importantly, the subscription system means it's legal and allows it to use it's own servers for super-fast downloads.

UseNeXT even comes with its own browser that can unpack and repair failed downloads as well as feature a built-in media player that allows you to preview files before they're downloaded. Using it is pretty easy. When you UseNeXT's the main interface, you have a list of 'Newsgroups' along the left-hand side where you'll find content organized by category. Beware if you're allowing minors to use it because there is a substantial amount of adult content, which you can choose to hide on first use.

Double clicking on any file will immediately take you to the download manager. Alternatively, you can use the search box in UseNeXT to hunt for specific content. By clicking on the newsgroups, you can see the most popular download content by category in an instant.

For those who don't want to waste valuable bandwidth, there is also a 'Free Downloads' section that allows you to download content without reducing your monthly download limit. Finally, the latest version of UseNeXT features coverflow for spectacular viewing of multimedia content and images.

UseNeXT is an extremely impressive network that might not be free, but offers significantly more content and speed than free P2P clients.

Download UseNeXT 5.27 in Softonic

acqlite is a P2P client closely based on popular clients Limewire, Acquisition or Cabos. Just like these clients you'll find it provides a friendly interface, a good search tool and iTunes integration.

I was a little surprised that acqlite automatically connected to the Gnutella client at startup, as I usually like to have control over this setting. I did find acqlite enjoyable to work with and the search tool very responsive. I also like how it divides files by type like movies, pictures and text. The downloads and uploads are a bit hidden away at the bottom left, but they're easily accessible.

If you're worried by what sort of content is download you can set a number of filters provided by acqlite. You can force the client to ignore elements like adult content, spam, or files that do not contain the keywords you entered. This generally makes for more precise results.

acqlite integrates perfectly with iTunes and your iPod so you can easily share music and videos stored in the the Apple media player.

If you enjoy Cabos, Limewire or Acquisition, you'll like acqlite, which is very similar both on interface and functions.

Download acqlite 0.4.2 in Softonic

Limewire is no longer available, due to a court-ordered injunction requiring it to cease all operations.

LimeWire is one of the most popular peer-to-peer file sharing apps out there based on the Gnutella file sharing network.

However, like Vuze before it, LimeWire appears to be encouraging legal downloads with the LimeWire Store. The library is so far a little limited compared to competitor download stores, but we expect this will expand.

Otherwise it's business as usual on LimeWire all via a simple and and clear interface. The latest design makes scanning your search results much easier, and downloading files is totally intuitive. The inbuilt player is still unintrusive and useful for checking audio and video files, but no more.

As mentioned earlier, LimeWire goes out of it's way to check you are aware of the legal implications of illegal filesharing and on installation you have to agree to not infringe copyright, and if you download a file for which LimeWire can't find a license you will be warned and can stop or continue at your own discretion.

The friends function has been much improved. You can sign in with your Gmail, Jabber or LiveJournal accounts, and share files between any of your friends there who are also on LimeWire. This is much easier than tapping out IP addresses, and if enough of your friends use LimeWire, it could become great community sharing tool.

LimeWire searches remain within the Gnutella P2P network, but you can open torrent files with it, and it functions very well as a torrent download client. This is not the most advertised feature of LimeWire, which may a way of keeping legal challenges at bay, but it's a shame that you can't search for torrents within the program.

LimeWire is one of the simplest, most legal and user friendly P2P file sharing applications out there.

Download LimeWire 5.5.16 in Softonic

Cabos may not be as famous as Limewire or eMule but it remains a very good peer to peer file sharing client.

Your network, downloads and uploads are easily accessible from the menu on the left. Elements in these sections will be displayed in a list in the center of the interface.

The search box on the top left is the best way to look for content, and given that Cabos makes use of Gnutella, the third biggest peer to peer network, you're guaranteed to find what you're looking for.

Thanks to iTunes integration, you can search for tracks or videos stored in Apple's media player directly from Cabos.

What worries us though is that the client has not been updated for a while, and could be in need of some improvements.