Blog
I tested Transmission, a free and easy to use torrent client with massive compatibility
Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Transmission is one of the most widely-used cross-platform torrent clients. It has numerous features and is compatible with the most popular desktop operating systems.
Transmission is a torrenting app known for its intuitive interface and widespread compatibility. It’s easy to understand even for non-technical users. Its free and open-source nature makes it a popular choice for people seeking to download content.
We’re reviewing Transmission to help you decide whether it’s a good choice. We’ll dive into its features, security, ease of use, and other crucial factors.
Transmission: Version and platforms
Transmission is widely compatible. It can be downloaded on macOS, Windows, Linux, and Unix. It’s also compatible with numerous Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Mint, OpenSUSE, Raspberry Pi, and CentOS.
The extensive PC compatibility makes Transmission a top choice for geeks running atypical operating systems. If macOS and Windows aren’t your thing, you can still download Transmission on many other operating systems.
The drawback is that Transmission lacks an Android mobile app, unlike many rival tools.
Transmission: Features
Transmission is a torrenting app mainly used to download content. The process is simple: First, you download a torrent from an external source. Then, you launch the torrent on Transmission to begin the download.
There is no built-in search engine for directly finding torrents, which we consider a drawback. Users must download the torrents from external sites before launching them on Transmission.
After downloading a file, you become a “seeder,” uploading it to the torrenting network for other users. Transmission depends on seeders to provide fast download speeds for all users.
You can limit the speed at which you seed (upload) files for other users; this limit helps conserve bandwidth. You can also set a maximum speed for your downloads.
We observed fast download speeds when using Transmission. However, your speed can vary depending on how many seeders are available for the torrent you download. The higher the number of seeders, the faster the download speed. The fewer the seeders, the slower the download speed.
You can monitor your downloads from a user-friendly dashboard. This dashboard shows the progress of current downloads and the list of all previous downloads. You can pause or cancel a download that’s still in progress.
Transmission uses less memory than most torrenting apps we’ve tested. Some torrenting apps are memory hogs, slowing down other programs because of their excessive consumption. In contrast, Transmission has a lightweight structure that keeps your PC at its optimal performance when downloading content. It doesn’t interfere with the performance of other apps.
Transmission has a collection of add-ons that provide complementary features. You can download these add-ons from Transmission’s official website. For instance, you can download add-ons that let you control Transmission remotely from a smartphone.
With a remote control add-on, you can pause, resume or delete torrent downloads from your smartphone. You can filter torrent lists, download new torrents, and receive notifications about completed downloads.
You can also download an add-on to control Transmission from your browser instead of the standalone app. With this add-on, you can manage and monitor all torrents from your browser instead of constantly juggling your browser and the standalone Transmission app.
Being free and open-source are major reasons for choosing Transmission. Users can examine the code and certify that Transmission isn’t engaging in schemes like malware and adware to generate revenue. Transmission is a free tool maintained by a global network of volunteer developers, so there’s no incentive to cut corners to make money.
Some torrenting apps are infamous for bundling flash ads, pop ads, and tracking users to harvest data for money. Transmission doesn’t have these issues. It provides sophisticated torrenting features for free.
Transmission: Interface and in-use
Transmission is more user-friendly than most rival torrenting apps. Notably, the desktop app incorporates unique interfaces for each operating system.
For instance, the macOS app has the sleek, simple interface Apple is known for. The Windows app has a modernized interface that makes using it easy. The Linux apps follow the recommended GNOME human interface guidelines.
Thanks to its extensive developer network, Transmission features customized interfaces for different operating systems. The app incorporates minimalistic design with features neatly arranged at the top and configurations at the bottom. The icons are self-explanatory, making it easy to find different features. Any layperson can quickly get acquainted with Transmission’s interface and download content.
Transmission: Security and privacy
Torrenting clients are generally secure but have risks. For instance, open-source torrenting apps often receive unofficial builds from malicious developers who use them to introduce malware. Transmission has experienced this issue but quickly blocked malicious builds.
Transmission has security features to prevent your torrenting activities from leaking to third-parties. For instance, you can block specific IP addresses from sharing files with your PC, which are usually IPs known for sharing malicious files.
For further security, you should switch on a VPN before downloading torrents. VPNs encrypt your traffic by routing it through remote servers. This encryption prevents third-parties from snooping on your torrenting activities.
Despite Transmission’s advanced security features and the additional use of a VPN, no torrenting app is 100% secure. Motivated actors can exploit flaws to snoop on users’ torrenting activities. Hence, avoid using Transmission for illegal activities. TechRadar doesn’t endorse piracy.
Transmission: Final Verdict
Transmission is an excellent choice if you need a simple yet sophisticated torrenting client. It has some drawbacks, such as a lack of a built-in search engine, but its advanced features, impressive download speeds, and other pros outweigh the cons.
We list the best free torrent client.
