For the most part, a web browser can handle the job of download manager fairly well. Still, in some cases, it is wise to have a sophisticated, stand-alone download manager. This list of top-five free download managers represents hundreds of hours of research. We’ve examined feature descriptions for more than 35 download managers to come up with a semi-objective analysis. These free download managers are the best, on the basis of software features and business practices. We’ve collected hard evidence to back up our top-free-download-managers claims.
If you think of any features that we should have included in our comparison analysis let us know in the comments below. Also, we highly recommend that you participate in our custom download managers survey so you can layer in your own importance prioritization for each feature.
We found 20 free download managers. We list the top five here, along with three runners up.
As of this writing, we are not incentivized in any way by any of these download manager companies. Check out our original research publication on Download Managers that is always kept up-to-date.
Now, we present to you our data-driven, ordered listing of the top five free download managers, and three runners up:
Folx
Folx Comparison Details
Free trial: Fully Free
Pricing: $19.95 / Personal License
Feature summary: With a unique system of sorting and saving content, Folx for macOS offers convenient management, flexible settings, and more.
Age of Software/Company: 18.5 Yrs
Industry thought leadership blog: Click to visit blog.
Business Score: 12.31
Software Score: 29.5
Distinctive features:
- Speed Control
Though downloads sometimes start automatically, Folx allows users to divide downloads into separate and simultaneous download threads (up to 20).
Mipony
Mipony Comparison Details
Free trial: Fully Free
Pricing: Free
Feature summary: Mipony is made to improve, enhance and automate your download experience.
Age of Software/Company: 11.5 Yrs
Industry thought leadership blog: Click to visit blog.
Business Score: 11.53
Software Score: 32
Distinctive features:
- Android Compatible
- Speed Control
- Clipboard Monitor
While some would like it to be more stable, Mipony allows users to modify the program's behaviour and operation. It conveniently handles all downloading tasks.
Download Master
Download Master Comparison Details
Free trial: Fully Free
Pricing: Free
Feature summary: Download Master offers a very efficient and user-friendly interface. No more waiting, increase your download speed significantly.
Age of Software/Company: 18.3 Yrs
Business Score: 10.04
Software Score: 37
Distinctive features:
- Password Manager
- Sequential File Writing
- Antivirus Checking
- Clipboard Monitor
Download Master is good for all connection types. The Interactive Disassembler (IDA) resumes broken downloads.
uGet
uGet Comparison Details
Free trial: Fully Free
Pricing: Free
Feature summary: Open source, powerful, and lightweight, uGet provides users with a very efficient download manager.
Age of Software/Company: 8.3 Yrs
Industry thought leadership blog: Click to visit blog.
Business Score: 11.5
Software Score: 30
Distinctive features:
- Android Compatible
- Clipboard Monitor
Some users would like selective download for torrent files but uGet is popular with Linux users, provides excellent support and has a great layout.
Download Shuttle
Download Shuttle Comparison Details
Free trial: Fully Free
Pricing: Free
Age of Software/Company: 12.2 Yrs
Industry thought leadership blog: Click to visit blog.
Business Score: 11.68
Software Score: 27
Distinctive features:
- iOS Compatible
- Password Manager
While the user interface is minimal, Download Shuttle has many features, is easy to get used to, provides auto-resume and download scheduling.
DownThemAll
DownThemAll Comparison Details
Free trial: Fully Free
Pricing: Free
Age of Software/Company: 3.7 Yrs
Industry thought leadership blog: Click to visit blog.
Business Score: 11.01
Software Score: 29
Distinctive features:
- Open Source Code
- Antivirus Checking
While segmented downloading is not possible anymore, DownThemAll has customizable filters. DownThemAll! 4.0.9 was released, September 2019, for Opera and Chrome add-ons.
EagleGet
EagleGet Comparison Details
Free trial: Fully Free
Pricing: Free
Feature summary: Nice looking user interface, speeds up connections, checks file integrity and much more.
Age of Software/Company: 8.7 Yrs
Business Score: 9.86
Software Score: 27
Distinctive features:
- Data File Converter
- Speed Control
- Antivirus Checking
- Clipboard Monitor
Some users would like the in-app search option to work better but EagleGet integrates with various browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera.
WFDownloader App
WFDownloader App Comparison Details
Free trial: Fully Free
Pricing: Free
Age of Software/Company: 3.5 Yrs
Industry thought leadership blog: Click to visit blog.
Business Score: 9.27
Software Score: 28.5
Distinctive features:
- Antivirus Checking
- Clipboard Monitor
Though it has a very simple user interface, WFDownloader App is cross-platform and Java-based. It is a very good general-purpose download manager.