8 Best Linux Download Managers

Best Linux Download Managers

A major hurdle for most new Linux users is the ability to manage downloads in an organized manner. While there are plenty of Windows tools, the Linux selection of download managers is a bit limited.

We’ve put together a list of the eight best Linux download managers to help Linux users manage all of their downloads in a quick and convenient way.

Here’s our list of eight best Linux Download Managers:

  1. Xtreme Download Manager (XDM) – Great balance of functionality, ease of use, and comes with a clean user interface.
  2. DownloadThemAll – Comes with download throttling and quick category tabs for the organization of media.
  3. uGet – Free, open-source download manager that allows you to run scripts after a download is complete.
  4. SteadyFlow – A very barebones download manager that is optimized for speed and efficiency.
  5. Persepolis – Built from the aria2 command-line tool to increase download speeds and handle multiple files at once.
  6. pyLoad Download Manager – Ideal for those looking to remotely manage their downloads or write scripts to automate downloading tasks.
  7. FlareGet – Comes both in free and paid versions. The paid version gives you access to more supported browsers.
  8. kGet – A Linux based download manager with simple features that is easy to use.

The best Linux Download Managers

1. Xtreme Download Manager

XDM Dashboard

Xtreme Download Manager (XDM) is a free tree tool that is a favorite among Linux users but is also compatible with macOS and Windows as well. XDM does an excellent job of transforming your downloads folder into a media experience and feels a bit like navigating the menus of a Plex server.

XDM can pull and download data from a large number of sources including Dailymotion, YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo, just to name a few. XDM is flexible and supports browser add ons for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Vivaldi. This add-on can detect most videos that are playing on a page, and give you the option to download it directly into XDM.

Xtreme Download Manager has plenty of great features such as downloading queuing, broken link detection, and a built-in antivirus that automatically scans each file before download. You’ll also be able to convert downloaded video to MP3 and MP4 formats all from within the manager itself. All of these features surprisingly don’t slow XDM down at all.

While we’re used to seeing free tools lack features and support, XDM flips this idea upside down and provides all of this for free. If you’d like to test out XDM, you can download it from its dedicated Sourceforge page.

2. DownloadThemAll

DownloadThemAll Manager

If you’re a fan of Firefox, then DownloadThemAll might be a good fit for you. DownloadThemAll was available solely as a Firefox add-on but has since added support for Chrome and Opera browsers. Since it’s a browser-based add-on, it doesn’t matter what operating system you choose to use.

On the primary menu, you’ll see a list of your downloads, and have the option to perform an advanced search for specific files based on keywords and filters. This is a nice feature if you don’t do much file organization and tend to keep everything in a single folder.

Towards the top, you can quickly sort by links, pictures, or media by switching between the tabs. In addition to advanced filtering, DownloadThemAll also supports multi downloads, meaning you can download as many types of media as your Internet connection can handle. This can all be configured in the settings section of the plugin.

3. uGet

uGet download manager

uGet is a 100% free open source download manager for Linux, Windows, BSD, and even Android. A major part of uGet’s success comes from its open-source code, allowing anyone to add features, fix bugs, and even help develop new official releases.

If you enjoy browser plugins you’ll be happy to hear that uGet is available via an extension for Firefox, Google Chrome, Chromium, Opera, and Vivaldi. uGet is so popular, that it was even translated into over 30 languages by the uGet community. In addition to its wide availability, uGet has a ton of unique features that help it stand out from other Linux download managers.

Batch downloading allows you to add an unlimited amount of files to the queue without overwhelming the manager. The download manager is preconfigured to download a certain amount of files at any given time. This setting can be changed under the queue control settings to better suit the limits of your network.

Under the settings section, you’ll be able to specify default folders, set login credentials, and even configure a proxy for better privacy if you desire. Lastly, you can configure uGet to take specific actions after a download is complete. These actions include Reboot, Sleep, Hibernate, shutdown, or even run a custom script. You can get a copy of uGet from their official website.

4. SteadyFlow

SteadyFlow Download Manager

SteadyFlow won’t win any awards for aesthetics or features, but if you’re looking for a barebones Linux download manager, SteadyFlow might be for you. At this time, SteadyFlow is only available for GNOME and Google Chrome via a browser extension.

Since SteadyFlow has an open-source GNU license, individuals are free to view and modify the code to their liking. This gives it flexibility for those who enjoy taking customization to the next level through programming and tinkering.

What SteadyFlow lacks in good looks, it makes up for in performance. With no frills or unneeded features, you’d be hard-pressed to find another Linux download manager that uses fewer resources than SteadFlow.

While keeping your CPU and memory usage to a minimum, SteadyFlow uses DAP multi-threaded architecture to allow for the fastest possible download speeds. You’ll have all the necessary options to pause, stop, and start your downloads, as well as set queue preferences based on bandwidth limits you configure yourself.

If you don’t mind the limited features and compatibility, but enjoy customizing your software through programming, SteadyFlow is worth the download.

5. Persepolis

persepolis linux download manager

Persepolis is a lean graphical interface version of the command line tool aria2. Both tools are incredibly well optimized for both speed and resource consumption. Persepolis can pull media over a multitude of protocols such as HTTP(S), FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent, and Metalink.

Persepolis boasts multi-segment downloading for the fastest speeds available across multiple sources and protocols. Along with its speed, you’ll find its interface easy to use, and customizable. Persepolis has a host of themes available to it, giving it a nostalgic Winamp feel to it at times.

The download manager can also utilize a proxy for more private downloading. Currently, Persepolis does not support SOCKS proxies. If you’re using something like Tor this can be converted into an HTTP proxy like Privoxy. Downloading videos in the latest version of Persepolis is simple; just right-click on the video you want to queue for download and there will be an option to capture it. Before downloading you’ll be able to choose the video quality, queue priority, and where exactly the file will be downloaded to.

You’ll have all the basic features you might expect from a Linux download manager such as download queuing, scheduling, and automatic video detection. Persepolis is completely free and compatible with Linux, BSD, macOS, and Windows. You can check out Persepolis on its dedicated Github page.

6. pyLoad Download Manager

pyload download manager

pyLoad Download Manager (pyLoad), is a lightweight open-source download manager built primarily for Linux, but since it’s written in Python and managed through the web, it can be installed virtually on any operating system. The web interface for pyLoad is surprisingly easy to use and allows for management and remote access from anywhere with an internet connection.

On the HTML level, pyLoad is capable of detecting a wide variety of media on video sites, on-click-hosters, and many different container formats. If you’re interested in integrating your download manager into another software or backend, pyLoad comes with extensive API documentation to do just that. Through their documentation, there is enough information to set up remote access, automated tasks, and complete unattended running if needed.

The pyLoad tool continues to get updated through the open-source community. You can track all of the progress made under pyLoad’s feature roadmap and bug tracker.

If you’re looking to incorporate automation or scripting into your Linux download manager, pyLoad will certainly have the documentation and support to make that happen. pyLoad Download Manager is completely free and can be downloaded on the official website.

7. FlareGet

FlareGet download manager

Unlike most software on our best Linux download manager list, FlareGet has a free and paid version. FlareGet supports all major operating systems, including over a half dozen versions of Linux distributions.

FlareGet utilizes a dynamic file segmentation algorithm to split the download into multiple pieces, to speed up the download process. On top of being available for nearly all operating systems, its browser plugin also works with all common browsers such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Chromium, Opera, and Safari.

One of the more notable features of FlareGet is its intelligent file management. This feature automatically categorizes your files by their file extensions and allows you to group them into different folders either manually or by default. This makes categorizing your media simple when it comes time to find what you were looking for.

FlareGet also has resume download support, meaning if your internet goes out, or your PC loses power, your download will be able to pick up right where it left off. This is great for users who frequently download large files or struggle with intermittent connectivity issues. Currently, this feature is not available for FTP downloads.

On the back end, you have a host of features such as scheduling, batch downloads support, speed throttling, and clipboard monitoring. A unique setting in FlareGet is the ability to add or remove segments of a download. This can all be done dynamically while the file is downloading without interrupting its progress.

The paid version of FlareGet will get you access to 16 parallel connections per download, extended browser integrations, and a 30% discount on multi-licenses. Personally, I don’t see the need for the paid version, but having the option for extended usability is nice to have.

The paid version of FlareGet is currently $9.99 (£7.88) and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can learn more about FlareGet on its homepage.

8. kGet

kget download manager

kGet is a sleek Linux only download manager developed by KDE Applications. The tool supports files from both HTTP(S) and FTP sources, making this a viable option if you’re looking for an FTP file manager as well. kGet comes with Metalink support, which allows for multiple URLs for downloads, as well as checksum data and other related metadata.

If you’re looking for a tool that’s fast, simple, and free, kGet is a great choice for someone looking for an easy to use download tool.

Choosing a Linux Download Manager

Whether you’re looking to create a media library, or just want better control over your downloads, there’s something for every Linux user in our best Linux download manager list. Which download manager best suits you? Well, that depends.

If you’re just looking to enhance your download experience, and take better control of your media, then Xtreme Download Manager might be best for you. XDM has all the core features most Linux users need and comes with a sleek interface that makes managing your media enjoyable.

If running lean is a priority for you then SteadyFlow is likely your best bet. While SteadyFlow lacks many of the features and shiny interfaces most download managers have, it takes up very little CPU and memory in the background. If performance is what you’re after, SteadFlow is a great pick.

Lastly, if you need your Linux download manager to run scripts and perform automated unattended tasks, PyLoad Download Manager has extensive API documentation that opens it up to near endless possibilities for integrations, remote management, and automation.

Do you use a Linux download manager? If so, what’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

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