The 7 BitTorrent Clients Allowed On Private Trackers

March 07, 2009 by sharky

Most private trackers have similar rules in regards to which BitTorrent clients are considered safe to use - or allowable - on their tracker, and the use of anything else can quite easily lead to the dreaded banhammer. Collectively, trackers don’t tend to agree on one amalgamated master list of supported BT clients, as individual trackers have their own set of rules for what’s allowed and what’s not. An example of this is TL & RevolutionTT which both allow BitComet, whereby most private trackers outright ban this client. HDBits.org, on the contrary, only allows six different clients. However, we feel this is about the ’safest’ list of BitTorrent clients you can find.

The best way to find out if a BitTorrent client is allowable or not is to read the Rules / FAQ for each individual tracker. Doing otherwise, or using clients from the list below without prior investigation can result in torrents not starting, ratios being reported incorrectly, or even account termination without warning.

µTorrent

µTorrent is a fan-favorite on just about every private tracker; whether you’re using µTorrent to download on a home PC or in a WebUI seedbox, we’ve yet to come across any tracker that bans it. The big caveat here is which version of µTorrent is being used. Most trackers have banned older versions (with a few exceptions). Stick with version 1.6.1, 1.7.6, 1.7.7 or the recommended latest stable (non-beta) version - currently 1.8.2 build 14458 - and you’ll probably stay in the good graces with your private tracker.

  • Homepage: http://www.utorrent.com
  • Free software: Yes
  • Runs on WinXP/Vista: Yes/Yes
  • Runs on Linux/Unix: Yes (with WINE) tutorial here.
  • Runs on Mac OS: Yes, 10.5 X and up (currently in beta - not supported by most private trackers, although What.cd allows it)
  • Malware-free: Yes
  • Encryption/IPv6 Support: Yes/Yes
  • Remote Control via Web: Yes
  • SSL Support: Yes
  • RSS Support: Yes

Azureus / Vuze

Another private tracker favorite is Vuze (and older versions of Azureus). Selecting a supported version gets a little tricky, though: we recommend you opt for the latest stable version of Vuze which is globally accepted on just about every tracker. Trackers have varying exceptions on allowable older versions of Azureus (some support 2.5.0.4 and/or 3.0.5 and/or 3.1.x and/or new v4.1.x). Yeah, it’s confusing - check your private tracker’s Rules on this one.

  • Homepage: http://www.vuze.com
  • Free software: Yes
  • Runs on Windows: Yes
  • Runs on Linux/Unix: Yes
  • Runs on Mac OS: Yes
  • note: requires Java for all OSes.
  • Malware-free: Yes
  • Encryption/IPv6 Support: Yes/Yes
  • Remote Control via Web: Yes (with plugin)
  • SSL Support: Yes
  • RSS Support: Yes

Deluge

Deluge is a full-featured BitTorrent client for Linux, Unix, Mac and Windows, with the intention of being lightweight and unobtrusive. Most (but not all) private trackers support Deluge, either v0.5.x or the latest 1.1.x version.

NOTE: It would appear that their installer package for Mac/OSX is no longer provided on Deluge’s homepage; however for Mac - v1.1.3 can be found here. Windows releases can now be found here: http://download.deluge-torrent.org/windows/.

  • Homepage: http://deluge-torrent.org
  • Free software: Yes
  • Runs on Linux/Unix: Yes
  • Runs on Windows: Yes
  • Runs on MAC: Yes
  • Malware-free: Yes
  • Encryption: Yes
  • Remote Control via Web: Yes
  • SSL Support: Currently, no
  • RSS Support: Yes, as a plugin called ‘SimpleRSS’

BitTornado

Much of BitTornado’s popularity comes from being used as a BitTorrent client backend for seedboxes, specifically with TorrentFlux (also seen as "Tornado" in the BT client list). It’s also available as a Windows installer app, or can be downloaded as source code for Linux, BSD, OSX, etc. As with most seedbox BT clients, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a private tracker that does not allow BitTornado - it’s widely accepted everywhere. Currently comes in two flavors (Stable v0.3.17 and Experimental v0.3.18) in which most trackers support either version.

  • Homepage: http://bittornado.com
  • Free software: Yes
  • Runs on Linux/Unix: Yes
  • Runs on Windows: Yes
  • Runs on Mac OS: Yes
  • Malware-free: Yes
  • SSL Support: Yes
  • WebUI / Remote Control: Yes, in TorrentFlux
  • RSS Support: Indirectly, through TorrentFlux UI
A look at the BitTornado GUI in WinXP environment:

KTorrent

KTorrent is a BitTorrent client aimed towards KDE (a graphical environment for GNU/Linux and other Unix desktops). Still being actively developed, KTorrent comes with extended features to make it a full-featured client for BitTorrent, including: IP filtering, RSS feeds, File prioritization for multi-file torrents, plugin support, torrent search, and much more.

  • Homepage: http://ktorrent.org
  • Free software: Yes
  • Runs on Linux/Unix: Yes
  • Runs on Windows: Yes (with ‘KDE For Windows’ installer)
  • Runs on MAC: Yes, when compiled
  • Malware-free: Yes
  • WebUI / Remote Control: unknown
  • RSS Support: Yes

Transmission

Transmission is a cross-platform torrent client - first and foremost, it’s a popular standalone client for Mac OS X. Secondly it’s a great Linux/Unix client, also used specifically in TorrentFlux seedboxes (we recommend you use Transmission in TFlux whenever possible).

While Transmission is widely accepted on almost all (if not all) private trackers, one must be wary about which version is allowable. What.cd accepts all stable versions up to (and including) v1.5.x, whereas some trackers support only 1.2.x and 1.3.x (which is commonplace). Many support only older versions, for new stables of Transmission can often be buggy. Check with your private tracker to verify usable builds.

  • Homepage: http://www.transmissionbt.com
  • Free software: Yes
  • Runs on Linux/Unix: Yes
  • Runs on Windows: No
  • Runs on MAC: Yes
  • Malware-free: Yes
  • Encryption / IPv6: Yes/Yes
  • RSS Support: Yes
  • WebUI Support: Yes

libTorrent (rTorrent)

LibTorrent / rTorrent has been known for years as a trusted linux BT client - and by far the most popular choice for Linux users. By itself there is no graphical user interface to rTorrent, but many UI frontend options exist (wTorrent, nTorrent, rTWi, n2hell, rtGui). You’ll probably never find a private tracker that doesn’t support rTorrent.

Because rTorrent is resource-friendly, it’s also a fast-growing choice among seedbox owners and resellers alike, who often bundle it with wTorrent as the frontend.

A look at the wTorrent GUI with rTorrent as the backend:



Archived by FSFmirror

Categories: