When download managers are talked about, most people think of the past, such as the days when you were lucky to get over 100kbps and needed a better downloading tool due to the fact you might be disconnected at any time. These days most people just use whatever their browser has built in.
Still, for as neglected as they are, download managers are still very useful tools. For starters, Chrome can’t download a torrent, download files while running on a server, or automatically organize and rename files that have been downloaded. For that you’ll need to go the extra mile and find a good program that meets those kinds of needs.
Luckily, we’ve made a list of the best download managers for Ubuntu! So, how do they stack up?
1. uGet
uGet is perhaps the best choice when it comes to download managers on Linux. For starters, it’s cross-platform, so if you use multiple operating systems, you’ll still feel at home with the same app. uGet runs on Linux, BSD, Windows and even Android! Like all download managers, it supports a download queue and resuming of downloads.
With uGet, you’ll also get Advanced Download Categories (to better sort your downloading files), a clipboard manager, batch downloads, and support for multiple download protocols like FTP, HTTP/HTTPS, Metalink and even BitTorrent! If you’re not happy with how your web browser handles downloads and want to find something a little more robust, you need to check out uGet!
2. pyLoad
Who says download managers need to be bloated? Sure, heavy programs can be nice, but nothing is better than a lightweight program that does its job well. That’s roughly where pyLoad comes in. It’ll handle and manage all of your downloads in an elegant and intuitive way – both in a traditional GUI and a web interface.
Best of all, pyLoad isn’t just a desktop Linux tool. You could install this on your Linux server or Linux-based NAS and go to town. Have it manage all sorts of downloads directly from there and manage it with their neat web interface. If what you’re looking for is a download manager that’s light on resources but good on features, give pyLoad a go.
3. aria2
Not all download managers need to be GUI tools. What if I told you that you can manage your downloads in a robust, organized way right from the terminal? With Aria2, it’s most certainly possible. Though it’s just a little terminal app, this tool can handle HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, and SFTP, as well as the BitTorrent protocol and Metalink.
When you use it you’ll notice a very small CPU and RAM impact. This is because the average usage of memory is about 4 megabytes. What’s even more interesting is that you’ll be able to enjoy multi-connection downloads and even remote controlling over HTTP/WebSocket and XML-RPC.
If you’re a terminal fan and you’re in need of a good download manager, look no further than Aria2. You won’t regret it.
4. Kget
Kget is the official download manager for the K Desktop Environment. As most things go, things are pretty standard. When you install the KDE desktop and software, chances are you’ll get this. The main draw as to why you’d want to use Kget is largely based in keeping everything looking native in KDE.
With this download manager, not only are you getting a Qt style program that matches everything else on your Qt desktop, but you’ll also be getting great features like downloading over Metalink, HTTP, HTTPS and FTP. There is no BitTorrent support, but you’ll get some neat Konqueror integration, so it’s almost an even trade.
5. DownThemAll
Most of the programs on this list are not tethered to a web browser; however, DownThemAll is a Firefox extension that brings many of the useful features that come with uGet, Aria2 and the rest. The good thing here is you’re mostly doing all of your downloads in the browser anyway, so why not just cut out the extra step of opening a separate program?
Sure, this goes against the Unix philosophy: make a program that does one thing and do it well. However, it should be said that DownThemAll is a wonderful program and an awesome addition to Firefox if you’re a bit particular about how you are downloading your files.
Features include downloading over multiple protocols, resume, pause, download speed boosting, etc. If you’ve tried all the download managers in the list and found out you’d prefer to just have something in the web browser, you need to seriously check out DownThemAll.
Conclusion
People often don’t think about it, but the way we manage our downloads is important. Many times while using Linux I’ve needed to get a file and have been stuck with the terrible manager that modern browsers have to offer. With download managers, this problem is non-existent.
With these download managers for Ubuntu, your files are treated with much more care. You have the ability to download and handle multiple protocols, rename settings, and even do some of this directly from the terminal. If you don’t really care much about how you download, move along. However, if you want to improve your downloading, look no further than this list. It’ll most certainly help.
Image Credit: Blue Diamond Gallery, ugetdm, kde
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Derrik Diener
Derrik Diener is a freelance technology blogger.
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