BitTorrent v/s uTorrent – Which Is the Best Bet to Make in 2024

For torrent lovers, it’s hard to pick between BitTorrent and uTorrent as both these torrenting platforms feature incomparable offerings. While uTorrent is winning people’s hearts with its constant updates and lightweight configuration, users love the BitTorrent platform’s compatibility.

That’s not the end of it.

While choosing a torrent client requires paying attention to multiple other factors, BitTorrent vs uTorrent is a never-ending war. If you’re also in the middle of this war and having a tough time reaching any conclusion, read this post.

We have accessed both these platforms on multiple fronts so that you have better clarity on which one is best for you.

Getting Familiar With BitTorrent and uTorrent

Before we delve any deeper, let’s get our facts straight about the meaning of these two. BitTorrent is a communication protocol making P2P file-sharing possible. P2P file sharing is the basis of torrenting as it allows end-users to share data, files, media, software, and other resources over the internet, without an intermediary.

Designed by Bram Cohen in 2001, BitTorrent is one of the most preferred protocols for P2P file sharing. It reduces the burden on servers and networks during P2P file sharing and makes a quick download platform. In fact, thousands of torrenting platforms use BitTorrent.

On the other hand, uTorrent is shaped out of BitTorrent. In 2006, uTorrent came under the ownership of BitTorrent Inc., the same company that owns BitTorrent. It‘s written in C++.

To be more precise, uTorrent is an authorized adware program of BitTorrent developed by Rainberry Inc. Many torrent lovers love it because of its lightweight configuration.

The first interaction with these two could be very much the same because they both have nearly identical user interfaces. Well, we can’t blame them as one company owns both. So, this is apparent. The layout is different only in the name and color of the downloading status display. The rest is the same. However, having the same interface doesn’t indicate the same functionalities and configuration.

Why Worry About BitTorrent vs uTorrent?

One might think that when both are the same company’s products, support the same activity, and even have almost the same interface, why take so much pain to know which one is better? Well, it’s crucial because they are different on various fronts.

Torrenting has a very confusing status. If you are looking for a VPN for torrenting, though, you will find this helpful to be helpful – 5 Best VPN For Torrenting and P2P Connection 2024

Some countries like the US and Canada (VPN for Canada) support it like anything. On the contrary, countries like Russia (VPN for Russia) and China (VPN for China) forbid it altogether.

Also, even if torrenting is allowed and legal in countries, downloading copyrighted material is not. One might face severe repercussions if caught indulging in copyrighted material downloading or exchanging.

So, you must play safely while downloading torrents. A wrong step can put you in serious trouble. Even though BitTorrent and uTorrent are designed for torrenting, they have different ways of doing it. So, you need to find out which one is better, safer, more compatible, and more valuable.

Hence, you should be interested in the uTorrent vs BitTorrent comparison.

Torrenting-related articles I compiled for you:

• 1377x: Top 6 Similar Torrent Sites
• 6 TorrentKim alternatives Worth Clicking on in 2024
• Top 6 Anime Torrent Sites: How to Torrent Anime in 2024

uTorrent vs BitTorrent – Which Is Better?

When trying to compare two services or products, we assess their performance on various factors based on the utility of that product. Here, our key focus is on torrenting. So, we would assess these two on parameters like:

• Safety
• Speed
• Performance
• Updates

All these things matter for torrenting users. So, we’ll find out which one is better on which front.

BitTorrent v/s uTorrent – Which One Is Safe?

Safety matters the most during torrenting. One can get caught during torrenting if data is not secured or online activities aren’t concealed. Based on the kind of torrenting activity you were performing or the country’s law on torrenting, you can get into serious trouble.

The safety of a torrent client/protocol is judged by user privacy, misuse of user data, and any data leak/theft that happened while using the product.

When we searched the history extensively, we were able to spot more controversies about uTorrent. It was involved in the unwanted adware and malware download on the client’s device.

For instance, the launch of the Conduit Engine adware toolbar was a headache for uTorrent users as it made alterations in the homage and search engines of the end-users.

Many users report that the installation was reluctant, and the software was not something you could get rid of quickly.

That’s not the only incident. In 2015, uTorrent launched a cryptocurrency miner named Epic Scale. It was an optional offering, as claimed by the company. But, many users reported that the software was downloaded even when they didn’t grant permission to do so. It was disappointing as it signifies that uTorrent isn’t very concerned about user consent.

Also, when any software is installed without end-users’ consent, they won’t be able to control the permission for that particular software. Unknowingly, some data can get leaked. It could prove fatal during torrenting as torrent files might feature viruses or malware that can steal information from unmonitored software/programs.

BitTorrent hasn’t been involved in such sort of controversies to date.

Verdict

Considering these incidents, we must say that uTorrent may not be a healthy choice if you seek improved data security.

BitTorrent v/s uTorrent – Which Is Faster?

After security, speed comes next on the priority list as quick torrent download saves time and resources. Gladly, uTorrent outperforms BitTorrent on this front. BitTorrent features a heavy configuration, which makes it a little bit slow.

uTorrent is developed by using C++, which is a very lightweight language and is simple compared to others. uTorrent is not very complex. Hence, data transfer is fast. The size of the program also matters when speed is concerned. Systems that are heavy in size will have slow speeds.

uTorrent is only 1MB, making it very light on the operating system. On the other hand, BitTorrent consumed nearly 3MB of your operating system. So, it’s a bit heavy on your system, leading to slow speed.

Note that both these products use an in-built bandwidth so that download speed is optimized. However, this feature works best in the case of uTorrent.

Now, that was the overall verdict of the speed. Let’s try to understand the device-wise speed performance as uTorrent performs poorly over specific devices.

Both fail to provide incredible speed on the iOS device as iOS isn’t a torrenting-supportive OS. When it comes to Android, uTorrent is preferred over BitTorrent. uTorrent is highly optimized for Android, which leads to blazing speed. During our speed test, we managed to get a 700kb/s download speed, which is way too good.

But BitTorrent is a wise choice to make if you’re using macOS for torrenting.

Verdict

Speed matters because slow speed will make torrenting miserable. Here, the OS type you select for torrenting plays a crucial role in your end speed. uTorrent works best because of its uncomplicated configuration. But use BitTorrent if you’re using a macOS device.

uTorrent v/s BitTorrent – Which Performs Better?

When it comes to performance, various factors are taken into account. For instance, one has to find out the ad intrusion. Too many ads will turn torrenting into tormenting in no time. So, you need to learn which one handles ads better.

As both are free services, ads will be there for sure. But you have to go with an option offering fewer ads. With uTorrent, ads are more notorious and annoying. Its ad handling power is also not that great. It also features risky ads.

On the other hand, BitTorrent is great on this front. Ads are there for sure. But they are not too annoying. Also, it handles the ads very well and ensures they are not causing trouble for you. So, you’ll enjoy better performance with BitTorrent.

Wait! That’s not the only way to assess performance.

You need to pay attention to simultaneous downloads as well. You need to figure out how these two allow, handle, and control simultaneous downloads.

Too many simultaneous downloads can lead to a high failure rate. But, no simultaneous support is a sheer waste of time. Downloading one file alone takes a lot of time; if you cannot simultaneously download it, you might spend an eternity getting your favorite content.

Well, here is some good news. They both permit simultaneous downloads. At a time, you can download many files and pause one during the process if the speed isn’t great. But, you might face troubles or system performance slow-down when you’re doing multiple downloads with BitTorrent as it’s already a heavy-build software. uTorrent is lightweight and can handle numerous downloads easily.

Verdict

Performance-wise, they are more or less the same.

uTorrent v/s BitTorrent – Which Is More Updated?

Updated software is a sign that security patches are fixed and the software can deal with security issues quickly. This matter is crucial for torrenting, as users do not want to compromise their security at all.

When we checked these two security update profiles, we learned that uTorrent is more serious about updates and offers them frequently. Since its first release, many versions have been released. The Beta version came in January 2022. BitTorrent isn’t that updated.

Verdict

Updates are crucial for torrenting resources. If you’re using uTorrent, you will get to enjoy more updated versions that will proffer the best technology at your service.

We agree that it was too much knowledge to grasp in 3-4 minutes. You might be feeling overwhelmed. This is why you should have a look at this table to gather the essence of this comparison.

Final Say

It’s hard to pick one out of these two as both are very similar on various fronts. Even if they are different, the difference is very minute. However, we still did the demanded brainstorming to help you determine the winner of BitTorrent v/s uTorrent.

And gladly, we managed to do that. We prefer using uTorrent if you’re not using an iOS or macOS device, and be careful about downloading any toolbar. If these two things are well taken care of, you’ll have a better torrenting experience with uTorrent.

But if you’re using a macOS device, nothing can beat BitTorrent’s performance. It’s excellent on this front. So basically, you first need to determine the type of device and then pick any of these two. However, one thing should be implemented if you’re getting indulged in torrenting, and it is using a VPN.

A VPN is the only way to improve the download speed, keep data safe, hide the IP address, and leave no online traces. It’s a crucial step if you don’t want to invite endless troubles that can take birth because of unprotected torrenting.

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Let VPNWelt warn you: to be completely secure on the internet, you will need the help of the best VPN service.

You probably don’t have time to learn all the details about VPN services, but you want to know which one is the best for you. Here are six trustworthy VPNs I can recommend to you, depending on the scope of use of each of them.

•   Best VPN overall: NordVPN
•   Best value for money: CyberGhost
•   Cheapest annual subscription: PIA
•   Best for streaming: Surfshark
•   Best premium VPN: ExpressVPN
• Largest country selection: VeePN

For more information, see our picks for the best VPNs here.

Learn more about improving your internet browsing with a VPN:

• What is a VPN, and why should you use it? Top Reasons [2024]
• VPN Comparison: Compare the Best VPN Services of 2024
• VPN for Dummies: An Ultimate Beginner’s Guide