Side by side
PicoTorrent vs rTorrent
Both stand on peer-to-peer file sharing software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Windows
PicoTorrent provides broad torrent-format support and detailed filtering at no cost. Windows users should obtain releases from trusted sources and note the portable-version requirement.
Visit PicoTorrent Free plan APILinuxMac+1
rTorrent provides detailed torrent controls in a terminal client, with daemon, scripting, and remote-management options. Its global throttling and XMLRPC security requirements deserve attention before deployment.
Visit rTorrentThe facts
| PicoTorrent | rTorrent | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Not published |
| Plans published | 1 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | rtorrent.net |
| On peer-to-peer file sharing software | #29 of 36 | #25 of 36 |
PicoTorrent: what it does well
- Free under the MIT license
- Supports BitTorrent 2.0, v1, v2, and hybrid
- Includes DHT, PeX, LSD, and UPnP
- Creates single-file or multi-file torrents
- Embedded query language filters torrent lists
What to know first
- Windows-only client
- Portable version requires Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
- No free trial is listed
rTorrent: what it does well
- Command-line ncurses interface
- Daemon and XMLRPC control
- DHT and trackerless torrent support
- Global upload and download throttles
- GNU GPL-2.0 license
What to know first
- Throttles apply globally, not per torrent
- XMLRPC methods can execute system commands
- Requires several build dependencies
- Terminal-focused interface
Alternatives to PicoTorrent Alternatives to rTorrent The whole list