Side by side

rTorrent vs TorrServer

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.

rTorrent

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 rTorrent

TorrServer

Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+5

TorrServer combines torrent streaming, caching, search integrations, and several deployment options in a self-hosted package. Its HTTP media security caveat and iOS limitations are important considerations before choosing a setup.

Visit TorrServer

The facts

	rTorrent	TorrServer
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted	Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Not published	Free or on request
Plans published	None	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	rtorrent.net	github.com
On peer-to-peer file sharing software	#25 of 36	#21 of 36

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

TorrServer: what it does well

Free plan and GPL-3.0 license.
Adjustable torrent cache size.
REST API and native MCP endpoint.
Standalone, Docker, and Docker Compose deployment.
Playback URLs work with VLC, mpv, or browsers.

What to know first

HTTP media sends URLs and credentials unencrypted.
iOS framework requires iOS 18.0 or later.
FUSE and GStreamer are unavailable on iOS.
iOS background playback depends on the host app.

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