Folx as the best alternative to uTorrent for macOS Catalina

macOS 10.15 Catalina caused lots of trouble to Mac app developers. Particularly those fausing 32-bit app architecture. Apple dropped support for apps that are 32-bit — completely and for good. This means the devs who’re not ready to switch to 64-bit, will lose all Mac users who upgrade to Catalina. 

Is it a bad thing, though? Apple says no. With the new architecture, macOS is supposed to be faster and stronger. Of course, incompatibility is a big deal if your favorite app is suddenly gone from Mac. But it’s rarely the case. Most developers are working to ensure compatibility, even if it’s very difficult for them — for instance, Adobe apps don’t work flawlessly on macOS 10.15 because of multiple 32-bit components they share.

If it happened so that the Mac app you use is no longer working on Catalina, you have the option to roll back to macOS 10.14, or find a good alternative to it.

uTorrent not working on Mac with Catalina

Now, the bad news. uTorrent Classic is not available on macOS 10.15 Catalina. It doesn’t mean the torrent downloader is dead — they offer a web replacement called uTorrent Web for Mac, but you have to say goodbye to the native uTorrent client on Catalina. The app, as you know it, is 32-bit — so there’s no way it can work on the new macOS. 

If you switch to uTorrent Web, you’ll still be able to play and download torrent files. However, it will now happen inside your browser. While uTorrent claims the web version is going to be just as fast as the Classic, there’s some reasonable doubt about that. According to user reports on Reddit, uTorrent Web is slower than uTorrent Classic — and even some of its popular alternatives, including Deluge and Transmission. Plus, many users are wary about uTorrent collecting more data about its users via the Web version. 

So the winner in the battle of uTorrent Web vs Classic is, evidently, the latter. You can continue using uTorrent for Mac on Mojave, or replace it with Folx. 

Why Folx is the best replacement for uTorrent on Mac

With Folx, you’re actually getting more than a torrent client. It’s a full-featured download manager that can capture YouTube videos and other downloads from the web. So think about Folx as about an upgraded version of uTorrent that you were lucky to discover with the release of macOS 10.15. 

Folx can be used for free you’re ok with the limited version. But the most stunning features like built-in search and torrent organizing are a part of the PRO license. The Folx PRO is a part of Setapp, a suite of 160+ Mac apps. It’s the best option if you use a few other apps from the Setapp bundle, and pay a fixed price for everything. For instance, you can use JustStream along CleanShot — another Setapp app that hides your desktop icons, enabling you to stream with a clutter-free desktop. 

uTorrent features and extras covered by Folx

You can use the classic functionality of Folx as an analog of uTorrent 64-bit for Mac. The app handles downloads from torrent trackers and magnet links, enables you to customize the speed of downloading, and works across the majority of browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Opera. But the main benefit of uTorrent not working on macOS 10.15 is that Folx adds lots of extra features uTorrent doesn’t cover.

Convenient search inside the app 

Instead of navigating across endless websites with uTorrent, you can get access to everything via Folx’s search. All you have to do is type the keywords and wait for Folx to show you the best results. The app instantly scans tons of torrent trackers — so the experience will be identical to searching in a browser. 

Set speed limitations

The PRO version of Folx gives you the flexibility to manage the speed of downloading. Break downloads into up to 20 threads for heavy files. Run manual speed adjustments, or let the app automate the speed for you. If you have concerns about particularly large downloads, schedule for later — Folx will be downloading your torrents when you’re away or sleeping.  

Folx caters for privacy 

You can download torrent files using proxy servers, which guarantees your anonymity. More importantly, this feature unlocks lots of content that may be unavailable through your current IP address. Just make sure you stick to the legitimate usage.

Make Folx remember your credentials  

If you’re downloading from the sites that require authentication, Folx can simplify the journey for you by remembering login and password. So that when you come back later for another download — you won’t be asked to enter the credentials again. 

And these are not the only benefits. Folx is a bag full of goodies for those who love downloading content from the web. You can integrate the app with the Apple Music app — so that your audio syncs automatically. Get video from YouTube and automatically convert MP4 files to MP3. Schedule downloads for later if you don’t want your routine to be interrupted. Folx is really as flexible as you need it to be. 

Now that you know what happened to uTorrent, you can choose the torrenting mode that suits you. If Catalina is vital to your work routine, you can either continue using uTorrent through the web or switch to Folx. If you don’t mind working with an older version of macOS, roll back to Mojave and use uTorrent Classic — you can download uTorrent for Mac on the official website.