The short answer. Decide first what you are downloading, because the category splits cleanly in two. If the job is saving video from a site — YouTube and the like — Downie is built for exactly that and nothing here overlaps it. If the job is ordinary files over HTTP, FTP or BitTorrent, the choice is between the GUI managers: Motrix if you want every protocol in one window, Harbor if you want an open-source native Mac app, JDownloader if your links arrive in batches from file-hosting pages, and Folx or Neat Download Manager if you want a Mac-style interface and nothing to configure. aria2 is the one here that is not a GUI application at all: it is a command-line utility, and it is the right answer only if you want the downloader to be scriptable.
This guide covers 8 download managers for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aria2 | download manager | Open source | not published | 1.37.0 |
| Deluge | download manager | Open source | not published | — |
| Downie | download manager | not published | not published | 4.13.2 |
| FOLX | Mac utility | Free | not published | 5.34 |
| Harbor | Mac utility | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 1.8.1 |
| JDownloader | Mac utility | Open source | not published | 0.72 |
| Motrix | Mac utility | Open source | not published | 1.8.19 |
| Neat Download Manager | Mac utility | Free | not published | — |
What actually decides this
- Video from a site, or a file from a URL. These are different problems that get sold under the same word. A video downloader knows how to find a stream inside a page; a file downloader knows how to fetch a URL and resume it. Most of the disappointment in this category comes from buying one and needing the other.
- Which protocols it speaks. HTTP and HTTPS are universal. FTP, BitTorrent and magnet links are not. If you use any of the latter, this single line in the record eliminates most of the list before you compare anything else.
- Segmented transfer. Splitting a file into parallel connections can saturate a link that throttles per connection. It does nothing for a server that throttles per account, which is the case on most file-hosting sites — so this is a feature whose value depends on where you download from.
- Browser integration. A manager that takes over your browser downloads saves you a copy-and-paste every time. It also means the browser and the manager both think they own the download, which is worth deciding deliberately rather than discovering.
- Interface and licence. Several here are open source and several are not, and the split does not track quality. What it does track is whether you can read the code and whether you can redistribute it, which matters more to some people than to others.
Our picks
- Downie — Its stated scope is video from YouTube and other sites, which is a different job from general file transfer and the reason it does not overlap the rest of this list. Choose it when the job is saving video from a site rather than downloading a file.
- Motrix — Its record lists all four protocols in a single app, which is the widest protocol coverage in this group. Choose it when you want one application covering HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent and magnet links.
- Harbor — It is built with SwiftUI and released under GPL-3.0, and its stated design goal is local-first operation. Choose it when you want an open-source manager that is a native Mac application.
- FOLX — It is recorded as free with a native Mac interface, and its stated features include splitting downloads across threads. Choose it when you want a Mac-style interface and no licence question.
- JDownloader — Its stated purpose is links and hosted content rather than direct file URLs, which is the case it is built around. Choose it when your links arrive in batches from file-hosting pages.
- aria2 — It is a command-line utility rather than a GUI application, so it composes with the rest of your shell instead of competing with it. Choose it when you work in a terminal and want the downloader to be scriptable.
The apps
aria2
aria2 is a download manager for macOS. Lightweight multi-protocol & multi-source command-line download utility. It is open source.
What it does. aria2 is a lightweight multi-protocol & multi-source command-line download utility. It supports HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent and Metalink. ….
aria2 is listed with current version 1.37.0.
Full profile and verified facts for aria2 →
Deluge
Deluge is a download manager for macOS. Deluge is a lightweight, Free Software, cross-platform BitTorrent client. It is open source.
Full profile and verified facts for Deluge →
Downie
Downie is a download manager for macOS. Video downloader for macOS with support for YouTube and other 1200 sites. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Video downloader for macOS with support for YouTube and other 1200 sites.
Downie is listed with current version 4.13.2.
Full profile and verified facts for Downie →
FOLX
FOLX is a Mac utility for macOS. Free download manager for Mac OS X with a true Mac-style interface. It is free.
What it does. Folx is the best Mac files downloader software in 2026 that allows splitting in threads, organizing and sorting downloads, as well as torrent app on macOS for free.
FOLX is listed with current version 5.34.
Full profile and verified facts for FOLX →
Harbor
Harbor is a Mac utility for macOS. Open-source download manager for HTTP(S), magnet links, and .torrent files. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. Fully native macOS app built with SwiftUI. Free and open source under GPL-3.0. Local-first and privacy-friendly by design. Direct HTTP and HTTPS downloads.
Harbor is listed with current version 1.8.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Harbor →
JDownloader
JDownloader is a Mac utility for macOS. Open-source download manager for links, files, and hosted content. It is open source.
JDownloader is listed with current version 0.72.
Full profile and verified facts for JDownloader →
Motrix
Motrix is a Mac utility for macOS. Download manager for HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, magnet links, and more. It is open source.
What it does. Motrix is a full-featured download manager that supports downloading HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, Magnet, etc.
Motrix is listed with current version 1.8.19.
Full profile and verified facts for Motrix →
Neat Download Manager
Neat Download Manager is a Mac utility for macOS. Lightweight download manager with an optimized transfer engine. It is free.
Full profile and verified facts for Neat Download Manager →
How to choose
- Free of charge. FOLX and Neat Download Manager — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. aria2, Deluge, Harbor, JDownloader and Motrix — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. Downie — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: aria2, Deluge, Harbor, JDownloader and Motrix (5 of 8).
Common mistakes
- Buying a video downloader for file downloads, or the reverse. The two are advertised with the same words and solve different problems.
- Expecting segmented downloading to speed up a server that limits per account. Parallel connections help against per-connection throttling and do nothing against anything else.
- Leaving several managers installed and letting them all claim the browser. Whichever wins is rarely the one you meant to use.
- Judging an open-source manager by its interface. Several of these are native applications and several wrap a web view, and the difference shows up in how they feel, not in what they can fetch.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these download managers?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 8 download managers: aria2, Deluge, Downie, FOLX, Harbor, JDownloader, Motrix and Neat Download Manager. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these download managers free?
Pricing across this group: open source (aria2, Deluge, Harbor, JDownloader and Motrix), not published (Downie) and free (FOLX and Neat Download Manager). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these download managers are open source?
aria2 (not published), Deluge (not published), Harbor (GPL-3.0), JDownloader (not published) and Motrix (not published) are open source.
Do these download managers support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
