DMs to give your downloads a significant boost

When it comes to essential Windows apps, one can’t deny the importance of a good download manager. If you know, some years ago, even Microsoft made an unknown and somewhat failed attempt with their software called Microsoft Download Manager.

Mostly third-party, a download manager, download accelerator, file downloader, or whatever you call it, makes the files download faster by downloading them in parts – a process known as parallel downloading.

Why A Download Manager?

Various free download manager software come with features that are nowhere to be found in the built-in download management components in web browsers. For instance, scheduling file downloads, exporting download list, and more. Moreover, download managers also come with browser extensions to capture download links directly from web browsers.

So, with all that said, here are some of the best download manager software for Windows 10 and earlier versions.

Note: This list is not arranged in any order of preference.

1. Free Download Manager – the best free file downloader

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Also known by the abbreviation FDM, it has stood as a reliable Internet Download Manager alternative. It’s available for macOS and Windows operating systems.

Free Download Manager provides seamless integration with web browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc. It’s loaded with a variety of download management features to schedule downloads easily, limit connections speeds, and more. FDM has different modes for light, medium, heavy downloading, as well as, a snail mode which frees up bandwidth for other apps on the machine.

Many things make FDM one of the best download manager software for Windows. It also doubles up as a BitTorrent client. Users can easily drag and drop URLs and torrents into FDM’s window to get the downloads running. For instance, users can directly add YouTube videos URLs to FDM and download them.

Download FDM

2. Internet Download Manager – the best downloader if you can pay

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Probably, it’s because of IDM that so many people are familiar with the term download manager. It’s 2018, there might exist many powerful free download manager software, but it’s still hard to defeat IDM. It can boost the file download speed on people’s machine by up to five times. And this shouldn’t be confused with the available bandwidth.

IDM can efficiently manage batch downloads, provides different options for download queues, fetch download links from web pages and video streaming sites. One thing the users feel assured about is the reliability; I can remember resuming downloads on my desktop even after it accidentally shut down.

Even with all the good things it has to offer, one of the reasons why users might not want to prefer IDM is because it comes at a price. But it offers a 30-day trial offer. So, you can get your hands on it before buying.

Download IDM

3. Ninja Internet Download Manager

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If the appearance of software matters to you more than anything else, be prepared to get pleased by the modern UI of Ninja Download Manager.

And it’s not just the appearance, this excellent IDM alternative stuffs tons of powerful features under the hood to be a ninja when it comes to downloading files faster. NDM for short, in addition to its robust download accelerator, it comes with the built-in media converter and can download streaming videos in up to 1080p quality if available.

Ninja downloader supports sequential file writing, allowing users to preview an audio or video file before the download finishes on their machine. Users can limit the download speed and also control the number of simultaneous connections for a file download.

For more features, a Pro version of Ninja Download Accelerator is also available for $19.

Download Ninja Free

4. EagleGet Download Accelerator – a simple file downloader for Windows

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The one featuring its minimalistic user interface is the download manager we know by the name EagleGet. You can customize the theme with solid colors or some custom image as the background.

The download manager can fetch videos from various streaming sites including YouTube using its Media Grabber. There is a Video Sniffer tool which can be used to download videos for which a download link is not there. After the downloads get completed, you can also configure the free download manager to check for malware using the installed AV software on your system.

The reason why EagleGet counts among the best download manager software for Windows is because of the ease-of-access it offers to the users. It isn’t bloated with features that are mostly of no use to everyday users.

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5. BitComet – free download manager + torrent downloader

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Talking about BitComet, you might have heard of it more when referring to torrent downloader software. But BitComet also comes with support for HTTP and FTP protocols, allowing it to act as a download manager.

It might not have a visual appearance as pleasing as other top download manager software, BitComet comes with all the essential file downloader features.

BitComet offers seamless integration with web browsers, remote file download, virus scan post download, download scheduling, etc. Also, the file downloader comes with capabilities to resume downloads even if you restart your PC or use a different internet connection, similar to IDM and other apps.

Download BitComet

6. JDownloader 2 – an open source file downloader

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If you’re in search of an open source download manager for Windows, then, JDownloader 2 could be the answer for you. The free download manager is a rejuvenated version of the original software which had to shut down after legal actions.

JDownloader 2 includes an optical character recognition to solve CAPTCHA you usually encounter on download sites. It can automatically extract RAR files after download, comes with a link grabber tool to fetch all the downloadable links on a web page, and support for around 300 decryption plugins. The download accelerator can be controlled remotely via the JDownloader web interface and apps for mobile platforms.

Download JDownloader 2

7. Internet Download Accelerator

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Also known as IDA, it’s a free download manager developed by a Ukranian company called WestByte. It comes with support for HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols and provides integration for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc. web browsers.

IDA has a built-in site manager to save the username and passwords of websites. Users can preview the contents of a RAR file before downloading it. One of the things I like about IDA is its quick update schedule.

Recent updates to the free download accelerator have added support for downloading videos from popular video services and the ability to play a video while it’s being downloaded, cool, right? The download manager reminds you of its existence on your PC via floating window which could be sometimes annoying as it stays on top of other windows.

Apart from the free, IDA also comes in a paid family version, it adds technical support, removes annoying ads, provides 3 lifetime licenses. You can get it for $24.95.

Download IDA

8. Download Accelerator Plus – file downloader built-in browser

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If you’re a regular visitor to the world of download managers, you might recall this software by the acronym DAP. The free download manager comes with capabilities to download audio and video from various websites.

What’s more is it can play videos while they download on the user’s computer. Another feature that puts DAP in line with other best download manager software for Windows is the built-in web browser. Users can download their favorite files without leaving the download manager.

Using DAP, it is also possible to download online videos as MP3 files. It comes with a built-in link checker which can tell if a download link is broken. A green dot appears in the search results that indicates that the download link is valid.

Some DAP features are only available with its premium version. These include a video shredder to erase downloaded files from the hard drive, a trace cleaner tool to remove any evidence that a file was downloaded on the computer.

Download DAP

A good publication for novice PC users.
I use IDM excellent program for downloading files from the network

I use IDM as well. Didn't heard of FDM before.
I downloaded and used it for a couple of direct downloads and it works just fine!
From now on, I will suggest it to friends and family that don't want to use IDM!