Download managers are a great way to manage content transfers from the Internet. Very useful, always, in the current era of increased traffic by telework, tele-study and leisure consumption imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, its use is advisable to improve transfers.
It allows you to take full advantage of the performance that the Internet connection you have contracted allows, whether you have a faster fiber optic connection or an ADSL. Although the acceleration of transfers is its strong point, download managers have other advantages as they allow you to automate transfers, schedule them, resume them, and generally better manage and administer content. In this article we are going to review the operation of the software and offer a few existing free options.
How download managers work
These types of applications use mirror websites ( multiple mirrors ) with similar to speed up the download or automatically choose between several servers that have the file available, opting for the one that offers better stability and performance.
Another important point is its ability to resume deliberately paused downloads or interrupted by server or line error without losing the part of the files that had been downloaded until then. Additionally, it prevents an unfinished download from being corrupted if there is an accidental disconnection.
They also allow us to automate and schedule downloads or uploads at the time that interests us most, usually outside of the working day or at night when the networks are less saturated, in addition to downloading a large number of files at the same time prioritizing performance over those We are more interested in or limit the download speed so as not to saturate the connection and allow us to use the equipment in functions such as navigation
Other added benefits of download managers is file type management and more accurate information on transfer speed and download times. Some applications integrate antivirus for malware checking or a viewer for video and audio preview.
Download managers for browsers
This type of software has enough performance, administration and control advantages to keep a dedicated application installed. But if you think that you will only use it in these times of confinement due to traffic congestion, you can start without having to install independent applications by activating some of the existing plugins for the main web browsers, such as:
1. DownThemAll (Firefox)
It is the manager that we like the most for the Mozilla web browser and one of the best absolute integrators you can find. Its integration with Mozilla is perfect and it is even integrated in the Firefox download menu. It is capable of detecting all the media links on a web page (with the corresponding filters), automatically downloading at high speed and allowing them to be summarized.
2. Video Download Helper (Firefox and Chrome)
Ideal if you are looking for a program for occasional video downloads on the web. It does not work with some YouTube videos as it usually happens with these managers.
Chrono Download Manager (Chrome). Exclusive to the Google browser, it integrates very well with the interface and use of its download system. Includes the “Chrono Sniffer” function that detects all links, images, audio and video on a web page.
3. Fruumo Download Manager
Without as much integration as the previous one, it does its job as a manager in the Google browser with an intuitive interface. Very simple, but download, pause and resume downloads like the rest.
4. EagleGet
Without the power of the installable version, you can integrate it into Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera.
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Independent download managers
For those who want to keep browsers as clean as possible and the most complete options in download managers, independent applications are the ones that work best. We leave you some of the most interesting:
1. JDownloader
One of the most used especially when we work with direct download services and multiple files. An open source platform written in Java with a lot of plugins to use with the options of the previous ones, such as the separation in packages to allow to pause and continue the downloads individually.
It has captcha recognition, allowing batches of downloads without user intervention. In addition to Windows, it has versions for Linux and Mac. If you use many direct download servers, it’s a reference.
2. FlashGet
A classic download manager that has been with us for nearly 20 years and that promises to speed up transfers “between 6 and 10 times”. It includes the general characteristics of a download manager including virus checking. You can download from websites, from FTP and even .torrent files although in this case it is always better to use a dedicated P2P client.
To start a download, simply drag the download link into a small window that acts as a minimal interface. An interface that could use an update, although for many it is still the best in the industry. It also has a portable application.
3. Free Download Manager
Another good download manager (free alternative to the well-known Internet Download Manager) that can also be used in a portable version on all your Windows devices without the need for installation.
Like the previous download managers, it increases the download speed by dividing the file into pieces and connecting from various mirror sites, it allows you to resume and schedule downloads, a video and audio viewer before the download is finished, and a long etc. It includes the HTML Spider function that allows you to download entire websites.
4. EagleGet
Simple and efficient, it promises to increase the download speed by up to six times what it would take for simple direct download from a web browser.
It is multilanguage, has pause and resume capabilities, day and time programming, integrity checker, malware checker and even video format converter.
5. BitComet
You probably know it more as a client for BitTorrent, but it also includes support for HTTP and FTP protocols, which allows it to act as download managers.
Please let us know if you ever used any download manager, and which of the ones is your top most favorite.
