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Desktop App

aria2

A command-line download tool that fetches files from several sources at once.

Visit aria24.5
  • Rating

    4.5 / 5

  • Pricing

    Free

  • Difficulty

    Intermediate

  • Works on

    macOS, Windows, Linux

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

What is aria2?

aria2 is a utility for downloading files over HTTP(S), FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent and Metalink. It can download one file from multiple sources and protocols at once to use your full bandwidth, and it checks data chunks using Metalink checksums. It is a command-line tool.

Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.

Pros: what aria2 does well

  • Faster, segmented downloads
  • Handles many protocols
  • Easy to script

Cons: where it falls short

  • No graphical interface by default
  • Use it only for content you have the right to download

Who aria2 is for

People who download large files often and want speed and control.

Who can skip it

Anyone happy with their browser's download manager.

aria2 alternatives

Not sold on aria2? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

OCRmyPDF

Focus: ocr and scanned pdf. Shares command line and open source with aria2. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

rclone

Focus: cloud sync, backup and file transfer. Shares command line and open source with aria2. Rated 4.7 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS

fzf

Focus: fuzzy finder and shell. Shares command line and open source with aria2. Adds Offline. Rated 4.8 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

bat

Focus: file viewer and developer tool. Shares command line and open source with aria2. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

chezmoi

Focus: dotfiles and config management. Shares command line and open source with aria2. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

zoxide

Focus: terminal, navigation and shell. Shares command line and open source with aria2. Rated 4.7 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux

Free alternatives to aria2

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

Gum

Focus: shell scripts and terminal ui. Shares command line and open source with aria2. Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

Nushell

Focus: shell and data pipelines. Shares command line and open source with aria2. Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

ConvertX

Focus: file converter, documents and self-hosted. Shares open source and github with aria2. A web app, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Same 4.5 rating.

Web AppFreeWeb, Linux

scrcpy

Focus: android, screen mirroring and phone control. Shares open source and github with aria2. Adds Android. Rated 4.7 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS

Subtitle Edit

Focus: subtitles, captions and video editing. Shares open source and github with aria2. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (aria2: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
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