12 Fast and Free IDM Alternatives For Windows, macOS and Linux

Internet Download Manager, also known as IDM, is one of the leading download managers on the internet. It includes heaps of features like faster downloads with resume ability, download schedules, grabbing videos from the webpage, and the list goes on.

The best things come at a cost, and here that comes with compatibility. IDM is available on the Windows operating system but lacks support for macOS, Linux, and many others.

Additionally, the software is only available for free for 30 days, and after that, it costs money which isn’t what you expect.

Thus, you may have been looking around for an IDM alternative expecting it to be free and supported on other operating systems as well. If you have these in mind, you have come to the right place.

This article covers the best and free IDM alternative you should use to download files on your PC, Mac, or a Linux based machine. So, without any waiting, let’s begin!

Best Free IDM Alternative for Windows and macOS (2024)

1. JDownloader

JDownloader is an open-source tool, and possibly the best alternative for IDM. It comes with all those dominant capabilities of IDM.

It includes resuming downloads, setting bandwidth limitations, and much more. One feature that bewildered us was the ability to extract an archive file once the download completed.

It comes with Multilingual support, so the user won’t find it challenging to use. Unlike IDM, JDownloader supports Windows, macOS, Linux, or any other Java-based software. That said, it is the best IDM alternative in the market right now.

Features

• Automatically solves CAPTCHA on download pages
• Supports different themes for the interface
• Install add-ons to add extra capabilities
• Auto extraction of files after the download is complete

Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Java-based software

2. Free Download Manager (FDM)

Free Download Manager is the one that grabs everyone’s attention. As an IDM alternative, it has quite the power to replace your Internet Download Manager. The Free Download Manager is completely free, as the name suggests.

It features the same options as the IDM, which includes download acceleration, download resumption, and many more.

It also acts as a BitTorrent client, meaning that you can simply add Magnet links or Torrent files.

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Additionally, it comes with its Chrome extension to grab downloads from supported browsers. It is one of the best IDM alternatives you can use.

Features

• Create and manage downloads on your PC through a remote app via your Android device
• Preview video and files before downloading and you can convert them too
• Schedule downloads for automatic pause and resume at your configured time
• Traffic mode to limit speeds at specific times, leaving bandwidth for other activities

Availability: Windows, macOS, Android, Linux

3. EagleGet

EagleGet is another good IDM alternative. It’s lightweight and uncomplicated to use as well. This download manager features all the aspects from IDM like scheduled downloading, download acceleration, theming capabilities, and many more.

One of the best parts of EagleGet is its attribute to check for malware while downloading files without needing a separate anti-virus program on your computer.

If you are switching from other download managers, it can import the download list from other download managers. Furthermore, it can even resume expired downloads too. It is one of the best IDM alternatives you can use without a doubt.

Features

• Resume downloads of imported downloads-in-progress files from other download managers
• Download videos from any website on the internet by entering the link
• Sort downloads in up to 5 different folders, and help manage them properly
• Set advanced schedules and tasks for what to do while and after downloading the file

Availability: Windows, Chrome extension, Portable version (for Windows)

4. FlashGet

FlashGet is another download manager that bears the features from IDM, making it another best IDM alternative. It has 10x download acceleration, which makes it better than IDM.

Apart from that, you get unlimited download categorization. One feature that grabbed my attention was the fact that it can automatically bring up your anti-virus program once the download finishes.

Also Read: 20 Best Google Chrome Flags You Should Use Right Now!

Formerly called “Jet Car,” it got rebranded as FlashGet later. Even with the name change, it still supports the features the same as before.

Features

• Automatic search for the fastest server available to download your file
• You can enter proxies and use them to download files from blocked servers
• Dedicated download toolbar for browsers like Opera, Chrome, Firefox, etc.
• Automatically opens up the antivirus after download to scan the file for viruses

Availability: Windows

5. Motrix

Motrix is a new addition to the family of Download Managers. It comes with a clean and straightforward UI to start with.

It supports torrents and magnets at better speeds. The best part, it has Dark Mode, which isn’t available on most of the download managers.

If you are on a MacBook that supports TouchBar, Motrix got you covered here.

Motrix is still in its development phase, and you’ll see some bugs here and there. Motrix is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Motrix can be a great IDM alternative if it gets out of the development phase.

Features

• UPnP & NAT-PMP Port Mapping for better download speeds
• Up to 10 concurrent downloads, 64-thread download support
• Native support for MacBook’s TouchBar
• Automatically updates tracker lists daily for torrent downloads

Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux

6. uGet Download Manager

uGet Download Manager is another IDM alternative that is loved by many users. It launched in 2003 with support for Linux Operating System. After its massive success on Linux OS, the demand for other operating systems grew too.

You can perform collective download operations, schedule downloads, resume/pause downloads, and much more. Since it is open-source software, the source code uploaded to SourceForge makes sure it is safe to download.

Features

• Use up to 16 simultaneous connections for a single download
• Put an infinite number of downloads in the queue with no cap
• Add downloads in batch to be downloaded at a specific time
• It lets you add multiple mirrors and protocols for a single file

Availability: Windows, macOS, Android, Linux

7. Ninja Download Manager [Browser Extension]

Ninja Download Manager can be a great alternative to IDM as well as DownThemAll! When it comes to being a browser extension, it is Chromium browser extension.

It is lightweight and accessible on a variety of Operating Systems. Ninja Download Manager (NDM) offers similar features and download speeds to IDM.

Additionally, you can change or eliminate the metadata of your download for privacy concerns. There’s a Pro version available for using it on Windows and macOS natively.

However, you can get the free version for your Chromium-based browser and enjoy the same features. NDM is a great IDM alternative, but only as a browser extension.

Features

• Drag and drop links to start downloading them instantly
• HTTP, Socks4, or Socks5 proxy servers support through settings
• Clipboard monitor to catch the links for downloading, as soon as they are copied
• Additional Password manager to keep saved passwords for different websites

Availability: Paid for Windows, macOS. Free on All Operating Systems via the browser extension

8. Turbo Download Manager

Turbo Download Manager is another free IDM alternative and quite one of the best ones too. What makes it best is the support for multi-threading downloads, which boosts your download speeds significantly.

It comes with the same functionality as that of IDM like pause/resume downloads and many more features. The ability to preview media files like Download Accelerator Plus is a bonus to all the features that it already provides.

Features

• Automatically grab downloads through the copy links and it starts the downloading process
• Boosts the download speeds through the internal IndexedDB database by splitting the file
• Resume broken downloads by reattempting to connect with the server
• Grab images, videos and audio files download links through advance media parsers

Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Browser Extension

Download Turbo Download Manager

9. Internet Download Accelerator

Internet Download Accelerator is another IDM alternative that mirrors features close to IDM. From features like scheduled downloads, video and audio download support, download acceleration, theme support.

Dissimilar to IDM, it is free (not ultimately). The features, as mentioned earlier, are free and you will see ads throughout the app.

There is a Pro version for the Internet Download Accelerator, which gets rid of ads, and gives you access to downloading features. The Pro version costs $9.95 for a single user and varies for multiple users. But it lacks support for other operating systems like macOS or Linux, though.

Features

• Download video and audio files from hundreds of different leading sites
• You can download torrents through magnet links along with .torrent files
• Download folders through the  advanced FTP panels supports
• Play videos before they are finished downloading

Availability: Windows

10. Xtreme Download Manager

Xtreme Download Manager is yet another excellent alternative for IDM. It retains the same capabilities as the Internet Download Manager.

Some of those significant ones include accelerating download speeds, resuming paused or even broken downloads, video grabbing, scheduled downloads, and many more.

Xtreme Download Manager, or simply XDM, integrates with browsers with its extension to grab downloads efficiently. Whether it be Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Vivaldi, or any browser, XDM supports all of them.

It is available as an open-source program that keeps it free of cost, unlike IDM.

Features

• Download videos and audio files straight from any source online
• Convert downloaded videos into different formats without leaving the app
• All types of proxies and authentications are supported including Windows ISA
• Categorizes all downloads according their file types and formats

Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Java-based software

11. aria2

If you are a person who prefers a lightweight download manager, you would love aria2. This software runs quite smooth without any hiccups. Using aria2 lets you avoid those sheer amount of learning curves. It’s more of a plug-and-play software.

With aria2, the download tasks work very well and make it a decent IDM alternative. It sports all the features from IDM like faster download speeds, multi-connection downloads, and much more.

Features

• Very light-weight app and can run on old computers
• Full-fledged BitTorrent client for downloading torrents from the internet
• Remote control aria2 through the RPC interface
• Dedicated support for metalinks download description format

Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android

12. Persepolis Download Manager

Persepolis Download Manager is an IDM alternative and a utility works best with the aria2 Download Manager. It supports HTTPS and FTP out of the box, and also configures aria2 to get you the best possible speeds.

The GUI is easier on eyes and doesn’t take of a learning curve too. In addition to these, you can also adjust the date and time for the downloads.

It also support multi-segment downloads like IDM to download faster. Moreover, this download manager also supports automatic system shutdown after your downloads are done.

It supports video links from Vimeo, and many others directly when pasted into it. Persepolis is supported by major platforms like Windows, macOS, and GNU/Linux; and is a great alternative to IDM.

Features

• Download videos in up to 4K from social media and video-hosting sites
• Use Tor and SOCKS proxy for downloading files
• Exclusive download bar extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Vivaldi
•  Multi-segment based downloading for faster speeds

Availability: Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux

Also Read: 10 Best Android Emulators For Windows PC and Mac (2021)

Download Faster with Free IDM Alternatives

Downloading files from the internet is an essential task. Many programs offer the tools to manage your downloads. A download manager is one such tool for internet users because issues may occur while downloading files.

Having a download manager is handy when you don’t have a reliable internet connection or resources. If you were to replace IDM with any other download manager, the list mentioned above of the best IDM alternatives would help you choose.

So let us know which was your favorite download manager from this list. Which one would you like to use as an IDM alternative? Let us know in the comments section below.