jDownloader is a free Java-based download management software that makes downloa

ding from various file hosting services (like Rapidshare) a breeze. jDownloader
is designed to work around the little hassles that encourage you to update to a
premium service. Does the site require you to wait x seconds before clicking on
a button to start your download? jDownloader automatically handles that. Captcha
? Check (but not reCaptcha yet). Heck, IP address download quota limit? If your
ISP allows you to use dynamic IP address, jDownloader will even take care of tha
t when it detects your download quota limit has been reached. Simply copy links
into your clipboard, and jDownloader will look for download links and load them
up in its downloader. It won't actually accelerate your downloads, but it'll cer
tainly cut down the hassle when downloading a lot of files from various file hos
ting services

FlashGet is another popular freeware download manager and accelerator for Window
s. FlashGet, like many download accelerators, speeds up your downloading by chop
ping up your intended download into smaller file packets and tries to get them f
rom many mirror sites. FlashGet also comes with a lot of extra features such as
torrent support, Flash movie downloading, RapidShare and other file hosting supp
ort, as well as antivirus checking and file management of your (soon to be numer
ous) downloads.

A Firefox-based extension, FlashGot is a free add-on for Firefox and Thunderbird

that helps integrate whatever download manager you use directly into the Firefo
x experience with right-click contextual menu options and aids in both batch dow
nloading and single file downloading. Rather than having to flit between Firefox
and your download manager's windows, FlashGot does the work for you, allowing y
ou to focus on browsing the net and hunting down more stuff to download and cons
ume.
Orbit Downloader is another great piece of freeware built around P2P and multi-s
ource downloading and designed to increase your speed, as well as support a broa
d base of file transfer systems. Another focus is on web media downloads such as
videos, Flash media, and music, with Orbit Downloader boasting features to grab
embedded and streaming media. It also comes bundled with the Grab Pro software
that helps facilitate downloading videos from sites like YouTube and Pandora tha
t use anti-leaching features. The acceleration features are par for the course a
mong download managers, and the added media support might make it a keeper for u
sers who are heavy consumers of online media. Orbit Downloader supports IE, Fire
fox, Maxthon, and Opera.

GetGo Download Manager is another download manager and accelerator that, like Or
bit Downloader, boasts of its ability to support the download of embedded FLV vi
deos with one-click download support for YouTube, DailyMotion, Vimeo, and more.
Download acceleration, batch downloading and file management features, and a dow
nload scheduler round out the general features of GetGo. Compatible with IE 9 an
d Firefox 13, GetGo is a download manager worth looking at for users of these br
owsers.

Download Accelerator Plus is a paid software with a dumbed-down free version but
even the partially lobotomized version is worth a try. Besides featuring the us
ual download acceleration methods, such as searching for optimum file mirrors or

download sources and pausing and resuming downloads, DAP 10 also features a new
add-on system that allows you to customize your download management experience.
Add-ons such as "DAPsters" allow you a jDownloader-like automation when downloa
ding through file hosting sites like RapidShare, fast-tracking you to CAPTCHA. "
Link Checker" can be enabled to look up download links, automatically tagging li
ve and invalid links before you even click on a link. These are just a few of th
e features you can add on. In a crowded market for download managers, DAP10's Ad
d-Ons feature allows you to customize your experience, and as more add-ons are r
eleased, the potential of this tool can only increase.
Download Accelerator Manager (DAM) is another accelerator and manager program th
at makes a point of not only its download acceleration, but also its ability to
rip and download embedded Flash videos and music from sites like YouTube with th
e aid of its companion program MediaGrabber. Unlike Orbit and GetGo, DAM support
s Chrome, which is a plus if you field that browser instead of IE or Firefox.
Internet Download Manager hides a powerful package behind its extremely prosaic
name. IDM does exactly what it says, accelerating downloads and organizing files
you've procured. IDM also features integration with numerous popular browsers,
as well as the ability to rip FLV videos from various media streaming sites. You
can immediately start downloads when accessing a link, or place your downloads
in a queue in order to better organize and prioritize your downloading through I
DM's powerful scheduling features and organizing features. The only downside? It
's not free, but it can be used with a 30 day trial version. Give it a shot and
see if it's worth springing for the full version.

Internet Download Accelerator is another competitor in the field of free downloa

d managers. Free and with few frills, it's a decent choice for acceleration as w
ell as downloading embedded media, but the ad panel and constant nagging to upgr
ade to the paid version can be an irritant. If you can stomach that, it's actual
ly a solid choice.

Can a piece of software be free, neatly designed, and packed with a ton of power
ful features? Torrent ( = "micro") is proof that this is possible. A lightweight b
ut surprisingly powerful torrent manager and downloader, Torrent manages that nea
r ideal feat of being easy on the eyes and intuitive while hiding a wealth of fe
atures under the hood in its preferences and context menus. Casual users can sim
ply install and fire up the program, loading up torrent files and happily downlo
ading away. More seasoned users can find a plethora of features at their fingert
ips. Customize your bandwidth allocations, set the maximum simultaneous download
s and uploads, prioritize particular files and packages, selectively download in
dividual files, and more. Lightweight, simple, yet also powerful, Torrent is hand
s down one of the best torrent download managers out there.

Where Torrent seems to hit the sweet spot of light, elegant, and powerful, Vuze h
its two out of three. A clean and elegant UI is combined with more settings and
configuration options than you can shake a stick at. Media searching, content su
bscriptions, web remote configuration, and even HD media players and device play
ers are packed into a very powerful package. This does, however make Vuze feel a
bit more bloated than its micro-sized competitor. Still, if you're the kind of
user who can take advantage of all the features that Vuze provides, it's certain
ly an excellent torrent manager and worth your time.

Like Vuze, Tixati seems to hit two out of three when it comes to simplicity, des
ign elegance, and power. In this case, power and simplicity. Tixati is resource
light and minimalist in design. It doesn't come with as many frills as Torrent bu
t it still supports advanced features like bandwidth management and magnet linki
ng. Let's get this out of the way, though: compared to Torrent and Vuze, Tixati i
sn't exactly easy on the eyes. Don't let that stop you from trying out this ligh
tweight torrent manager.
Featured in our earlier roundup of Google Chrome add-ons, DownloadMaster won't g
ive you all the extra frills and acceleration that a full-featured download mana
ger offers, but it does allow for one-click batch downloads of every download li
nk on a given web page using Chrome's internal download manager. It's simple and
does the job, and sometimes, that's all you need.