# Motrix — Full-Featured Cross-Platform Download Manager

> An open-source download manager supporting HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, and Magnet links with a clean interface for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Motrix — Full-Featured Cross-Platform Download Manager

## Quick Use
```bash
# macOS
brew install --cask motrix

# Windows (Chocolatey)
choco install motrix

# Linux (AppImage or Snap)
sudo snap install motrix
```

## Introduction
Motrix is an open-source download manager built on Electron and powered by aria2 under the hood. It provides a clean, modern interface for managing downloads across HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, and Magnet protocols. Motrix runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux with a unified experience.

## What Motrix Does
- Downloads files via HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent, and Magnet links
- Supports multi-threaded downloading with up to 64 concurrent connections
- Provides a built-in torrent tracker list updater for better peer discovery
- Manages download queues with pause, resume, and scheduling
- Offers a browser extension for intercepting download links

## Architecture Overview
Motrix wraps aria2, a lightweight multi-protocol download utility, inside an Electron desktop application. The Vue.js frontend communicates with the aria2 daemon via its JSON-RPC interface. This separation means the download engine runs independently of the UI, providing stability and the ability to control aria2 remotely if needed.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Download installers from the GitHub Releases page for each platform
- Configure maximum concurrent downloads and per-task thread count in settings
- Set default download directory and file naming rules
- Add custom tracker lists for improved BitTorrent performance
- Adjust speed limits and scheduling for bandwidth management

## Key Features
- Clean, modern UI with dark mode support
- Simultaneous downloading of multiple files with queue management
- Built-in tracker list auto-update for BitTorrent
- UPnP and NAT-PMP support for better P2P connectivity
- Browser extensions available for Chrome and Firefox

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **aria2** — command-line only; Motrix provides the GUI layer on top of aria2
- **qBittorrent** — focused solely on torrents; Motrix handles HTTP/FTP downloads too
- **Free Download Manager** — closed source; Motrix is fully open source
- **JDownloader** — Java-based and heavier; Motrix offers a lighter Electron-based experience

## FAQ
**Q: Is Motrix still actively maintained?**
A: Core development has paused, but the project remains functional and the community provides forks with updates.

**Q: Can I use Motrix as a replacement for IDM?**
A: Yes, for most use cases. Motrix supports multi-threaded HTTP downloads and browser integration similar to IDM.

**Q: Does Motrix support download speed limiting?**
A: Yes. You can set global and per-task upload and download speed limits in the settings.

**Q: How does Motrix handle magnet links?**
A: Motrix registers as a magnet link handler on your system and passes them to the aria2 engine for download.

## Sources
- https://github.com/agalwood/Motrix
- https://motrix.app

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-4719a2c9
Author: AI Open Source