FrostWire

FrostWire is a file sharing client; this translates into uploading and downloading data from across the world at decent speeds, no costs involved. It also bundles a chat utility and an audio player. Frostwire started in September 2004, as a fork of LimeWire.

The setup might last quite a while and you should know it is going to offer you to download a lot of products that are not actually necessary for the program to fully function. Once this process is finishes, you will enter the setup wizard, where you can configure language, the torrent output folder and your chat nickname.

The user interface is quite friendly, as it consist of a menu bar, several buttons and a few tabs which enable you to easily toggle all available options. Comprehensive Help contents are included, thus ensuring that all user categories can work with it.

This application enables you to select the search engines (e.g. ClearBits, Mininova, ISOHunt, BTJunkie, Extratorrent, Vertor, The Pirate Bay, Monova etc.) and file types (all, documents, programs, audio, video, images, or torrents), while an incorporated search function enables you to find what you are looking for according to a user-input keyword.

Results can be viewed in the main window along with details such as size, source (and external link), created date, quality and extension type.

By right-clicking an item from this list, you have the option to download it (or partially download it), copy magnet and hash algorithm, or just repeat the search.

In addition to that, you can create your own torrents and you have access to a library in which you can organize files.

Another section in which you can transfer downloaded items to phones and tablets is available, as well as a place where you can chat with other users (unfortunately, this feature didn't work in our case, due to network problems).

This program comes bundled with an audio player, while it is also possible to access a long list of radio channels, view information pertaining to them and an external link, as well as listen to them or add other stations by simply inputting the URL.

It is also highly configurable. The Options section allows you to define speed limits, import newly downloaded songs to iTunes, setup up keyword filters and input a proxy connection.

In conclusion, FrostWire is a great file sharing system that enables you to quickly find and download various documents and media content, without putting a strain on the computer’s performance. The download speeds are comparable to those of any other similar product, yet it presents less options than, for example, µTorrent, BitTorrent and Vuze Bittorrent Client.