BitComet 2.21

It has been around since 2003, and the current build - version 2.20, released January 19, 2026 - still gets regular updates, which is more than you can say for a lot of torrent software from that era.

The pitch is speed: BitComet tries to pull your files from as many sources as possible at once, so downloads spend less time stuck at 99 percent.

It is genuinely fast and easy to use.

The catch, and the reason this page is honest with you up front, is that it shows ads and nudges you toward a paid VIP membership - so whether it is the right pick depends on how much that bothers you.

What BitComet Actually Does - in Plain Terms

At its core, BitComet downloads files using the BitTorrent protocol, where lots of people share pieces of the same file with each other instead of everyone hammering one server.

It also handles magnet links (those magnet: links that skip the .torrent file entirely), regular HTTP downloads like you'd get from a website, and FTP transfers. Having all of that in one app means you are not juggling three different programs.

The feature BitComet is best known for is Long-Term Seeding. Normal torrents die when the people sharing them go offline - your download just stops.

Long-Term Seeding lets BitComet keep finding other users who have the same file, even from completely different torrents, so a download that would otherwise stall has a better chance of finishing.

It also previews video while it is still downloading by grabbing the start and end of the file first, which is handy for checking a file is what it claims to be before it finishes.

What's New in BitComet 2.20

Version 2.20 is a steady, practical update rather than a dramatic one. The desktop app gained filter boxes for finding files inside large torrents quickly, support for bigger torrent piece sizes (up to 256MB) when you create your own torrents, and a larger default disk cache for smoother performance.

The browser-based WebUI - which lets you control BitComet remotely from another device - got the most attention: it can now preview and play video files directly, load subtitles, and filter your task list more easily.

Under the hood, configuration and task files now save more safely to reduce the risk of a corrupted list after a crash. It runs on Windows 11 and 10 (32-bit and 64-bit), older Windows versions down to XP, and there are macOS and Linux builds too.

Who BitComet Is For - and Who Should Look Elsewhere

BitComet makes sense if you download a mix of torrents and regular web files and want one tool for both, or if you specifically want Long-Term Seeding to rescue slow, poorly-seeded downloads.

The remote WebUI is also a real draw if you run downloads on one machine and want to manage them from your phone or laptop.

It is probably not for you if ads are a dealbreaker. BitComet is free but ad-supported, and it offers a paid VIP tier on top. If you want the same torrenting power with zero ads and no upsell, qBittorrent is the open-source client most people switch to - it has a clean, uTorrent-style interface, a built-in torrent search, and no advertising at all.

uTorrent is another lightweight option, though it is also ad-supported and has a rougher reputation for bundled extras, so go in with your eyes open. There is also the original BitTorrent client if you want the client from the company that created the protocol.

If You Only Download the Occasional Torrent

Here is something worth knowing before you install a dedicated torrent client at all: if torrents are a small part of what you do, a download manager might cover everything in one place.

Free Download Manager includes a full BitTorrent client alongside its regular HTTP and FTP downloading, stays completely free with no ads, and runs magnet links in the same queue as everything else.

AB Download Manager is a newer, open-source choice with a modern interface, and Ant Download Manager adds aggressive video-stream capture if you also grab a lot of online video. For most light users, one of these removes the need for a separate torrent app entirely.

Before You Install: What to Watch For

Two things. First, during installation BitComet may offer extra software or browser changes - read each screen and decline anything you did not come for.

Second, because it is a peer-to-peer tool, many people pair it with a VPN to keep their connection private. Proton VPN is a free, privacy-focused option that lives in the site's Security Tools section if you want to set that up first.

If you ever want to confirm exactly what is connecting through your machine, the beginner-friendly walkthrough in See What Your PC Is Doing Online shows you how using Wireshark.

Playing What You Download

Torrent clients only fetch files - they do not play them. Once a video finishes, you need the right codecs and a player to actually watch it.

The simplest fix is the K-Lite Codec Pack, which installs the MPC-HC player plus LAV Filters so almost any format just works. If you prefer a single capable player, VLC Media Player and PotPlayer both play most files out of the box.

And if your downloaded videos show up as blank icons in Windows Explorer, Media Preview or Icaros will generate proper thumbnails so you can see what each file is at a glance.

Get BitComet 2.20 Free for Windows 11/10

BitComet 2.20 is freeware, around 35MB, and installs in under a minute on Windows 11, 10, and older versions. Download BitComet from the mirrors on this site - they are virus-checked and tend to be faster than the source.

Just remember to step carefully through the installer, and if the ads or VIP prompts wear on you, the free alternatives above will torrent just as happily without them.