Chrome OS does not support native BitTorrent clients like uTorrent
and Vuze for Windows and Mac, but that doesn’t make torrenting
impossible. Chromebook users can still take advantage of the BitTorrent
network using one of the four tools we’ve detailed on this list:
Bitport.io, Put.io, JSTorrent, or Bitford. All of these are either
standalone Chrome extensions or web apps, so they can be used on both
Chrome browser and Chrome OS.
The former two, Bitport.io and
Put.io, are paid subscription services that allow you to store
downloaded files on a personal cloud. You can then stream videos
from the cloud on your device. This is useful if you have a Chromebook
without much memory to store large files.
The latter two,
JSTorrent and Bitford, are Chrome extensions written in Javascript,
meaning they run entirely on your computer and don’t communicate with a
server. These tools both have free versions and download files directly
to your computer, and you can stream video as it downloads.
Below we’ve reviewed each of the tools and given a short tutorial to show how they work.
Note
that all of these tools are not designed to upload files to the
BitTorrent network, though they do seed files for others to use. They do
not function reliably as seedboxes, which are cloud services used to
distribute uploaded content to torrenters.
Bitport.io
- 1GB free trial
- Prices start at $5 per month for 30GB of storage
- Virus scan included
- Streams video from the cloud
- Can handle magnet links
Bitport.io is a relatively new service that’s adding new features and functions all the time. A
1GB free trial
with a single download slot and a one-torrent-per-day limit is
available. The trial doesn’t include the virus scan feature, uses an
unencrypted HTTP connection for downloads, and puts you low on the
priority list when it comes to doling out bandwidth.
Paid plans
start at $5 per month and come with unlimited torrents, unlimited
bandwidth, HTTPS-encrypted transfers, and all files can be scanned for
viruses before downloading. The $5 basic plan nets you 30GB of storage
and five download slots. $10 per month will get you 100GB and 10 slots,
while $15 increases storage to 250GB and 20 slots.
Users can
stream video they’ve downloaded to their cloud from torrents directly on
their browser without downloading onto their device, but not while the
download is in progress. Videos must also be converted to a format
readable by Bitport’s media player before they can be viewed. Download
speeds were great in our tests, peaking at 10 MB/s (with a capital
‘B’!), but the conversion process can take awhile.
How to use Bitport on Chromebook
- Register an account at Bitport.io
- Copy
and paste the link for either a torrent file or a download link into
the top field on the dashboard and click “Add new torrent”
- Under “Torrents for Download”, check the details are correct and click “Download to my cloud”
- You
will be automatically redirected to your download queue. When the
download finishes, open the downloaded folder. You watch a video by
simply clicking the thumbnail, or download it by clicking the download
button that appears when you hover the mouse over the thumbnail.
- Most
video formats will need to be converted before they can be watched.
Click the Convert button that appears in the video player to initiate
it. You must wait for the video to finish converting before viewing.
Put.io
- Integration with set-top boxes and media centers
- RSS feed support
- Expensive, no free trial
- Can be used as cloud storage
- Extremely fast downloads
Put.io
is the most robust and feature-rich option on this list, but it comes
at a high price. Even the 5-day trial costs $3.99, although that money
is donated to the EFF. The basic 100GB cloud storage plan starts at
$9.99 per month or $99 for a year. The 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB plans add $10
per month or $100 per year for each additional tier.
Put.io is
quite popular and has an active community of developers adding
integration with multiple apps and devices using the Put.io API. That
includes support for Apple TV, Chromecase, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Boxee,
Plex Media Server, and
Kodi XBMC,
among others. RSS feed support means you can automatically download new
episodes of your favorite TV shows as soon as they’re available. Any
space not taken up by torrent downloads can be used to store a user’s
personal files. Files can also be shared between users so you can stream
a friend’s video file on your browser. Put.io can download media from a
handful of supported streaming sites including Soundcloud and Youtube
by simply inputting the link.
The company has multiple servers
located around the world, which makes downloading blazing fast. Put.io
downloaded a 12-minute video to the cloud in literally an instant–we
didn’t even have time to take a screenshot!
How to use Put.io on Chrome OS
- Register an account at Put.io
- On the Put.io dashboard, click New Transfer in the top right corner
- Copy/paste
the torrent or magnet link into the field, or navigate to the file on
your computer if you selected “upload”. Click “Start Transfers”
- When the download finishes, click “Go to file”
- Here
you can choose an action from the dropdown menu, such as adding the
video to a VLC playlist, share the link, or download it to your
computer. To stream the video directly on the website, just click the
link for the video file.
JSTorrent
- Javascript app runs on your machine
- Direct downloads, no cloud storage
- Can handle magnet links
- Free version up to 20 downloads, paid version price is $2.99
- Chrome store rating: 4.5 stars
JSTorrent
is a Chrome extension written entirely in Javascript. Files are
downloaded directly onto your computer and the app runs entirely on your
machine, and downloads are stored on your hard drive. There’s no cloud
storage option. A free trial version, JSTorrent Light, is available with
a maximum of 20 downloads. JSTorrent can stream video as it downloads
in Chrome with supported formats.
Unlike the cloud storage options
mentioned above, JSTorrent only asks for a one-time fee of $2.99 to use
it forever. However, the full app can alternatively be downloaded
directly from the Github repository and installed as an unpacked Chrome
extension.
How to use JSTorrent on Chromebook
- Install JSTorrent (either the Light version or the paid version) and the JSTorrent Helper extension from the Chrome store.
- Right
click the torrent link and choose “Add to JSTorrent.” Or open JSTorrent
from chrome://apps and paste the URL for the torrent into the top input
field.
- The
JSTorrent window should pop up. If this is your first time using
JSTorrent, you’ll need to click on the Settings tab and choose your
preferred download folder. You can also tweak any other settings you
want to manage now.
- Exit
the settings menu and click on the torrent in your downloads list. If
this is your first time then the status will show an error. Just click
Start to re-initialize the download.
- For
Magnet links, open the settings menu and scroll to the bottom. Under
“Handle Magnet links” click Setup and follow the instructions in the new
tab that opens in Chrome.
- Once the download is complete, the file will appear in the folder you specified.
- To
stream a video as it downloads, click the Files tab in the bottom half
of the app. Next to the video file, there will be a link to stream the
video in Chrome for supported video formats. Just hit Play once the tab
loads.
Bitford
- Javascript-only app runs entirely on your machine
- Direct downloads to your machine
- Completely free
- Chrome store rating: 3 stars
- Can’t use magnet links
Like JSTorrent,
Bitford
is a Javascript-based Chrome extension that downloads files directly to
your computer using torrents. It’s the only completely free option on
the list, however many users have complained in reviews about stability
issues, a sparse feature set, and slow downloads. While we didn’t run
into any errors, Bitford struggled to stay above 50 KB/s on a 10Mbps
connection. In comparison, using the same torrent, JSTorrent reached 10
times that speed.
Bitford also can’t handle magnet links, which
are becoming the status quo for torrent trackers like ThePirateBay and
others. The video playback works fine, but the video didn’t buffer fast
enough due to the slow speed. Ultimately, Bitford works as an option for
those on a tight budget, but we recommend shelling out the $3 for
JSTorrent if you can.
How to use Bitford on Chrome OS
- Install Bitford from the Chrome Store
- Navigate to chrome://apps and click on Bitford to open it in a separate popup window.
- On
your favorite torrent tracker, download your desired torrent file to
your computer (there’s no option to copy/paste the link, so you have to
download torrent files).
- Click the “Load Torrent” button at the bottom of the Bitford app
- Navigate to the torrent file you downloaded and select it
- The download will begin automatically. To watch a video as it downloads, click the Stream button next to the video file name
Use a VPN when torrenting on Chrome OS
No
matter which of these tools you decide to use, always connect to a VPN
before visiting torrent sites or downloading files using the BitTorrent
network. A VPN, or virtual private network, encrypts all of the traffic
traveling to and from your computer and routes it through a server in a
location of your choosing.
This process prevents your internet
service provider, law enforcement, and copyright trolls from monitoring
your activity. ISPs are known for throttling traffic and terminating
connections used by torrenters. Copyright trolls record IP addresses
listed on the BitTorrent network and send torrenters settlement letters
to extort money. Law enforcement can fine or even arrest you for
copyright infringement of illegal torrents.
Here’s how to set up a VPN in a Chromebook with Chrome OS according to Google support:
- If you haven’t already, sign in to your Chromebook
- Click the status area, where your account picture appears
- Click Settings
- In the “Internet connection” section, click Add connection.
- Click Add OpenVPN / L2TP
- In the box that appears, fill in the information below
- Click Connect
from https://www.comparitech.com/blog/cloud-online-backup/4-tools-to-torrent-on-a-chromebook-chrome-os-and-chrome-browser/
