BitComet Review - A BitTorrent Client

A Brief History of BitComet

In Q3 of 2003, version 0.28 of BitComet was released to the public. Back then, it was Windows-only, and pretty bare bones. But it did the job, navigating basic Torrent downloads with ease. It quickly grew in popularity, becoming one of the most popular Torrent clients in the world.

But in 2005, BitComet suffered a public relations gaffe. It was banned from most private BitTorrent trackers because it was ignoring the 'private' flag. The issue was resolved quickly, but the damage was done. BitComet's image was tarnished. It was a long, slow climb up that mountain to regain the trust of users around the world.

In time, BitComet was sponsored by Yahoo, offering to swap your web browser's default search engine when you installed the program. Around this time, it began to incorporate other download mediums and protocols, becoming more of an all-purpose download manager as time went on. It could pull parts of files from multiple peer-to-peer protocols and mesh them together at the end of the download.

Throughout the years, BitComet changed with the times. In version 0.50, it picked up a new logo, which it has used to this day. BitComet hit version 1.00 in 2008 and never looked back.

Gone was the Yahoo sponsorship, replaced with more modern partners such as AVG… which conveniently will scan your downloaded Torrents if you wish. But even back then, the user could opt out of third-party software when installing the program. Other operating systems gained support, as did many other languages.

These days, BitComet is available in 52 languages for Windows (32-bit and 64-bit), macOS, and Android. The latest version, as of early November 2021, is 1.82.

BitComet Version 1.82 Features

The latest version of BitComet has features that its earlier predecessors could only imagine. Here are some of the main features.

On the BitTorrent side

Long-Term Seeding: If someone is requesting a file that isn't being fully completed by current peers, BitComment will look for people who have downloaded that Torrent up to 100% in the past. If their client is active, they'll ask if the user would be kind enough to seed this particular file for the other user.

Torrent Share: Allows users to index their .torrent files to help people who are searching for a particular application.

Magnet URL: Using the DHT network, a user can click on a magnet link that contains the info-hash parameters required to find and grab the .torrent they need via Torrent Share.

Preview while Downloading: Users can preview .avi, .rmvb, .wmv, and other video file formats during the downloading process. The downloading starts with the rarest file portions to make sure they don't slip away, then switches to sequential pieces from the beginning and the end of the torrent, using high-priority mode. This allows a user to preview a video with just a small percentage downloaded.

Cross Protocol Downloading: HTTP, FTP, eMule, and other protocols can be leveraged to help complete a BitTorrent download.

Intelligent Connection Optimization: Configuration is automatically set to match your connection type without the need to provide specs.

It also features the most common options that all modern clients have: Prioritization, partial cancellation, bandwidth and download scheduler, smart disk caching, and the like.

On the HTTP / FTP side

P2P downloading: BitTorrent technology is integrated into HTTP or FTP download. Using their own peer-to-peer technology, BitComet automatically finds other clients and gets data directly from them to increase download speed without querying the HTTP server again.

Preview while Downloading: The same preview ability for BitTorrent video files is also available for HTTP and FTP.

Quick Resume: Aborted downloads can be resumed from where they left off, using either HTTP or FTP servers.

Multi-Mirror Download: Listed mirror servers are automatically queried when a file is being downloaded. BitComet can initiate a multi-stream download and mesh the results together, increasing download speeds by up to 300%.

Multi-Section Download: Files that have been split into several parts can be downloaded all at the same time. This increases download speeds by up to 500%.

Look and Feel

The interface is clean. The icons are on point. It feels like a simple, modern, streamlined Windows app.

Download channels are listed to the left by default, including separate sections for the user's downloads and seeds, the Torrent Exchange, and the most popular Torrent sites in the world.

Under Torrent Exchange, all of the cool little peer-to-peer options and channels can be found. BitComet's Torrent Share is there, as is a section for RSS feeds, DHT Torrents, and trackers.

To the upper right is a Torrent search. The pulldown can choose between Pirate Bay, Torrent Bar, and Torrent Room searches.

Under the Tools menu at the top is an important option. There's a plugin available that allows for connection to the eD2K network. This gives the user yet another peer-to-peer option that can be leveraged to increase seed availability and complete partially downloaded files that aren't fully available at that time.

Everything is pretty intuitive and quite responsive. It feels like one of the more comfortable BitTorrent client options.

Privacy

To download at full speed, BitComet asks you to log in with a CometID. This gives the user access to the company's various websites and resources. It also increases the user's maximum Long-Time Seeds limit.

The real privacy option for BitComet is a paid one. Their VIP plan offers 10 GB of anonymous download bandwidth that expires after 60 days for 5 USD. Or 100 GB of anonymous download bandwidth that expires after 90 days for 20 USD.

Most of the time, there are other, cheaper options. A VPN service is a stopgap measure that can work for some users. They'll generally cost less than the BitComet VIP plan for heavy Torrent downloaders.

Summing up our BitComet Review

For being an 18-year-old IP, BitComet has kept up with the times amazingly well. Outside of anonymity and privacy options, it hits pretty much every note. We rate BitComet a solid 4.5 stars out of 5.