Is The Tixati BitTorrent Client Safe?

The History Of Tixati

Tixati was the brainchild of Kevin Hearn, who has given the world some of the best peer-to-peer freeware programs in the world, including WinMX and DarkMX. So already, the project carries a certain degree of both trust and expectation of quality.

In 2009, the first version of Tixati hit the market. It was 100% freeware, though Hearn eventually set up a donation method for those who wanted to support further development efforts. That became a common theme for all of his software, and to this day he accepts crypto donations from anyone who appreciates his efforts.

Written in C++, the software was designed to be super lightweight. Even less powerful systems at the time could handle the client easily. Tixati's excellent resource management is a theme that has continued to this day.

It only took three years for Tixati to break into TorrentFreak's top 10 BitTorrent clients. In 2015, it broke into the top 5 as rated by users at Lifehacker.

January 2017 saw a major upgrade to the software. Hearn added an encrypted forum function to the channels, effectively allowing for highly secure communication between users. That same year, Tom's Guide and TechRadar both gave the new version of the software positive reviews.

Both Windows and Linux-GTK native versions are available. Minimum requirements are listed as:

• Windows 7 / Vista / XP, or Fedora / Ubuntu / Mandriva Linux.
• CPU processor speed at or above 1 GHz.
• At least 256 MB of free RAM.
• Hicolor display with at least 1024x768 display resolution.

This is in line with the lightweight design philosophy that Hearn has always tried to adhere to.

How Does Tixati Work?

Tixati will start downloading files when any appropriate .torrent file is selected, or if given the location of a valid magnet link.

Like any other BitTorrent client, Tixati allows the user to set how much bandwidth they're willing to dedicate to file transfer. Then, files can be searched for and downloaded via the client. All the while, the user can optionally participate in an encrypted chat with those who have similar interests. Those users can share lists of magnet or URL links that demonstrate those interests, and allow others to download media appropriate to those topics. Channels support the streaming of audio and video media as well.

The client itself is pretty feature-rich, including the ability to control it remotely, IPv6 support, micro transport protocol support, and a web-based interface for the client.

All of the download and upload activity is charted on the user's end. Detailed graphs show all aspects of bandwidth use, peer activity, and hits on pieces, files, and trackers. Bitfield graphs show the projected file chunk availability of any given download, as well as the health of the overall swarm.

Sample graphs and additional information can be found on the Tixati info page.

So Is Tixati Safe?

As of Q3 2023, it seems like Tixati is safe.

Snooping traffic while Tixati was running (Windows version) showed nothing unusual. The files that it installed were all viruses free and there was nothing fishy sitting around in strange directories afterward.

As with any BitTorrent client, be very careful of the files you download with it. They should undergo a full virus and malware scan before you touch them. Make sure that the content is legal in your area and that you hold any appropriate rights required.

And of course, this doesn't cover any web browsing activity performed while Torrenting. For that, you'll want a dedicated privacy app. But after you've taken all of the appropriate precautions, there should be no reason that you can't enjoy the Tixati client!

If you're not sure if Tixati is the torrent platform for you, then check out our BitComet Review - A BitTorrent Client.