qBittorrent
FreeThe default BitTorrent client — no ads, no speed tiers
An open-source BitTorrent client with the classic µTorrent-style interface minus the ads, bundles and paid speed tiers. Magnet links, sequential download, RSS auto-download, built-in search and a remote Web UI. The Windows installer is about 41 MB.
Why we picked it
µTorrent used to be everyone's default until ads, bundles and "accelerator" subscriptions ruined it. qBittorrent took that slot: 39,465 stars, GPL, an interface that is nearly a replica of old µTorrent, at least as many features, and nothing to sell you — ever.
Its Web UI deserves a separate mention. Flip one switch in settings and you can manage the queue from a phone or another machine's browser. Plenty of people leave it running permanently on an old PC or NAS for exactly this reason and add jobs while away from home.
RSS auto-download is the other genuinely useful feature: subscribe to a feed, write one matching rule, and qualifying torrents start on their own. Anyone following a series will recognize the workflow.
The one warning is about where you download it. qBittorrent is popular enough that the top search results often include imitation sites, and their installers add things you did not ask for. Only download from qbittorrent.org or GitHub Releases — the official builds are clean.
Note also: the software itself is entirely legal; what you download with it is on you.