An open-source alternative to IDM with parallel connections, pause and resume, queues and schedules. Add optional torrent downloads, supported videos, offline websites, Web Grabber, Lua scripting and custom themes.
YouTube · Bilibili · TikTok · Twitch · HLS & DASHStable v3.19.0 Windows · macOS · Linux Free under MIT
New in 3.4 · Custom themes
Choose artwork that fills the whole window behind translucent toolbar, sidebar and details panels. Changes preview instantly; Save keeps them and Cancel restores your previous look.
Real screenshots with example downloads; the collection panel is an illustration. Included artwork is bundled and works offline. System, Light and Dark remain available.
Custom themes guideSupported video sites & formats
Built-in readers for popular video sites. Preview the available quality and audio, then send your selection to the queue. FFmpeg is included for supported merging.
Public, finished videos when a supported HLS response is available.
YouTube support & limitsPublic videos and accessible Bangumi episodes. Anonymous quality up to 480p.
Bilibili support & limitsPublic video pages with available MP4 qualities, including audio.
TikTok support & limitsPublic past broadcasts, highlights and uploads. Live channels and clips are unsupported.
Twitch support & limitsSave compatible finished, unencrypted HLS streams and static DASH streams from other websites. Availability depends on the page and stream format.
No DRM or live recording. Sign-in requirements, region restrictions and website changes can limit availability. Read the full support table
Built-in Web Grabber
Skip copying links one by one. Discover the files you need, or take a supported static website with you.
Scan a page, filter by file type and review the results. Select the files you want, then add them to a queue.
Capture supported pages, images and styles with local links. Open the saved site in your browser, without a connection.
Save a file-discovery project and schedule repeat scans. Review the newly discovered files before adding them to your queue.
Choose scan depth, page limits and capture size. The capture report shows what was saved or omitted. Offline copies cover static content; sign-in flows and interactive apps require the original website.
Interactive illustration with example content, not a live scan.
Beyond direct file links
Dedicated support for MEGA and WeTransfer, plus discovery for pages that expose downloadable files.
Availability: these hosting integrations and GitHub capture changes are included in the v3.19.0 desktop and extension packages linked below. Reload your browser extension after upgrading.
Paste the complete file link, including its # key. Download Engine decrypts locally and verifies the file before completing it.
Use a we.tl short link or a full transfer link. Save the file or whole bundle supplied by WeTransfer.
If a link opens an HTML page, the app can look for exposed file links and let you choose what to download.
Support depends on what a site exposes. Login pages, JavaScript challenges and protected links may need the browser; this is not universal hosting support.
Explore the latest sourceThe everyday essentials, too
Parallel connections for supported HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and FTPS files. Pause, resume and recover unfinished downloads after restarting the app.
Resume depends on the server and the file remaining compatible.
Built-in YouTube, Bilibili, TikTok and Twitch readers, plus compatible HLS and DASH streams. Review quality and audio before downloading.
Explore video supportAdd links in batches, organize downloads and schedule when they run. Set connection counts, speed limits, quotas and folders.
Explore download controlsVerify a publisher’s SHA-256 checksum, use your configured antivirus for single or batch scans, and follow progress, speed and time remaining in a compact status window.
Antivirus scanning requires a supported scanner installed on your PC.
Lua scripting & extensions · Built into the app
Automate a queue, read a custom site or build a media downloader. Write Lua in the app while the core handles transfers, recovery and muxing, without recompiling it.
.de-extension.json packages. Place extensions in the app’s plugins folder, then review their permissions. New installs start disabled.
Inspect downloads, manage queues and react to completion events or timers. Start with a manual run, then choose a trigger.
Automation guideUse HTTP and HTML helpers to turn a custom page into supported file or video links. Review the results before downloading.
Build a site readerResolve segments, choose video, audio and subtitles, and process encrypted bytes. The core handles pause/resume, verified checkpoints and MKV/MP4 muxing.
Media API & examplesBuild custom workflows for encrypted media sites, including services such as Crunchyroll, using Lua provider APIs. The bundled episode and CENC examples use offline samples; they do not include working site logins or license integrations. Use custom integrations at your own risk.
A small first step
Create a Lua script with a Manual trigger, paste this example, then Save and Run. Your queue names and running states appear in the logs.
Follow the walkthrough-- Read your queues. No files changed.
for _, queue in ipairs(xd.queues()) do
print(queue.name, queue.running)
end
print("Download Engine", xd.app_version)More ways to connect. Use optional PowerShell for trusted automation (PowerShell 7 is required on macOS/Linux), the CLI from a terminal, or optional localhost MCP for an AI client. MCP starts disabled; you choose its permissions.
V1, v2 & hybrid · New in 3.19.0
Download selected files from v1, v2 and hybrid torrents alongside your other downloads. Keep the same queues, pause, resume and recovery controls, with optional peer encryption, uTP, web seeds and VPN/interface binding.
Open v1, v2 or hybrid .torrent files from Explorer, click btih/btmh magnet links in a connected browser, drag a .torrent onto the window, or review a copied magnet. The app still asks before turning on torrents.
Uploading, seeding after completion, incoming connections and UPnP start off for new profiles. Existing saved choices are preserved. Enabling incoming connections or UPnP shows a warning and requires Save. Stop all also stops sharing. Optional UPnP maps TCP on Windows and Linux; it does not map UDP.
Scan multi-file torrents with your configured antivirus. Move or rename completed torrent folders from their menu, with recovery if a move is interrupted.
Keep it off, prefer encrypted connections with plaintext fallback, or require encryption. The Peers list shows each connection’s actual TCP/uTP transport and Encrypted or Plaintext status. MSE/PE does not hide your IP address or authenticate peers.
Try reliable UDP when TCP fails. Incoming connections still need their own opt-in. This implementation uses CUBIC congestion control, not LEDBAT.
Fetch pieces from HTTP/HTTPS sources in a torrent file. V1 pieces use SHA-1, v2 uses authenticated SHA-256 trees, and hybrid files check both. Saved sources survive a restart. Raw magnet ws= parameters are not imported.
Use torrents at your own risk. Downloaded files may contain malware, and peers can see your IP address. Enabling uploads or seeding shares file data with other peers. Only download and share content you are authorized to use. Antivirus scans cannot guarantee that a file is safe.
Optional interface binding in Preferences → Torrents → Torrent network uses one existing IPv4 or IPv6 address and a numeric DNS server of the same family. If that interface disappears, torrents stop and save progress without switching to another connection. Reconnect and Resume to continue. Binding does not install a VPN or encrypt traffic itself; other downloads keep their own network settings. Peer encryption, uTP and web seeds start off. Enable them in Preferences → Torrents → Transfers. Torrents pause while a proxy is enabled: the app’s proxy does not carry torrent traffic. Adding torrents through CLI, scripts or MCP is not supported. Read the torrent guide ↗
From your browser to your queue
Capture clicked file downloads, detect supported media and select multiple links from a page. Let the desktop app handle the transfer.
Chrome · Edge · Brave · Firefox
Connect your browserRequires the desktop app for Windows, macOS or Linux. Chrome Web Store also supports Edge and Brave. Store versions may lag behind the matching release ZIPs below.
Release highlights
Free. Open source. Yours.
Every desktop package includes native FFmpeg and its matching source and licenses. Windows binaries are unsigned; macOS packages are ad-hoc signed and not notarized. Check the SHA-256 checksums against your download.
Install from a store for browser-managed updates, or use the matching 3.19.0 ZIPs for manual/developer loading. Desktop packages also include the extension files; the Firefox developer ZIP is unsigned.
Get the matching v3.19.0 source archive, or explore ongoing development on GitHub.
A few clicks, then you’re off
Choose your platform above, then open Download Engine. See the platform guide for native setup.
Select Add URL, paste a file link and choose where to save it.
Start your download, organize a queue, connect your browser or pick a theme.
Good to know
Yes. The application is free and open source under the MIT license. Bundled components, including FFmpeg, have their own licenses, available in About and the repository.
Yes. Open Preferences → Appearance → Custom and choose Choose image…. PNG and JPEG files up to 16 MiB and 16 megapixels are supported. The app keeps a resized copy in your local profile; images are never uploaded. Your picture gets its own card next to the presets, and Remove image deletes the copy when you save. Read the custom themes guide.
Since version 3.2.0, Download Engine supports individual MEGA public files and public WeTransfer transfers. It also discovers exposed links on supported download pages, including GitHub raw files. These features are included in the release packages. Password-protected transfers, account-only links and browser challenges are outside the supported workflows. See the hosting support details.
It can discover downloadable files and save supported static pages with their assets and local links. A saved copy does not reproduce server-side features, forms, sign-in flows or JavaScript applications. Site structure and access restrictions affect what can be saved.
No. Lua is built in. Create an automation script, site reader or download provider in the Scripting editor, then save it. A script can use the functions available to its role; provider jobs retain the saved revision used when they were added. Start with the read-only Lua example or the provider guide.
No. Built-in readers support selected public YouTube, Bilibili, TikTok and Twitch videos, plus compatible finished, unencrypted HLS and DASH streams from other sites. The built-in readers do not support live recording or DRM. Custom Lua providers depend on the integration their author supplies. Website changes and access restrictions can affect availability. Check supported sites and limits.
Yes. Version 3.19.0 includes macOS Apple Silicon and Intel packages and a Linux x64 archive alongside Windows x64. Some OS integrations remain Windows-only. Read the platform requirements, signing status and tested configurations. There is no Android package.
No. Download Engine is an independent, free and open-source project inspired by Internet Download Manager (IDM). It is not affiliated with IDM and does not offer complete IDM feature parity. See what it offers as a free IDM alternative.
Yes. Open a .torrent file or a magnet link from your file manager or a connected browser, or drop a .torrent file onto the app. Windows also offers copied magnet links for review. You can also use Tasks → Open torrent file… or Add download. Torrent support stays off until you enable it; you choose which files to download. Uploading, sharing after completion, incoming connections and UPnP start off for new profiles. Saved choices survive upgrades. Incoming connections and UPnP require confirmation and Save. See the features and torrent risk notice, or read the torrent guide.
The app checks the latest GitHub release when it opens, enabled by default. A newer version offers Get update or Later; current, offline and failed checks stay quiet. Turn this off in Preferences → Startup & tray, or check manually from Help → Check for updates. Downloads and installation stay manual. Close the app before upgrading, preserve portable data and downloads, and reload developer-loaded extensions. Profile upgrades can prevent older builds from reopening your data, so keep a backup if you may need to go back.
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