Download managers are very special programs: real software (or browser extensions) that allow you to download large files, but having the ability to interrupt them and resume them when you want. We are aware that this definition of download manager may seem very reductive: in fact, these programs have a lot of special features, including the definition of download priorities and the ability to schedule downloads.
However, with our guide on the best 11 free download managers for Windows, you can clear every idea and any doubt.
Free Download Manager
The first one on our list is Free Download Manager: a free program, just as you may have guessed from it’s not so fanciful name. What matters, though, is that it works perfectly: it allows you to monitor and intercept potential downloads via the browser, but it can also work independently.
The integration with the browser is compatible with Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. As for the program itself, it allows you to create batches, download torrents, and even view the contents of ZIP files even before downloading them.
Internet Download Accelerator
Another of the best free download managers for Windows is the Internet Download Accelerator, also known as IDA. In this case, we are faced with a program that you can also integrate on the browser Firefox, Opera and Chrome through the appropriate interface. What does this software allow you to do?
You have a live monitor to control all browsers, so you can better manage any captured downloads, and to be able to organize them perfectly. IDA also has a small integrated antivirus, a feature rich in hotkeys, and an option to automatically start downloading certain extensions. There are also several very useful plugins.
JDownloader
JDownloader is probably one of the most famous in this field. Its most interesting feature is the ability to manage it remotely, using the appropriate app or by logging in through its website: it’s fabulous, because in fact you can manage your downloads from any place and from any computer or device.
It also has a very accurate and functional download planning function. Unfortunately, the new version is a bit complicated to handle, as it is quite heavy.
GetGo Download Manager
GetGo Download Manager is a program that supports batch downloading and has a series of floating windows that you can use to quickly organize all files by simply dragging them with your mouse. In addition, you can also paste the links on the program in order to start downloading files right away.
Unlike the previous, this software is very simple to use and does not cause any kind of problem: you can also take special extensions and assign them to a category, thus saving time in organizing the aforementioned. That said, GetGo has so many other options that we recommend you to find out.
EagleGet
Among the best free download managers for Windows we also find EagleGet: a software with a nice interface, clean and without too many frills. It can also be used in combination with Chrome, Firefox, Explorer and even Opera and Safari browsers, so you can capture any link directly from your browser.
Among the many options worthy of mention, find the ability to schedule downloads, adding batch URLs, a small integrated antivirus and the option to shut down the computer at the end of downloads. Here you can find much more, including video previews and the categorization of the elements.
Download Accelerator Manager (DAM)
Download Accelerator Manager (DAM) is another very interesting program, especially because it has a particular button (the Drop Target) that is positioned on the screen and allows you to quickly start any download. As in the previous case, this program also supports batch downloading, scheduling of the above, and other interesting stuff like the MediaGrabber: a function that automatically identifies any file coming from the sources of audio and video streaming.
Finally, it can be easily integrated with Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari and even Netscape.
FlashGet
Another of the best free download managers for Windows is definitely FlashGet: a software that controls downloads from Firefox and Internet Explorer, and that is also able to scan the downloads with a good antivirus program. Among its many features, FlashGet can tell you how big a file is before downloading it: an element that unfortunately is hardly ever present on other download managers.
Among other things, this program is also capable of downloading torrents and many other protocols, with perfect integration and an automatic management function.
LeechGet
LeechGet is another tool that is worth mentioning, but only because of its glorious past. Unfortunately, it is no longer updated since 2009, which makes it to say the least antediluvian: it is said that it will work for a long time, but today continues to hold. What does it allow you to do? To monitor the downloads, to capture them from the clipboard, to resume the interrupted ones and to set the priorities for downloading files.
There is also a download planning panel: considering its age, this is a very interesting factor.
Download Accelerator Plus (DAP)
Among the best free download managers for Windows, there is also Download Accelerator Plus (DAP). What is it? This manager stands out due to a particularity: it includes a proprietary web browser that you can use to capture download links more easily while browsing. Of course you can also use any other browser, copy the links from there and then paste them into the program.
Among the most enjoyable DAP options we find the automatic disconnection from the Internet at the end of the downloads, a program to check if the files are affected by viruses, and the automatic start.
Xtreme Download Manager (XDM)
Xtreme Download Manager is very similar to the programs seen above: it is a very simple software, with basic functions and little else. We recommend it especially if you want to avoid downloading complex or full of options that you will never use: practically, this is the only download manager that can be considered authentically “light”.
Gigaget
Finally, Gigaget: a program very different from the others, because it includes a series of options such as imports from URLs, the internal search engine and download in packages. One of the most interesting features? The possibility of putting some extensions in black list.