Transmission for Mac

Transmission, and what OrbTorrent adds.

Transmission is a light, native Mac app that does the basics well, and it's free and open source. OrbTorrent is for when you'd like more: downloads that stop if your VPN drops, a panel in your menu bar, and fake downloads held before they arrive.

What Transmission does well

Transmission has been the simple choice on the Mac for years:

  • It's light, with a plain window that does what you expect.
  • It's native, and notarized by Apple, and runs on macOS 11 Big Sur and later, on Apple silicon and Intel.
  • It's free and open source, without ads or bundled software.
  • It has a web interface, for adding and watching downloads from another computer.

If that's all you need, it's a fine app to keep.

What OrbTorrent adds

  • Peers behind shared IP addresses. Many internet providers share one public address between customers, so other peers can't connect to you, and when seeders are behind one too, nobody can connect to anybody. qBittorrent's engine still reaches many of them by hole punching: a peer you're both connected to introduces you, and you connect to each other at the same moment. Transmission has added it for its next version, 4.2, but 4.1.3 doesn't have it.
  • Downloads only through your VPN. Transmission's Mac app has no setting to keep downloads on your VPN: tying it to an address is a hidden preference, set from Terminal. In OrbTorrent it's one switch: if the VPN drops, downloading stops, and picks up once it's back.
  • Your VPN's forwarded port, kept in step, so other peers can reach you through the VPN. OrbTorrent picks it up from VPNs that forward a port over NAT-PMP and from Private Internet Access.
  • A panel in your menu bar. Transmission lives in the Dock, and a menu bar icon has been requested since 2022. OrbTorrent's orb shows how your downloads are doing, and a click shows speeds, downloads and their files.
  • Fake downloads held. The Fake Download Check holds a download that looks fake, such as a “film” that contains a program, before any of it arrives.
  • Extensions, such as VirusTotal Scan for finished downloads, and your own, written in TypeScript.

What Transmission has that OrbTorrent doesn't

  • Older Macs. OrbTorrent needs macOS 26 or later.
  • A web interface. Remote access is planned for OrbTorrent.
  • One small app. OrbTorrent runs qBittorrent's engine in the background, alongside its own app.

Bringing your downloads over

OrbTorrent imports Transmission's downloads in one step, when you first open it or later from File › Import From. They keep their folders, file choices, names, labels and history. Their files are checked first, then they carry on, and you choose which of Transmission's settings come over.

Side by side

OrbTorrent and Transmission, compared.

How OrbTorrent and Transmission compare. A dot marks the better of the two, where one is.
OrbTorrentTransmission
Made for the MacYes: Swift and SwiftUIYes: Objective-C and AppKit
EngineqBittorrent's, with libtorrentTransmission's own
Runs onmacOS 26 or latermacOS 11 or later
Notarized by AppleYesYes
Downloads only through your VPNOne switch, and downloading stops if the VPN dropsNo setting in the Mac app
Peers behind a shared IP addressReached by hole punchingNot in 4.1.3; coming in 4.2
Menu barA panel with your downloads, speeds and filesNone: it lives in the Dock
Fake downloadsHeld before they arriveNot checked
Web interfaceNot yetYes, for using it from another computer
PriceFree, no ads, open sourceFree, no ads, open source

The better of the two, where one is.

Switching

Everything you like, and a little more.

Download OrbTorrent and open it. It finds Transmission on your Mac and offers to bring your downloads and settings over.

Download for Mac

Free · macOS 26 or later · Apple silicon and Intel

Questions

Good questions.

Does Transmission work on the newest macOS?

Yes. Transmission 4.1.3 runs on macOS 11 Big Sur and later, on Apple silicon and Intel, and it's notarized by Apple.

Can Transmission reach peers when my provider shares my IP address?

Transmission 4.1.3 can only reach peers that accept connections. Hole punching, which also reaches peers behind shared addresses, has been added for Transmission 4.2. OrbTorrent runs qBittorrent's engine, which has it today.

Can Transmission download only through a VPN?

Not from its Mac app's settings. In OrbTorrent it's one switch: OrbTorrent uses only the VPN's connection, and stops downloading if the VPN drops.

Does Transmission have a menu bar icon?

Not yet. It lives in the Dock, and a menu bar icon has been requested since 2022. OrbTorrent lives in the menu bar, with its window a click away.

Can I move my Transmission downloads to OrbTorrent?

Yes. OrbTorrent offers to when you first open it, or later from File › Import From. Downloads keep their folders, file choices, names, labels and history. Their files are checked, then they carry on.

Can I keep Transmission as well?

Yes. They're separate apps with separate libraries. While it imports, OrbTorrent quits Transmission, so the two don't use the same files at once.

Coming from another app? µTorrent for Mac or qBittorrent for Mac. Transmission is the Transmission project's, and OrbTorrent isn't affiliated with or endorsed by it.