The way banks, airlines, wireless carriers, and even governments do business could soon change if Apple and IBM have anything to say about it. The two companies now have 10 apps designed to streamline business operations behind the scenes, which may lead to better service for the rest of us.

The new apps are the first wave in a lineup that’s expected to include up to 100 iOS apps for business. IBM is firmly entrenched in enterprise, while Apple’s presence in the halls of giant corporations has been largely unofficial, in the form of employees using their personal iPhones to send company emails. So the two companies partnered up in July to bring their complementary strengths to businesses on iOS.

One app called Incident Aware will give police a real-time look at maps and video from crime scenes, as well as information about victims and suspects, and better backup request capabilities.

Another, Sales Assist, is designed to help retail employees offer better service to shoppers by giving them access to customer profiles with past purchase history for improved recommendations. The app also helps staffers manage inventory.

IBM is a prestigious communication tool that allowed the organization to consolidate 7 years of record of information related to the load of projects financed to organizations and entities in the 24 states of the country. PowerTerm InterConnect (Mac OS Edition), Ericom's terminal emulator software for Mac OS, maximizes the capabilities of legacy systems with a minimal amount of installation time and software space With a small footprint; PowerTerm InterConnect for Mac OS is easily installable on any Mac, making it a simple and fast solution for running legacy applications. The competition for best instant messaging client on Mac is tough, and while the platform is full of good contenders, we believe Adium wins out thanks to its high level of customizability, broad.

Apple and IBM produced a pair of apps for airlines: Plan Flight for pilots offers a look at flight schedules, flight plans, and crew manifests and the ability to report in-flight problems to crew on the ground. The other, Passenger+, gives flight crews information about passengers so they can tailor special offers to them.

Citi, Sprint, Air Canada, and Banorte are the first four IBM clients using the apps at launch. Apple is offering AppleCare for Enterprise, a 24-hour customer service line, while IBM takes care of on-site issues.

The two companies will continue to release apps throughout 2015.

Why this matters: This isn’t the first time Apple has ventured into enterprise, or the first time the company has worked with IBM (remember the PowerPC?). The partnership is still in early days, but with IBM’s expertise in enterprise needs like data analytics and Apple’s deft design touch, IBM MobileFirst for iOS could become the enterprise suite of tools to beat—and make everyone’s lives a lot easier.

BitTorrent is one of the most efficient ways of sharing files via the internet. The underlying technology distributes fragments of data with a cluster of users, which removes the need to host files on a physical server and many of the costs and limitations of doing so.

If you’ve just switched to a Mac, you might no longer be able to use your old favorite Windows BitTorrent clientThe Best PC Software for Your Windows ComputerThe Best PC Software for Your Windows ComputerWant the best PC software for your Windows computer? Our massive list collects the best and safest programs for all needs.Read More. You might be new to torrents altogether, or simply looking for a rock solid client with the right number of bells and whistles.

The good news is that you don’t need to pay for the privilege. Here are our favorite free torrent clients for the Mac platform.

No Paid Clients

There are a good number of BitTorrent clients out there now that charge an entry fee. These are different to the ad-supported free versions, of which there are a few in the list below, though some go as far as offering demo versions that impose pesky limitations.

Some will restrict your download speed, or limit the number of concurrent downloads you can have. We’re great proponents of supporting your favorite apps by buying softwareWhy I Buy iPhone Apps (and You Should Too)Why I Buy iPhone Apps (and You Should Too)If I have a choice between a free app and a paid app that do very similar things, I’ll buy the paid app every time.Read More, but when it comes to BitTorrent we’ve yet to see enough to justify opening your wallet.

That’s why we’ll only be taking a look at completely free, open source, and “free” products that come with a premium option in this article. You won’t find any of these on the Mac App Store since Apple doesn’t take kindly to the practice of file sharing.

1. Transmission

Benefits: A simple native Mac client that looks the part, with excellent performance and a good set of features to boot.

I’ve always loved Transmission, and it’s the client I’m still using on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately, Transmission’s reputation took a hit in 20164 Transmission Alternatives for Mac BitTorrent Users4 Transmission Alternatives for Mac BitTorrent UsersTransmission was struck with malware twice in one year, so you might want to consider a new Mac torrent app.Read More when malware was discovered bundled in the installer. This was Mac’s first example of ransomwareIs Ransomware Really as Terrifying as You Think?Is Ransomware Really as Terrifying as You Think?Ransomware is a regular nuisance. A ransomware infection takes your computer hostage, and demands payment for release. Often, payment doesn't secure your personal files. But is it really as terrifying as you think?Read More, a result of an unpatched security hole in the installer software used by the Transmission team.

Fortunately, there’s been no major drama with Transmission for a while, which is reassuring since it’s probably the best Mac torrent client out there. Many users favor it for its raw simplicity — a single list view for torrents, with a few controls and filtering options up top.

There’s a rock-solid web interface which makes adding torrents and magnet links from a web browser super easy, even on your smartphone. You can limit how much bandwidth your torrent downloads swallow up, with a simple scheduler for enforcing a speed limit during set times.

There’s also blocklist management for avoiding bad peersIs Popcorn Time Safe? How to Torrent SafelyIs Popcorn Time Safe? How to Torrent SafelyPopcorn Time is illegal. If you're thinking of using it, here are several things you should know before you put yourself at risk.Read More, a decent level of customization, and you’ll even see your current upload and download speeds in the Mac dock (a nice touch). It’s not the most feature-loaded client on this list, but if you don’t need plugins and finite scheduler control it’s your best choice.

2. Deluge

Benefits: A wealth of plugins allow you to expand Deluge’s functionality way beyond that of a regular torrent client.

If Transmission doesn’t do everything you want it to, I’d recommend looking at Deluge next. It lacks the sleek and simple interface, and it’s not written natively for the Mac since it’s also available for Windows and Linux. However, it does include support for plugins, which really opens up what you can achieve with a torrent client.

Deluge has been around for a while, and you can tell from a quick glance at the interface. The icons are very Windows XP, and the three-pane UI looks almost like a version of Outlook from the early 2000s. But despite this, performance remains fairly good (though be aware that adding more plugins will likely slow things down).

Features can be bolted on using the plugin system, with a good number included when you first install. You can set up a schedule for managing bandwidth, enable the web UI to add torrents from other computers, and subscribe to a blocklist to better guard your privacy.

Head to the Deluge plugins list to find all manner of tools for batch renaming or moving files, alternative schedulers, bandwidth managers that stop Deluge from choking your connection, and RSS torrent managementHow To Use RSS Feeds To Download Torrents AutomaticallyHow To Use RSS Feeds To Download Torrents AutomaticallyRead More for automatic downloading.

3. qBittorrent

Benefits: A long-running, simple, and open source client that forgoes the plugins but gets the job done.

Just like Deluge, qBittorent is an open source projectHow Contributing to Open Source Projects Can Teach You Life SkillsHow Contributing to Open Source Projects Can Teach You Life SkillsWe've looked at the benefits of using open source software, but what about the other way around: contributing to them? Can getting involved in an open source project aid your personal development?Read More based on the libtorrent library. qBittorent lacks the plugins found in Deluge, but I prefer it for its general look and feel. Performance is as expected from a cross-platform client, and it includes a few nice touches like a right-click context menu for adding torrents and changing settings from the Mac dock.

The client makes the list since it’s still actively maintained, with Windows and Mac binaries readily available (alongside some unusual alternatives, like Haiku and IBM’s OS/2). As far as torrent clients go, it does the job though it lacks the polish of a client like Transmission.

The feature set is fairly bold, with a web UI included, folder monitoring for new .torrent files, actions for completed transfers, speed limits, and a fairly limited but functional scheduler. There’s also the addition of a lock button, which allows you to lock the client with a password — handy if you’re downloading files on a shared computer.

Best Mac For Ibm Client For Ebusiness4us

qBittorrent is a nice compromise between the simplicity of Transmission and the raw power of Deluge. If you don’t mind the interface, it’s a solid choice.

4-5. BitTorrent/uTorrent

Benefits: The only “official” BitTorrent client, while uTorrent might be the most recognizable name in file sharing.

BitTorrent Inc. is the company behind the only “official” client, and it’s come a long way since the old “one download at a time” dialogue box that changed the way files are distributed on the internet. The company has since bought uTorrent, and seemingly merged the two products together.

I downloaded both the official client and the latest version of uTorrent for Mac, and beyond the application icons and version numbers, I couldn’t find a single difference between the two. They both use the same interface, and presumably the same underlying technology.

I can only find “pro upgrade” options for the official BitTorrent client, with the website citing a $20 upgrade to remove the non-intrusive adverts, and add virus scanning and streaming support for downloads in progress. I don’t recommend you upgrade though since the adverts are barely noticeable and the other features aren’t worth the money.

Ibm Client Innovation Center

It can’t be ignored that both of these clients are solid, with web UI support, feeds in the sidebar, a comprehensive scheduler with bandwidth management, and actions that kick in when your transfers complete. It’s a matter of personal taste, and it might not be the best client, but it’s far from the worst.

6. WebTorrent Desktop

Benefits: Stream movies and other media before they’re finished downloading.

And now for something a little bit different. WebTorrent is the first BitTorrent client that works in the browser, while WebTorrent Desktop is a desktop version that brings torrent streaming to Windows, Mac, and Linux. That means you can watch movies and TV, or listen to audio books and music while the torrent download is still taking place.

There are a few caveats with this approach. An abundance of seeds is vital so that the client can prioritize the right torrent fragments (so the beginning of the video or audio files download first). That means only well-seeded torrents will be viable, but fortunately, there’s an abundance of free downloads through websites like The Internet Archive5 Types of Free Content Riches You Can Dig Up at the Internet Archive5 Types of Free Content Riches You Can Dig Up at the Internet ArchiveThe Internet Archive keeps a variety of old content alive on the Web for the future. What kind of content can you dig up, and why should you care? Let's find out.Read More.

In addition to streaming the content, WebTorrent Desktop also saves the file to your Downloads folder. You can choose to play the files within the client, or use an external app like VLC. That’s about as deep as WebTorrent gets in terms of customization, which is why it might not make an ideal everyday client.

However, it’s a handy app to have around, and it’s completely free and open source. It even comes loaded with a few recommended films you can stream right away, like Sintel and Big Buck Bunny10+ Amazing Short Films You'd Not Believe Were Made With Free Software10+ Amazing Short Films You'd Not Believe Were Made With Free SoftwareJust like its previous short films online, the Blender Foundation used only open-source or free software to produce movies of at least 10 minutes.Read More.

What About the Rest?

There are many more torrent clients out there, but you can give them a miss for the most part. The biggest omission on this list is probably Vuze, a free client with a $30 upgrade that adds CD burning and a few other bells and whistles. While Vuze works fine as a client, it’s somewhat bloated and doesn’t add any particularly notable features.

Worse still, it’s written in Java and so has a tendency to be pretty sluggish. It might be worth a shot if you’re still not satisfied after trying all of the above, though.

Which torrent client do you use on your Mac? Let us know in the comments below!

Explore more about: BitTorrent, File Sharing.