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Software that allows you to easily download and manage your files

Software that allows you to easily download and manage your files

Vote: (1,714 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Free Internet Download Manager

Version: 3.9.2 build 1301

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(1,714 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Free Internet Download Manager

3.9.2 build 1301

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Freeware
  • Full-featured download manager
  • Scheduler and batching

Cons

  • Outdated user interface

Free Internet Download Manager is a freeware IDM that packs an impressive list of features into a single package.

If you download a lot of files from the Web, then Free Internet Download Manager can help make better use of your time. In fact, it can free up your time by automating many routine and even not-so-routine tasks. You can, of course, feed it downloads one URL at a time, but you can also set it to go off on its own and download based on criteria that you give it.

Free IDM downloads all types of files. It even supports Adobe Flash videos and can be used to pull videos from YouTube and other streaming websites. It also supports download categories. For instance, JPEGs can be automatically recognized and routed to an image folder you’ve defined. Your triggers can also be more complex so that downloads are routed based on factors other than just file type. Another neat aspect is the ability to handle uploads in the same manner. Uploads are often overlooked by IDMs, and it’s very useful if you upload a lot of files to a website or web service.

Nothing Free Internet Download Manager does has to happen one at a time. That’s because the program has a full batching implementation. You can create multiple queues and even adjust the order after a queue has been established or is being processed. There’s a full scheduling implementation as well, which makes multiple batches even handier. You can set it to run overnight or start batch A now, let batch B take over at an appropriate time, and then, finish batch A.

The program includes a site explorer. Simply set it to a particular domain or subdomain, and you’ll be able to explorer that site via a hierarchical structure. An HTML spider can automate that process for a particular domain or a series of domains, including, in theory, the entire Internet. Set it to download all images from a particular site and follow outbound links to look for more images. If you’re a webmaster, the Site Manager lets you do a lot more than just upload as you control and fine-tune your creation.

Free Internet Download Manager also provides an extensive array of integrated tools and utilities. Too many to list them all in fact. It handles proxy servers, the ftp protocol, cookies, authorization, redirects, and so forth. You can use this IDM from the command line and even script it in that manner. There’s zip preview, a video player, and even sounds that you can assign to events as notifications.

The only issue with Free Internet Download Manager is the user interface. The UI hasn’t really updated as the Windows styles and features have. This is, for the most part, an aesthetics issue. The UI just looks outdated, but that’s easy enough to overlook if you find the program useful. The UI is a bit clunky in some regards, and there’s little Explorer integration, so you’re locked in to provided UI components. Again, however, these complaints can be overlooked due to how useful and feature-rich the app is overall.

Pros

  • Freeware
  • Full-featured download manager
  • Scheduler and batching

Cons

  • Outdated user interface

This download is no longer available. This could be due to the program being discontinued, having a security issue or for some other reason.

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