uGet

Overview

uGet is a free and open-source download manager designed for GNU/Linux, while also supporting Windows and Android platforms. Known for its lightweight, efficient, and user-friendly nature, it is suitable for batch downloading and file management. Created by Taiwanese developer Huang Pao-Sheng, the uGet project is hosted on SourceForge and GitHub, and is licensed under GPL v3. uGet uses a GTK+ interface (GTK2 or GTK3), integrates aria2 as an optional backend, and supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent, and Metalink protocols.

History and Development

• Origin:
  • 2003: uGet's predecessor, UrlGfe (URL Get Front End), was launched as a lightweight download tool.
  • 2011: uGet was officially released, developed by Huang Pao-Sheng, based on C and GTK+, aiming to provide a simple and efficient download manager for Linux.
• Development Timeline:
  • 2012: uGet 1.8 was released, supporting multi-connection downloads, clipboard monitoring, and basic queue management.
  • 2015: uGet 2.0 introduced the aria2 plugin, supporting BitTorrent and Metalink protocols.
  • 2018: uGet 2.2.0 optimized browser integration, launching Firefox and Chrome extensions.
  • 2020: uGet 2.2.3 added an Android version, RSS message banners, and multi-language support.
  • December 2024: uGet 2.2.4 was released, fixing latency issues with external SD cards on Android, supporting a forced English interface, and improving clipboard monitoring.
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by Huang Pao-Sheng and the community, hosted on SourceForge and GitHub.
  • Supports 23 languages (including English and Simplified Chinese), provides user guides, forums, and a limited number of YouTube tutorials (approximately 500+).
  • Reddit users say "uGet is the best lightweight GUI for aria2 on Linux".
• Open Source License:
  • GPL v3, allowing free modification and distribution.

Key Features

uGet is designed for efficient download management with its lightweight architecture, multi-protocol support, and aria2 integration. Here are its key features:

1. Multi-protocol Support
   • Supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent, and Metalink protocols, enabling multi-threaded downloads (up to 16 connections) via the aria2 plugin.
2. Lightweight Interface
   • Based on GTK+ (GTK2 or GTK3), the interface is clean and simple, requiring only 50-100 MB of RAM, and supports drag-and-drop links.
3. Download Queues and Categories
   • Supports unlimited download queues, category management and scheduling (such as scheduled downloads), and provides pause/resume functionality.
4. Clipboard Monitoring
   • Automatically captures download links from the clipboard, supporting the FlashGot plugin (Firefox/Chrome).
5. aria2 Plugin Integration
   • Supports BitTorrent, Metalink, and Metalink file downloads via the aria2 plugin, improving speed and stability.
6. Cross-Platform Compatibility
   • Supports Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora), Windows, and Android; the GTK+ interface is adapted for Wayland.
7. Performance and Hardware Compatibility
   • File size 10-20 MB, runtime RAM usage 50-100 MB, startup time <2 seconds, suitable for low-spec devices.
   • Minimum Requirements: 1 GHz CPU, 512 MB RAM, GTK2/GTK3 support.
8. Security and Privacy
   • Open source GPL v3, transparent code, no tracking or ads.
9. Development Support
   • Supports command-line interface (uget-cli) and Python script extensions, suitable for automated downloads.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Lightweight and Efficient:
  • Memory usage of 50-100 MB, better than Motrix's 200 MB and JDownloader's 500 MB.
  • An X post states that "uGet 2.2.4 is so lightweight it's almost imperceptible."
• Open Source and Free:
  • GPL v3, ad-free, better than the paid model of Internet Download Manager (IDM).
• aria2 Integration:
  • Supports BitTorrent and Metalink, better than native GTK tools.
• Cross-platform support:
  • Linux, Windows, Android, superior to Persepolis's Linux-only support.
• Community support:
  • Active SourceForge and GitHub, with approximately 500+ tutorials.

Limitations:

• Browser extension issues:
  • Chrome and Firefox extensions (uGet Integration) require manual configuration, and compatibility with some browser versions is poor.
• Slightly outdated interface:
  • The GTK+ interface is not as modern as Motrix's Electron.
• Limited community size:
  • Compared to aria2 or Motrix, the community is smaller, and Chinese documentation is insufficient.
• Comparison with other tools:
  • Motrix: Electron interface, modern but resource-intensive.
  • aria2: Command line, lightweight but no GUI.
  • JDownloader: Java-driven, powerful for batch downloads but resource-intensive.
  • Persepolis: Python GUI, Linux-only.
  • yt-dlp: Optimized specifically for video downloading.

Summary

uGet is a lightweight, free, and open-source download manager. The latest version, 2.2.4 (December 2024), is based on GTK+ and supports multiple protocols (HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, Metalink), aria2 integration, and clipboard monitoring. It is suitable for Linux systems such as Ubuntu. Compared to Motrix (modern UI), aria2 (command line), JDownloader (batch Java), Persepolis (Python GUI), and yt-dlp (video-specific), uGet excels in its lightweight nature and multi-platform support, but its browser extensions and interface are slightly lacking.