Although P2P programs automatically bring to mind piracy and illegal software distribution, the developers of Torrent Swapper want to change that. Their aim is to provide a free platform where people can interact with each other and share content as well as receive recommendations based on similar likes.
Installation & Requirements
The only thing you need to pay attention to during the setup is the default association of .torrent files with the program. If you use other torrent clients, it is best to remove the checkmark from this option. The application claims it is platform independent, meaning you can run it in any version of Windows, OS X and Linux with some additional requirements for it.
Interface
The lightweight approach of the interface is very pleasant on the eyes and something that immediately caught my attention. There are very few P2P clients that are not a bloated mess and Torrent Swapper is extremely minimalistic in its approach, something that people like me will vastly enjoy while others will most surely hate it.
With that out of the way, the program is quite frankly brilliant. I am not aware of any other BitTorrent programs that put so much emphasis on social interactions. And I am not talking about Facebook sharing and similar shenanigans. This little program lets you add friends to your list in order to see what they like to download. You can then get recommendations from the engine based on your friends’ likes and your own download history. Other factors like location come into play although they are not as important as the aforementioned features.
Of course, most people will neglect these features and will instead only focus on the downloading of torrents which is a shame. The utilities offered by the application are very easy to use, quick to set up and quite frankly innovative. Standard features like searching for torrents are also present as they should, otherwise the program could not hope to compete with similar offerings.
The backbone of Torrent Swapper is also quite well designed. Torrents can be added with no problems and the download speeds were consistent with the limits of my internet connection. A lot of care has been given into providing a well-rounded experience that most BitTorrent users now require. It is true though that the minimalistic approach rubs off the features department as well, something that is not necessarily bad depending on which side of the fence you are on.
Although the application does not offer a huge list of features and only aims to serve as a mere hub, there are tons of people out there that prefer that to the bulky designs of most modern P2P clients. Even the ever-popular μTorrent which started as the most lightweight client is now filled with mostly useless utilities that no one uses but most people loathe. Finding a tiny program like Torrent Swapper that also works flawlessly is a wonder in and out of itself.
Pros
-Elegant, minimalistic design
-Social interactions are integral to the program
-Well-designed recommendations engine
-Great P2P engine with fast downloads
-Innovative
Cons
-Lacks advanced features
-Extra utilities are missing
Conclusion
If you are looking for a minimalistic but amazing approach to BitTorrent, waste no more time and download Torrent Swapper immediately. This tiny application might not impress the crowd that wants a ton of features but will surely appeal to those that want a different, decent, fast and intuitive platform to share and download files.
