qBittorrent
Free cross-platform bittorrent client with a feature rich Web UI for remote access.
qBittorrent vs Transmission
Two self-hosted File Transfer - Peer-to-peer Filesharing apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| qBittorrent | Transmission | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Free cross-platform bittorrent client with a feature rich Web UI for remote access. | Fast, easy, free Bittorrent client. |
| GitHub stars | 41,362 | 15,383 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 503 | 495 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-02 |
| Latest release | release-5.3.0 (2026-10-20) | 4.1.4 (2026-10-24) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | C++ | C++, deb |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $3.5/mo | $3.5/mo |
| Categories | File Transfer - Peer-to-peer Filesharing | File Transfer - Peer-to-peer Filesharing |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- qBittorrent is more popular on GitHub: 41.4k stars vs 15.4k for Transmission.
- Transmission published a release more recently (4.1.4 on 2026-10-24; qBittorrent's latest is release-5.3.0 on 2026-10-20).
- qBittorrent is licensed under GPL-2.0, Transmission under GPL-3.0.
- Both are written in C++.
- Deployment options listed upstream: qBittorrent: none listed; Transmission: deb.
Summary: qBittorrent leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is qBittorrent or Transmission more popular?
qBittorrent has more GitHub stars (41,362 vs 15,383 for Transmission, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, qBittorrent or Transmission?
Commits in the last 12 months: qBittorrent 503, Transmission 495. The last recorded activity was 2026-11-03 for qBittorrent and 2026-11-02 for Transmission. Our health labels: qBittorrent is “Active”, Transmission is “Active”.
What licenses do qBittorrent and Transmission use?
qBittorrent: GPL-2.0. Transmission: GPL-3.0.
Can I run qBittorrent and Transmission with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Transmission
Fast, easy, free Bittorrent client.
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