Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
7 best Android download managers
Download managers seem like an archaic form of managing downloads. After all, most browsers have one already and people don’t always download tons of files. However, there are some benefits from an organizational standpoint and, sometimes, from a speed standpoint as well. People who download frequently absolutely have a use case for download managers. There aren’t a lot of them around, but a few obviously rise to the top. Here are the best ones for Android! Some browsers also come with one natively and you can always check out file browsers to manage your download folder after downloads are done as well.
The best download managers for Android
1DM
Price: Free / $1.99
1DM (formerly IDM) is another popular choice in the download manager space. It works like most other download managers, except this one has direct torrent support as well. That makes it a good option for people who use torrents (legally, of course). It also supports five simultaneous downloads, the ability to speed up download speeds, and more. It also blocks third-party trackers and includes a built-in browser. The pro version runs for a very reasonable $1.99.
Advanced Download Manager
Price: Free
Advanced Download Manager is one of the most popular download managers for Android. It has a clean UI, plenty of functionality, and support for all kinds of neat things. Some of the features include simultaneous downloads, support for SD cards, speed management, and support for very large files. You also get a widget along with some additional, more power-user-friendly functionality. It’s also free with ads.
Aria2App
Price: Free
Aria2App is a powerful download manager, but not the type you might be thinking of. It’s a server-grade download manager that helps you manage your servers, provided that they’re running Aria2. It lets you add stuff like HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent, and Metalink downloads remotely. You can also download stuff from browsers directly to your server, manage long downloads, and more. This is definitely for power users and not for normal people, so if some of the words in this paragraph didn’t make sense, there’s a better than average chance that this one isn’t for you.
Firefox
Price: Free
Firefox pulls double duty on this list. It’s a very good web browser with support for things like extensions, ad block, and cross-platform syncing. However, it also packs a download manager as well. This makes a lot of sense, since you’re likely using a web browser to initiate downloads anyway. In any case, you can activate the download manager in the settings, and use it instead of the default Android download manager. Give it a try and see if it works for you. We think Firefox is better than Chrome in a lot of ways, so it’s not like you’re downgrading your browser experience.
Loader Droid
Price: Free
Loader Droid is one of the better, albeit older, Android download managers. The UI is a bit old-fashioned, but it delivers the information you need. The app also features plenty of little things like automatically resuming downloads when you connect to data. Some other features include link replacement in case your link times out and you can define the connections allowed on a per-download basis. Thus, you can download via Wi-Fi for one file or 4G for another. It hasn’t seen an update since 2016, so try it at your own risk. However, people seem to still use this in 2019 and still seem to like it.
MyJDownloader
Price: Free / Optional donation
MyJDownloader is very much like Chicketry above. It’s actually a PC download manager with a companion app. You can check your downloads on your PC from the comfort of your smartphone. It also monitors your clipboard for download links, supports various types of files, and more. We liked Cheketry a little better, but this one has been around longer and its desktop app is more powerful. You can choose whichever one works best for you.
Torrent apps
Price: Free / Varies
Torrent apps are essentially download managers in their own right. You go to a torrent site, select a file to download, the a torrent app intercepts the link and downloads it for you. Torrenting is a great way to share large files between large numbers of people since some folks can upload the data as others are downloading it. It’s one of the better peer-to-peer downloading concepts. In any case, there are several good torrent apps on Android, and we have a list at the button below if you want to learn more.
If we missed any great download managers for Android, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our app and game lists.
Thank you for reading. Read more: