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We spend most of our time downloading videos, songs and different types of  files from the internet and thus download is an indispensable part of our daily internet use. Many of us still use browsers to download large files. Browsers are good for surfing the internet but they are not suitable for downloading large files. You will get poor download speed and very few features. Download manager provides a better platform that helps us manage and accelerate downloads. I have used lots of paid and free download manager available over internet. Right now, I have picked Internet Download Manager as the best download manager for Windows and will be reviewing it on this post.

Internet Download Manager review

Internet Download Manager Review:

Internet Download Manager better known as IDM is one of the best downloading tools available for Windows operating system. IDM is a boon to both types of people who are facing slow internet speed or enjoying high speed internet. You can download files in parts as you can pause and resume download anytime. IDM also offers advance browser integration to increase the ease of adding download. IDM claims to enhance the download speed by 500% and this has got many positive reviews over the internet. There are many other benefits of Internet Download Manager that I will be explaining below:

Features of Internet Download Manager:

  • All popular browsers and apps are supported: IDM adds it to IE, AOL, MSN, Mozilla, Netscape, Firefox, chrome etc. So you can start the download straight from the browser.
  • YouTube Grabber: IDM can download videos from websites that deliver videos in flv format. You can download videos from popular video sites like YouTube, MySpaceTV, Metacafe etc.
  • Download Speed: IDM claims that it can increase the download speed by 500%. I have checked it out with different downloads and server locations. IDM provides 25% faster download than Chrome or FireFox download.
  • Scheduler: Download manager as the name suggests, facilitates user to Queue and schedule download. You can also synchronize files if any changes are made to the online file.
  • Site Spider and Grabber: IDM can also download website page to view offline. You can also grab whole website.
  • Download categories and management: Your downloads will be categorized automatically and stored in different folders like compressed, Documents, Music, Video and Programs.
  • Interface: IDM has a simple user interface that is customizable. There are also different skins available online to make the interface interesting and cool looking.
  • Drag and Drop: You can also drag and drops link to IDM download drop target. This will automatically start download.
  • Automatic antivirus scan of downloaded files: IDM can scan files using Antivirus and Adaware, Avast, Spybot, AVG, McAfee etc.

Advanced Browser Integration

IDM Browser integration

Internet Download Manager has the advance browser integration feature. It supports most browsers like Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer etc. IDM will automatically catch all download links from browsers and start downloading.

Download Pause and Resume

IDM comes with one very useful feature – Resume support. Most of the browsers do no offer resume functionality. So when we start any download we must have to complete it otherwise restart the download. For large downloads resume functionality really helps. For example you are downloading a 1GB file, using Internet Download Manager you can download 500 MB today and stop downloading and later you can complete the download from the place where you stopped. Most of the websites support resume feature.

Flash video grabber

IDM video downloader

Internet Download Manager can automatically catch flash video and audio links from websites. You can easily download videos from video sharing sites like YouTube, DailyMotion with IDM. When you start playing video on browser, IDM will show option to download the video.

Connection Speed Selection

IDM Connection speed selection

For better speed optimization IDM has connection speed selection. Here you can select your internet speed, default maximum connection to get the best download speed.

Proxy Support

IDM Proxy support

If you are using proxy servers to connect to the internet then no problem, IDM can use all proxy servers. Just enter your proxy server details here and IDM will use that connection.

Site Logins Support

IDM Site login support

We need to log in to some sites to download files from there. Using IDM it is possible to log in automatically, just give website address and login information here.

File Type Selection

IDM File type selection

In IDM we can manually add or remove  file types which IDM will start downloading. For example I want to download .deb file using IDM so I’ve added DEB file extension there. Next time when I’ll click on any .deb file download link,IDM will automatically catch it.

Download Scheduler

IDM also has download scheduler using which we can schedule downloads and it can automatically disconnect the modem and power off PC when download completes.

IDM Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Resumable download.
  • Easy to use interface.
  • Up to 5 times better download speed than any other browser based download.
  • Download videos directly from sharing sites like YouTube, Metacafe etc.
  • Easy to install and configure
  • Automatically adds itself to chrome, Firefox and other browsers.

Cons:

  • No built-in video converter.
  • Cost- You can get a competitive Download manager for Free. Flashget is the best alternative.
  • No Torrent download support.

Internet Download Manager is a feature pack app for Windows user. Currently, available for $24.95, you can get a better price on Black Friday and other sales. I have been using IDM for a year now and never faced any issues. I would say that IDM is priced at par above the normal utility software. You can try to software for free for 30 days.

PlabanReviewSoftwareWe spend most of our time downloading videos, songs and different types of  files from the internet and thus download is an indispensable part of our daily internet use. Many of us still use browsers to download large files. Browsers are good for surfing the internet but they are not suitable for downloading...Technology News, Gadgets, Tutorial, Freebies