uTorrent exploring new revenue models, including charging for the client

According to a new report, popular torrent client uTorrent is exploring new revenue models for its parent BitTorrent Inc., including charging for the client which has been freeware for a decade.

uTorrent has over 170 million users and currently makes money through bundled software and some ads but development costs appear to be high and BitTorrent says they were never too happy with the bundled model.

Moving forward, the uTorrent team will be testing alternatives to bundling, including "paid options for every budget."

"As you know, uTorrent is a free piece of software. To support it, we use bundled software and offers to offset the cost that would otherwise be paid directly by the user," said the uTorrent team. "We've never been satisfied with this revenue model. It requires compromises that detract from a premium user experience. We want to find a model that adds value to our product and our users. We want to find a better way."

We should know more in the coming weeks.

Source:
TechWorm

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Aug 2015 23:22

ivymike

Time to switch......

27.8.2015 23:59 #1

DarthMopar

Originally posted by ivymike: Time to switch...... AGREED

28.8.2015 00:49 #2

hearme0

Got my Utorrent 2.2.1

Last release without ads and slick as Hell!

Can be gotten everywhere.

Utorrent is sealing their own coffin here. Bittorrent clients are widely available and really nothing special. If Utorrent can't survive without jacking peeps for their money, they should commit virtual suicide.

28.8.2015 01:01 #3

ivymike

Already got Transmission installed on my Windows PC in place of uTorrent.....

28.8.2015 04:12 #4

thebox

I ditched uTorrent back in 2008 after all the security issues and horror stories that surfaced.
I've been using Transmission for Mac since then and couldn't be happier.

ahhhhh!!! cobras

28.8.2015 08:43 #5

doowop72

Pirate uTorrent with uTorrent. lol

28.8.2015 08:46 #6

Bozobub

No need to. uTorrent 2.2.1 for small, sleek client, Vuze/Azureus (using the "Classic" interface) for edge-case connections, NAT issues, and such.

28.8.2015 14:58 #7

ThePastor

I'm not sure how they expect to get people, who are mostly downloading free stuff, to pay them for the client, especially when there are so many free clients that are better.
If they want to charge for the client then they need to come up with something that protects the URL's from spying eyes.

Oh, Im sorry... Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?

28.8.2015 20:02 #8

DVDBack23

Originally posted by hearme0: Got my Utorrent 2.2.1

Last release without ads and slick as Hell!

Can be gotten everywhere.

Utorrent is sealing their own coffin here. Bittorrent clients are widely available and really nothing special. If Utorrent can't survive without jacking peeps for their money, they should commit virtual suicide. I still have uTorrent 1.6 saved somewhere around here...such a small footprint and one of the last before BitTorrent bought it up.

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28.8.2015 21:49 #9

Bozobub

2.2.1 Was the last, actually. The version best representing "old-school" uTorrent would be 1.8.5. Don't use 1.6! There's a LOT of fixes, changes, and security tweaks you really ought to have.

28.8.2015 23:09 #10

jemaric

29.8.2015 22:05 #11

ivymike

oldversion.com or oldapps.com

29.8.2015 22:49 #12

narm050

It's been a while since I used Bittorrent but I always wondered about everyone raving about uTorrent 2.2.1. I understand the allure, but as Bozobub said there were "security tweaks" made between 1.6 and 2.2.1. Surely there have been many such tweaks made since 2.2.1?

Based on that baseless assumption, I switched to Transmission. And then stopped torrenting altogether (for completely unrelated reasons).

31.8.2015 17:45 #13

Bozobub

What happened between 2.2.1 and the the next release, 3.0, was the acquisition of the uTorrent IP by BitTorrent, Inc., the company started by Bram Cohen (the guy who invented the protocol). It was a pretty rough transition, and the client had a lot of...erm..."issues", including any (or all) of the following at any given time:
- Bloat.
- HD thrashing, up to the point of full system lockup for some people.
- BLOAT
- Ads.
- Did I mention the bloat..?
- Severe seeding and/or leeching issues.
- And other obnoxious silliness.

Honestly, from 3.4.x on, the client is reasonably stable again. That said, uTorrent 2.2.1 was the last version before the acquisition, and still arguably one of the best.

If I wanted bloat, I'd run Azureus, dammit =) which is still probably the most powerful client out there in many ways. The automatic load-balancing plugin is literally unmatched, for example. but it's just so...porky.

As clients go, Transmission has a pretty good rep; I don't think you're doing yourself a disservice by swapping clients - lol. But don't automatically assume newer versions of a given program are better.

31.8.2015 19:19 #14

Steel-Ice

Azureus always been my choice way back when supernova was still alive and kicking. Utorrent was too basic for my liking. Now I only use azureus on my phone to download fansubs (got rid of utorrent because of the ads on the mobile client.)

1.9.2015 17:01 #15

narm050

Originally posted by Bozobub: What happened between 2.2.1 and the the next release, 3.0, was the acquisition of the uTorrent IP by BitTorrent, Inc., the company started by Bram Cohen (the guy who invented the protocol). It was a pretty rough transition, and the client had a lot of...erm..."issues", including any (or all) of the following at any given time:
- Bloat.
- HD thrashing, up to the point of full system lockup for some people.
- BLOAT
- Ads.
- Did I mention the bloat..?
- Severe seeding and/or leeching issues.
- And other obnoxious silliness.

Honestly, from 3.4.x on, the client is reasonably stable again. That said, uTorrent 2.2.1 was the last version before the acquisition, and still arguably one of the best.

If I wanted bloat, I'd run Azureus, dammit =) which is still probably the most powerful client out there in many ways. The automatic load-balancing plugin is literally unmatched, for example. but it's just so...porky.

As clients go, Transmission has a pretty good rep; I don't think you're doing yourself a disservice by swapping clients - lol. But don't automatically assume newer versions of a given program are better. Cheers for the reply, Bozobub. I definitely don't assume a new version is better. Simply by including ads, I think that increases vulnerability.

Security in this day and age is something that unfortunately is based on trust. Even when you stick with open source, it's not possible to inspect every line of code to ensure there isn't something nefarious hidden within (or a bug that could lead to something nefarious).

The internets are quite scary these days!

1.9.2015 19:26 #16

adre02

Okay? I haven't touched it in over 2 years. It locked my system up and once I got it off that was it. I did run well for 2 years though.

This is superman

2.9.2015 23:03 #17

DOS_equis

Bozo should post up an article on the pros and cons of each client/ versions similar to the post he did above for people looking to move to a different one.

2.9.2015 23:12 #18

Bozobub

Been done over and over by people far better at it than me; I'm just some grizzled old veteran pirate yer talking to in a bar ^^' . Just search for "compare bittorrent clients (pros AND cons) 2015" (caps intended), you'll see a bunch of useful info.

2.9.2015 23:23 #19

DOS_equis

Originally posted by Bozobub: Been done over and over by people far better at it than me; I'm just some grizzled old veteran pirate yer talking to in a bar ^^' . Just search for "compare bittorrent clients (pros AND cons) 2015" (caps intended), you'll see a bunch of useful info. Thanks bozo. I have been using the current utorrent client and have it minimized all of the time. It's tolerable once you hack the ads off of it but I might downgrade to 221 to end the madness or switch altogether. I do remember the golden times on 221 and it severely going to sh*t after that. It took a few versions to clear a lot of it up.

2.9.2015 23:28 #20

MagengarZ

For those of you searching for uTorrent 2.2.1,
here it is...

link

...just got done downloading it.

I'm currently using version 3.4.3 ...I just hope that if I
install ver 2.2.1 my current torrent files and Save-To folder
locations will be remembered once I start using 2.2.1.

Otherwise I'll just have to use a completely different client.

3.9.2015 07:21 #21

arnould1

LOL....in the about section of uTorrent 3.3 "Thanks for using this FREE program. We hope you like it. If you paid for it, get a refund!"

3.9.2015 09:37 #22

MagengarZ

Originally posted by arnould1: LOL....in the about section of uTorrent 3.3 "Thanks for using this FREE program. We hope you like it. If you paid for it, get a refund!" Like buying water from a lake. LOL

3.9.2015 09:54 #23

DOS_equis

Originally posted by arnould1: LOL....in the about section of uTorrent 3.3 "Thanks for using this FREE program. We hope you like it. If you paid for it, get a refund!" No different than the people currently selling Win10 keys for a temporarily free OS. I wonder if MS closed up the Technet bonanza free-for-all that happened during Win7 launch?

3.9.2015 10:00 #24

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