7 RapidShare Download Managers
22. Jul, 2009 
4 Comments
I hate RapidShare. With their annoying waiting time, captchas, and other such troubles, who doesn’t? Unfortunately, since RapidShare was the pioneer in the file sharing industry, people use it a lot and we have to put up with its annoyances. Fortunately, I’ve made a list of all the good download managers I could find that would ease your RapidShare downloading problems…
PS: Just before I start, let me mention that all the managers listed here have captcha recognition and will start downloading your files automatically after the wait time is over. So all you have to do is add your file and wait till it downloads; nothing else…
The RapidShare download managers listed below will make your downloading life easier:
Raptor
Raptor was the first ever RapidShare manager I tried out. Its fairly easy to use. All you have to do is click the add button and paste the link to the file. You can insert more than one link too if you want to download several files. Then just select the path where you want to save it and click Start Now. Simple as that!
The thing I didn’t like about Raptor is that it doesn’t have a scheduling option. You can’t tell it to start downloading at a certain time and then stop downloading after a few hours. However, it can restart, shutdown, or hibernate your computer which is great if you leave your PC on at night like me for downloading stuff. It also doesn’t come with an installer, so you can carry it on your flash drive.
Its simple; it may not be the best but it does the job…
RapidShare Auto Downloader
This is one I used to use before I switched to another download manager recently (covered below). Again, its easy to use and unlike Raptor it even includes a scheduling option. Other features include antivirus integration – it will run your antivirus program and scan the files downloaded automatically. RAD can also shut down your PC after its done downloading files. Unfortunately, it can’t hibernate, restart, or put your computer in stand-by mode.
Its also not portable, unlike Raptor.
Download RapidShare Auto Downloader
jDowloader
After having tested jDownloader, I can say that its the best RapidShare downloader out there! While the interface may be a bit unintuitive, it has a lot of great features. One such feature is that you can group your files into packages which is very useful if you download stuff that’s split into many 100 MB parts as it keeps them organized. Another I should mention is that jDownloader supports more than 40 file sharing services, including RapidShare. You will never need another download manager for a specific service again!
It can shutdown or hibernate your PC, extract zipped/rared files automatically after they’ve been downloaded, and even has the option of reducing the downloading speed (useful when you’re surfing the web and don’t want your speed to slow down). It also has a scheduler, although it comes as an add-on, and it can refresh your IP after specific intervals (useful for those with dynamic IPs) so you can bypass RapidShare’s 15 minute wait automatically.
I will certainly be using jDownloader from today.
FreeRapid Downloader
FreeRapid Downloader is another great download manager. Its most useful feature is that it can use a proxy list to bypass those wait times after each download. Its also very easy to use and can check for file existence on the RapidShare server before it begins downloading. And did I mention that it supports many more file sharing services including RapidShare, MegaUpload, DepositFiles etc?
CryptLoad
Although CryptLoad aims to be the “next generation” of downloaders, its far from it. There’s one main annoying thing about it: it only uses the clip-board to add files. Sure it also features packages, like jDownloader, but it’s almost impossible to move files between packages. CryptLoad isn’t fully translated into English yet, there are some words still in German.
I don’t recommend you use this one…
RapidShare Plus
RapidShare Plus is very light weight (only 82 KB) and fairly basic. It can only download files and lets you choose the download folder, that’s pretty much it. Only use it if you need a light-weight, portable RapidShare download manager for your flash drive.
RDown Firefox Add-on
A firefox add-on that downloads files from RapidShare for you. It’s very basic, having only the ability to start and stop. Only recommend for those who download from RapidShare once in a while. Its not meant for those who download RS files often.
For Premium Users: Internet Download Manager
If you are a premium RapidShare user, then Internet Download Manager is the best download manager for you. I’ll be writing a review of IDM in a few days, so stay tuned!
Related posts:
i am trying jdownloader but cant get the scheduler to work as the start stop button is grayed out any ideas would be very good many thanks george
I see you are experinced webmaster, what is the best method to monetize my first blog ?