What is qBittorrent used for?

qBittorrent is a cross-platform, open-source BitTorrent client written in C++ and Qt on top of libtorrent, with Unicode support and signed releases. It is a good fit for downloading Linux ISOs and open data sets, and lightweight desktop torrent client.

Is qBittorrent open source?

Yes. qBittorrent is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at qbittorrent/qBittorrent and is written mainly in C++.

Yes. qBittorrent is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host qBittorrent?

Yes. qBittorrent can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What are some alternatives to qBittorrent?

Similar open-source tools in the File Storage & Sharing category include Transmission, rTorrent and Spacedrive. SaaS products in the same category include AnySend, Send Anywhere and Acronis Cyber Protect.

Is qBittorrent actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to qBittorrent was on 1 October 2026. The project has 41k stars on GitHub.

qBittorrent: open-source file storage & sharing

About qBittorrent

qBittorrent is a desktop BitTorrent client written in C++ using the Qt toolkit. It uses libtorrent, sometimes called libtorrent-rasterbar, as its networking core and aims to be a good alternative to other BitTorrent clients. The project describes itself as fast and stable, with Unicode support and many features. GitHub lists the license as 'Other', so refer to the COPYING file.

The client uses the free IP to Country Lite database from DB-IP, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0, to resolve the countries of peers. Installation instructions are in the INSTALL file in the repository. Since version 3.3.4 the project signs its source tarballs and binaries, and the README publishes the PGP key and fingerprint used for verification.

The wiki, a forum for troubleshooting and an IRC channel provide support, and bugs and feature requests are reported through the project's tracker. qBittorrent suits users who want a lightweight desktop torrent client for downloading and sharing large legitimate files such as Linux distributions and open data sets.

Key features

BitTorrent client built with C++ and Qt
Based on libtorrent-rasterbar
Full Unicode text support
Peer country resolution via DB-IP database
Signed source tarballs and binaries
Wiki, forum and IRC support channels

Good fit for

→Downloading Linux ISOs and open data sets
→Lightweight desktop torrent client

Built with: C++
Tags: bittorrent; torrent-client; qt; cpp; libtorrent; cross-platform; downloader; p2p

qBittorrent: questions and answers

What is qBittorrent used for?: qBittorrent is a cross-platform, open-source BitTorrent client written in C++ and Qt on top of libtorrent, with Unicode support and signed releases. It is a good fit for downloading Linux ISOs and open data sets, and lightweight desktop torrent client.
Is qBittorrent open source?: Yes. qBittorrent is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at qbittorrent/qBittorrent and is written mainly in C++.
Is qBittorrent free?: Yes. qBittorrent is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host qBittorrent?: Yes. qBittorrent can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What are some alternatives to qBittorrent?: Similar open-source tools in the File Storage & Sharing category include Transmission, rTorrent and Spacedrive. SaaS products in the same category include AnySend, Send Anywhere and Acronis Cyber Protect.
Is qBittorrent actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to qBittorrent was on 1 October 2026. The project has 41k stars on GitHub.