Is uTorrent Safe? Best Review of 2017

Millions of users (around a hundred and fifty, to be precise) use uTorrent client for downloading from torrent trackers online. I bet some of you reading this article are also frequent users of this client.

Downloading torrents is currently one of the most accessible ways to get hold of necessary files. Unfortunately, danger lies in the mere nature of torrent transfers itself. This means chances of landing some viruses are high, and you can even end up transferring illegal content and getting caught. However, it’s true that if you take some precautions, it is possible to significantly decrease the risks while enjoying a huge variety of files and programs.

In this respect, uTorrent seems to be one of the most popular and trusted providers. In spite of this huge popularity, many users ask themselves the question whether uTorrent is safe, legit and secure for users. Let’s try to find it out together.

Some background checks

µTorrent, also referred to as uTorrent is a proprietary adware or a Micro-Torrent that helps users  download a wide variety of files. This client is owned and developed by BitTorrent, Inc. It is also the most widely used BitTorrent client outside China. While BitTorrent is the parent product, uTorrent has gained more popularity due to its ease of use and user friendly interface.

What the official website tells us

Now let’s look at uTorrent’s official website. Along with some information on the nature of the product, we can find the main kinds of subscription, three to be precise. 

Is uTorrent Safe?

While all users are offered to get uTorrent for Windows for free, the first paid option states “Get uTorrent Ad-free”, clearly indicating that the free version comes in with some ads. While ads are common for most free products, they can hold potential danger in some cases. Are there any instances for uTorrent?

The Bitcoin mining controversy

March 6, 2015 came in with some bad news under the hood for all uTorrent users. Version 3.4.2 of the BitTorrent client uTorrent came bundled with a Bitcoin miner. The miner, called Epic Scale is actually a Windows program that uses (and users claim that this happens without their consent) the user’s computer to mine some kind of bitcoin called Lite coin in the background. While users were initially unaware of this, the significant increase in processor load later revealed the application causing a huge scandal for uTorrent.

uTorrent took the user complaints seriously and released a new version in mid-April. The aim of the release was making it easier for users to avoid the Bitcoin miner. While the company claimed that the use of computers didn’t happen without users’ consent, they still claimed they realized the controversy had “eroded” the trust in uTorrent for many users.

According to this TorrentFreak article and a number of other sources, BitTorrent issued a public apology, suspended the use of the Bitcoin miner and offered a new version of the uTorrent client.

While the new version 3.4.3 and beyond are free of this issue, users are asked to only download from the official source or at least check the version they are downloading, in case third parties maliciously offer the 3.4.2 version.

It’s important to note that no public complaints of uTorrent have happened afterwards and with the new releases the users seem to be happy with the quality of the service.

The Web of Trust Review

To see what users have recently stated about uTorrent we have looked at a large number of reviews available on www.mywot.com.

First, let’s look at the website’s ratings on WOT community reviews. 

We can see that uTorrent’s scores for trustworthiness and child safety are rather high, at 93 per cent both. This is rather a high score, especially given the site’s nature.

Further to user reviews, we managed to single out both negative and positive reviews. However, the majority of negative reviews date back to 2015 or sooner, and the main complaint of the users is the Bitcoin miner we have already discussed. 

As for the reviews that came in 2016, the majority is positive, stating that the website is safe to use.

Still, users single out some reports of adware and spyware that comes bundled with the uTorrent client. While reports are present, some still state the use of BitCoin miner which may be an indication that they have come across the old version. 

Other than that, users seem to be happy with the quality. Make sure you do not agree to installing third party software, and have your AdBlocker enabled.

Avoiding Illegal Downloads

While uTorrent may be safe, lots of users warn against downloading software and files that are illegal. Now we may all need some common sense here: simply don’t opt for downloading a movie before it even hits the big screen or getting hold of that cracked version of Microsoft office!

Yahoo Users on uTorrent

The Yahoo Answers community has shared lots of discussion on the “Is uTorrent Safe” topic. The overwhelming majority of users claim that uTorrent itself is quite safe and legit. The same can’t be said about the torrents, as many of them can be connected to illegal downloads or software flooded with spyware or PUPs. Again, with some caution and common sense it’s possible to overcome the negative impacts and make use of the advantages uTorrent offers.

A similar set of opinions can be found in the discussion board of the HowToGeek community. 

Is uTorrent Safe?

Overall, we can conclude that uTorrent is quite safe for browsing. The ads used by this download client can be regulated by the end user, but if you want a completely ad-free experience, you may opt for the paid version.

While browsing is safe, users need to make sure the files they opt for are legal and safe to download.

With the exception of the 2015 Bitcoin mining scandal, there haven’t been any major issues connected with uTorrent, but while user trust is shaken, the client may have to deal with suspicion and users coming across the old version.