HushTorrent vs qBittorrent vs Transmission on Mac
Mac users usually end up choosing between a native app that's light on features and a powerful app that doesn't feel at home on a Mac. Here's how the three compare.
| Feature | HushTorrent | qBittorrent | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for Mac | Native Mac app for Apple silicon, notarized by Apple | Cross-platform app; its developers say the macOS version is "barely supported" because they have no active macOS developers[1] | Native Mac app; describes itself as "truly native" on macOS and Apple Silicon native since v4.0[4] |
| Bind to your VPN | Yes — bind to your VPN interface, with a kill switch that pauses every transfer if the VPN drops | Yes — pick the VPN adapter under Network Interface in settings[2] | No interface binding; you can only set a fixed listening IP address by editing configuration files[5] |
| Encryption | Required for every peer connection by default | Available in settings | Available in settings |
| Power-user features | RSS rules, categories and tags, queueing, scheduler, torrent creator, blocklists, scripts | Full feature set, including RSS rules and search plugins | Deliberately simple |
| Ads and telemetry | No ads, no telemetry | No ads | No ads |
| Mac requirements | macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon | macOS 13 or later[1] | macOS 12 or later, Apple Silicon native[3] |
The trade-offs
HushTorrent
Good: A native Mac app with the full feature set, VPN binding and a kill switch, and privacy settings on by default.
Watch out: New, and only runs on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later.
qBittorrent
Good: Very feature-rich, open source and widely used, and it can bind to your VPN.
Watch out: Doesn't look or feel like a Mac app, and its own developers say the Mac version is barely supported.
Transmission
Good: A clean, genuinely native Mac app that is simple to use and open source.
Watch out: Lacks many power-user features, and can't bind to your VPN interface.
Which should you pick?
- Want something simple and don't need VPN binding? Transmission is a solid choice.
- Need search plugins, or on macOS 13 or 14? qBittorrent still works.
- Want a native Mac app with the full feature set and VPN binding with a kill switch? Try HushTorrent.
Sources
- [1] qBittorrent — official download page (macOS section)
- [2] qBittorrent wiki — How to bind your VPN to prevent IP leaks
- [3] Transmission — official download page
- [4] Transmission — official homepage
- [5] Transmission docs — Editing configuration files
Mac support and VPN binding checked against each project's official website and documentation on 27 October 2026. Details may change with new releases.