FreeRapid Downloader Editor's Review

If you need to make multiple concurrent downloads from Internet-based file sharing / hosting services such as RapidShare, then FreeRapid might be the freeware for you. FreeRapid speeds up and simplifies the process for you and supports streamed video downloads too. 

FreeRapid is a proprietary, open-source, Java-based download manager, (it requires Java 6.0 or 7.0 to start). It supports background downloading via a proxy list. You need only copy and paste the download links into a file and FreeRapid will automatically check for a file’s existence on the server, automatically update plugins, manage wait times, recognise and enter CAPTCHAs and automatically shut down when finished. It keeps a download history too. 

It supports hundreds of hosting services and video sharing sites and what makes it very fast is the capability to hide your real IP address and up the number of proxy connections. 

The user interface is easy and the smart clipboard monitoring frees you from clicking and waiting. However, we could only find a tutorial for it in Czech. The website is unhelpful. The current version is 0.86. These things added together lead us to think that whilst the product is capable it will require more development, a big uplift in usability, and an improved support network to increase its popularity and to get it to a full-blown version one. 


Pros: Clean, stable, reliable, multiple language support, supports free RapidShare users.

Cons: Poor website; there are more rounded freeware products than this. 

Conclusion: FreeRapid has been available for a few years now and is applauded for being fast, bug-free and clean. It is free.