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- MDM vs IDM
A free alternative to Internet Download Manager
If you like how IDM works but would rather not pay for a licence, Mister Download Manager keeps the layout you know and adds what IDM doesn't have. It's free, open source, and finished first in every test of our benchmark.
Why people switch
- It's free, for good. No trial that runs out, no licence key, no ads. The GNU GPL guarantees it stays free.
- Nothing to relearn. The toolbar, categories, download list, progress window, queues, Scheduler and Options sit where you expect them. Even the command-line switches are the same:
/d /p /f /a /n /s. - Faster where it counts. In our benchmark against IDM 6.42 on the same computer and server, MDM downloaded 1 GiB in 1.0 s against 5.5 s, and a small file in 0.03 s against 3.1 s. See every run.
- Torrents and magnet links in the same list, with a file tree to pick from. IDM's website doesn't mention BitTorrent.
- 86 languages built in, right to left included, chosen on the first start.
- Open source. Anyone can read the code, check what it does and build it. No adware, no telemetry.
- Mac and Linux too, as experimental builds, if you use more than Windows.
Side by side
| Mister Download Manager | Internet Download Manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Paid licence after a 30-day trial |
| Source code | Open (GPL-3.0) | Closed |
| Layout | Classic: toolbar, categories, list | Classic: toolbar, categories, list |
| Connections per file | Up to 32, re-split as they go | Up to 32, re-split as they go |
| 1 GiB, fast link (our test) | 1.0 s | 5.5 s |
| 256 KiB file (our test) | 0.03 s | 3.1 s |
| Torrents, magnet links | Yes | Not mentioned on its website |
| Video from web pages | Yes (yt-dlp) | Yes |
| FTP, FTPS, proxies, PAC | Yes | Yes |
| Queues and Scheduler | Yes | Yes |
| Languages | 86, built in | About 40, separate downloads |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi; Firefox in testing | Chrome, Firefox, Edge and more |
| Systems | Windows 10/11; macOS and Linux to try | Windows |
| Site grabber | Not yet | Yes |
| Maturity | New | Refined over many years |
IDM facts from internetdownloadmanager.com, checked October 2026; timings from our published benchmark with raw data. Spot a mistake? Tell us.
Switch in five minutes
- In IDM, choose Tasks → Export → To IDM export file and save your list.
- Download Mister Download Manager and install it; keep Set up browser integration ticked.
- In MDM, choose Tasks → Import → From IDM export file and pick the file. Your downloads arrive with their addresses, referrers and cookies.
- Add the MDM extension to your browser (how) and turn IDM's off, so only one of them takes your downloads.
What IDM still does that MDM doesn't
We'd rather you knew. IDM has a site grabber for whole websites, store-listed browser extensions, and many years of polish and compatibility fixes. MDM is new; if something you rely on is missing, ask for it.
Questions
Is it related to IDM?
No. Mister Download Manager is an independent project written from scratch in Rust. It has no connection to Tonec Inc. and contains none of IDM's code, artwork or text. Internet Download Manager and IDM are trademarks of their owner, named here only to compare.
Can I keep both installed?
Yes. They don't share settings or files. Turn off one browser extension so each download goes to one program.
Is it really free, or a trial?
Really free, with no time limit or paid edition. More
Same layout. Faster engine. Free.
Download Mister Download Manager