Frequently Asked Questions

What is PikaTorrent ?

PikaTorrent is a cross-platform and open source Bittorrent client. It is currently available for Android, Linux, and Windows. A MacOS & iOS app might arrive later.

Why PikaTorrent ?

People are used to centralized services to download and share files or stream videos. These services are often easy-to-use, but can have drawbacks:

• Share links can expire
• Sharing big files can be costly
• Website can have downtime
• Speed can be slow, depending on servers load and bandwidth

With PikaTorrent, we try to offer the tools to redecentralize our files shares. BitTorrent is a very efficient protocol to share files. By using BitTorrent, PikaTorrent offers:

• Unstoppable files sharing (while at least one device shares the files)
• Unlimited download speeds
• Sharing at no cost

While still offering an easy to use interface.

Isn't bittorrent illegal ?

Using BitTorrent is not illegal by itself. However, in most countries, sharing copyrighted content without permission is prohibited.

Why would I use PikaTorrent instead of uTorrent, qbittorrent, deluge, transmission, libretorrent... ?

uTorrent (and the BitTorrent client from the same company) has gained a bad reputation over time by installing toolbars, displaying ads and installing a cryptocurrency miner (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTorrent). Open source softwares like qBittorrent, deluge, libretorrent or Transmission for instance, are great BitTorrent clients. In fact, PikaTorrent even uses the same engine as Transmission: libtransmission.

However, we think these software might target more advanced users than PikaTorrent. For now, PikaTorrent might offers these nice features compared to alternatives:

• An easy-to-use, modern interface
• Linking between the mobile app and desktop app
• Direct link sharing
• Search engines customization

If you would like to request features missing in PikaTorrent, you can do so on Github.

How does linking works between mobile & desktop ?

The desktop application displays a qrcode in the settings section. You can flash it from the native mobile app, from Nodes -> scan QRCode . Once you confirm the connection from the desktop app, you should be able to control your desktop app from the mobile app. You don't need to register for an account, and the connection is secured with end-to-end encryption, thanks to WebRTC. Please note this might not work behind some restricted networks.

Can I search for torrents with PikaTorrent ?

PikaTorrent allows to customize a list of preferred torrent search engines. This feature is a time-saving shortcut that opens your browser, opens a new tab, and types your query.

Where can I find my downloaded files on Android ?

For security reasons, Android restricts accessible folders to applications. For now, downloaded files are saved in a private app folder. You can still open your files directly from PikaTorrent, with the "Files" entry of a torrent.

Can I use PikaTorrent on the web ?

If you are an advanced user, you can start a pikatorrent node from a headless server, and use the displayed secret URL to link app.pikatorrent.com. See instructions on npmjs.com

Can I stream torrents with PikaTorrent ?

Sequential downloading is planned to be worked on soon...

Can I create torrents with PikaTorrent ?

Creating torrents from PikaTorrent is planned to be worked on soon...