Folx 3.0

Folx is an application that offers a convenient solution for downloading files from the Internet. This download manager provides a series of smart features, which differentiate Folx from other similar programs.

I refer mainly to the ability to control the download speed, to split the downloads into multiple threads, and to assign a tag to the downloaded files for easier searching and retrieving at a later time.

The interface is straightforward and adequate for this type of tools. Had it provided the ability to change the theme colors, it would have been even better. To work at full capacity and according to your requirements, you need to apply some settings first. Namely, you need to determine the downloading speed, which can be either unlimited (I personally recommend you to use it only occasionally, since it dries up your computer resources) or restricted to predefined parameters. Unfortunately, you are bound to the developers' presets, as the program doesn't let you configure one of your own, the maximum speed being limited to 1 MB. However, you may select the “auto speed mode” and let the program decide on your behalf. In addition, the app allows you to determine how many downloading tasks you prefer to run at the same time. In this regard, the program supports up to 25 active running tasks. In my opinion, the maximum number of multiple downloads is more than enough for a home user.

Furthermore, you have the ability to use proxies and download anonymously from different websites. You have three different proxies at your service, which is quite sufficient as far as I'm concerned. Yet, you may add exceptions and reveal your real ID when downloading from specific sites. What's also great about this utility is that you can schedule your downloads. You may enable the program to download at given time intervals on specific days of the week. This is a good feature, since it offers you the possibility to start downloading automatically when you know that your computer is not overwhelmed with other resource-consuming processes.

The downloading procedure can be done in three different ways. You can either add the file URL into the program's input box, or set Folx as an extension to your default browser. The third option implies the configuration of a new task by starting the download immediately or at a scheduled time. For faster download speed of a large file, you may split it into multiple threads. You can monitor the downloading speed and how much time is left till the download is completed in a separate window.

The program seems to be stable, as it didn't get blocked, not once. The multitude of downloading options makes it an outstanding tool if you compare it with other programs alike. However, I didn't manage to download neither torrents nor files from YouTube, Vimeo, or Metacafe (these three sharing sites were the only ones I tried to download from). It is stated at the developers' official page that it supports torrents, but I personally wasn't able to download them.