The usage of Folx is pretty simple, though it can be a bit confusing if you are a first time user of any download manager. Once installed, you can open the app and it should look something like this:
To get started, simply click the “Add” button at the menu bar. This will bring up a dialog box where you can enter the URL of the file you want to download. Under the “Save to” dropdown, select the location to save the file to. You can also rename the download file to another name of your choice.
Once you are done inputting the download information, you can get it to start download “Immediately”, or schedule the download at a later time. Lastly, just click the “Add New Task” button and the download will start automatically. While downloading, you can Pause the download, or Resume any paused job. By default, Folx will split the download into 2 threads so as to speed up the download. If you are using the Pro version, you will be able to increase up to 10 threads which make the download even faster (potentially 5 times faster, provided your Internet connection can support it).
Integration with the browser
If you are using Firefox, you can make use of the FlashGot extension to automatically send any download link to Folx. I can’t find any similar extension for Chrome though. Other than that, Folx also comes with its own extension for Firefox and Safari that allows you to access “Download with Folx” from the context menu. At any web page, you can right click and select “Download all with Folx” to download the whole webpage, including images, to your computer. Similarly, if you right click on a link, image, or a highlighted area, you can download it with Folx as well.
Torrents Download
If you already have a torrent file or have just downloaded a torrent file, Folx can function as a bit-torrent client as well.
The Pro version comes with a torrent search engine so you can search for torrent and download at the same time, without having to use the browser. For the Preferences for the torrent downloading, you can configure whether to enable the DHT network, NAT-PMP, or local peer discovery. You can also customize the max number of connection, incoming port number and the seed ratio.
Other Features
Other than being a download and torrent manager, the best part of Folx lies in the nifty features that make it easier and better to use. After Download all If you are waiting for the download to finish so you can shut down the computer and go to bed, Folx comes with a “After Download all” feature where you can get the system to “Shut Down”, “Sleep” or quit the application after all the downloads are completed. Files Sorting When you download a file, it will be automatically be tagged, such as “application”, “music”, “movie” etc. This allows you to easily sort the download list to find the file you want. In addition, you can also add “Smart Group” and set a filter criteria, such as “Files downloaded last month”. RSS feed reader It is not a full RSS reader, but you can add any RSS feed and get it to monitor new download. This is particularly useful if you are subscribed to a torrent or podcast feed. (The automatic download from RSS feed is only available in the PRO version).
Conclusion
I must say that I really enjoyed using Folx, both as a Download Manager and a Bit-torrent client. The free version is lacking a few features that are only available in the Pro version, but none of them are killer features that you can’t leave without. While there are plenty of download manager for Mac, Folx is definitely one of the best that is definitely worth using and keeping. Check it out and let us know if it works for you. Folx For Mac
