A showdown between Ant Download Manager and Internet Download Manager

For many people, Ant Download Manager may be a relatively new name, but being new compared to IDM doesn't mean that this software is incapable of supporting users in downloading content from the internet just as well as IDM does.

To use Ant Download Manager, you can refer to the Ant Download Manager installation guide  previously introduced by TipsMake. In fact, installing Ant Download Manager, like many other download manager software, isn't difficult. The important thing is to follow the instructions provided in the article correctly.

In today's article, we will delve deeper into the strengths of these two software programs and determine which one holds the greater advantage.

Comparing Ant Download Manager and IDM (Internet Download Manager) software.

Download Ant Download Manager here. Download  Ant Download Manager

Popularity

- IDM (Internet Download Manager)

Nowadays, it's not difficult to find Internet Download Manager (IDM) software on the Google search page after typing the keyword 'download manager software'.

This shows that the popularity of IDM software, developed by Tonec Inc. since 1998, is undeniable. The rapid growth of internet content has also been a driving force behind IDM's development. Currently, this software has over 10 million users worldwide.

- Ant Download Manager

It's difficult to recognize a relatively new download manager like Ant Download Manager.

First released in beta version 0.0.1 on August 13, 2015, Ant Download Manager has undergone numerous updates adding significant features and redesigning its interface. To date, the software has been updated to its latest version, 0.3.6.

For many, Ant Download Manager's popularity is perhaps somewhat diminished by the fact that its download interface is still under development. The software currently links its download to CNET's dedicated download page.

Interface

Internet Download Manager

IDM's interface follows a style that has been established since its early versions. At the top are toolbars including Task (for processing commands), File (for performing download-related tasks), Download (for sorting download lists and speed), View (for adjusting language and toolbars), Help (for assistance), and Registration (for software registration).

Right below the toolbar are other options designed with easily recognizable icons and text. IDM also categorizes downloaded files into Categories. Here, you can easily filter and find downloaded content. Overall, IDM's interface is quite user-friendly and easy to use, even for new users.

Ant Download Manager

As a relatively new software, Ant Download Manager's user interface is not yet fully perfected.

In the main interface, users will only have a single toolbar containing many customization options. Unfortunately, this toolbar only displays icons related to the customizations but lacks text-based instructions. This is quite inconvenient for new users, and even for experienced users.

The (+) icon is for entering the download link, and the video icon is for entering the video download link. From left to right, the icons correspond to functions such as Play, Pause, Stop Download, Delete, Select Download Speed, Customize, Error Message, and Shut Down the Software.

Additionally, the software also has a Categories section that is categorized similarly to IDM.

Overall, Ant Download Manager is quite suitable for those who enjoy exploring and discovering software. However, it will not be suitable for new users who require a truly clear interface.

Overall strength

Internet Download Manager

To date, Tonec has released the latest version of IDM 6.25. This version supports Windows 10 and adds a download bar for web game players. This feature is especially useful if players want to download flash videos. You can learn more about how to install IDM to use the software on your computer. For other operating systems such as Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, after installing IDM, you will get a fairly complete set of software features including download link capture, download scheduling, browser extension integration, and an improved toolbar interface.

Other features of the software include support for up to 33 languages, unfortunately not yet Vietnamese. Additionally, users can preview compressed files, view download directories, and scan downloaded files for viruses.

IDM supports increasing download speeds up to 5 times. It can even recover from download errors, easily restarting interrupted or corrupted downloads. IDM's power comes primarily from its features like split-thread download management and efficient bandwidth control. Importantly, IDM also supports a wide range of download protocols and file formats such as HTTPS, FTP, MMS, MP3, MP4, FLV, etc.

The power of this software doesn't stop there; you can also speed up IDM to download images, files, or documents faster. However, the problem lies there: increasing IDM speed will force the software to consume more bandwidth on your internet connection, leading to network lag and affecting others. To solve this problem, you need to know the IDM download speed limit to avoid affecting your internet connection. For specific instructions on how to resolve this issue, you can refer to the article on limiting IDM download speed.

Ant Download Manager

In many respects, Ant Download Manager can hardly compare to IDM, but it is particularly superior to IDM in that it is free to download.

The software is integrated directly into the browser after installation.

With each update, the developers have continuously added many new features to the software, especially the addition of the "Delete All" option which allows you to delete the entire list of downloaded files. Also, from version 0.3.5 onwards, Ant Download Manager has supported downloading MP3 files separately for all videos.

Ant Download Manager is slightly inferior to IDM in terms of the number of supported browsers.

One of the most unique features, rarely found in other software, is the ability to split files into multiple formats. This could be video files with or without sound, or you could download the audio file for each video separately.

Experience downloading from YouTube and large files.

The following is a download comparison test between Ant Download Manager and Internet Download Manager when testing the download of YouTube videos and large files.

Both software programs are quite good at capturing YouTube links.

Meanwhile, for large files, Ant Download Manager performs less efficiently than IDM. To overcome this, you can increase Ant Download Manager's speed to improve its file download speed.

IDM's download speed is superior to Ant Download Manager due to its higher number of download threads.

One inconvenience you'll easily notice when trying to download audio from a video using Ant Download Manager is that the software downloads the video first and then converts it to audio.

Based on the author's experience, Ant Download Manager can display a link capture bar directly on the video. If the user copies the link and pastes it into the "add video" section of the software, the software will automatically retrieve the link even before pasting it. However, the design of this link capture bar is not yet truly impressive or appealing.

Ant Download Manager will ask if you want to download additional audio files for a video without sound. Click Yes to have the software automatically include the audio files, or click No to avoid doing so.

Specifically, through testing downloading videos with and without sound, the author noticed that Ant Download Manager doesn't seem to perform well with the download link bar. Video files with the "no sound" icon still contain the audio when downloaded. Only when the user selects the pre-set video download feature in the software can they download videos with the audio completely removed.

Audio options will appear for you to download along with the video if you click Yes.

Below is a summary of some of the differences between Internet Download Manager and Ant Download Manager:

The difference between                                     ADM and IDM             Criteria	Internet Download Manager	Ant Download Manager
Manage download history	Do not have	Have
Number of download streams	32 streams	16 streams
Virus check	Have	Are not
Options to customize icons and language.	Have	Are not
Schedule downloads	Have	Are not
Download file search bar	Are not	Have
Other features: - Supports downloading videos specifically for this category. - Prevent hibernation while downloading files. - Drag and drop to download	- Do not have - Do not have - Do not have - Do not have	- Have - Have - Have - Have

Summary

So, basically, we've covered the differences and processing power of the two download manager software, Ant Download Manager and Internet Download Manager. Both IDM and Ant Download Manager, in addition to supporting YouTube video downloads, also help users download Facebook videos quite effectively. With Ant Download Manager, you now have another way to download Facebook videos to your computer.

Internet Download Manager still excels in its download capabilities . Meanwhile, Ant Download Manager, despite being a newly developed software, boasts incredible processing power, and its biggest advantage is that it's free.

Hopefully, this article will help you choose the most suitable option between these two impressive download manager software programs.