WebTorrent Desktop

Press play on a torrent and watch it, rather than waiting for it.

What it does

WebTorrent Desktop fetches pieces in the order a player needs them instead of the order that seeds fastest, so a video starts within seconds. It plays inside the app, or casts to AirPlay, Chromecast or DLNA.

The project’s other half is what makes the name: WebTorrent speaks WebRTC as well as TCP and uTP, so a browser can be a peer. That means it also connects to peers no conventional client can reach — and, on a plain torrent, to fewer of them.

Notes

Sequential fetching costs swarm efficiency. For anything you intend to keep, a normal client is faster and a better citizen.
Electron, so it is large on disk for what it does.
BitTorrent is a distribution protocol, not a licence. Use it for Linux images, Creative Commons material and other content you have the right to share.

Alternative to

Alternative	Type	Trade-off
qBittorrent	Open source	Has sequential download too, without the player
Transmission	Open source	Lighter, native, no streaming
IINA plus a finished download	Open source	Better playback, once the file exists
Plex	Freemium	For a library you already have, streamed properly