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File Sharing Networks Comparison

There are various different P2P file sharing networks out there. If you're wondering which P2P file sharing network is right for you, you've come to the right place. This guide highlights the positive and negative side of every P2P file sharing network, without going into technical details.

Some pros are more important than others, as with the cons; so you can't simply count the number of pros and subtract the number of cons to know the quality of the P2P file sharing network. Links to clients, reviews and guides are provided if available.

» Ares Network

» Download Ares
» Ares review

Pros	Cons
» Decentralized: Less vulnerable to legal attack	» Few clients available
» Easy searching	» Leeching possible
» Hash link functionality
» Open source

» BitTorrent Network

» BitTorrent guides
» BitTorrent downloads

Pros	Cons
» Advanced corruption handling	» Broadband connection required
» Encryption available	» Designed only for large files
» Fast download speeds	» Files only stay available for a limited time
» "Hash"-like link functionality with torrents	» No global search function
» Open source	» Trackers know identity (IP) of all clients
» Tit for tat scheme encourages fair trading	» Trackers vulnerable to legal attack
» Very popular

» Direct Connect Network

» Direct Connect downloads

Pros	Cons
» Fast and easy searching	» Clients sometimes used for DDOS attacks
» Fast download speeds	» Hubs vulnerable to legal attack
» Open source	» Minimum sharing requirements by most hubs
	» Works best with few users

» eMule Network

» eMule Guides
» eMule downloads
» eMule review

Pros	Cons
» Advanced corruption handling	» Firewall or NAT must be correctly configured
» Encryption available	» Servers vulnerable to legal attack
» Hash link functionality	» Very slow for new users
» Many mods
» Many users (good source for rare content)
» Very strict leech protection system

» Kazaa Network

» Kazaa Guides
» Kazaa downloads
» Kazaa review

Pros	Cons
» Decentralized: Less vulnerable to legal attack	» Completely illegal for Australian citizens
» Fastest hashing technique	» Connecting can take a long time
» Hash link functionality	» Least reliable hashing: corrupt file very likely
	» Leeching possible
	» Network flooded with corrupt and fake files
	» Only one official client and contains malware

» Gnutella Network

» Gnutella Guides
» Gnutella downloads
» Limewire review, Shareaza review

Pros	Cons
» Decentralized: Less vulnerable to legal attack	» Leeching possible
» Hash link functionality	» Not all clients can handle large files
» More users than original Gnutella network
» Mostly open source clients
» Open source

» Gnutella2 Network (G2)

» Gnutella Guides
» Gnutella downloads
» Shareaza review

Pros	Cons
» Decentralized: Less vulnerable to legal attack	» Few clients available
» Hash link functionality	» Fewer users than original Gnutella network
» More efficient network protocol than Gnutella	» Leeching possible
» Open source

» MP2P Network

» Manolito review

Pros	Cons
» Decentralized: Less vulnerable to legal attack	» Few clients available, usually carrying adware
» Hash link functionality	» Few users
	» No open source clients
	» Only music files

» Usenet Network

Pros	Cons
» Fast download speeds	» Always leeching
» Generally, files first appear on this network	» Files only stay available for a limited time
	» Not all ISPs offer newsgroups
	» Overwhelming for new users

Hopefully you found this comparison guide useful.