Do I need a “Download Manager”? Or is Safari sufficiently robust for larger file downloads?
In an electronic magazine to which I subscribe, a recent article described the need for “Download Manager” software for Windows and Mac users. I don’t recall ever having any trouble with Safari handling these downloads, but wonder if there’s something I’m missing.
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G. Martin
Are you having a problem with downloading files in Safari? Something that this "Download Manager" would fix? If not, then no.
I don't see the need for an app like that for most people. I certainly don't use anything like that. I can't think of anyone that has ever asked me about one or recommended one.
Looking into it, it seems these may be used for downloading large movies or software from questionable sites. They don't say that, but usually when you download movies it is from inside an app like TV or a streaming service app. And software is from the App Store app or something like Steam apps. I suppose some people may download legitimate apps/games from real developer sites or GitHub and could use a download manager. But I've just done it in Safari without a problem. Maybe it is different on a poor or spotty Internet connection?
I got Folx Pro a few years ago as part of a bundle, cheap. Wouldn’t have paid for it by itself but I use it a LOT because it lets me download PDFs/epubs much quicker than in-browser, by downloading with separate threads, I think. Not sure I’d buy it solo, esp at current price, but I do enjoy using it.
I have used iGetter in the past, but mainly because I spend a lot of time out of country and need to download large files depending on my location. When internet is spotty and drops off completely this product would just pick up where it left off without having to restart the download again, which is costly when you pay for byte by byte data. Is this a feature in Safari I missed? thanks for your tips Gary, always a pleasure to hear your thoughts.
Michael: Safari can pause and resume downloads. But I think that may also depend on the web server and how capable that is.