File sharing is alive and kicking with these 15 Napster alternatives.

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If you're looking for a good alternative to Napster, BearShare is among the best. Users can easily access and download just about any file type for free with this powerful peer-to-peer application. Built on Gnutella technology, which doesn't depend on any centralized servers, BearShare is likely to set off another file-sharing feeding frenzy.

The interface takes a little getting used to, but once familiar, users may access countless files -- especially MP3s. BearShare improves on Gnutella by automating the process of finding and connecting to hosts, a necessary first step for file sharing. BearShare's general layout consists of six menu tabs, each offering a high level of control over the software's major components.

Specify file name or keyword, file size, and connection speed when searching for files. BearShare conducts multiple searches simultaneously, and even compiles a list of shared files from a specific user. If you like a particular peer's connection speed and file selection, BearShare allows you to browse that user's shared files at a click of the mouse. Be careful yourself when selecting which files you choose to share, as you could unwittingly make your entire hard drive available.

BearShare's Monitor feature displays the ever-changing search terms other BearShare users type in. We're not sure of the usefulness of this feature other than to see what fellow users are looking for. Be warned, as off-color search terms are frequent.

We suggest reading BearShare's license agreement. In order to keep the file-sharing app free, BearShare comes bundled with applications from business partners that install automatically. The license agreement is up-front about these somewhat hidden apps and identifies them for easy removal. Reading the entire online documentation to familiarize yourself with BearShare and its features is also recommended and worthwhile.

Download report

We used these search terms with other Napster clones, such as KaZaA. The purpose of this search is to get a feel for the availability of widely used search terms as well as more obscure bands and song titles.

  • Apples in Stereo: 17 MP3 files found
  • Radiohead: Over 2,600 files found. Mostly MP3s with several video and image files
  • Metallica: "Enter Sandman" -- 213 files, mostly MP3, several video files
  • The Beatles: "Yellow Submarine" -- 212 files, mostly MP3, a few JPEGs
  • Dr. Dre: "The Watcher" -- 52 files, almost all MP3


Note: songs by artist besides the songs specified by search term/keyword, appear.

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