Download Station is withdrawn: what replaces it on a QNAP NAS

QNAP ended support for Download Station and its phone app Qget on 30 September 2026. After 31 October 2026 App Center no longer offers Download Station, and on QTS 6.1 and QuTS hero h6.1 it stops working. On QTS 6.0 or QuTS hero 6.0 and later, Rtorrent 16 and its add-ons do its jobs, and the torrents you seed now can keep seeding from the folders they are in.

01What QNAP announced

On 25 September 2026 QNAP published the End of Service Notice for Download Station and Qget on its Product Support Status page. The notice in full:

Download Station and its companion mobile app Qget have reached the end of their product life cycle. Their system requirements and technical architecture no longer meet current technology and security standards. QNAP has decided to end their development and maintenance. Support ends on September 30, 2026 (EOL). To allow existing users to update to the final release, the following will remain available until October 31, 2026, and be removed thereafter:

• Download Station (App Center)
• Qget (Google Play, Apple App Store)

Versions already installed will continue to run on QTS / QuTS hero 5.2.x, but from September 30, 2026, QNAP will no longer provide feature updates or technical support.

In addition, QTS 6.1 / QuTS hero h6.1 are built on a new system platform architecture (toolchain & libraries), and as this application has reached the end of its life cycle it will not be updated for compatibility with the new platform. It is therefore not supported on QTS 6.1 / QuTS hero h6.1 or later and will stop working after the upgrade; please switch to an alternative before upgrading. We recommend updating to the latest available version before it is removed on October 31, 2026.

If you still require download management, we recommend deploying an open-source Docker container solution, such as qBittorrent or other open-source options available on the market. Please note that this alternative has no official mobile app counterpart.

Quoted from QNAP’s page as it read on 3 November 2026. Check that page for any changes to the notice.

02What replaces each job

The NAS packages in this table install from this site’s App Center repository; the phone apps come from TestFlight, the APK or Google Play. All of them are free.

If you prefer another client, the same repository also has qBittorrent, Transmission and Aria2, as packages for Intel and AMD processors on QTS 6.0 or QuTS hero 6.0 or later. QNAP’s own suggestion, an open-source client in a Docker container, runs in Container Station.

03Install Rtorrent 16

1. In App Center open ⚙ Settings → App Repository → Add. Name it QNAP Utilities, paste https://www.qnaputilities.com/repo.xml and press Add.
2. Open QNAP Utilities in the left column and install Rtorrent 16. App Center asks for the volume; updates come through App Center from then on.
3. Open http://<NAS address>:6019/ and sign in with the login rtorrent and the password admin.
4. Set your own password at once: Security → Login credentials.

On a system older than QTS 6.0 or QuTS hero 6.0 the package does not start and writes the reason to the QNAP System Logs. The Download page shows the same three App Center steps with pictures, and the Rtorrent 16 page shows what the panel does.

04Move your torrents

Rtorrent 16 seeds data that are already on the NAS, from the folder they are in. Do this for each torrent you want to keep seeding, while Download Station still runs or after it has stopped:

1. Keep the torrent’s .torrent file or its magnet link, and note the folder that holds its data.
2. If Download Station is still running, stop the task there and keep its files, so that the two programs do not write to the same files.
3. In Rtorrent 16’s Quick access press Add torrents, add the .torrent file or the magnet link, and open Queue.
4. Pick the seed category.
5. In Directory (optional), enter the folder that holds the data, as a full path such as /share/Download. Any folder on a share works, also outside Rtorrent 16’s download folder. A torrent of several files keeps them in a folder named after the torrent: enter the folder that contains that one.
6. Press Add.

rtorrent checks the files, downloads only what is missing and seeds. A torrent in seed keeps its data where they are and seeds quietly: no copy in the completed folder, no media library and no notification; the seeding rules apply to it. Try it with one torrent first. To move the data into Rtorrent 16’s own folders later, change the torrent’s category in Quick access.

05New downloads

New downloads go to Rtorrent 16’s download folder, each torrent in a folder of its own under its category. Rtorrent 16’s Movie Agent can file finished films and series into your media library, or Radarr and Sonarr can take them over: the Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr and Seerr guide shows how, step by step.

06Questions

Does Download Station still work on QTS 5.2?

Yes. Installed copies keep running on QTS 5.2.x and QuTS hero h5.2.x, without feature updates or technical support.

Can I still install Download Station?

Not from App Center: according to QNAP’s notice, Download Station was available there until 31 October 2026 and was to be removed after that date.

Does Rtorrent 16 run on my NAS?

It needs QTS 6.0 or QuTS hero 6.0 or later and an Intel, AMD or 64-bit ARM processor. In an SSH session, uname -m answers x86_64 for Intel and AMD and aarch64 for 64-bit ARM; armv7l means a 32-bit ARM model, which does not get QTS 6.

Is there a phone app like Qget?

Yes. Rtorrent 16 for iPhone and for Android open the panel, add .torrent files and magnet links and receive notifications. Both connect to Rtorrent 16 on your NAS.

What does Rtorrent 16 cost?

Nothing. Every app on this site is freeware.