What’s new in Ladle

The first release of Ladle, a free download manager for the Mac.

• Fast downloads. Each file is split into 8 connections out of the box, up to 32. When a connection finishes early, it takes over half of the biggest piece left.
• Resumes and retries. Downloads carry on after you quit, after sleep and after a network change, on servers that support it. Failed pieces retry on their own, and Ladle backs off when a server asks it to.
• Every way in. Paste into the link bar (⌘K), add lists and numbered series like ep-[01-12].mp3 in the Add sheet (⌘N), copy a link and get a nudge, drag links onto the window (or .webloc files onto the Dock), or use ladle:// links.
• Safari extension. Catches downloads as you click them, adds Download with Ladle and Download All Links with Ladle… to the context menu, and puts a Download video button on videos you’re allowed to save. Extensions for Chrome, Arc, Edge, Brave and Firefox are on their way to their stores.
• Queues. The main queue runs 3 downloads at a time. The Tonight queue runs from 1:00 to 7:00 AM and can put your Mac to sleep when it’s done.
• Tidy folders. Files land in ~/Downloads/Ladle, sorted into Video, Music, Documents, Archives, Apps and Images, with SHA-256 and MD5 checksum checks.
• Around your Mac. A menu bar menu, progress on the Dock icon, and notifications when downloads finish.
• Updates itself in the background, once a day.