BitTorrent launches $4.95 annual subscription to remove ads from uTorrent

BitTorrent has unveiled a new annual subscription option that removes ads from the torrent-streaming service. The launch follows a short beta period, and the option — priced at a modest $4.95 per year — joins the existing $19.95 annual Pro tier, as well as the free ad-supported service.

As you would expect, there are extra benefits to signing up for the Pro incarnation, including virus protection, customer support, and instant streaming. But for those who can do without those perks and simply don’t like ads, well, this new offering will likely prove popular.

Launched in 2005, uTorrent has emerged as one of the most popular desktop and mobile clients for BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing protocol that was acquired by BitTorrent Inc. in 2006. In April last year, BitTorrent revealed it had passed 100 million downloads on mobile alone across its myriad of apps, which include uTorrent/BitTorrent for Android, uTorrent/BitTorrent Remote for Android, uTorrent Remote for iOS (Web app), and uTorrent Remote for Windows Phone.

While many subscribers to the Pro service would likely have paid purely for the ad-free element, the price was probably prohibitive for many users. So introducing a plan that costs just 25 percent of the Pro tier should certainly encourage more people to sign up.