What it is

Persepolis is a download manager written in Python and released under the GPL-3.0 license. It ships a graphical interface built with PyQt5 or PySide6 and is developed for GNU/Linux distributions, the BSDs, macOS, and Microsoft Windows. The project has existed for roughly ten years, carries 7,449 stars and 709 forks on GitHub, and uses the Meson build system. It is packaged for Arch Linux through the persepolis-git AUR package, and it belongs to the desktop application ecosystem of Python and Qt rather than to any single distribution.

The concrete problem it solves is the management of large or unreliable file transfers on the desktop. Instead of a single-stream browser download that stalls and must be restarted, Persepolis splits a transfer across multiple segments — up to 64 connections — so that throughput improves and interrupted downloads resume. It adds scheduling, so downloads can be deferred to a chosen time, and queuing, so many transfers can be lined up and processed in order. It also downloads videos from YouTube and other sources, which extends its use beyond plain file retrieval. Browser add-ons feed links from the browser into the application.

Key capabilities

• Multi-segment downloading with up to 64 connections per transfer.
• Scheduling of downloads for a later time.
• Download queuing for handling many transfers in sequence.
• Downloading videos from YouTube and other sources.
• Graphical user interface built on PyQt5 and PySide6.
• Browser add-ons that pass links to the download manager.
• Cross-platform support covering GNU/Linux, BSDs, macOS, and Windows.

Who uses it and how

• Desktop users on GNU/Linux distributions who want segmented and resumable downloads outside the browser.
• BSD users, including FreeBSD and GhostBSD, where the project maintains explicit support and provides screenshots.
• macOS and Windows users who need the same interface and feature set across platforms.
• Arch Linux users who install the persepolis-git package from the AUR.
• Users who schedule or queue large transfers and route browser links into the application through its add-ons.

Getting started

Installation instructions are not in the README; the project directs users to the Persepolis wiki and to the website at https://persepolisdm.github.io for installation guidance. Arch Linux users can install the persepolis-git AUR package, and the project publishes stable releases on GitHub.

When to use it — and when not to

No paid product comparison is stated in the facts, so none is offered here. Persepolis is a desktop GUI application, and the README describes no server, headless, or container deployment path; anyone expecting a service to operate should look elsewhere. Installation detail also lives in the wiki and website rather than the README, and the repository currently carries 317 open issues, so users should expect some rough edges.