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CLI Open source 147 installs/mo

axel for Mac

Light UNIX download accelerator

Quick answer: axel is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install axel. It is distributed under the GPL-2.0-or-later WITH cryptsetup-OpenSSL-exception licence. It has 147 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What axel is

axel is a command-line tool for macOS: light UNIX download accelerator.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. The project is open source and lives at https://github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel.

How to install axel

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install axel.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I install axel on Mac?

Run brew install axel in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is axel open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the GPL-2.0-or-later WITH cryptsetup-OpenSSL-exception licence.

Does axel run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is axel?

It was installed 147 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #2865 in this catalogue.

What version of axel is current?

The latest packaged version is 2.17.14.