Top Programs to Transfer iPod to Computer

ICopyExpert isn't a bad program, but it's slower than most and can't move files other and music and video stored in the iPod's library. If it could add some additional functionality or speed up, it would likely be ranked higher.
Mac version? No

Media Widget is another program that suffers from both slow speed and a lack of features. While it moves music (and playcounts, ratings, and album art), it can't move other kinds of files and transferring just 2.4 GB of data took over 45 minutes.
Mac version? No

IPod PC Transfer has a few particularly weird quirks I didn't encounter in any other programs. For one, it doesn't transfer to the iTunes folder by default. Second, and more importantly, it seems to make two copies of every file it transfers, making your transfer take up twice as much room as it should. Strange decisions, those.
Mac version? No

This iOS app lets you easily share songs from your device to a computer via the web. It can't move many aspects of an iTunes library (podcasts, movies, etc.), so it's not a great choice for moving an entire library. Still, that's not really what it's designed for. If you want to share just a few songs with friends, though, it's a simple, powerful, cheap program that's definitely worth a look.
Mac version? No

While Bigasoft iPod Transfer is amazingly fast, it's not really an iPod transfer program as much as it is a tool to simply move files from one place to another. As a result, it doesn't move ratings, playcounts, iBooks files, photos, or ringtones. Speed doesn't make up for so many missing features.
Mac version? Yes

IPod Access is a strange bundle of bugs. When testing it, it didn't always work. When it did work, I couldn't tell why the bugs I'd previously encountered had resolved themselves. When it works, though, it's a solid program: though it lacks more advanced features, its music transfer is very fast.
Mac version? Yes

Far and away the slowest program on the list, taking 80 minutes to transfer the same files that took most programs between 10 and 30 minutes. The reason? It arbitrarily converts some files it transfers from AAC to MP3 without making this clear or allowing you to turn off this feature. It doesn't offer many features besides music transfer, either.
Mac version? No

When I tested xPort (Feb. 2011), the software hadn't been updated since Feb. 2009, meaning that it isn't compatible with 2-3 generations of hardware and three generations of iTunes. If the developers of the program can't be bothered to update it at least every two years, you shouldn't be bothered to use it.
Mac version? Yes

Not actually the lowest rated software on this list. It actually gets an incomplete grade because it doesn't support iOS devices and that's all I had to test it with. That does reveal a problem though: Tansee sells each separate feature--music backup, contacts backup, photo transfer, etc.--as a separate program. This means that you can easily pay $80 for features that others provide for $20-$30.
Mac version? No

Got a tech support question? Ask it in the discussion forums.

Want tips like this delivered to your inbox every week? Subscribe to the free weekly iPhone/iPod email newsletter.