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10 Best VPNs for Torrenting Safely and Privately in 2022
Don't become caught out torrenting with an unsuitable VPN. Despite bold marketing claims many VPNs have been shown not to protect your privacy and others are as well slow for torrenting and streaming.
@pabischoff UPDATED: January 11, 2022
Torrenting without a Virtual Private Network is asking for trouble, but there's a lot of confusing data on the best VPNs for torrenting.
Many so-called 'torrent VPNs' leak the very information they claim to protect, some don't permit torrenting or P2P, and others still are so slow you'll desire to give up.
P2P sharing presents risks from unknown files from anonymous sources, so using a VPN for an added layer of security is wise.
Torrenters use Virtual Private Networks to stay secure and individual online, only non all VPNs are suitable for BitTorrent. In fact, dozens of leading VPNs are best avoided past torrenters. We plant multiple problems with VPNs we assessed:
- Many VPNs are too ho-hum for torrent users and will consequence in slow torrent downloads.
- Some don't provide sufficient leak protection to ensure identifying information is not exposed to copyright trolls and other third parties. This means your existent IP accost could be revealed to prying eyes.
- Many VPNs keep logs of user activity despite misleading marketing claims to the contrary. This means information that can be traced back to specific cyberspace users (we've assessed the logging policies of 123 different VPNs as role of our research).
- Some popular VPNs accept policies that do non allow torrenting.
TIP: If y'all are looking for a gratuitous VPN for torrenting, we explain hither why we propose confronting this and why complimentary VPNs are nigh e'er a poor choice for torrenters.
We'll encompass 10 recommended VPNs in detail but here's a quick round-upwards of what we found.
Our testing constitute that these are the 10 best VPNs for torrenting:
- NordVPN Best VPN for torrenting. Extremely fast, with a no-logs policy, powerful security features, and specific P2P-optimized servers, plus a xxx-twenty-four hours money-back guarantee.
- Surfshark Best low-cost VPN for torrenting. No connection or bandwidth limits. Loftier speeds, solid security, and a strict zero-logs policy.
- ExpressVPN Fastest speeds for torrenting, keeps no logs, has a kill switch and is easy to use on all devices.
- CyberGhost Best easy to utilize VPN for torrenting. Good value VPN for torrent users. No logs with keen connection speeds.
- IPVanish Best VPN for torrenters who use Kodi. Boasts a network designed for torrenting and pop with Kodi users.
- PrivateVPN Not bad up-and-coming VPN with no logs and extremely fast connections.
- StrongVPN Best VPN for torrenting in China. Elementary design and zip logs. Unremarkably works in People's republic of china.
- SaferVPN Fast speeds with a simple interface. Allows torrenting on specific servers.
- Windscribe Best free VPN for torrenting. Decent speeds and a secure all-circular performer for BitTorrent users.
- Hotspot Shield Good low-price option for torrenting. Very fast speeds and no user-identifying logs.
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Best VPNs for Torrenting
We subject VPNs to a variety of tests and assay as part of our research. In lodge to figure out the best VPN for torrenting, we hash out our methodology beneath our reviews.
Without further ado, here are our acme picks for the all-time VPNs for torrenting:
1. NordVPN
Feb 2022
Apps Bachelor:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
- FireTV
Panama-based NordVPN is our top choice. Information technology keeps neither connection nor traffic logs and uses 256-bit AES encryption with perfect forward secrecy by default, along with optional double-hop encryption and Tor over VPN features. Speeds are lightning-fast since Nord introduced its NordLynx technology (based on the WireGuard protocol) in its latest version. As such, streaming or downloading large files should be a breeze. DNS leak protection and an automatic impale switch can both be toggled on in the settings. The traditional all-or-nothing kill switch is i pick, or you tin can specify which programs go cut off from the internet if the VPN connection drops, such as a BitTorrent customer.
NordVPN uses shared IP addresses, and bandwidth is unlimited. Torrenting is explicitly permitted. A proxy, encrypted conversation, and cocky-destructing encrypted notes are extra features included in each subscription. It can also unblock a range of geo-locked streaming services including Netflix US, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video. A risk-gratis 30-solar day money-back guarantee ways you can attempt the service and receive a total refund if not entirely happy.
Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Linux, and Android.
NordVPN speed test data
| No value | NordVPN |
|---|---|
| Average Connexion Speed - Due north America (Usa) | 460 Mbps |
| Average Connection Speed - Europe (United kingdom) | 349 Mbps |
| Average Connection Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 299 Mbps |
Pros:
- Up to 6 simultaneous connections
- Keeps no logs
- Fastest VPN nosotros've tested
- Specific servers optimized for torrenting
- Procedure-specific kill switch
Cons:
- Desktop apps can sometimes take a while to connect
BEST VPN FOR TORRENTING: NordVPN is our first selection for torrenting & P2P. Far faster than most other VPNs, with a strong privacy focus and a 6-connection limit. Includes a 30-twenty-four hours money-back guarantee so you lot tin try it risk-free.
Read our total review of NordVPN.
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2. Surfshark
Apps Bachelor:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Surfshark offers decent download speeds and its network spans more than 60 countries. It protects your traffic using 256-bit AES encryption, a impale switch, perfect forrard secrecy, and protection against DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks. There'due south also split-tunneling functionality, which lets you choose sure apps to bypass the VPN.
This VPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, a state with no mandatory data memory laws. Appropriately, Surfshark doesn't log any personally identifiable information. P2P traffic is permitted across all servers and with no bandwidth limits, you tin torrent as much as yous like. Best of all, Surfshark has no connexion limit.
Similar NordVPN, Surfshark has recently introduced the Wireshark protocol. During our testing we saw a good for you increase in speeds compared to the previous version.
Surfshark is neat value for money and our top recommendation for users on a tight upkeep.
Surfshark has apps for Linux, iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS. Information technology tin can be manually installed on supported network routers.
Surfshark speed test data
| No value | Surfshark |
|---|---|
| Average Connection Speed - N America (United states of america) | 317 Mbps |
| Average Connection Speed - Europe (U.k.) | 253 Mbps |
| Average Connexion Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 400 Mbps |
Pros:
- Wide range of security features
- Reasonably fast
- No connectedness limit
- Torrenting encouraged
Cons:
- Doesn't accept the largest network
- Some servers slower than others
BEST Budget VPN: Surfshark puts major emphasis on your security and data privacy, allowing y'all to torrent as much as you like safely. Amend yet, it's very affordable, with no connection limit and a 30-day coin-back guarantee.
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three. ExpressVPN
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
ExpressVPN offers fast torrent download speeds with 256-bit AES encryption and perfect forward secrecy beyond 94 different countries. It's a great plug-and-play option for those who don't want to fuss with unlike configurations and just want something that volition guarantee data security and anonymity when torrenting.
ExpressVPN doesn't go along traffic logs and is based in the British Virgin Islands, which has no data retention laws. A impale switch is built in to prevent traffic from leaking onto the unencrypted network should your connection driblet. P2P file sharing is supported on all servers.
Other than torrenting, ExpressVPN is also a very capable unblocker of geo-locked streaming services including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Become/At present.
ExpressVPN'due south latest release includes its own proprietary VPN protocol, Lightspeed, which brings even faster speeds, comparable to competitors such equally NordVPN and Surfshark which utilise the speedy Wireshark protocol.
Users happy to pay a bit more for a very fast VPN with great security credentials volition find ExpressVPN to exist a good selection.
Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, some wifi routers, and Linux.
ExpressVPN speed test data
| No value | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|
| Average Connection Speed - North America (USA) | 136 Mbps |
| Average Connection Speed - Europe (United kingdom) | 134 Mbps |
| Average Connectedness Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 136 Mbps |
Pros:
- Maximum security with 256-bit encryption
- Totally privacy – keeps no logs of personal information
- Extremely fast download speeds
- Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and other streaming services
Cons:
- Slightly higher cost than other services
- Doesn't offering many customizable features
TORRENT WITHOUT LIMITS: ExpressVPN is ideal for torrenting & P2P. Information technology has a vast network of servers that are fine-tuned for loftier-speed connections. Tough to beat on data privacy and security. Also includes a 30-day money-dorsum guarantee
Read our full review of ExpressVPN.
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4. CyberGhost
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Romania-based CyberGhost allows torrenting on whatsoever of its P2P-optimized servers. You can hands find these in the torrenting department of the server list in the apps.
CyberGhost adheres to a strict no-logs policy, uses 256-bit AES encryption with perfect forward secrecy, and has a kill switch on its desktop clients. An app-specific impale switch is buried in the settings, dubbed "app protection," which will merely cut off the internet to specific programs, e.g. a torrent client. CyberGhost scored well in our speed tests and can even unblock US Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Apps are bachelor for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Linux, and Android.
CyberGhost speed exam data
| No value | CyberGhost |
|---|---|
| Average Connection Speed - Due north America (USA) | 853 Mbps |
| Boilerplate Connection Speed - Europe (UK) | 480 Mbps |
| Average Connection Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 312 Mbps |
Pros:
- Torrenting immune on P2P-optimized servers
- Special profile designed for torrenting privately
- Cypher logs
- Great speeds in our tests
Cons:
- Doesn't work reliably in Mainland china or UAE
- Few advanced features
GOOD VALUE VPN: CyberGhost is a great value choice. Strong privacy policy, fast speeds and reliable for torrenting & P2P. We found it easy to set up and use. Works well with almost streaming sites. 45-day coin-back guarantee
Read our full CyberGhost review.
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5. IPVanish
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
When it comes to the sheer number of servers to cull from, information technology's tough to beat IPVanish. One of the nearly popular VPNs worldwide, IPVanish takes privacy very seriously and has been built with torrenting in listen. It creates no logs, non even the connection logs used for troubleshooting like ExpressVPN. L2TP and OpenVPN protocols both use 256-chip encryption. IPVanish uses shared IP addresses, and fifty-fifty has a built-in feature that lets users switch IPs periodically, such as every threescore minutes.
Speeds are skillful and bandwidth is unlimited. IPVanish specifically designates certain countries as P2P-friendly, such every bit the netherlands (more on this below). A kill switch can exist enabled in the settings. IPVanish is peculiarly popular with Kodi users cheers to its lightweight Android app and compatibility with all the Kodi addons we've tested.
Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android.
IPVanish speed test data
| No value | IPVanish |
|---|---|
| Average Connection Speed - North America (USA) | 685 Mbps |
| Average Connexion Speed - Europe (UK) | 314 Mbps |
| Average Connection Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 466 Mbps |
Pros:
- Network specifically designed for torrenting
- Has a 'no-logs' policy
- Anonymous signup and payment
- Easy to use with Kodi and Amazon Burn down Stick/FireTV
Cons:
- Doesn't unblock Netflix or Hulu
- No alive customer support
EASY TO Apply: IPVanish is slap-up for families. More often than not solid for torrenting, P2P users, and folks who need the highest standard of privacy. Will struggle with popular streaming services and doesn't work in China. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full review of IPVanish.
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6. PrivateVPN
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
PrivateVPN is a relatively young VPN service provider with a smaller network than the others on this list, but you'll still become blazing fast download speeds and rock solid security. Information technology uses 256-bit encryption with perfect forward secrecy on the OpenVPN protocol. No spider web traffic or connexion logs are recorded. An optional kill switch is built in.
Too anonymous torrenting, PrivateVPN is also bully for unblocking geo-locked content like Usa Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Amazon Prime number Video. You lot tin can connect up to six devices at a time on a single account.
Apps are bachelor for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Linux, and Android.
PrivateVPN speed test information
| No value | PrivateVPN |
|---|---|
| Average Connection Speed - North America (United states of america) | 94 Mbps |
| Average Connection Speed - Europe (Great britain) | 57 Mbps |
| Boilerplate Connexion Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 62 Mbps |
Pros:
- No logs stored and strong encryption
- Extremely fast connection speeds in our tests
- Unblocks streaming services similar Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer
- 6 concurrent devices
Cons:
- Small network of servers
- No 24/7 support
Keen FOR SPEED: PrivateVPN is consistently reliable. Solid performer for torrenting, P2P and full general purpose apply. Speeds were surprisingly good at this end of the market. Information technology could do with having more than servers and lacks 24/vii support. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full PrivateVPN review.
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7. StrongVPN
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
StrongVPN recently underwent a full overhaul and at present features much-needed improvements to its apps and server network. The company boasts a zilch logs policy for both spider web traffic contents and connectedness metadata. A subscription nets y'all unlimited bandwidth on upwards to five simultaneously connected devices.
All connections are deeply encrypted, and y'all tin fifty-fifty opt to obfuscate traffic using a special "Scramble" feature that disguises OpenVPN connections. DNS leak protection and a kill switch are built into the apps. StrongVPN has long been a favorite among users in China, and its recent upgrades make it entreatment to a wider audience including torrenters.
Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android.
StrongVPN speed test data
| No value | StrongVPN |
|---|---|
| Average Connection Speed - North America (USA) | 101 Mbps |
| Boilerplate Connectedness Speed - Europe (United kingdom) | 53 Mbps |
| Average Connexion Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 59 Mbps |
Pros:
- Unblocks Hulu and The states Netflix
- No logs policy protects your privacy
Cons:
- Only covers 20+ countries
- Doesn't accept Bitcoin
SIMPLE INTERFACE: StrongVPN has ample security. Now caters more for torrenters. Expert security and privacy features. Sometimes works in China. Server network is more often than not focused on the US. 45-24-hour interval money-back guarantee.
Read our full StrongVPN review.
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8. SaferVPN
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
SaferVPN boasts unlimited bandwidth and very fast download speeds, ideal for torrenting. The unproblematic and intuitive interface makes it a breeze to set up and get continued. A kill switch is congenital into both the desktop and mobile apps, which will cutting off the net in example the VPN connection drops. SaferVPN keeps no identifying logs. Officially, SaferVPN allows P2P file sharing when connected to its Netherlands, Canada, and Espana locations, just strictly speaking, zilch is stopping you from torrenting on other servers.
SaferVPN can unblock both US and UK Netflix, and we've also had success with Amazon Prime Video, Sky Go, and BBC iPlayer from away. Live 24/7 chat support is ready to help yous prepare whatsoever issues you may have. You become DNS leak protection and 256-flake AES encryption past default.
SaferVPN speed test data
| No value | SaferVPN |
|---|---|
| Average Connection Speed - North America (The states) | 39 Mbps |
| Boilerplate Connection Speed - Europe (Britain) | 35.3 Mbps |
| Average Connection Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 35 Mbps |
Pros:
- Impale switch on all platforms
- Very fast speeds
Cons:
- Covers fewer countries than many rivals
FAST SERVERS: SaferVPN scores well on privacy and has good security credentials ideal for torrenters. Lacks some popular features. Includes a 30-solar day coin-dorsum guarantee.
Read our full SaferVPN review.
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9. Windscribe
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Windscribe is a groovy all-around VPN that's perfectly suitable for torrenting. Information technology'southward one of the faster VPNs we've tested, scoring above average beyond all locations. In lieu of a impale switch, Windscribe uses a firewall to forestall leaks outside of the encrypted tunnel. The provider doesn't store whatever identifying logs.
Windscribe works in Red china and other countries with strict censorship systems, so y'all can torrent privately from anywhere. It unblocks Us and Britain Netflix from abroad, as well every bit Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer. 256-bit AES encryption is paired with perfect forward secrecy for maximum protection.
Pros:
- Accepts payments from Bitcoin
- Doesn't log any personally identifiable data
Cons:
- Only a 3-day money-back guarantee which is hard to claim
- No alive chat
KEEPS NO LOGS: Windscribe hits good speeds. Solid for torrenting and P2P. Stores no logs and uses tunneling techniques for good security and has an excellent privacy policy. Lacks true 24/7 support. iii-24-hour interval money-back guarantee.
Read our full Windscribe review.
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10. Hotspot Shield
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Editor'due south Note: Hotspot Shield is owned by Pango, Comparitech's parent company.
Hotspot Shield has faced criticism in the past for its logging policy, but information technology has come up a long way. It now but logs encrypted IP addresses during a VPN session just deletes them immediately after, so third parties can never view them. This provider offers excellent security features, including potent encryption, leak protection, a desktop kill switch, and automatic wifi protection (in the mobile apps). The best thing virtually this provider is its superior speeds, making it a great pick for downloading large files.
Hotspot Shield uses shared IP addresses and imposes no bandwidth limit. It tin can unblock enough of popular streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. With a generous 45-day coin-back guarantee, you lot tin can ever test the service out to see if it's a skilful fit.
In addition to its paid service, Hotspot Shield has a free VPN. Well-nigh users looking to torrent will find gratis VPNs unsuitable for their needs, however if you actually exercise need a free VPN Hotspot Shield is a good selection.
Apps are bachelor for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android.
Hotspot Shield speed examination data
| No value | Hotspot Shield |
|---|---|
| Average Connexion Speed - Due north America (The states) | 48 Mbps |
| Boilerplate Connectedness Speed - Europe (UK) | 49 Mbps |
| Boilerplate Connection Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 48 Mbps |
Pros:
- Big network of global servers
- Strong encryption and other security features
Cons:
- Had past digital privacy issues
- Doesn't accept cryptocurrency payments
LOW Toll TORRENT VPN: Hotspot Shield offers excellent value for coin. It's fast, secure, and works with lots of streaming services. 45-day coin-back guarantee.
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Methodology for assessing VPNs for torrenting
We subject area VPNs to a diverseness of tests and analysis as office of our enquiry. In order to figure out the best VPN for torrenting, we need to decide on criteria past which to approximate them. Torrenters and P2P file-sharers want extra cyberspace privacy, no information caps, and fast download speeds higher up all else. Based on that, we're going to use the following criteria to evaluate each VPN.
- Security – Encryption ensures third parties cannot snoop on the activity of the VPN user or what torrents you download. In particular, encryption helps keep cyberspace service providers off your dorsum. A VPN kill switch and DNS leak protection are must-haves to ensure no identifying information leaves your desktop or mobile device.
- Logging policy – A P2P VPN service must be logless, meaning it does not record and save information about your action. IP addresses are also not logged. Ideally, the provider collects no data and therefore cannot exist hacked or coerced into giving upwards data near customers. Read more here on each VPN's logging policy.
- Bandwidth limit – Some VPNs accept data caps or bandwidth limits that throttle or halt downloads up to a certain limit. We desire to avert these as torrents often require a lot of data.
- Speed – The torrent VPNs we recommend all score above average in our speed tests.
- Shared IPs – We prefer VPNs that utilise shared IP addresses for torrenting. This means y'all share an IP address with dozens, perhaps even hundreds of other people. Shared IPs add a significant layer of anonymity, which makes information technology more difficult to trace activity back to you.
These VPN tests for torrenting course function of a wider program of VPN testing and analysis our team performs equally part of our inquiry procedure.
Table of free VPNs which allow torrenting
| VPN | BitTorrent allowed? | Traffic or IP logging? | Impale switch (desktop)? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace VPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| AirVPN | Yep | No | Yes |
| Astrill | Yep | No | Yes |
| Avast SecureLine | Yes | No | Yep |
| Betternet | Yes | Aye | No |
| BolehVPN | Yes | No | Yep |
| BTGuard | Yep | No | No |
| Buffered VPN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cactus VPN | Yes | No | Aye |
| CyberGhost | Yes | No | Yes |
| DotVPN | No | Yes | No |
| ExpressVPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| F-Secure Freedome | No | Yeah | Yeah |
| FrootVPN | Yes | No | No |
| GooseVPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| Hide.Me | Yeah | No | Yes |
| HideMyAss VPN | Yes | Yeah | Aye |
| Hola VPN | No | Yes | No |
| Hotspot Shield | Yes | Aye | Aye |
| ibVPN | Yes | No | Yeah |
| IPVanish | Yes | No | Yeah |
| Ivacy | Yeah | No | Yeah |
| LiquidVPN | Yep | No | Yep |
| Keenow | Yeah | Yes | Yes |
| Mullvad | Yes | No | Yes |
| NordVPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| OneVPN | Yes | No | No |
| Perfect Privacy | Yes | No | Yes |
| PandaPow | No | Yes | No |
| PIA | Yes | No | Yes |
| Individual Tunnel | Aye | No | No |
| PrivateVPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| ProtonVPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| ProXPN | Aye | No | Aye |
| PureVPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| SaferVPN | Aye | No | Yeah |
| SlickVPN | Yep | No | Yes |
| Speedify | Yes | No | Yeah |
| StrongVPN | Aye | No | Aye |
| SurfEasy | Yes | No | No |
| TigerVPN | Yep | No | No |
| TorGuard | Aye | No | Yes |
| TunnelBear | Yeah | No | Yeah |
| VPN Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes |
| VPN.ac | Yes | Yes | Yep |
| VPNArea | Aye | No | Yes |
| VyprVPN | No | Yes | Yes |
| Windscribe | Yes | No | Yep |
| Zenmate | No | No | Aye |
How does a VPN hide your IP address
1 of the main reasons a VPN is used for torrenting is to hide a user's IP address keep their online habits private. Here's how a VPN hides your IP address.
Kodi and Popcorn Time
Streaming video from Popcorn Time relies on torrents as a source. While you might not be downloading files you found on ThePirateBay directly to your hard bulldoze, make no mistake that using these tools makes y'all no less liable in the eyes of the law. When you employ Popcorn Fourth dimension, you simultaneously download and upload content.
Sure Kodi add-ons likewise source video streams from torrents. Keep an eye out in detail for a newer platform chosen Acestreams. Acestreams use peer-to-peer BitTorrent connections then concurrent users can share the load of a stream. That ways your connection is shared with others, causing potential security and online privacy issues that tin usually be averted with a torrent VPN. Acestreams are increasingly popular for both live and on-demand content.
How torrenting works behind a NAT Firewall
Many VPN services come with NAT Firewalls born, which cake connections from peers on P2P networks, every bit well as other unsolicited connections. This can prevent torrents, which rely on P2P networks, from functioning properly.
Depending on the VPN software, you may be able to disable the NAT firewall somewhere in the settings. If non, yous will demand to use port forwarding. This is commonly a manual process where the VPN provider designates a specific port to be used for P2P traffic. Users must configure their BitTorrent client to utilize this port. If the port is not listed on the VPN provider's website, the user volition need to contact customer support and ask for it.
The importance of kill switches
A VPN kill switch halts all internet traffic if the VPN unexpectedly drops the connection for any reason. This prevents your real IP address and torrent traffic from leaking onto your Internet access provider'south unencrypted network, which could otherwise expose your activity to your ISP, copyright trolls, and hackers. This is why it'due south imperative to either bind your IP (see below) and/or utilise a kill switch.
All of the best VPNs for torrenting we recommend come equipped with a kill switch on their desktop versions, merely they might not be enabled by default. Be sure to enable information technology in the settings. Mobile VPN apps for Android and iOS are much less likely to incorporate kill switches.
Know that non all kill switches are created equal. A simple dropped connexion is fairly easy to plan for, merely the kill switch might not be equipped to handle other types of network disruptions, crashes, and configuration changes. You lot can read more nigh leaks that occur in these scenarios in our VPN leak testing analysis, which we will extend to more VPNs every bit fourth dimension goes on. The two types of leaks most pertinent to torrenters are IP accost and IP traffic leaks.
Is it necessary to bind your IP before downloading torrents?
IP bounden is a valuable precaution to take if you want to ensure that all torrent downloads take place over the P2P VPN. Binding your torrent client to an IP accost limits downloads to a specific IP address. This ways you tin set up the customer to simply download torrents while connected to a certain P2P VPN server. If the connection to the VPN drops or you disconnect, the downloads stop, calculation a kill switch to your VPN without affecting other apps and services. This prevents any torrent traffic from leaking onto your real IP address.
Bank check your torrent manager software settings to meet if it supports IP binding. uTorrent has this capability on Windows, and Azureus Vuze tin do information technology on both Mac and Windows.
How to avoid malware in torrents
Torrent websites and torrents themselves are havens for malware. Because torrents are uploaded by the community, they often go unchecked for viruses and malware. A case in early on 2018 saw 400,000 users hit by a malware outbreak caused by a Russian torrenting client. Every time you download a torrent, it's a good thought to scan it with good, upwardly-to-date antivirus software. If the website you downloaded from has a comments section, other users might accept already posted about potential threats. This is especially true for software and video games containing many files, making it easier to hide malicious files.
Cheque out our reviews to discover the antivirus that best suits yous.
Do I need to apply Port forwarding to download torrents?
Port forwarding is a contentious topic amid torrenters. Some say it improves their download speeds by allowing their torrent client to connect to more peers.
Others contend it is unnecessary and, when using a torrenting VPN service, only serves to make torrenting more hard and can even dethrone user privacy. This is considering other users sharing the same VPN IP address will all be express to the same ports except for the one who chooses to port forward. That can make P2P activity easier to trace dorsum to a single user.
Most commercial VPN clients don't support port forwarding and work fine without it. For those that do, enter the forwarded port into your torrent client'due south settings. Port forwarding in a VPN does not require forwarding ports in your router. You may need to disable NAT-PMP and/or uPNP mapping in the torrent client.
Best VPN for Torrenting FAQs
What legal issues be with torrenting?
Torrents have become synonymous with copyright abuse and piracy, just the underlying technology is not in itself illegal. Perfectly legal file sharing and torrent sites do be and are used on a regular basis, such as SXSW and media that falls nether the public domain.
If you frequent ThePirateBay, uTorrent, RARBG, Putlocker, Zooqle, 1337X or KickassTorrents, however, chances are what yous download from these torrenting sites is not legal. Government regime tin fine you for committing a civil offense, while ISPs and copyright holders volition threaten and in some cases follow through on legal action. While it'southward unlikely that a record company will accept someone to courtroom, they might seek damages through settlements.
Here'south a quick breakup on torrenting laws in several countries:
U.s.a.
Downloading copyrighted material is illegal in the United states of america. ISPs oftentimes have a three-strike rule if they catch users who illegally download torrents. Non-copyrighted cloth is completely legal to download.
According t o the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) website, making unauthorized copies of music recordings could outcome in a ceremonious lawsuit. It might fifty-fifty land you in jail for upwardly to five years and you lot could be hit with a fine of up to $250,000.
Copyright holders often act through copyright trolls, which record IP addresses of torrenters and ship settlement messages requesting remuneration. These entities take the right to sue on behalf of the copyright holder, only because an IP address does not legally constitute an identity in the US, the best option for recipients is to ignore them.
Canada
The Copyright Modernization Act passed in Jan 2014 requires ISPs to transport notices to copyright violators on their networks. The recipients' identities are stored on ISP servers for half-dozen months. Copyright holders cannot sue for damages of more than than $five,000 when the copy is used for not-commercial purposes, which in most cases simply isn't worth the fourth dimension or effort.
The notification system is more than educational than legal, but ISPs tin still penalize torrenters past choking bandwidth.
U.k.
Larger ISPs are required by law to notify subscribers when the British Phonographic Manufacture catches them downloading torrents in the form of a cease and desist order. ISPs reserve the right to throttle bandwidth and disconnect users. ISPs with fewer than 400,000 subscribers are non field of study to this constabulary, however.
Copyright holders have the right to sue uploaders and downloaders for damages even if no monetary gain was involved.
Major ISPs cake popular torrent trackers such equally ThePirateBay in the Great britain, but these tin however exist accessed through a VPN service.
Commonwealth of australia
Piracy is a crime in Australia, but there's lilliputian enforcement. It's not completely unheard of for a copyright holder to successfully sue ISPs for torrenters' identities, whom they tin then request remuneration from using a exercise called speculative invoicing, only it's rare.
A "3-strikes" dominion in which ISPs would notify torrenters on behalf of copyright holders was canned earlier this year due to disputes over implementation costs.
ISPs have blocked some torrent trackers and other sites containing infringing content under a court gild, such equally The Pirate Bay. In 2016, a federal court in Australia ordered ISPs to block BitTorrent tracker sites including ThePirateBay, Torrentz, TorrentHound, IsoHunt and SolarMovie. These can yet be accessed with any of the VPN providers we listed above.
In late 2018, Parliament passed an amendment to the Copyright Act. This amendment lets ISPs censor proxy servers and mirror sites---duplicates of torrent trackers put up subsequently the original site is blocked---without needing to return to court for each injunction. Likewise, Google and other search engines must demote or remove links to infringing sites including their proxies and mirrors.
The Netherlands
We're adding a department about the Netherlands because there's a huge misconception that pirating copyrighted materials is legal in that location. As of 2014, it is not. Doing then is considered a ceremonious offense non a criminal one, so y'all will non be sought out by police force enforcement for doing so, but you can exist fined.
However, the law states that fines cannot exist artificially loftier, so damages that copyright holders can exact are capped. Early on in 2018, Netherlands' privacy watchdog, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), gave permission to Dutch Filmworks to collect IP addresses of anyone illegally downloading content. The company tin can hand out fines to users and take decided on a fee of 150 Euros per film.
Germany
Downloading copyrighted material without permission is illegal in Federal republic of germany. Enforcement is ordinarily handled by law firms that human activity on behalf of copyright holders (see: copyright trolls). Fines typically range up to 1,000 Euros.
Similar to the Usa, copyright trolls send threatening messages to torrenters later on identifying their IP address. While we're not legal experts in German law, the consensus of what to do if you receive a letter is also like to the US: if it doesn't identify you lot by proper noun and doesn't come straight from the law, ignore it and just let the statute of limitations menses expire.
Notation that if someone pirates content on an unsecured wifi network, the owner of the wifi network tin be held liable for damages, fifty-fifty if they were not aware of the illegal action taking place. This fine is commonly around 100 Euros.
Related: Best VPNs for Federal republic of germany
India
Online piracy laws are a trivial fuzzy in India. A slew of news reports from 2016 suggested that fifty-fifty viewing certain spider web pages or torrent files (not the copyrighted content itself) was enough to penalize netizens with heavy fines and jail time. This is not true, nonetheless; the rumor arose from a poorly-worded alarm from Indian ISPs that appeared when users tried to access blocked sites.
Piracy in India is illegal like anywhere else and could conceivably outcome in fines or jail time, just the accent of enforcement seems to exist on redistribution, e.grand. bootlegging and selling pirated content, rather than personal consumption.
Related: Best VPN for India
Read more: Is torrenting safety?
Comparitech does non condone or encourage piracy. Please stick to legal torrents.
Are any free VPNs good for torrenting?
Using a costless VPN for anonymous torrenting is by and large a no-no. Due to the big amount of bandwidth required, many free VPN services prohibit P2P activity. Others aren't secure, and many have data caps. The common aphorism that comes with complimentary services is that if you don't buy the product, then you lot are the production. This is especially true because a VPN isn't just a piece of software, information technology's an ongoing service that requires continuous resources and maintenance.
TunnelBear, Windscribe, and Hide.Me'southward complimentary tiers are all a bit more reputable, merely they have speed or information caps that aren't ideal for torrenting. TunnelBear and VPNGate, a community-run VPN project, explicitly prohibit P2P file sharing.
We passed on several paid VPN providers equally well. PureVPN, VyprVPN, HideMyAss, Overplay, and Hotspot Shield all failed to brand the cutting due to their logging policies. IronSocket and BolehVPN were left out due to performance concerns.
Other so-called free VPNs for torrenting can really degrade your privacy rather than improve information technology. Some of them continue logs of your action, inject tracking cookies into your web browser, insert advertisements on web pages, or even carry malware payloads.
Hola
Some unscrupulous complimentary VPN providers could well exist scraping users' personal data and selling it to 3rd parties. One such high-profile example was Hola, a gratis VPN provider based in State of israel. Hola was defenseless selling users' bandwidth, and it was criticized for being opaque well-nigh how each Hola user became a node on the network rather than hosting its own dedicated VPN servers.
VPNGate
VPNGate is a fantastic academic initiative out of Japan that aims to uncensor the web for people living under oppressive anti-free speech regimes. It uses a network of volunteer nodes around the world as relays. Information technology discourages P2P file sharing activities that would hog the network, however, and it keeps logs for up to iii months to help weed out corruption and criminal wrongdoing.
IronSocket
IronSocket doesn't proceed logs, but the majority of its servers expressly prohibit P2P activity. Those non-P2P servers block all P2P connections. Even if it doesn't go along logs, that ways it is monitoring your activity at some level.
Read our full review of IronSocket.
How do VPNs protect your privacy when torrenting?
A VPN protects your privacy when torrenting in two key ways.
First, it prevents your ISP and anyone else on your local and ISP network from seeing that you are torrenting. Because all of the files yous download and upload via BitTorrent are encrypted when they pass through your Internet service provider's server networks, their contents cannot be identified. It would take a monumental time- and resource-consuming effort for an ISP to even attempt to crack the encryption put in place by your VPN service.
Secondly, a VPN prevents other users from downloading and/or uploading the same files as you from seeing your IP address. BitTorrent is a P2P, or peer-to-peer, protocol. That means anybody who uses the same torrent file is connected in what'southward known as a "swarm". Each device continued to the swarm can run into all of the other IP addresses of all the other devices in the swarm. Many BitTorrent clients even allow you to view a list of other devices you're connected to when leeching or seeding files on the network.
Without a VPN, your real IP address can exist used to identify your approximate location and internet access provider. This is how copyright trolls are able to observe torrenters and send them threatening settlement letters (read about how to respond to these in our torrenting safety and legal guide).
A VPN masks your IP accost and then that other devices in the swarm merely encounter the IP address of the P2P VPN server. The best VPNs for torrenting typically use shared IP addresses, meaning dozens and even hundreds of users are assigned the same IP address. This large puddle of users makes information technology adjacent to incommunicable to trace torrenting action back to a single person. Furthermore, if you use one of the logless VPNs on this list, the VPN provider won't accept any user information to hand over should a third political party request it.
Masking your IP address too protects you from hackers that would use information technology as a backstairs into your system, detect out personal data about you, or even harass you at your home. Your IP address is like your home address, but for your estimator. Someone who knows it tin detect out where you are.
Why hibernate your IP address when torrenting?
Torrenting is often associated with piracy, and piracy is theft. What's more, torrenting exposes yous to files from unknown sources so protecting your identity is usually desirable. We strongly recommend yous just torrent content you have the legal right to access to avert landing yourself in hot water. If someone gets caught, it probably won't be the police or the copyright possessor who comes knocking.
Copyright holders are often large media companies that outsource piracy litigation to shifty law firms dubbed "copyright trolls". Copyright trolls monitor popular torrents for the unique IP addresses of devices that connect to the swarm to upload or download files. They then match those IP addresses to the net service providers that assigned them to customers. The copyright troll goes through the ISP to send a settlement alphabetic character or a copyright violation notice to each torrenter. Settlement letters need money and threaten legal action if the users don't pay.
As you can imagine, disguising your IP accost is pop with BitTorrent users. All VPNs mask your real IP address with that of the VPN server. Unfortunately, not all of them do a very practiced task. Most VPNs don't protect against certain types of leaks that can expose your real IP accost to third parties. These include DNS leaks, IPv6 leaks, and WebRTC leaks.
- DNS leaks occur when a DNS request is sent outside of the encrypted VPN tunnel, exposing the IPv4 address. All the VPNs we recommend protect confronting this type of leak.
- IPv6 leaks occur when IPv4 traffic goes through the tunnel, but IPv6 traffic does not. This is common on Windows ten PCs. Some VPNs protect against it, only it'due south appropriate to simply disable IPv6 if you suffer from this leak.
- WebRTC is a communications protocol for vocalisation and video conversation apps that run in your browser, like Skype for Chrome. Even if you have a VPN enabled, a WebRTC request can reveal your existent IP address. Very few VPNs protect against WebRTC leaks, but you can alternatively disable WebRTC in your browser.
The best VPN apps protect confronting all of these leaks in all situations. ExpressVPN and NordVPN are notably leak-proof thanks to a combination of kill switches and leak protection measures. Even if your connection is disrupted somehow, no identifiable traffic escapes the tunnel.
Furthermore, information technology's essential to choose a VPN that keeps no logs. Many VPNs claim to be logless, just that merits often just applies to traffic logs of your online activities. Many supposedly "no-log" VPNs still record users' IP addresses, which is a no-no for torrenters and anyone else who cares about their privacy. None of the VPNs in our listing store traffic logs or IP address logs.
Did you know? Afterwards years of decline, BitTorrent utilise has started to increase.
Exercise all VPNs let torrenting?
This table shows which VPNs are suitable for torrenting.
Well-nigh VPNs allow torrenting. Hiding P2P file sharing is a pop reason to purchase VPNs, after all. At a minimum, the VPN you choose should also have a kill switch and never store your IP address or keep traffic logs. The table beneath shows which VPNs meet those 3 criteria.
Note that even if your VPN provider allows torrenting, it may prefer you utilise specific servers or locations when doing then. Consult your provider's website or customer service to enquire which servers are suitable for torrenting.
Can using a VPN increase your torrenting speed?
If your isp is throttling BitTorrent traffic, and so a VPN can improve your torrenting speed. The VPN's encryption prevents your ISP from seeing that you lot're torrenting so information technology tin can't discriminate against specific types of internet traffic.
Otherwise, a VPN either won't have any effect on torrenting speeds or will lower speeds, depending on the departure in bandwidth between the VPN and your internet connectedness.
What is a P2P VPN?
A peer-to-peer (P2P) VPN is whatever VPN that can hide your torrenting activity. The best P2P VPNs proceed no logs, come equipped with kill switches, employ strong encryption, and offer fast speeds for quick downloads. All of the VPNs we recommend office well as P2P VPNs.
What is the best VPN for torrenting for beginners?
All of the VPNs we recommend are easy to employ and should be no problem for beginners. I would recommend choosing a VPN that has a coin-back guarantee and 24/7 live conversation support. The support staff tin can quickly aid you sort out any bug yous might have setting upwardly and running the VPN. If y'all don't like it, take reward of the guarantee and try a dissimilar one.
What is the best VPN for torrenting on Android?
All of the VPNs we recommend have Android apps, just not all of them have a kill switch characteristic on Android. ExpressVPN and NordVPN tin both be fix up to block all internet traffic when the VPN isn't continued.
Which country VPN is best for torrenting?
Some VPNs will direct torrenters to servers in specific countries. You'll ofttimes observe torrenting servers in the Netherlands and Canada, among others.
However, information technology ultimately shouldn't affair which land you connect to for torrenting. If your VPN is secure and doesn't shop any identifying logs, and then you should be able to torrent while connected to a VPN in any land.
What is a Torrent Tracker?
Put merely, a torrent tracker is what helps you discover and download torrents from peers on the BitTorrent network. BitTorrent often stores parts of files on various users' machines. When you lot want to download a file, the tracker finds all the parts on other users' machines and assists you lot in reassembling a complete file.
Many large trackers also office as BitTorrent search engines.
What is the best server location for torrenting?
If your VPN provider actually doesn't go along any logs, then any location should be fine. Your VPN provider will have no information about your identity or what you exercise while connected to the VPN.
But to be safe, here are a few other factors to consider when choosing a VPN server location for torrenting:
- Don't connect to the same country where your VPN is incorporated.
- Don't connect to the USA.
- Don't connect to the state yous are currently in.
- Connect to a geographically almost server to ameliorate speeds.
- Check if your VPN has P2P-optimized servers
You might come up across advice instructing you to connect to kingdom of the netherlands due to lax copyright restrictions. This is bad advice. Copyright infringement is still illegal in that location and Kingdom of the netherlands'due south piracy laws are in line with the rest of the Eu. The Netherlands might have been a piracy oasis a decade agone, simply downloading pirated media officially became illegal in 2014 . In that location's zip to be gained past connecting to Amsterdam for torrenting in 2021.
Can Comcast yet track my torrent downloading even if I apply a VPN?
Equally long as your VPN doesn't go along logs and offers sufficient security, no . Comcast has no mode of tracking anything y'all practise through the VPN cheers to encryption and use of the VPN server as a proxy to the internet.
If your VPN connection unexpectedly drops while downloading, information technology'south possible for Comcast to track what you're doing. Make sure your VPN has a kill switch and that information technology's toggled on in the app settings. A impale switch will halt your internet connection if the VPN connection is disrupted for any reason, preserving your privacy until the VPN connectedness is reestablished.
What port is best for torrenting?
You will want to utilise a port number above 10000 to avoid being blocked or blacklisted. Many experts recommend a port in the ephemeral range of 49152 to 65535. The default port used by many torrent clients is 6881 to 6889.
In reality, your port number doesn't matter as well much, then long as it'southward non being used past whatever other apps or services on your device.
Note that nearly VPNs don't offer port forwarding for security reasons. PrivateVPN is one exception that allows you to fix up port forwarding in the VPN app.
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