Choosing the best VPN for torrenting can be complex, given the number of options available. Several factors need to be considered before a decision is made.
This article details the process I followed to select the perfect VPN for safe and anonymous torrenting. I assessed important elements like privacy features, connection speeds, price, and additional functionalities.
This allowed me to pinpoint a handful of VPNs that check all the boxes for safe torrenting.
Don't want to read full article? Here are the best VPN services for torrenting for 2023: 1. 🏆 NordVPN - is the best VPN for torrenting with 4900 P2P-optimized servers, top-notch security, and wide compatibility with torrent clients. 2. SurfsharkVPN - budget-friendly VPN with great speed and server coverage great for streaming and torrenting 3. ExpressVPN - premium torrenting experience with blazing-fast speeds and robust security features 4. PureVPN - feature-rich option with dedicated P2P servers and reliable performance for seamless torrenting 5. Mullvad VPN- privacy-focused VPN with straightforward pricing and a no-nonsense approach to secure torrenting
Do you need a VPN for torrenting?
A VPN is crucial for torrenting due to several factors.
First, it safeguards your privacy and anonymity online by concealing your IP address and encrypting your data. This keeps your ISP from tracking your online activities.
Second, it aids in evading copyright trolls and legal complications tied to torrenting, making it harder for anyone to trace your activities online. Further, a VPN can enhance your downloading experience by potentially offering faster connection speeds and unlimited bandwidth.
However, VPNs vary in quality. Therefore, it’s essential to pick one that provides outstanding privacy, superior connection speeds, and extra features like split tunneling, a kill switch, and port forwarding.
How To Choose the Best VPN for Torrenting?
Choosing the best VPN for torrenting requires careful consideration of several factors.
- Privacy and security features: The VPN must have stellar privacy and security aspects, like a no-logs policy, robust encryption, and a kill switch.
- Connection speeds and bandwidth: It should offer top-tier connection speeds and unlimited bandwidth to ensure a fast, smooth downloading experience.
- P2P file sharing and torrenting-optimized servers: It’s important that the VPN supports P2P file sharing and have servers that are optimized for torrenting.
- Compatibility with torrent clients: Look for VPN that will support your torrent client and your device
- Additional features: Look for other beneficial features, such as split tunneling, port forwarding, and fully audited apps.
- Reputation and user reviews: Select a VPN provider with a solid track record and positive user reviews.
Let’s review my list of top VPN services to torrent.
These are The Best VPN Services for Torrenting in 2023
Over the past months, I personally tested all the VPN services in the list and considered all the important decision factors to compile the list. I’ve bought, used, and torrented with these VPNs for a few months to compile a list of these 5 VPN services which I would recommend for all torrent enthusiasts.
1. NordVPN – Best VPN for torrenting because of Speed, Encryption, and P2P Server network
With its bulletproof security, P2P-optimized servers, and blazing download speeds, NordVPN is my go-to choice for torrenting. It is considered one of the best VPNs according to other users as well due to various factors.
Read the full NordVPN review here
Why is NordVPN the best VPN for torrenting? ✔ Privacy Protection: NordVPN guarantees a proven no-logging policy, high-grade encryption, and thousands of servers worldwide, safeguarding the privacy of your torrenting activities. ✔ P2P-Optimized Servers: It maintains over 4900 P2P-optimized servers. This ensures your ISP does not throttle your P2P VPN traffic, a common occurrence with some providers. ✔ Fast Download Speeds: NordVPN provides quick download speeds, crucial for a seamless and speedy downloading experience. It has one of the largest P2P server network as well. ✔ Security Features: It includes a kill switch and a fully encrypted tunnel, standard features that enhance a VPN's safety for torrenting. ✔ Streaming-Optimized Servers: As an added bonus, NordVPN offers servers optimized for streaming. ✔ Reputation: NordVPN is a reputable VPN provider with a strong track record and positive user reviews.
How to get the best speed when torrenting on NordVPN ▪️ Connect to NordVPN’s P2P servers, which are designed for torrenting and better at handling large data transfers. ▪️ Choose servers that are geographically closer to your location and have a lower server load. ▪️ Use SOCKS5 proxy connections for faster downloads. ▪️ Configure NordVPN for secure torrent downloads by enabling the kill switch and selecting a safe protocol.
NordVPN is a top-tier VPN service. It operates under Panama’s jurisdiction, a place known for user-friendly privacy laws. Simply put, your data isn’t shared with any government agencies.
It excels in security with AES-256 encryption and support of IKEv2/IPsec and OpenVPN protocols. It also offers Perfect Forward Secrecy, ensuring each VPN session is unique and secure.
With NordVPN, you get obfuscated servers, Tor-over-VPN, and Double VPN features. These hide your VPN traffic and provide extra layers of encryption. An important feature is the kill switch, which prevents data leaks if your VPN connection drops. DNS leak protection is also part of the package.
NordVPN is great not only for torrenting, with P2P-optimized servers for fast, stable connections. It can also unblock popular streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu using its SmartPlay feature.
NordVPN follows a strict no-logs policy. It doesn’t track, collect, or share your data. Independent audits and a warrant canary further reinforce this commitment to privacy.
It is compatible with various devices and platforms. It offers malware protection with CyberSec and a password manager, NordPass.
NordVPN is more expensive but offers various pricing plans and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Get it now at 59% off + 3 extra months directly from official website nordvpn.com
2. Surfshark VPN – Budget-friendly alternative with great server coverage and speed
If you want one of the best cheap VPN for torrenting, definitely consider Surfshark VPN. Although Surfshark has fewer servers and countries than NordVPN, but it still delivers great speed with exceptional security features. On top of that Surfshark has a lot of positive user reviews showing the good quality of this VPN.
Read the full Surfshark VPN review here
✔ Affordable pricing: Surfshark offers very affordable pricing plans considering its quality ✔ P2P Support on All Servers: All Surfshark servers support P2P traffic, except in countries where torrenting is not allowed. ✔ Military-Grade Encryption: Surfshark uses top-tier encryption protocols to secure your connections. This ensures your torrenting activities are private and secure. ✔ Kill Switch Feature: Surfshark's kill switch adds an extra layer of protection. If your VPN connection drops, the kill switch ensures your torrenting activities don't continue outside the secure VPN server. ✔ Positive User Reviews: Surfshark has garnered positive reviews from Reddit users for its stability and good speeds during torrenting.
When it comes to torrenting, Surfshark truly shines. It provides P2P-optimized servers and unlimited bandwidth, enabling quick, reliable torrent downloads with no significant impact on overall network performance.
One of the standout features of Surfshark is its top-notch security and encryption. It employs AES-256-GCM encryption, offering a high level of security that’s on par with what governments and cybersecurity experts use worldwide. Combined with a strict no-logs policy and secure IKEv2/IPsec and OpenVPN protocols, Surfshark ensures your online activities are well-protected.
An impressive aspect of Surfshark VPN is its wide server network. It boasts over 3,200 servers across nearly 100 countries, making it a capable service for bypassing geo-restrictions. From my experience, this vast server network offers flexibility and improves connection stability.
In terms of connection speeds, Surfshark performed well. It consistently delivered impressive speeds with minimal drops, an essential factor for seamless torrenting and streaming.
For those who enjoy streaming content, Surfshark supports popular platforms like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video. It effectively bypasses geo-restrictions, granting access to a wider range of content.
As for usability, Surfshark is user-friendly and compatible with various devices and platforms. It even allows unlimited device connections under a single subscription, a feature that sets it apart in the VPN market.
Surfshark’s pricing plans are affordable, offering great value for the premium features provided. Plus, it comes with excellent customer support, including a 24/7 live chat and a comprehensive knowledge base.
If you’re looking for a robust, user-friendly, and budget-friendly VPN that excels in torrenting, Surfshark is worth considering.
3. ExpressVPN – premium torrenting experience with blazing-fast speeds and robust security features
A critical aspect for torrenting is speed, and ExpressVPN excels in this area. I found its connection speeds to be exceptional one of the best. Even with distant servers, my downloads were quick, and speed drops were minimal.
✔ P2P Support: ExpressVPN supports P2P activities on every server, ensuring a smooth and interruption-free torrenting experience. ✔ Strong Encryption: It uses robust VPN protocols such as OpenVPN for tunneling and AES 256 for encrypting internet traffic, securing your torrenting activities from potential threats. ✔ No-logs Policy: ExpressVPN maintains a strict no-logs policy, meaning your online activities, including torrenting, remain private and untraceable. ✔ Ease of Use: Using ExpressVPN for torrenting is simple. It provides clear instructions for setup and use, even recommending uTorrent as a compatible torrent client. ✔ Fast Speeds: ExpressVPN offers high-speed connections, which are crucial for downloading torrents efficiently. ✔ Advanced Security Features: It includes an array of powerful security features like TrustedServer technology, automatic kill switch, and DNS/IP leak protection, ensuring a secure torrenting environment.
ExpressVPN’s superior security and privacy features take center stage. It uses highly secure AES-256 encryption and implements a strict no-logs policy, ensuring your torrenting activities remain confidential.
ExpressVPN provides extensive global coverage in 94 countries. This broad range allows for a more flexible torrenting experience, including the ability to bypass geo-restrictions with ease.
In terms of compatibility, ExpressVPN is compatible with a wide range of torrent clients such as uTorrent, BitTorrent, and Transmission. Its provision of unlimited bandwidth enhances a seamless torrenting experience.
ExpressVPN also boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy to find and connect to the best server for your torrenting needs. This is especially beneficial for VPN newcomers or those who appreciate simplicity.
While classified as a premium service, I found ExpressVPN’s pricing to be fair considering the features it offers. It is indeed a case of “you get what you pay for,” and in my view, the investment is justified given the top-notch performance and security. It is really aiming
Lastly, lot of users are rating positively ExpressVPN’s customer support. Their 24/7 live chat is responsive and helpful, and their website features a comprehensive help center with setup guides and troubleshooting advice.
4. PureVPN – a feature-rich option with dedicated P2P servers and reliable performance for seamless torrenting
PureVPN is on the list as it offers military-grade AES 256-bit encryption and multiple protocols, including OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard, ensuring robust security for torrenting activities. It has P2P Optimized servers and affordable pricing.
Read the full PureVPN review here
✔ P2P Optimized Servers: PureVPN supports P2P file sharing on dedicated servers optimized for torrenting, offering an efficient and smooth experience. ✔ Global Server Network: It provides a wide range of servers across 30+ countries, allowing for versatile torrenting experiences. ✔ No-logs Policy: PureVPN adheres to a strict no-logs policy, ensuring that your torrenting activities and other online behaviors remain private and untraceable. ✔ Advanced Security Features: PureVPN offers protective features beneficial for P2P sharing, enhancing the safety of your torrenting sessions. ✔ High Speeds and Unlimited Bandwidth: PureVPN is known for its fast P2P speeds and offers unlimited bandwidth, which is critical for effective torrenting. ✔ Ease of Use and Advanced Features: It is user-friendly and comes with advanced features like split tunneling and port forwarding, enhancing your torrenting experience.
The VPN’s user-friendly interface is compatible with various platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, making it a versatile option for torrenting on different devices.
PureVPN enforces a strict no-logs policy and, being based in Hong Kong, it provides an additional layer of privacy protection, which is especially important for torrenting.
With an extensive network of over 6,500 servers in 71+ countries, PureVPN offers global coverage, allowing for flexibility in torrenting and easy bypassing of geo-restrictions.
PureVPN’s fast download and upload speeds, combined with low latency, provide a seamless torrenting experience. Additionally, it supports popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer.
The VPN fully supports P2P activities and provides dedicated servers for torrenting, improving the reliability and speed of downloads.
As for pricing, PureVPN offers competitive and flexible subscription options, with a 5-year plan starting at just $1.33 per month, which is a great deal for the features it provides.
PureVPN’s 24/7 customer support was responsive and helpful during my tests. They also offer an extensive knowledge base on their website for self-help options.
While PureVPN has many pros, I did notice a few cons, such as inconsistent performance across different servers while torrenting.
5. Mullvad VPN – privacy-focused VPN with straightforward pricing and a no-nonsense approach to secure torrenting
Mullvad VPN is yet another great VPN for torrenting with a strong focus on privacy and secure torrenting. It is often recommended by Reddit users as a safe option for torrenting.
It provides access to 833 servers worldwide, all optimized for P2P file-sharing. This vast server network ensures optimal speeds and comes with unlimited bandwidth for unrestricted torrenting.
Mullvad VPN has port forwarding in all 38 countries where it operates. This feature can greatly boost torrenting speeds by enabling more efficient connections between peers.
Mullvad uses AES-256 encryption, the industry standard for top-level security, to safeguard your data during torrenting activities. This ensures your download and upload activities are secure from potential intruders.
It has a strict no-logs policy, meaning it doesn’t record any logs of your torrenting activity. This commitment to privacy makes sure your online activities remain anonymous.
The VPN comes equipped with a kill switch feature that is always on. This feature prevents your device from connecting to the internet unless it’s through Mullvad. If your VPN connection ever drops, the kill switch immediately disconnects you from the internet to prevent exposure of your real IP address.
In summary, Mullvad VPN provides a secure and efficient environment for torrenting. Its vast server network, port forwarding support, top-notch encryption, strict privacy policies, and always-on kill switch make it an excellent choice for P2P file-sharing enthusiasts.
Conclusion
Whether you prioritize bulletproof security and speed, like that offered by NordVPN, appreciate the budget-friendly yet efficient services of Surfshark VPN, or value the premium torrenting experience provided by ExpressVPN, the choices are broad and well-equipped. PureVPN impresses with its dedicated P2P servers and affordable pricing, while the privacy-focused, straightforward approach of Mullvad VPN has earned the recommendation of many Reddit users.
Remember, the ultimate choice of a VPN will depend on a mix of features that best suits your requirements. These include privacy and security features, connection speeds, P2P support, compatibility with your torrent client, and of course, user reviews and reputation.
In an era where online privacy is increasingly under threat, using a VPN for torrenting is not just an option, it’s a necessity. It safeguards your privacy, helps evade copyright trolls, and enhances your downloading experience.
So, as you venture into the world of torrenting in 2023, arm yourself with a reliable VPN. Happy torrenting!
FAQs
Yes, using a VPN for torrenting is highly recommended to safeguard your privacy, evade copyright trolls, and enhance your downloading experience.
Important features to consider include privacy and security features, connection speeds and bandwidth, P2P file sharing and torrenting-optimized servers, compatibility with torrent clients, additional features, reputation, and user reviews.
Torrenting without a VPN can expose your real IP address, making your online activity traceable. This can lead to privacy breaches, copyright infringement notices, or potential legal consequences. Using a VPN while torrenting ensures your privacy, security, and anonymity.
Torrenting copyrighted material is illegal in many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France, among others. Laws and penalties may vary, so it’s crucial to research your local laws and regulations.
Surfshark VPN is considered a great value option for torrenting due to its affordable pricing, excellent server coverage, fast speeds, and support for P2P activities on all servers.
Yes, the VPN country can impact your torrenting experience. Choosing a geographically closer server with lower server load can lead to better speeds and performance. Additionally, connecting to a VPN server in a country with more lenient copyright laws can offer increased privacy and security.
Yes, NordVPN is an excellent choice for torrenting, offering bulletproof security, P2P-optimized servers, fast download speeds, and a reputable track record.
A kill switch is a security feature that automatically disconnects your device from the internet if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly. It prevents your real IP address from being exposed and is important for torrenting to maintain privacy and security.
