Best VPNs for torrenting in 2023

In recent years, risks and regulations related to torrenting have been on a rise. While you download torrents, your IP address and its P2P activity can be easily tracked, letting online criminals and other interested parties target you and your data.

If your ISP spots that you do P2P downloads, they may even slow down your connection or prohibit you from using P2P sharing altogether. Therefore, using a VPN for downloading torrents is now essential. And finding the best VPN will keep your data private, and your online activity safe – while maintaining fast and reliable download speeds.

We do not condone online piracy – but we support online privacy and security. To help you out with that, here we cover some of the best VPNs for torrenting. Fast, secure, and easy to use, they're all perfect companions for your P2P downloads.

Best torrenting VPNs – our shortlist:

1. NordVPN – best all-round VPN for torrenting
2. Surfshark – great low-cost VPN for torrents
3. Atlas VPN – cheap VPN for P2P downloads
4. ExpressVPN – a VPN for fast torrenting
5. CyberGhost– affordable torrenting VPN

What makes a great torrenting VPN?

If you're looking for a VPN for torrenting, your search criteria must adjust accordingly. Here are a few things that you should pay extra attention to when choosing:

• Speed. Whenever torrenting we expect to download chosen files fast. That’s the whole point of it. For this reason, it is important to look for a VPN that won’t slow down your connection and might even improve the speed.
• Privacy and security. While torrenting, you’re simply downloading files from some user’s computer. This means that your real IP address lands on the seeders list. Simply put, you are giving out your real location. A VPN can not only fix that, but it also adds another level of security.
• P2P-compatible server network. While a P2P connection can be less secure for your personal data, it is the fastest way for sharing files or torrents. So VPNs with dedicated P2P servers will provide you with high speeds and solid security of your information.
• Additional features. While features like split tunneling, port forwarding, or independently audited apps are not mandatory, they are a nice addition to a full-rounded VPN service. Even better if your chosen VPN can unblock popular streaming sites like Netflix and more.
• Price. Getting the best price-to-quality ratio is very important. All our shortlisted VPNs offer very reasonable prices as well as include standard money-back guarantees. Some even have free trials for your convenience.

The best VPNs for torrenting – our detailed list

All VPNs claim to hide your identity, but not all will work with P2P networks. This makes finding a good VPN for torrenting a head-scratcher. However, to make this task easier on you, we have shortlisted the 6 best options. So if you wonder what VPN to use for torrenting, check out our top picks below.

1. NordVPN – all-around best torrenting VPN

Visit NordVPN

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for torrenting. It has P2P support on its specialized servers and offers some of the best connection speeds out of all providers on this list.

Security measures: This VPN provider has a strict no-logs policy, so you can torrent anonymously and without any risks. NordVPN's servers don't have mechanical hard drives and are running on RAM-only. Plus, their privacy policy was audited twice by PwC (one of the largest accounting agencies).

Specialized servers: With more than 5500+ servers in 60 countries, you'll have plenty of countries to choose from. Additionally, NordVPN supports P2P on their specialized servers.

Speed: NordVPN works on the next-gen NordLynx tunneling protocol. In our tests, it is one of the fastest, with download speeds reaching up to 29MB/s, which is perfect for torrenting. There's also a SOCKS5 proxy for those who don't care about the encryption and favor better speeds.

Additional features: This provider has a kill switch that will shut down your Internet connection to prevent unwanted IP leaks. Additionally, the split tunneling feature will allow you to add your torrenting client to a tunneling list, and only your P2P traffic will be encrypted, which makes this provider a compelling VPN for torrenting.

All of this makes NordVPN a superb choice for torrents. You can get it for $3.49/month, cover up to 6 simultaneous connections, and for additional appeal, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. So you can enjoy strong data encryption and blazing fast speeds even while torrenting.

To learn more check out our NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark – one of the cheapest VPNs that allow torrenting

Visit Surfshark

Surfshark is one of the most affordable options on this list. Additionally, it’s also one of the best VPNs for torrenting.

Security measures: Surfshark allows switching between AES-256-GCM and Chacha20Poly1305 encryption ciphers, unbreakable even with the most powerful modern hardware. All of their servers run on RAM-only memory, which means that no logs can be saved to be retrieved later. There's also advanced DNS leak protection added on top.

Dedicated servers: You can choose from their fleet of 3200+ servers across 100 countries. This provides enough variety for different use cases. Surfshark allows torrenting on any of their servers, the ports won't be closed. They also have dedicated P2P servers, which are optimized specifically to use with a torrent client.

Speed: This VPN service is one of the fastest we've tested, so the speeds shouldn't be an issue. They have one of the fastest WireGuard tunneling protocol, with which your torrenting speed will remain quite solid.

Additional features: Surfshark has a kill switch that turns off your connection as soon as the link between your device and VPN servers is disrupted. If you need a VPN only for torrenting, there's a Whitelister feature. With it, you can use a VPN connection only for torrenting websites and apps. That way, the rest of your traffic gets untouched.

You can get Surfshark for as cheap as $2.30/month and it will give you unlimited simultaneous connections. Also, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out our full Surfshark review for more great features.

3. Atlas VPN – cheap torrent friendly VPN

Visit Atlas VPN

Even though Atlas VPN doesn’t have specialized P2P servers, this doesn’t mean it's not suitable for torrenting. Quite the contrary.

Security measures: Atlas VPN uses the AES-256 cipher, additionally, it has the ChaCha20 cipher with the Poly1305 authenticator for even better data security, which is especially important while torrenting. And the strict no-logs policy ensures that your information is not collected.

Dedicated servers: Atlas VPN offers 750 servers in 38 countries, which is a bit less than what you might expect from your usual VPN service. And while there are no P2P dedicated servers, Atlas VPN allows torrenting on many of its servers.

Speed: This provider employs the WireGuard protocol, which offers some great speeds. But with torrenting, it will always be slightly slower. And during our tests, the download speed was pretty good, but not extremely fast – 4-6MB/s.

Additional features: The VPN also has a lot of features like a malware blocker, a data breach checker, and a kill switch. On its Android and Windows apps, it even offers IP address rotation. It’s the fact that you can use its free version for P2P connections, which is pretty rare in the world of VPNs.

Now, the best thing about Atlas VPN is its price. With all the unlimited bandwidth and exciting features, you can pay as little as $2.05 a month – but only if you invest in its longest subscription, that is. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee if you don’t find yourself enjoying this VPN.

For more information, check out our Atlas VPN review.

4. ExpressVPN – swift VPN for torrenting

Visit ExpressVPN

If you’re looking for a decent torrenting VPN, ExpressVPN is a worthy choice. It allows P2P file sharing on all servers globally. And while you can only use it on 5 devices simultaneously, you can set up ExpressVPN on your router.

Safety measures: Apart from the industry-standard AES-256 encryption, the provider offers a reliable kill switch, IP & DNS leak protection, and ChaCha20 encryption. Plus, ExpressVPN has an independently-audited no-logs policy. And if that’s not enough, you can use Threat Manager to deal with nosy trackers and malware.

Server fleet: The last time we checked, ExpressVPN had 3000+ pieces of hardware peppered around 94 countries. So, wherever you might be, a server will probably be nearby. Moreover, there are some specialized servers that are better fit for streaming.

Speed: ExpressVPN is quite fast, thanks to the in-house Lightway tunneling protocol. When we tested it, the average download speed drop was 34%. However, the same can’t be said about upload rates. ExpressVPN retained around 49% of upload speed on average, which is kind of disappointing.

Additional features: Apart from the things mentioned above, ExpressVPN offers split tunneling. It’s helpful when you only want the torrenting app to go through a VPN. Moreover, while there's no servers obfuscation, ExpressVPN is still capable of bypassing firewalls and protecting you from DPI.

It gets a bit sticky when it comes to pricing. The cheapest ExpressVPN subscription is $6.67/month, which is quite expensive compared to other services. Nevertheless, if you want to try it, you can do it with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Learn more at our ExpressVPN review.

5. CyberGhost – torrenting VPN packed with features

Visit CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost is a great VPN for regular torrenting. It offers specialized P2P servers, which will make your experience much smoother. Moreover, it won’t break the bank and will keep you safe and sound.

Safety measures: The provider utilizes AES-256 encryption, ensuring that no one can get your data easily. Moreover, IP & DNS leak protection and a kill switch will prevent major disasters if something goes awry. And an Ad-blocker will prevent annoying ads from disturbing you.

Server fleet: You’ll have plenty of options to choose from, as CyberGhost offers 9700+ servers in 91 countries. As mentioned, the provider has specialized torrenting, gaming, and streaming servers. Additionally, there’s a dedicated IP option that only you can use.

Speed: With the WireGuard tunneling protocol, you should get relatively fast and stable speeds. Nevertheless, CyberGhost is far from the fastest VPN on the list. When we tested it, the average download speed was 9.3Mb/s when connected to a server in the UK and 6.5Mb/s when connected to the US.

Additional features: If you’re looking for something extra, CyberGhost is serving. You’ll get NoSpy servers that are faster, more private, and more secure. Also, Smart Rules will help you automate CyberGhost, which is super convenient for VPN users. Lastly, you’ll get 7 simultaneous connections, or you can set up the service on your router.

So, if you feel like CyberGhost is the best choice for you, you can get a subscription for as little as $2.19/month. Alternatively, you can test it out with the 45-day money-back guarantee and a free trial version.

Here’s our full CyberGhost review for more information.

6. PureVPN – decent torrenting VPN

Visit PureVPN

PureVPN is a good option for regular torrenting. Even though not all of the servers support P2P, you can still find enough specialized servers to download your preferred content.

Security tools. The provider does not play around when it comes to security. It uses military-grade AES-256 encryption, always-on audit, and reliable tunneling protocols like WireGuard and OpenVPN. Additionally, features like a kill switch guarantee a safe torrenting experience.

Large server fleet. PureVPN offers a rather extraordinary server fleet of 6500 servers in 78 countries, which is great for torrenting. And P2P is only unavailable in selected server locations (those that have banned torrenting, to be exact).

Speed. Even though the speeds are stable they aren’t the fastest ones you could get. Using the WireGuard tunnel, the average download speed was 11-12MB/s, clearly identifying space for improvement.

Additional features. PureVPN has a split tunneling feature that allows you to choose the traffic which would go through a VPN (keep in mind that split tunneling doesn’t work with the WireGuard). And you can also enable an obfuscation feature with an additional layer of multiport (only for OpenVPN tunneling protocol) for staying unseen while using a VPN and changing servers without disconnecting.

Finally, the price of PureVPN is pretty much exciting as you would pay for a 2-year subscription as low as $1.49 per month and with a 31-day money-back guarantee. And having all the features in mind, the price gets even nicer!

Get to know more from our PureVPN review.

How we selected and tested these torrenting VPNs

When choosing the best VPN for torrenting, we prioritized specific features that are the most relevant for P2P downloads. So, if a VPN service is ranked higher, it's because the service excels in these key areas:

• Torrenting-friendly. We tested every provider on our list to make sure that they allowed torrenting. NordVPN and Surfshark were two of the best options. NordVPN allows torrenting on specialized servers, which will get you some really impressive downloading speeds. On the other hand, Surfshark doesn’t disappoint with its speeds on any of its P2P-friendly servers.
• Security. All providers on our list ensure great data security for you, whether it’s encrypting your data, working on RAM-only servers, or audited no-logs policy, to ensure that none of your data is noted and kept somewhere for future use.
• Performance. To ensure you with the best download speeds while torrenting, we selected only those VPN providers that have the best connection speeds. NordVPN and Surfshark are especially speedy providers, so those two will provide the best P2P file-sharing experience.
• Value. The most expensive VPN doesn’t mean it’s the best, therefore, we only selected those providers that offer the best value for their money. So, whichever VPN you’ll pick for torrenting, you’ll know that you’re getting a top service with great additional features. For example, Surfshark antivirus or NordVPN’s threat protection feature.

How can I use a VPN while torrenting?

Using a VPN while torrenting is simple – just set it up before starting to download torrents. However, it’s essential that it would provide decent speeds, have strong security features, and servers optimized for torrenting. Here is a quick guide showing how to use a torrenting VPN:

1. Download and install a torrenting VPN, like NordVPN
2. Connect to a specialized P2P server
3. Go to one of the torrenting sites and download your chosen torrent client
4. Start downloading torrents!

If you’re having issues or need more help with setting up a VPN, check out our complete guide on how to torrent safely in 2023.

Why should I use a VPN for torrenting?

We recommend always using a VPN while torrenting files. Because torrenting without a VPN is associated with many dangers, like data leaks or slow and unsafe connections. Here are a couple of examples, which might make you reconsider whether you should use torrent clients without a reliable and secure VPN.

• The connection itself. When you’re downloading files via a torrent client, you’re downloading from another user’s computer. Everyone who checks the seeders list can find your real IP address. Which is almost like disclosing your home address in public.
• Copyrighted materials. It may not be your intention to steal, but files in torrent websites won’t always be adequately named. Most likely, copyright holders and your ISP won’t care about the circumstances and treat you as just another pirate.
• Social engineering attacks. Scammers can be impersonating copyright holders to make a profit for themselves. Since your P2P connection reveals quite a lot of data, this could be a starting point to gather intel on you for an attack.
• Activity monitoring by ISP. If your ISP detects torrenting activity, there might be damaging consequences. It can range from slowing down your connection speeds to taking legal action.

Best VPN countries for torrenting and P2P traffic

Some countries have looser laws concerning Internet downloads. Naturally, those will be the countries that are great for torrenting.

Switzerland

In general, Switzerland is one of the most privacy-friendly locations. Your right to privacy is protected, limiting what your Internet Service Provider can monitor about you. Moreover, downloading copyrighted materials for personal use is legal as long as you don't intend to sell them. However, it is illegal to share content if you don't own copyright rights. So, as long as you're downloading, you're in the clear, but seeding is another thing.

Spain

Spain is a torrenter's safe heaven because their law emphasizes the intent to profit over breaching copyright laws. There, you can share any data that you want as long as you don't intend to make a profit. This means that torrenting for your own use is perfectly fine. Like in Switzerland, it's still illegal to share copyrighted materials, so if you're uploading, you're committing a crime.

Poland

In Poland, downloading copyrighted materials is neither legal nor illegal. Generally, without permission, you cannot use copyrighted works. However, there are some exceptions, like private use cases, which fall outside of copyright law. You can write this off as a loophole in their judicial system, but it doesn't make Poland a new Tortuga for digital pirates.

The Netherlands

Even though the Netherlands was once the most torrenting-friendly country, the regulations have changed since 2017. Despite that, it’s still a relatively good option for torrenting as users can download torrents for their personal use – only sharing them is prohibited.

Mexico

Since 2019, Mexico has had no active laws or regulations that specifically prohibit file-sharing. While ISPs in other countries take measures to detect and ban torrenting traffic, internet service providers in Mexico don’t. In fact, file-sharing is not monitored in any other official capacity, so this is a great country for torrenting.

Is torrenting with a VPN legal?

Yes, torrenting with a VPN is entirely legal except in the countries where torrenting is banned. The issue is not the torrenting technology itself, but the content that you're downloading. Open-source software or a movie that's in the public domain is entirely fine. However, if you're sharing or downloading a video of the latest Ryan Gosling flick that you filmed on your phone, it's mostly likely against the law.

Also, some things that seem legal fall in the gray area – and different government authorities or courts are bound to treat each case differently.

VPNs we do not recommend for torrenting

Many services that we didn't include in this list can still be used for torrenting. However, that doesn't apply to those VPNs with severe loopholes. They can be both free and paid so you should be cautious.

Hola VPN – is one of the worst options you could pick. It uses P2P networks to establish a connection. Encryption is added only for premium users, and there are no countermeasures against IP leaks. To make matters worse, their privacy policy states that they're collecting user logs.

Betternet – another poor choice for torrenting. This VPN is priced quite steeply but lacks essential security features. You won't get a kill switch, meaning that your anonymity will depend on Betternet's server fleet always working without issues. Even then, their server network is too small to consider this option for consistently great download speeds.

SuperVPN – recently our editorial team discovered that users of this provider had their credentials leaked and sold on the dark web. However, on Google Play, the service has more than one hundred million installs. It seems that the service provider was logging data despite their privacy policy stating otherwise.

This shows that not all VPNs are made equal, and you should always do your research before committing to a long-term service.

Can I use a free VPN for torrenting?

Most free VPNs that would be safe enough for regular use don't allow you to torrent. As we've said, P2P connections can use up a lot of bandwidth, making other user experience worse. For this reason, it's usually treated as a premium feature and reserved for paid users.

However, it's not unheard of to find a free VPN that works with torrenting connections. In such cases, you should tread carefully. Torrenting is a resource-intensive task, especially in cases when it's offered for free. So, it's possible that your data is being logged and sold. If some offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

That’s exactly why we don’t recommend free VPNs for torrenting. Instead, you can pick freemium providers like Atlas VPN or Proton VPN – they offer a more limited free version of their premium subscription, but at least they are safe to use. Additionally, these providers won’t need to sell your data, since they obtain their funds from their premium subscriptions.

Does VPN affect torrenting speed?

Yes, a VPN you use can affect your internet connection, and, in turn, affect your torrenting speed. However, a VPN could increase your torrenting speed if your ISP is using speed throttling to limit you.

Otherwise, be mindful that a VPN adds an additional stop in your connection's route, plus, encryption and decryption take time. This all together might slightly slow down your Internet connection. However, with providers like NordVPN and Surfshark, the slowdowns are very minimal and simply not felt on the user end.

Bottom line

Whatever you're planning to download through torrents, don't forget to exercise caution. Although it may seem harmless, if you're not careful, you can end up in more trouble than you could have ever imagined. This ranges from legal attention to the files themselves, which are often a source of malware. Not to mention that your real IP address is exposed, so you're making yourself an easier target.

A VPN can minimize the number of potential risks to your online activity, but it should be a service you can trust. Otherwise, you're just going out of the frying pan into the fire. So do your research and pick a service that will protect you even when on a P2P network.

Our top pick for secure anonymous torrenting is NordVPN. This VPN has dedicated P2P servers and strong security features, such as an automatic kill switch among others. Additionally, you’ll get to enjoy blazing-fast connection speeds and with NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature your device will be secured from malware threats.

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