The 6 Best VPN For Torrenting & File Sharing In 2023

VPNs can help you hide this information from websites so that you are protected at all times. We recommend ExpressVPN — the #1 VPN out of over 350 providers we’ve tested. It has military-grade encryption and privacy features that will ensure your digital security, plus — it’s currently offering 49% off. No, port forwarding isn’t necessary for torrenting with a VPN. But it can increase your torrenting speeds by allowing incoming connections to bypass certain network restrictions , letting you connect with more peers for both downloading and seeding. While all VPNs will slow your speed down, the best free VPNs for torrenting keep this performance loss to a minimum.

Now that you know what to look out for in a torrent VPN, here’s our list of the top 5 VPNs on the market today and why we think they’re the best. The listings featured on this site are from companies from which this site receives compensation. This influences where, how and in what order such listings appear on this site. Keira is a professional technology writer and cybersecurity enthusiast. My go-to’s are uTorrent or qBittorrent since they have long-standing, good reputations. A wide selection of apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android devices.

Thus, if you are in a developed country and planning to move to another country, check the server locations of the VPN before selecting it. Because of its censorship policies, China locations, for example, can only be accessed by a few VPNs.In such cases, choose wisely. Because CyberGhost was located outside those jurisdictions, the company wasn’t required to share our data with any government officials, a policy that wasn’t the case for all VPN companies.

The company’s transparency and third-party audits make ExpressVPN one of the best VPNs for torrenting. Though not all torrenting uses are illegal, many still need the extra security of a VPN like ExpressVPN. For example, torrents are currently used to fight disinformation in countries like Russia. Lastly, although there is plenty of information online about setting up NordVPN, the provider didn’t offer an on-the-spot tutorial during the setup process. And when contacting customer service, we couldn’t speak to a live representative — only a chatbot was available. We had a question outside the scope of what the chatbot could cover, so the only option was for us to wait on customer service to return our email.

Why are these the best VPNs for downloading torrents?

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. 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 you download and upload via BitTorrent are encrypted when they pass through your ISP’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.

You get solid security features, impressively fast download speeds, and unlimited data. You can try it risk-free with its 30-day money-back guarantee. Its selection of servers is about on par with most VPNs, and the company has proven that it doesn’t collect data about your activity.

VPNs Not Recommended for Torrenting

It uses a network of volunteer nodes around the world as relays. It discourages P2P file sharing activities that would hog the network, however, and it keeps logs for up to three months to help weed out abuse and criminal wrongdoing. However, the law states that fines cannot be artificially high, so damages that copyright holders can exact are capped.

However, it’s important to note that enabling port forwarding can also pose a security risk. When you enable port forwarding, you open up a direct channel to your device. This can make it easier for online snoopers to see your real IP address or even hack and gain control of your device. This is particularly true if the port forwarding configuration is not set up correctly. Sometimes reinstalling the uTorrent client fixes the problem.

CyberGhost specs

All in all, the service is ideal for folks who’ll be doing a lot of streaming, and is even capable of unblocking some of the world’s most popular content streaming platforms. This includes the likes of Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu, to name a few! Plus, NordVPN can keep you connected to local sites and services when you jet away overseas on vacation. ExpressVPN takes its commitment to user privacy one step further with a zero-logs policy. This policy ensures that no connection logs or IP addresses are ever stored, and the provider has even invited PwC, one of the Big 5 auditing firms, to perform a public security audit.

For this, you’ll need to enable your kill-switch, connect to a server, visit a website, and disconnect from the VPN. If your internet connection stops, your kill-switch is working. All it takes to access blocked torrent sites is a few clicks – join a VPN server located somewhere where the sites aren’t blocked, and browse them freely, without restrictions. It’s a common practice, but just as a VPN prevents anyone else on the internet from seeing your real IP address, it also works the other way around. With a VPN, your ISP won’t be able to see what you’re getting up to online.

NordVpn has the most advanced protocols like OpenVPN, AES-256-GCM, and NordLynx to provide maximum security and identity-hiding options. ExpressVPN utilizes the OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP/IPsec protocols to hide or change your IP and identity. We also conducted a WebRTC test using a tool provided by ExpressVPN.

CyberGhost also has an extensive server network that can help you avoid overloaded servers that might also slow down your torrenting speeds. Additionally, it has designated P2P servers that are ideal for connecting to torrent sites like uTorrent and BitTorrent. NordVPN uses its own WireGuard technology called NordLynx for optimum speeds and smooth streaming. And with a headquarters in Panama and strict no-logs policy, your data is safe and secure. However, it is not the only benefit that makes Windscribe one of the best VPNs for torrenting. One more thing that attracts users is its no-logging policy.

You might get https://coinbreakingnews.info/er downloads because there’s less data to encrypt and decrypt. Hola VPN – It uses P2P networks to establish a connection, and is one of the worst options for torrenting to pick. Encryption is available only in premium versions, and there are no countermeasures to prevent IP leaks. In their privacy policy, it is stated that they’re collecting user logs.

What Is the Best Free VPN for Torrenting in 2023?

Some don’t provide sufficient leak protection to ensure identifying information is not exposed to copyright trolls and other third parties. This means your real IP address could be revealed to prying eyes. It’s perfectly legal to use a VPN to download files in the public domain in most countries.

One minor con is that PIA is based in the US, which is part of the 5 Eyes Alliance. Luckily, PIA’s no-logs policy was independently audited, which confirms it doesn’t keep user data. I put it to the test and downloaded the film Carnival of Souls from The Pirate Bay . It only took around 30 seconds to complete using its New York server, which gave me 108 Mbps . Some VPNs can cut speeds by over 40% on long-distance servers.

ExpressVPN and CyberGhost are my favorites since they have fast speeds and unlimited data, so you can torrent as much as you want without any significant slowdowns. That said, many other free VPNs collect and sell your data to third parties in order to make a profit. Some also have weak security and may leak identifying information since they don’t have the resources to properly protect your connection. Therefore, it’s important to do your research and choose a VPN that can truly keep you safe.

• It doesn’t collect logs, has fast servers in the United States and is really easy to set up and use.
• Proton VPN has a decent free plan, but it lacks P2P support — to torrent, you need to upgrade to its Plus plans, which start at €3.67 / month.
• Lightway is designed to be fast, secure, and ideal for torrenting.
• PIA is a US-based firm and is a reliable and trusted VPN with super-fast servers in 12845+ Servers in 75 Countries.

On the other hand, it’s not the best choice for other types of media. When I tried it out, I had to spend some time looking for the file I wanted because the site lacks filtering options. But it’s not too bad, you can still filter torrents to see if they’re verified or not, which is pretty convenient. When I used the site, I found it easy to navigate and find what I was looking for. For example, you can hover over a torrent file to see some screenshots, album art, and posters.

You might need to pay extra for better 10 best vpns for torrenting speeds and bandwidth plans. Internet service providers will “throttle” or intentionally slow down a user’s internet connection when that user is consuming a large amount of bandwidth. This typically happens when users are online gaming, streaming from multiple devices, or torrenting large files. ExpressVPN’s entire network of 3000+ servers support torrenting, and it’s compatible with popular torrent clients like Vuze, BitTorrent, and uTorrent.