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Best VPN for Torrenting 2023: Download Torrents Safely

Last updated: September 28, 2023

William Sams

Not all VPNs are good for Torrenting. Some keep logs, others leak IP, and the rest are ridiculously slow. It's time to say goodbye to these services and opt for the best.

If you want to stay invisible to copyright infringement hunters and local ISPs while downloading torrents, you need the best VPN for torrenting .

There are many reasons to use a VPN when torrenting . A VPN can make it harder for your ISP to detect that you’re torrenting and throttle your connection as a result.

Additionally, a VPN can encrypt your traffic, making it much more difficult for third parties to snoop on your activities .

Below you can find recommendations on the best ones for uTorrent/BitTorrent:

The Best VPN for Torrenting : Quick Summary

1. ExpressVPN: The overall best VPN for torrenting , ExpressVPN offers blazing speeds, military-grade encryption, and a strict zero-logs policy.
2. NordVPN: A close second, NordVPN is not designed specifically for torrenting but is a great all-rounder that’s perfect for PTP .
3. Surfshark: A budget-friendly VPN that’s great for torrenting , Surfshark offers a wide range of features and is a decent choice for P2P.
4. CyberGhost: Another excellent VPN for torrenting , CyberGhost offers a user-friendly interface that’s perfect for beginners.
5. IPVanish: Last but not least on our list, IPVanish is a cheap VPN for torrenting that offers good speeds and security .

5 Best VPNs for Torrenting : In-depth Analysis

If you’re looking for a reliable VPN service to download torrents with, the list above should give you some great options to choose from.

ExpressVPN is our top pick overall, but NordVPN and Surfshark are also excellent choices that offer great value for money. CyberGhost and IPVanish round out the list, both of which are great VPNs for torrenting in their own right.

1. ExpressVPN

• Price: US$ 6.67 /mo (Get 49% Off + 3 Months FREE on its 12-Month Plan)
• Trustpilot Rating: 4.6

The universal and fastest ExpressVPN offers exceptional P2P capabilities for uTorrent users . Although there is not a special listing of torrent servers, you can still enjoy blazing-fast speeds at any location and that’s why it qualifies as the best torrent VPN .

It uses the OpenVPN (TCP and UDP) protocol for P2P and provides encryption via two different ciphers: AES-256-CBC and AES-256-GCM so that you receive maximum security too.

Add this to the safe BVI jurisdiction and verified no-logging policy even the Turkish authorities could not bypass, and you can feel relieved that ExpressVPN torrenting is the safest to go for.

Not to mention, the provider is safe from WebRTC/DNS/IP address leaks and its kill switch feature works wonders in keeping your identity hidden. You even have a risk-free 30-days ExpressVPN free trial .

With ExpressVPN’s one subscription plan US$ 6.67 /mo (Get 49% Off + 3 Months FREE on its 12-Month Plan), you can use 6 different devices simultaneously. And ExpressVPN is compatible with almost every major operating system including Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, and Mac.

And if you want more than that, set up ExpressVPN on your router . It has a dedicated app for it and it supports all the widely used routers like Asus, Netgear, and Linksys.

If you are a console gamer, you’d be more than happy to know that ExpressVPN has a Smart DNS feature called MediaStreamer that would work smoothly on your PS4 or Xbox to bypass geo-restricted services. But keep in mind that it’s not a VPN alternative because it doesn’t encrypt your traffic .

Not only this, but with ExpressVPN you’ll be able to watch your favorite movies on all major streaming platforms including BBC IPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and even stream Voot . Also, ExpressVPN Netflix works best. Or receive more insights into the provider by reading this ExpressVPN Review!

Specifications

• 3000+ servers in 90 countries.
• 160 locations.
• AES 256-bit Encryption.
• Smart DNS feature (MediaStreamer).
• Automatic kill switch (Network Lock).
• Split tunneling.
• Router app.
• 5 simultaneous connections.
• Advance protocols (OpenVPN, Lightway)

Reasons to buy

• Can unblock 20+ Netflix libraries.
• Has a dedicated router app.

2. NordVPN

• Price: US$ 3.99 /mo (Get 57% Off + 3 Months FREE on 2-Year Plan)
• Trustpilot Rating: 4.4

NordVPN is a Panama-based VPN service provider that’s a good purchase if you’re looking for a decent torrenting VPN .

It offers a wide range of features and the security is top-notch. NordVPN is one of the VPNs that encrypts your traffic with AES-256-bit ciphers and stores no logs. It also has a strict zero-logging policy and the company has been audited by PwC, an independent third-party auditing institute.

NordVPN has a kill switch feature and offers DNS leak protection. The latter is important because it prevents your ISP from knowing which websites you’re visiting.

The software is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can connect up to six devices simultaneously with a single NordVPN account.

NordVPN’s monthly plan costs US$ 3.99 /mo (Get 57% Off + 3 Months FREE on 2-Year Plan) . But you’ll need to pay the money for the subscription plan upfront and all the plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee .

NordVPN supports a variety of payment options including credit cards, PayPal, Sofort, AmazonPay, prepaid cards, and even cryptocurrency.

With a rich pool of 5000+ servers in 59 countries, you can unblock 20+ Netflix libraries with NordVPN‘s optimized servers. Not only this, you can watch your favorite movies and shows on other streaming platforms as well, which include, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, MLB.tv, HBO Max, Disney+, and more. Or receive more insights into the provider by reading this NordVPN review!

Specifications

• 5000+ servers in 59 countries.
• Automatic kill switch.
• AES 256-bit Encryption.
• Smart DNS.
• Split tunneling.
• CyberSec (Blocks ads and malware).
• DoubleVPN (Encrypts traffic twice).
• Onion over VPN (Encrypts traffic through the Tor+VPN).
• DNS leak protection.
• 6 simultaneous connections.
• Dedicated IP address.

Reasons to buy

• Military-grade encryption.
• Unblocks major streaming platforms.
• Offers dedicated IP address.

3. Surfshark

• Price: US$ 2.49 /mo (Get 84% + 2 Months FREE on 2-Year Plan)
• Trustpilot rating: 4.2

One of the top performers in our budget-friendly VPNs list, Surfshark is highly recommended for Peer-to-Peer file sharing . The newcomer Surfshark stays true to its promise of secure torrenting.

It also goes the extra mile, offering unlimited bandwidth and simultaneous connections and a robust Kill Switch feature, along with a 30-day free trial you can avail of from here.

There is a specialty P2P server listing available, but torrenting is permitted on all servers even in forbidden countries. Surfshark may also redirect traffic to special P2P servers in Canada or Netherlands.

Just make sure to switch the protocol from IKEv2 to OpenVPN (UDP) first, so that you can receive strong military-grade encryption via AES-256-CBC or AES-256-GCM.

Since BVI is a safe haven, you can torrent with great peace of mind, and also take comfort in knowing that Surfshark has a strong torrenting and no-logging policy.

Surfshark’s monthly subscription costs US$ 2.49 /mo (Get 84% + 2 Months FREE on 2-Year Plan). You can use credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and even cryptocurrency to pay for your subscription plan. All the plans are covered by an active 30-day money-back guarantee offer. And you can claim it just by contacting through the live chat support.

And if you’re a movie geek then you’ll be happy to know that Surfshark’s optimized servers can unblock all major streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, BBC IPlayer, and more. Or read our in-depth Surfshark review for more information.

Specifications

• 3200 servers in 65+ countries.
• Automatic kill switch.
• Smart DNS.
• CleanWeb (Blocks ads, trackers, and malware).
• Unlimited simultaneous connections.
• Bypasser (Allows selected apps to bypass the VPN connection).
• AES 256-bit Encryption.
• Multi-Hop (Encrypts your traffic twice).

Reasons to buy

• No limit on simultaneous connections.
• Feature-packed VPN service.
• Offers this generation’s most advanced protocol; WireGuard.

4. CyberGhost

• Price: US$ 2.29 /mo 79% Discount
• Trustpilot Rating: 4.7

I usually recommend CyberGhost for the unblocking needs of users , but testing it on uTorrent revealed that it is actually a great choice for downloading torrents securely and speedily too.

Similar to Surfshark, CyberGhost offers a special P2P listing of servers. You can access them by entering “p2p” into the search bar on the top left corner of the Windows client.

These servers utilize the OpenVPN (UDP) protocol and encryption is provided via AES-256 cipher, RSA-4096 key encryption, and SHA384 hash authentication.

The provider is also free from all WebRTC/DNS/IP address leaks and offers a SOCKS5 proxy for speeding torrents up, and an automatic kill switch to protect your identity.

Just like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost too covers 90 countries and it’s a strong competitor for ExpressVPN. To get more insight on this, read our comparison report in detail: ExpressVPN vs. CyberGhost.

CyberGhost’s monthly subscription plan costs US$ 2.29 /mo 79% Discount. Also, if you’re going for CyberGhost’s one-month plan then you’ll only get a money-back guarantee of 14 days . While all the other plans are covered by a 45-day money-back guarantee which is more than other VPN providers so you can comfortably test the VPN service with ease. Or check this CyberGhost review out for a more detailed analysis.

Specifications

• 6100 servers in 90 countries.
• AES 256-bit Encryption.
• Automatic kill switch.
• P2P Sharing.
• 7 simultaneous connections.
• DNS and IP leak protection.
• Split tunneling.
• Smart DNS.

Reasons to buy

• 100% anonymity on the web.
• Dedicated IP address.
• Unblocks all major streaming platforms.

IPVanish

• Price: US$ 3.99 /mo 69% Off
• Trustpilot Rating: 4.6

IPVanish is a US-based VPN service that’s another great purchase if you’re looking for a decent torrenting VPN .

It uses 256-bit AES encryption with OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols. With unlimited simultaneous connections, you can connect as many devices as you want for P2P.

The software is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

IPVanish’s monthly plan costs US$ 3.99 /mo 69% Off which is cheaper than other VPN providers.

There is a quarterly plan (3-month) which costs which also offers ransomware and malware protection.

Keep in mind that only the one-year plan is covered with the 30-day money-back guarantee offer .

IPVanish works on major streaming platforms so you can easily bypass the restrictions and watch your favorite movies.

IPVanish is overall good but it lacks some privacy tools. To get a better idea, read our comparison report: IPVanish vs. ExpressVPN.

Or check this IPVanish review  out for a more detailed analysis.

Specifications

• 1900+ servers in 75+ countries.
• AES 256-bit Encryption.
• Shared IP addresses.
• Unlimited simultaneous connections.
• Split tunneling.
• DNS leak protection.
• VPN kill switch.
• SOCKS5 proxy.

Reasons to buy

• Unlimited simultaneous connections.
• Unblocks major streaming platforms.

Why should I use a VPN for torrenting ?

There are several reasons why you should use a VPN for torrenting .

• Torrenting is illegal: It’s important to note that downloading torrents without a VPN is illegal in many countries around the world. So if you want to avoid getting into trouble with the law, using a VPN is your best bet .
• ISP Throttling: When you’re torrenting without a VPN, your ISP can see what you’re doing and may throttle your connection speeds. This is especially true if you’re downloading large files.
• Anonymous Online Identity: By using a VPN, you can make sure that your identity remains anonymous while torrenting. This is because a VPN encrypts all of the traffic passing between your device and the VPN server.
• Bypassing Geo-Restrictions: A VPN can help you bypass any restrictions that your ISP or government has placed on torrenting.
• Security & Protection: A VPN can protect you from malicious actors who may try to spy on your activity or infect your device with malware.

How I Selected the Best VPN for Torrenting (Ranking Criteria)?

If you use uTorrent for downloading torrents, you probably know that the VPN you subscribe to should offer fast download speeds and unlimited bandwidth. However, other factors need consideration too for evaluating p2p VPNs. I assessed each provider on the basis of:

1. Jurisdiction – If the provider has its headquarters in a 5/9/14 Eyes alliance or country with a set of invasive data retention laws, it is not suitable for downloading on uTorrent.
2. Server Locations –The best VPNs provide you with a high number of server locations to leverage fast speeds while engaging in p2p/torrent downloads.
3. Leak-Free – You need to ensure the provider is free from all sorts of WebRTC/DNS/IP leakages; otherwise, you will have to pay hefty fines.
4. Speed Performance – The VPN should be offering blazing fast speeds throughout the day, so you leverage maximum convenience.
5. Encryption Strength – ISPs can clearly see illegal, file-sharing activity in progress if your connection is unprotected. Strong encryption keeps your identity hidden.

How to Speed Up uTorrent Downloads with a VPN

When it comes to downloading torrents from uTorrent, you may often get frustrated with the poor bandwidth speeds. There could be many reasons for poor torrenting performance .

However, if you already have a fast network, there are some tweaks available for boosting overall speeds. Follow the tips below to increase the speed of your uTorrent downloads:

Download Torrents with a High Number of Seeders

When you download a torrent, the uTorrent client grabs the dissected file from various computers. These are the seeders, who continue to share the file, even after completing the download .

Look for more seeders on a torrent to boost your download speeds, but also look at the comments on the page below. Opinions from others help identify if the torrent is clear of any viruses/malware.

Configure the “Bandwidth” Settings for Maximum Speed

Another way to boost the download speeds on uTorrent is to go to change the bandwidth settings.

1. Click on the “Options” tab on the top left corner.
2. Scroll down and click on “Preferences”.
3. Find and open the tab marked “Bandwidth”.
4. Limit your global upload and download rate by simply changing the values in each field.

It is advisable to keep the Global Upload rate as 80% of your upload speed i.e. 14 kb/s. As for the Global Download rate, change the value to a “0”.

Another hack you can use for boosting the speeds on the application is to change the number of connections to avoid any overload. For many, the below settings worked quite well.

1. Set the global maximum number of connections to 2300
2. Set the maximum number of connected peers per torrent to 250
3. Set the number of upload slots per torrent to 14

Connecting Directly to the Seeds

Oftentimes, the seeder’s firewall settings can often inhibit the seeding process and prevents uTorrent from getting any download data from the Torrent file .

Now it is impossible for you to reconfigure every seeders’ firewall settings, but you can allow your uTorrent client to retrieve all data directly, without interference from firewalls:

1. Go to the “Options” menu and select “Preferences”.
2. Open the “Connections” tab from the left
3. Check “Enable UPnP Port Mapping”
4. Tick “Enable NAT-PMP Port Mapping”.

Add an Exception to Windows Firewall

Windows Firewall may block your torrent client and interrupt downloads and seeders incoming from BitTorrent connections. This hinders the entire torrenting experience .

To get rid of the problem, you can “add an exception to firewall” from the uTorrent app directly to boost overall speeds. You can do this by going to Options > Preferences > Connections.

Change General Settings to Optimize uTorrent

As another option for boosting the speeds of your uTorrent download, consider altering the general settings of the uTorrent client .

You can do this by navigating to Options > Preferences > General. Once done, check the “Append .!ud to incomplete files” and “Pre-allocate all files” options.

Add More Trackers to your Torrent Files

Trackers are useful for optimizing and boosting your torrent download speeds. Adding new trackers improve your torrenting experience, as they add new seeds/peers to your connection.

This process involves adding new links to the existing trackers of a particular torrent file. To add new ones, follow the step-by-step instructions below:

1. Right-click on the torrent file and click on “Properties”
2. Under the “General” tab, there will be a trackers list.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page, where there is no text.
4. Paste trackers from this link in the empty space.

Best VPN Locations for P2P File Sharing

If you download a lot on uTorrent , then you might be interested in learning how to get the best speeds and access the fastest p2p swarms.

A VPN can easily allow you to do that, but you also need to know the right servers to connect to. Torrent speeds are the fastest in the following countries:

Legal Issues with Torrenting and P2p Law Fines

Torrenting itself is legal by all accounts in most countries worldwide. It is an only illegal activity if you engage in torrenting for the downloading of the copyrighted material.

To know more about the kind and severity of legal charges you can face, you need to be familiar with the relevant laws regarding piracy in your country.

Here is a country-wise breakdown of the legal laws and issues you can face if you indulge in piracy:

United States of America

USA is home to a highly evolved legal regime governing issues around piracy. The country has an extremely stringent stance on downloading illegal content through any means possible.

Most copyrighted media is owned by big corporate houses like Disney, Warner Bros, Fox, Sony and the like, so they often have the financial muscle to power through with lawsuits of all kinds.

Piracy in the USA can result in legal punishments of up to five years imprisonment and $250,000 in fines.

Canada

This neighboring country of the USA is not as stringent when it comes to punishing people who commit piracy. Its piracy laws are there but are as lax as its borders i.e. they are there, but you won’t get caught much

The only relevant law dealing with copyright violations in Canada is “The Copyright Modernization act”. Under this act, notices can be sent to copyright violators by Internet Service Providers.

The max that a copyright holder can do is sue the violating party for no more than $5000. This is too mere an amount to make the copyright holders interested in filing a court case.

United Kingdom

With a wide majority of larger Torrenting sites like PirateBay being already blocked, the UK is not quite a friendly place when it comes to p2p fans.

ISPs with more than 400,000 users are required by law to send cease and desist letters to copyright violators. The law, however, does not apply to those ISPs that have fewer than the required number of subscribers.

India

The Indian Piracy industry clocks in at almost $2.7 billion each year indicting some woeful damage to local media houses, due to the popularity of Bollywood and other regional cinema.

According to the Indian Copyright Act, a person can be jailed for a maximum of 7 years and be fined 200,000 INR, if found to be violating the copyright of any media file or project.

Germany

In Germany too, copyright holders give the right to sue on their behalf copyright trolls and fines can range up to 500 or even 1000 Euros.

Still, the system is not as efficient because copyright trolls can only track IP addresses and not actual names and identities, so many notices that come are not addressed to people by name.

FAQs on the Best VPNs for Torrenting

Wrapping Things Up

After conclusive tests on 5 relevant factors involving more than 70+ providers, I recommend ExpressVPN to be the best VPN for Torrenting .

ExpressVPN (US$ 6.67 /mo (Get 49% Off + 3 Months FREE on its 12-Month Plan)) is your best bet as a Torrent VPN due to its incredible security, leak-free service, and a zero-logging policy .

NordVPN and Surfshark are a close second. They’re good in terms of subscription cost when you go for their longer-term plans.