The Best VPN for Torrenting in 2023

The digital landscape has changed dramatically recently, with increased surveillance of peer-to-peer networks and Internet Service Providers using IP addresses to bring down the hammer on those breaking copyright laws. Countries like the US have recently proposed 10-year jail sentences for copyright infringement. That is why torrenting VPNs are on the rise.

One of the easiest ways to ensure privacy and anonymity while torrenting is through the use of VPNs. Using the best VPN for torrenting is essential for staying safe and private online while torrenting.

However, finding the best torrenting VPN is easier said than done because most providers entirely block P2P traffic, while some only allow it on a few servers. Some torrent VPNs leak the very data they are supposed to safeguard.

We have put dozens of VPNs through our torrenting benchmark tests to shortlist the 6 best VPNs to help you keep safe while you torrent.

Although we do not condone copyright infringement and illegal torrenting, we support online privacy, security, and internet freedom. To help you with that, we are providing you with a list of the best VPNs for those seeking extra security for legitimate torrenting.

Quick Overview of the Best Torrenting VPN in 2022

1. Surfshark – The most affordable torrenting VPN.
2. ExpressVPN – Best overall torrenting VPN with Lightway protocol.
3. NordVPN – Best VPN for torrenting for privacy with a massive network.
4. IPVanish – Reliable torrenting VPN with good P2P support.
5. CyberGhost – Best torrenting VPN for beginners.
6. PIA – Largest server network torrenting VPN.

Detailed Analysis of the Best VPN for Torrenting

With so many VPNs in the market, it’s hard to find out which ones are popular for torrenting without testing. Therefore, we have done the testing for you and have shortlisted the 6 best VPNs for torrenting. Here’s a breakdown of each provider and the features they offer.

1. Surfshark – The most affordable torrenting VPN

Surfshark is the most affordable VPN for torrenting out there. It supports P2P traffic on all its servers, which is also a great bonus. Simply put, it is an ideal torrenting VPN that offers all the torrenting features required by a VPN.

With Surfshark, you get 3200+ servers in 65 countries, and all servers support P2P traffic. Therefore, you can easily connect physically to a server in your country or near you to get the best torrenting performance.

On top of that, Surfshark supports the WireGuard protocol, the fastest tunneling protocol available in the market. When connected to the Surfshark server, you can expect fast torrenting speeds with minimal speed slowdowns. It even offers unlimited bandwidth.

For your convenience, we did some speed tests with Surfshark and torrenting, and the results were great. On a 100 Mbps connection, we got a bitrate of 8.75MiB/s with an average download speed of 88.21 Mbps while connected to Surfshark’s France server.

As for privacy, Surfshark is a secure VPN for torrenting. Firstly, it uses 256-bit military grade encryption protocols, along with IP leak protection and zero-knowledge DNS servers. Moreover, it offers split tunneling (WhiteLister) and a kill switch.

Some of its dedicated features include CyberSec – which blocks ads and malware, MultiHop – double VPN, and NoBorders – obfuscation. Furthermore, Surfshark is a no-logs VPN, as it does not keep any user logs and is based in the safe jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands.

And last but not least, Surfshark has no connection limits. It means you can use one account on all your devices without restrictions. It also offers apps for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows and can be manually installed on routers.

For more details, you can check out our Surfshark review.

2. ExpressVPN – Best overall torrenting VPN

First up, we have our number one pick – ExpressVPN. It is the fastest VPN for torrenting thanks to its proprietary Lightway protocol and offers great compatibility with P2P making it an ideal choice for torrenting.

ExpressVPN supports P2P traffic on all its servers. This is great as the provider offers 3,000 servers across 94 countries or 160 locations, so finding a nearby server is very easy. Connecting to a local or nearby server means consistently enjoying fast connection speeds.

While testing, we used Smart Location to connect to the best server location near our actual location and got a fast download speed of 91 Mbps. As our base connection speed was 100 Mbps, we experienced less than a 10% speed drop which was excellent.

While testing with uTorrent, on ExpressVPN’s Netherlands server, it offered an average bitrate of 9.4 MiB/s, and we could download a 2GB file in under 30 minutes. With the port forwarding feature enabled in ExpressVPN, you can boost torrent performance even further.

Beyond excellent speeds, ExpressVPN provides plenty of security features to keep you safe while torrenting. Not only do all of its servers have torrent support, but they also come with AES 256-bit encryption, DNS leak protection, split tunneling, and Trusted Server technology.

Trusted Server technology runs all servers on RAM mode, making it impossible for them to store logs, and all information is wiped clean at each reboot or reconnection.

ExpressVPN does not keep any logs regarding connectivity or browsing activity. Also, the provider is based in the British Virgin Islands, a jurisdiction that is far from the influence of the Five Eyes.

As for device compatibility, ExpressVPN offers 5 multi-logins, and there are native apps for various devices like iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux. It also offers apps for routers.

Overall, ExpressVPN is an excellent value for speed and security while torrenting. You can read more about it in our ExpressVPN review.

3. NordVPN – Best VPN for torrenting for privacy

Known for its strong privacy measures, NordVPN is a secure VPN for torrenting thanks to its powerful encryption, various choices of tunneling protocols, DNS leak protection, two kill switches, and plenty more to keep you safe.

While not all NordVPN servers support P2P, it does offer specialized P2P servers available in 48 countries. There are 5300 servers across 60 countries, with more than 4800+ servers supporting torrenting. These servers are located in the US, UK, and many countries worldwide.

What we loved about NordVPN is that even if you forget to connect to a P2P server, it automatically changes the server when it detects torrenting traffic, so there are no issues.

There are plenty of security features that you can choose from. It offers perfect forward secrecy, 256-bit encryption, double VPN, obfuscated servers, and Tor Over VPN. There is an ad-blocker as well called CyberSec.

Thanks to its next-gen NordLynx protocol, NordVPN offers great torrenting speeds. During testing, we got an average bitrate of 8.02MiB/s, which was great as our base connection speed was 100 Mbps. There is a SOCKS5 proxy as well if you want better speeds with less encryption.

NordVPN is based in Panama and follows a strict no-logs policy that PwC has audited. Moreover, like ExpressVPN, NordVPN’s servers run in RAM mode. Therefore, they cannot store any data.

It supports 6 simultaneous connections on a single account, and there are native apps for various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, PC, and even routers.

All of this makes NordVPN a top VPN for torrenting. Also, you don’t have to trust the provider blindly, as the results speak for themselves. For details, you can read our NordVPN review.

4. IPVanish – Reliable torrenting VPN

IPVanish is a solid and reliable VPN for torrenting, offering good performance and features offering fast speeds.

IPVanish does not have dedicated servers for torrenting, but there are over 2,000 servers in 75 countries, so you can find servers close to you for fast download speeds. The provider offers WireGuard protocol, offering incredible speeds.

For instance, when we tested IPVanish with uTorrent, we got a bitrate of 6.8MiB/s. As you can see, the speed was great, considering our base connection was 100 Mbps. To improve speeds, you can even make use of its SOCKS5 proxy.

IPVanish also supports a split tunneling feature along with traffic obfuscation, hiding the fact that you are using a VPN by masking your encrypted traffic and making it seem like normal HTTPS traffic.

IPVanish offers a kill switch feature that you can enable in Settings. There is 256-bit encryption for data protection, along with IP leak protection.

IPVanish is a great multiple-device VPN as it supports unlimited simultaneous connections, so you can use one account on as many devices as you want.

One negative about IPVanish is that it’s based in the US,  a main member of the 5 eyes alliance. However, the provider ensures a strict no-logs policy and does not log any traffic data.

For details, you can read our detailed IPVanish review.

5. CyberGhost – Best torrenting VPN for beginners

CyberGhost is an excellent P2P VPN that offers a specialized torrenting experience thanks to its dedicated P2P servers. While the VPN is packed with features, its apps remain easy to use.

From the get-go, you can tell torrenting is a priority with CyberGhost, as the VPN offers special servers for torrenting purposes in 59 countries that you can find on its app. It means you don’t have to randomly fuss around testing servers, as the best P2P performance servers are marked in the app.

Overall, there are 7700 servers in 90 countries, so connecting to a nearby P2P server is simple, guaranteeing fast speed.

CyberGhost also supports the WireGuard protocol, so you won’t see any slowdowns while downloading. We connected to its Romania server, and it offered an average download speed of 76 Mbps, with a bitrate of 6.4MiB/s. This was great, as our base connection speed was 100 Mbps.

As for security and privacy, a specialized feature we love about CyberGhost is App Protection. It allows you to configure the VPN to automatically connect to a server of your choice when you launch a particular app. Using this feature, you can set your torrent client as the app and choose a P2P server.

Moreover, CyberGhost adheres to a strict no-logs policy and uses 256-bit encryption along with perfect forward secrecy for data encryption. It is based in Romania, a country known for good privacy laws.

It supports 7 simultaneous connections, so you can torrent with CyberGhost on any device you own because there are native apps for various platforms.

You can also check out our detailed CyberGhost VPN review to see what makes this VPN an excellent choice for torrenting and other online tasks.

6. Private Internet Access – Largest server network torrenting VPN

Private Internet Access offers a good balance of performance and price. It’s not a popular provider like the rest, but its features best suit the needs of torrents.

For starters, PIA VPN supports P2P traffic on all its servers. Speaking of which, although PIA no longer discloses its number of servers, the number crosses 35,000+ servers in 78 countries. That is more than what any of the providers offer in the industry right now.

The provider offers various customizable options. You can choose your desired tunneling protocol and encryption cipher. PIA VPN goes the extra mile to make port forwarding available, and there is an option to enable the incoming P2P traffic to bypass the NAT firewall, which helps improve speeds.

Speaking of speed, on its Netherlands server, PIA managed a download speed of 72 Mbps on a 100 Mbps home connection, with a bitrate of 5.7MiB/s with uTorrent on WireGuard.

As you can see, it is not as fast as its competitors, but there are plenty of domestic servers you can connect to for fast speed. On the bright side, we did not experience any drop in connections with PIA. Moreover, it offers a SOCKS5 proxy for those who want fast download speeds with less encryption.

PIA passed all our torrenting security tests owing to its zero-logs policy leak protection, ad-blocker (MACE), kill switch, and AES 256-bit encryption. It also supports 10 simultaneous connections.

One thing we found lacking in PIA is that it’s based in the US, a key member of the 5 Eyes Alliance. According to the US Patriot Act, federal agencies can force businesses to disclose user data.

But there have been several real-world cases where PIA had no data to share with the FBI because it does not keep any logs. Therefore, it’s a safe choice for torrenting. You can read our PIA VPN review for details.

Our Selection Process for Choosing the Best VPN for Torrenting

To find the best VPN for torrenting, we assess VPN providers on the same criteria to ensure a fair comparison and to bring you the best P2P VPN. Here are some key features that we tested each VPN on.

1. Torrenting Performance

P2P connections consume a lot of bandwidth. Therefore, the VPN you choose should support unlimited bandwidth and data, so you don’t have to worry about running out of data while downloading torrents.

Moreover, the VPN should work with all popular torrent clients such as uTorrent, Vuze, BitTorrent, and others. It should also work with P2P streaming sites like Popcorn Time, Stremio, Plex, and Popcornflix.

2. Speed

The whole idea of torrenting is the ability to exchange files quickly. So, the faster your VPN is, the better. The minimum requirement is an average bitrate over 5MiB/s. Anything below that will yield poor performance. A fast VPN can make a difference between waiting minutes or hours for your files to download.

3. Security Features

A secure encrypted VPN keeps your P2P traffic hidden from third parties and ISP. Some of the necessary features include a kill switch, AES 256-bit encryption, firewall, IP, and DNS leak protection.

Some additional features include port forwarding, split tunneling, and a SOCKS5 proxy for secure torrenting.

4. No-logs Policy

It is important to use a VPN for torrenting with a clear no-logs privacy policy with absolutely no connection or activity logs. If third parties audit a VPN, it is much easier to trust because it would mean that your privacy will be respected while you are torrenting.

5. Server Locations

The VPN should offer a large server network with availability in various regions. Some torrenting VPNs only allow P2P traffic on a few servers, while some allow P2P traffic on all servers.

It is best if the VPN offers at least one P2P server in your region, which is ideal for getting fast connection speeds. Long-distance connections will be too slow.

6. Device Compatibility

The best VPN should be compatible with a variety of devices and should have native apps for Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, and more. This way, you will be able to torrent on your chosen device securely.

Moreover, a minimum of 5 simultaneous connections should be supported on a single account, so you can torrent and do other activities on devices without any limitations.

7. Price and Money-Back Guarantee

Most top-shelf VPNs like ExpressVPN offer the best quality and a good price tag. If a VPN charges above the average price, with average performance and features, it’s a hard pass for us. The best VPN for torrenting should offer a good balance between price and value.

There should also be a money-back guarantee policy, so you can give the VPN a try risk-free and get a refund if you’re not satisfied.

8. Customer Support

Even though VPNs are very easy to use, you might run into problems while torrenting, like choosing a P2P server location, changing ports, etc. Therefore, it is essential that the best VPN offers 24/7 customer support that you can contact in case of assistance.

Tips to Improve Torrenting Experience With a VPN

• Enable port forwarding: Port forwarding is a favorite feature among torrenters because it improves download speeds by allowing clients to connect to more peers. Make sure to enable the port forwarding feature in your VPN before torrenting.
• Make sure the kill switch is turned on: A VPN kill switch stops all internet traffic if the VPN connection suddenly drops, preventing your IP address to leak. Therefore, make sure to enable the kill switch before torrenting.
• Disable NAT Firewall: Most VPN services have in-built NAT firewalls that block connections from peers on P2P networks. This can prevent torrents from functioning properly, so make sure to disable them before downloading torrents.
• Enable ad/malware blocker: Torrent websites are a haven for malware and viruses. Using an updated ad/malware blocker that scans torrents and flags any malicious activity is a good idea.
• Bind your IP address: IP binding ensures all torrenting is done over a P2P VPN server. In this process, you bind an IP address to your torrent client, so downloads only take place on a specific IP address. If the VPN connection drops, none of the P2P traffic will leak onto your real IP address.

Best VPN for Torrenting FAQs

Is torrenting with a VPN legal?

Yes, torrenting itself with a VPN is legal, but it can be used for digital piracy, which is not legal. Users can safely and privately torrent with a VPN.

Is torrenting with a VPN safe?

Yes, torrenting with a VPN is completely safe if you use a secure P2P network. Some people use torrent sites to spread malware, but with the help of a VPN like Surfshark, you can protect yourself while torrenting.

How to use a VPN for safe torrenting?

Here’s how to torrent safely with a VPN:

1. Choose a reliable VPN. We recommend Surfshark.
2. Download and install the VPN on your device.
3. Connect to a server and visit the torrent site you want to download files safely.

What countries are best for torrenting and P2P traffic?

Countries that are best for torrenting and P2P include Mexico, Romania, Spain, Hungary, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Croatia, and Iceland. These countries don’t have anti-torrent legislation in place.

What VPNs you should avoid torrenting?

Not all VPNs are fit for torrenting, and some services are so unsafe and precarious that they should be avoided for torrenting at all costs. Here are a few paid and free VPNs that you should avoid while torrenting:

• Hola VPN – it uses a P2P network to establish a connection and turns users’ devices into bots.
• Betternet – steep prices but lacks basic security features like a kill switch.
• SuperVPN – has a history of leaking user credentials on the dark web.
• Turbo VPN – apps contain built-in malware, and it blocks P2P traffic.

Can I use a free VPN for torrenting?

You can use a free VPN for torrenting, but most free VPNs are not safe for regular use, let alone torrenting. Moreover, P2P connections use a lot of bandwidth, but free VPNs, on the other hand, only offer a limited amount of data which is not enough.

Additionally, free VPNs log user data and are a privacy hazard. Therefore, we only recommend using a paid, trustworthy VPN for P2P activities.

Why do VPNs block torrenting?

Some VPNs block torrenting on their servers because it may be considered illegal in most countries. Some VPNs only block P2P traffic on some servers where torrenting is illegal, like the US, UK, etc.

Final Words

Whatever you are downloading through torrents, we advise you to take caution. Although torrenting itself is not considered illegal, doing it without a VPN might lead to a lot of trouble – ranging from legal issues to malware and exposure.

The best VPN for torrenting, like Surfshark, can minimize all these risks associated with P2P. We have done our research, so you don’t have to when searching for the best P2P VPNs. Our recommended providers offer all the necessary features and tools required for safe torrenting.