Torrenting in itself isn’t illegal and has plenty of great uses. For example, distributing hard-to-find materials that are missing from file-sharing services. Or, media or art whose copyright protection expired. Obviously, transferring copyrighted or forbidden materials via torrents breaks most countries’ laws. But whichever activity you partake in (although we don’t condone the latter), everyone, including your ISP, can see your IP address and thus pinpoint your location and identity before matching it to files you downloaded. So, to protect your privacy while boosting security, we suggest using one or more of the best VPN for torrenting.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the top VPN for torrenting because all of its 3000+ servers in 94 countries support P2P data transfer. Besides having a strict-no-log policy, the provider is based in the British Virgin Islands, a country with no mandatory data retention laws. Also, they deploy AES-256 standard to encrypt the traffic between you and their VPN servers and TrustedServer, e.g., host VPN servers on RAM, so all data gets wiped on power off. And, although more expensive than the competition, ExpressVPN won our fastest VPN service competition. Finally, the service works in China and unblocks Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and popular streaming services.
2. NordVPN
NordVPN would’ve taken then the top spot if it weren’t for the fact that not all their 5250+ servers in 60 countries support torrenting. Instead, you must connect to P2P-optimized servers inside their apps. The upsides are that it also bypasses VPN blocks on all most-used streaming platforms and offers AES-256-GCM encryption. NordVPN offers a zero-logging policy and has headquarters in Panama, which doesn’t mandate data retention. Furthermore, the service offers Double VPN (essentially double encryption), combines TOR (The Onion Router) and VPN, and supports up to 6 devices at once, split tunneling, and kill switch.
3. Surfshark
If you’re looking for an affordable VPN for torrenting, look no further than Surfshark. Except for the price, most of their features resemble ExpressVPN. They’re based in the same country, offer a zero-logging policy, support torrents on all 3200+ serves in 65 locations, and operate every VPN server on RAM. As if that wasn’t enough, the VPN service also uses AES-256-bit encryption, circumvents geo-location blocks by all well-known streaming services, and even bounces traffic between 2 or more VPNs servers via MultiHop. Finally, Surfshark comes with CleanWeb – a blocker for ads/trackers/malware.
4. Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access went through a restructuring in mid-2021, going from around 30,000 servers to an undisclosed number spread across 78 countries. However, all servers allow safe torrenting, and most of them run on RAM. The VPN service has a no-log policy, supports encryption cipher adjustment between 128-bit and 256-bit AES to improve VPN speed, and comes with an ad/tracker/malware blocker named MACE. Finally, PIA offers open-source apps and a SOCKS5 VPN proxy while supporting paying with cryptocurrency and full money refunds within 30 days.
5. CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost VPN is a Romania-based VPN provider with an iron-clad no-logging policy and 256-bit AES encryption. Their payment plans are one of the cheapest, support cryptocurrency as a form of payment, and are eligible for a 45-day money-back policy. Plus, before you commit, the VPN service covers you with a 1-day free trial on desktop and a 7-day trial on mobile – no personal or payment details are required. As for torrents, even though CyberGhost VPN supports it on a portion of their 7350+VPN servers in 91 countries, the sheer number still wins over VPNs whose smaller network supports it on all.
6. IPVanish
Even though it’s based in the United States, you’ve nothing to fear with IPVanish. They own their VPN infrastructure wholly and have a true no-logging policy. Plus, the VPN provider permits safe P2P data transfer on all VPN servers, including those in the United States. SOCKS5 proxy, extensive app support, AES-256-bit encryption, and kill switch contribute to the security as well, and many have found IPVanish to be among the fastest VPN providers around. What’s more, the VPN service allows up to 10 simultaneous connections, combines TOR with VPN, and unblocks some streaming services – HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, etc.
7. PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is a VPN provider with headquarters in Sweden. Just like IPVanish, PrivateVPN stores no data logs and owns its infrastructure, which consists of approximately 100 servers in 63 server locations. They advertise unlimited P2P file sharing support alongside the highest-level encryption – AES-256 with 2048-bit keys. Moreover, the VPN service supports all modern security protocols, including OpenVPN, and IKEv2, and L2TP over IPSec. Finally, having actual PrivateVPN app developers and security experts working as Customer Service representatives 24/7 is likely its best feature.
8. Mullvad
We mentioned Mullvad when analyzing the top VPNs for Linux. While its price is 5€/month regardless of plan length since 2009, it has other benefits. One of them is anonymity – you can pay with cryptocurrency or even put money in an envelope and sent it through the mail. There are no user accounts either since you generate an access token valid for the time you specified. Also, it doesn’t have a lot of servers but allows connecting with up to 5 devices at once. Lastly, you can torrent to your heart’s content thanks to their no data logging policy.
9. Windscribe
Wndscribe is our go-to free VPN for torrenting that offers 10-15 GB of free data monthly. What’s more, their paid subscription comes with an unlimited number of concurrent connections. The service is known for never storing logs, offering 256-bit AES encryption, bypassing Netflix VPN block, and 24/7 Customer Support. Furthermore, you can use P2P traffic on the vast majority of paid VPN servers in 63 countries, and on 10 free VPN servers. An added benefit is R.O.B.E.R.T, their name for an ad, tracker, malware, and crypto-miner blocker, as well as the fact it works in China.
10. Hide.me
Hide.me is located in a privacy-friendly country, Malaysia. It offers 1800+ servers in 72 locations worldwide, all of which support safe torrenting. The VPN provider supports the latest security protocols, including WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and Softether, while utilizing AES-256 military-grade encryption. Hide.me also unblocks the majority of leading streaming platforms, has zero data logging, and comes with 24/7 Customer Service. Moreover, it permits paying with Bitcoin and connecting up to 10 different devices concurrently. Unfortunately, it’s on par with ExpressVPN in terms of price – on the higher end.
