10 Best VPNs for Torrenting 2020 | Fast & Secure Torrent & P2P Friendly VPNs

If you want to torrent movies, TV shows, music, or software, you’re going to need a VPN to do it safely. In this guide, we show you the best VPNs to use when torrenting and why.

The Best VPNs for Torrenting at a glance

If you’re short on time, we have listed our top 5 torrenting VPN recommendations below. If you want to know more about any of the providers listed, or would like to see some alternatives, click here.

1. 
   Private Internet Access
   
   – One of the most secure VPNs for torrenting. PIA has proven its no logs claim in court & is loaded with privacy features.
2. 
   CyberGhost VPN
   
   – A great torrent VPN choice with split tunneling for targeted protection and a super-generous 45-day money-back guarantee.
3. 
   ExpressVPN
   
   – This premium VPN is torrent-friendly and an exemplary all-round VPN service. Ideal for torrenting with excellent speeds & privacy.
4. 
   Surfshark
   
   – A cheap VPN for torrenting. From $2.49 per month you get a zero-logs policy, excellent speeds & an impressive server network.
5. 
   IPVanish
   
   – A consistently fast VPN for torrenting. Offers great speeds through a proprietary network of servers, which is excellent for privacy.

Try PIA our #1 VPN for torrenting

See in-depth analysis

Torrenting can cause all kinds of headaches, depending on the content you’re downloading, from your internet service provider cutting off your plan to lengthy legal battles that can result in a fine or even jail time. By simply using a virtual private network (VPN) when torrenting, you can avoid all of these risks and get peace of mind.

But, it’s important to pick the right VPN if you intend on using it for torrenting. Not every VPN supports P2P file sharing, and some of those that do might not have the best track record in standing up for their users when copyright holders coming knocking. It really can be a minefield.

To make choosing the right torrent VPN easier for you, we have outlined the best VPNs for torrenting in this guide. All of these services will help protect your privacy when downloading torrents and will greatly reduce the risk of you being caught.

Before we recommend a VPN as being safe to use for torrenting, we first check:

• It has strong well-implemented encryption
• It doesn’t leak
• It’s equipped with key features, like a kill-switch
• It offers fast VPN speeds

Only VPNs that can offer all of the above are considered for our best VPN for torrenting list. So, now that you know what we’re looking for, let’s take a closer look at our recommendations.

The Best VPNs for Torrenting (P2P Downloading) | In-depth Analysis

In the list below, we take an in-depth look at our top VPN picks for torrenting. They all allow P2P on their networks, but they can differ in terms of speeds and feature sets, so check out the summaries to see which provider will work best for your particular needs.

Private Internet Access is our #1 VPN for torrenting. It’s the only service on this list to have proven its no-logs claim in court & it has built a solid reputation for being secure, so you’re in safe hands with PIA.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.84 –
  ^$10.51

• Speeds

  • 57.67 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Private Internet Access (PIA), unlike many US-based companies, fully allows torrenting on all of its 16,862 servers spanning 74 countries (and growing). Torrenters can take heart in the fact that PIA is almost unique among VPN providers in having its no-logs claims proven in court!

Linux users will be pleased to note that PIA offers a full Linux GUI client providing all the functionality users on other platforms enjoy – including a kill-switch. Indeed, the fact that PIA offers kill-switches in all its custom VPN apps (Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, and iOS) is dandy for torrenters, as is its support for port forwarding through its NAT firewall, which can help improve download times. 

Torrenters might also appreciate the SOCKS5 proxy offered by PIA which can provide “double-protection” for your BitTorrent downloads, or can be used to protect only the BitTorrent app (similar to split tunneling). 

Customer support is not quite as 24/7 as advertised, but PIA offers a robust 30-day money guarantee, so you can test it out risk-free for an entire month. 

CyberGhost is a great VPN for downloading torrents because it’s cheap, easy to use and highly secure. A great choice if you torrent on multiple different devices.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.81 –
  ^$13.47

• Speeds

  • 30.63 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

CyberGhost permits torrenting on most of its servers, although not in the United States or Canada because of the hostile copyright environments in both countries. North Americans can still download P2P using CyberGhost’s European servers, however. In addition, it runs special P2P-optimized servers in 90 countries throughout the world.    

A feature that may be of particular interest to torrenters is “App Protection,” which allows you to specify that only certain apps are protected by the VPN. Such as your BitTorrent app! This is also known as ‘split-tunneling’ in VPN circles.

Torrenters will also appreciate kill-switches baked into (and enabled by default) both CyberGhost’s Windows and macOS apps. CyberGhost offers 24/7 live chat support if you need it, plus it has a very generous 45-day money-back guarantee on subscription plans longer than one month. You can even try the service out gratis for 24-hours before needing to supply any payment details, which is plenty of time to download some test torrents! 

The final thing for torrenters to note is that this Romanian company keeps no logs that can be handed over to rights holders, no matter how much pressure they may apply.

ExpressVPN featuring on our best VPNs for torrenting list should come as no surprise. With this VPN you get some of the best speeds you will find in a VPN, and security features to match.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$6.67 –
  ^$12.95

• Speeds

  • 51.29 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

ExpressVPN is one of the most respected names in the VPN industry. It allows torrenting on all its 160 server locations in 94 countries around the world, although it prefers (quite understandably) to keep low key about this.

Torrenters will appreciate the fact that ExpressVPN’s Windows and Mac apps have excellent, airtight kill-switches that work to ‘kill’ the user’s internet connection should the VPN drop out for any reason. And being based in the British Virgin Islands allows ExpressVPN to implement a robust no-logs policy, ensuring that it keeps no records to be handed over to copyright enforcers.

If you encounter any problems, then ExpresVPN’s 24/7 live chat support team is friendly and highly knowledgeable. A 30-day “no-quibbles” money-back guarantee also helps to ensure peace of mind.

Surfshark is a cheap VPN for torrenting. A young provider in the market, but is proving itself excellent for torrenting with great speeds & security features.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.49 –
  ^$12.95

• Speeds

  • 63.82 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Surfshark is a VPN service based in the British Virgin Islands that permits Bittorrenting on a huge choice of servers. This provider has a tier-1 network of servers in over 60 countries, which means you can get privacy and great speeds for downloading no matter where you live. With your privacy assured thanks to its zero-logs policy, you can use Surfshark to download on any torrent client. And thanks to its robust kill-switch, you never have to worry about leaking data to your ISP should the VPN connection fail for any reason.

This VPN will help you to unblock restricted torrent sites like the Pirate Bay, and it has software for all platforms to help you torrent safely on any device. In addition to torrenting, this VPN reliably unblocks streams and international services such as Netflix US and Hulu. Considering the price, this VPN is truly mind-blowing, which is why it has such an exceptional reputation with consumers.

It can be used on an unlimited number of devices simultaneously, and you can test it risk-free thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. 

IPVanish is another no-logs torrenting VPN. Running mostly on a proprietary network, your download speeds will remain fast and consistent when connected to this service.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$6.49 –
  ^$10.00

• Speeds

  • 45.80 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

IPVanish is a US-based VPN that implements a strong no-logs policy and OpenVPN encryption. This means that you can access any restricted torrent site and perform downloading securely inside the private VPN tunnel. With IPVanish, you get apps for all platforms, and you can use the VPN on an unlimited number of devices simultaneously. This is very generous and means that you can use the VPN on all of your devices at the same time; even while it is downloading content on a torrent client.

IPVanish also has a kill-switch to ensure you don’t accidentally leak data to your ISP, this ensures that you can torrent safely, without a second thought that you’ll get into trouble. And IPVanish can also unblock many sought-after streaming services such as Netflix US and BBC iPlayer. Finally, IPVanish primarily runs on a proprietary network, which means that it provides excellent speeds for torrenting or streaming in HD. Worth comparing to other services using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Hide.me is an excellent choice if you want a VPN for torrenting. This Malaysian based VPN is packed full of high-end VPN features and a zero-logs policy.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.43 –
  ^$12.95

• Speeds

  • 78.05 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Hide.me VPN is a service that always impresses us during our tests. The VPN has software for all platforms, and those apps are both easy to use but also jam-packed with premium features. With Hide.me you get a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, a choice of encryption, obfuscated servers, port forwarding, and split tunneling. This makes the VPN perfect for downloading via BitTorrent. Plus Hide.me has a zero-logs policy, which means it never has any records of what its users do while connected.

Hide.me is a VPN that is heavily weighted towards privacy, however, it will easily allow you to unblock any blocked torrent repositories. And you can use this VPN while using any torrent client or even apps like Popcorn Time or Flixtor. We love that you can use this VPN on up to 10 simultaneous devices. And with average download speeds of just under 80 Mbps, you’ll be able to download content in a flash. Test it risk-free, with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

NordVPN is a great VPN for torrenting on all platforms. Its slick smartphone apps mean you can expect the same great security and speed on Android & iOS that you get on Windows & Mac.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$3.71 –
  ^$11.95

• Speeds

  • 75.99 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

NordVPN is a well-known VPN service that is perfect for anybody who wants a ton of advanced VPN privacy features. It is a zero-logs provider based in Panama, which makes it great in terms of data privacy. The VPN has a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation (stealth mode), OpenVPN encryption, double-hop routing, VPN into Tor, and split tunneling. All of these features make NordVPN a great option for torrenting.

Unfortunately, NordVPN does not offer port forwarding – which may leave some users wanting. However, for the vast majority of people, NordVPN will permit torrenting without issues. With servers in 59 countries, you can easily bypass blocks to access torrent repositories and websites in places where they are restricted. And, with Nord, you can download anything you want without fear of being tracked down by copyright holders. Plus, NordVPN will protect your IP address from the swarm to ensure you aren’t victimized by malicious peers.

Finally, you can trial the service risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee. A lightning-fast VPN that is well worth testing.

Ivacy is the cheapest VPN for torrenting on our list. Starting at just $1.50 this budget VPN is secure, has decent speeds and servers in over 100 countries.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$0.99 –
  ^$9.95

• Speeds

  • 103.02 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Ivacy VPN is a service based in Singapore that provides excellent apps and outstanding value for money. The VPN has apps for all platforms, and it has everything you need to torrent safely. Ivacy is a no-logs service, which means you never have to worry about it having logs about what you downloaded Peer to Peer. And, because it provides DNS leak protection and strong encryption – your ISP will never be able to track your torrenting activity.

With Ivacy you get servers in over 100 countries, which means you can easily unblock torrent sites in countries where they are blocked. And Ivacy is one of the few VPNs that offer port forwarding – an advanced VPN feature that will come in very handy for torrenters who want to seed and leech regularly. We love that in addition to helping subscribers torrent safely, this VPN can unblock Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and many other popular streaming services from all over the world. 

This is certainly a VPN that is well worth testing using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

PrivateVPN is a reliable, torrent-friendly VPN from Sweden. It has excellent apps for all platforms – including Android and iOS – and fast speeds thanks to an impressive feature set.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$1.89 –
  ^$7.12

• Speeds

  • 37.02 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

PrivateVPN is a provider based in Sweden that is perfect for securing your digital privacy online. It is a no-logs service that never keeps any records about what you do online. This makes it great for gaining online privacy for your torrenting activity or other sensitive tasks.

With PrivateVPN, you get a kill-switch and Port Forwarding which makes it an excellent option for anybody who wants to download content P2P. And this VPN has obfuscation for bypassing VPN firewalls. We love that PrivateVPN has apps for all platforms, and because it has servers in over 60 countries you can always access torrents no matter where you live.

PrivateVPN is surprisingly fast and fully-featured considering the relatively low cost of a subscription. And, it is highly versatile due to its ability to reliably unblock sought-after streaming services like Netflix US and iPlayer. We enjoy using PrivateVPN on all platforms and consider this one of the world’s best VPNs for torrenting.

You can test it using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

VyprVPN is the perfect for the privacy-conscious torrenter. Their service is zero-logs – which has been fully audited – and it operates on fast and secure proprietary servers, which are situated globally.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.50 –
  ^$12.95

• Speeds

  • 34.39 Mbps

• Kill switch?

• Port forwarding?

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

VyprVPN allows P2P torrenting on all its server locations in over 70 countries. It is now based in Switzerland and has gone 100% no-logs, a claim which has been verified by the most far-ranging third-party audit yet performed in the VPN industry. So, no handing over of details it doesn’t have to copyright owners!

Although torrenting is now technically illegal in Switzerland thanks to its uploading element, the country remains amongst the most liberal in the world when it comes to copyright enforcement (the right to download movies and music for personal use is protected in law!).

VyprVPN offers 24/7 live chat support in case you have any problems and a money-back guarantee up to 30-days after purchase.

Which is the Fastest VPN for Torrenting?

We run three speed tests a day in order to help you understand which of our torrenting VPNs is the fastest. The most up-to-date results are displayed in the table below – so take a look!

Will a VPN improve my download speeds?

Unfortunately not. This is a common misconception about VPNs. In actuality, many VPNs will cause you to experience a slight reduction in your speeds since the VPN will encrypt your connection and route your data through a remote server. However, this discrepancy in speed will be marginal when using the super-fast servers provided by our top VPN picks in this guide.

The one circumstance where a VPN might improve your speeds is if your ISP is actively throttling P2P traffic on your network. If you believe this is happening to you – and slowing your download speeds as a result – then a VPN might be the answer. Since a VPN encrypts your online traffic, it will be completely concealed from your ISP – and because it won’t know what you’re up to, it won’t be able to throttle your connection.

Fortunately, all our VPN picks offer generous money-back guarantees, so you can test them out risk-free and see how they work out for you before committing to them fully.

Why are these the best VPNs for downloading torrents?

Privacy and security should always be your number one priority when choosing a VPN if you intend to use it for torrenting. However, to avoid frustratingly long download times, speed comes in at a close second. 

Below, we’ve outlined some key criteria to keep in mind when deciding which VPN to use for torrenting. This should give you some insight into why we picked these VPNs over the hundreds of others available on the market today.

• The VPN must allow P2P filer sharing (torrenting). This seems obvious, but there are a surprising number of VPNs that don’t allow users to torrent on their networks.
• A proven track record of privacy and security. Privacy policies and past behavior are very telling when it comes to knowing if you can rely on your VPN for privacy.
• A no-logging policy. If your VPN keeps no logs about you, it can’t be forced to hand anything over if asked to do so by the authorities.
• Fast and stable servers. We know how frustrating long download times can be when torrenting – these VPNs won’t noticeably slow down your connection.
• A kill-switch and other useful privacy features. A kill-switch is crucial for anyone torrenting through a VPN since it will prevent your data from being revealed if your connection drops out for any reason. 
• No leaks. A VPN that leaks is completely useless, but it can become outright dangerous when you’re torrenting, so we use our VPN leak test tool to make sure all of our picks are watertight. 

Why do I need a VPN for torrenting?

Nearly all internet users can benefit from using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), but if you’re a frequent torrenter, then you should consider them absolutely essential.

There is, of course, nothing illegal about torrenting, per se. It’s just a protocol, and one used for perfectly legitimate reasons, such as downloading Linux distros. But anyone reading this article knows exactly what torrenting is typically used for, and copyright holders don’t like it one bit.

Using a VPN protects you when torrenting in two key ways:

• You connect to a server that sits between you and the internet. This means anyone on the internet, including other BitTorrent peers, see the internet (IP) address of the VPN server you’re connected to instead of your real IP address.
• The connection between your device and the server is encrypted. This prevents your internet provider (ISP) from seeing what you download.

How do I access blocked torrent sites?

Besides the protections listed above, VPNs are also very useful for torrenters because they can give you the power to unblock torrent sites.

It is common practice in many parts of the world for ISPs to block access to torrent websites. But just as VPN tech prevents anyone on the internet from seeing your real IP address, it also works the other way round and prevents your ISP from seeing what you get up to on the internet.

And what your ISP can’t see, it can’t block. So accessing blocked torrent sites is as easy as connecting to a server located somewhere that doesn’t block them. 

This is just a very brief overview of VPN technology – for a more detailed look, check out our what is a VPN? Non-technical beginner’s guide. 

How to use a VPN for torrenting

Setting up and using a VPN for torrenting is much like setting up a VPN for anything else. However, depending on what you intend to torrent, there are a few tests that we recommend you perform on your VPN before you begin downloading torrents – just to be on the safe side.

To set up, just follow these steps:

Following these steps will get you up and running in just a few minutes with your VPN. But, setting up a VPN so that it works optimally when you’re torrenting is far more nuanced than a six-step process. If you would like to take the setup of your VPN further, check out our step-by-step guide to setting up and using a VPN for torrenting.

How to test your VPN is working

As stated at the top of this guide, your number one concern when deciding which VPN to use when torrenting should be privacy and security. That’s why before using a VPN to torrent with, you should always check to make sure that it is working properly.

To do this simply:

If you would like to know more about improving your privacy when torrenting, check out our guide on how to torrent safely for more tips.

Other VPNs that allow file sharing

We’ve put together a short list, but it doesn’t cover all the VPNs out there that allow torrenting. In fact, most (but certainly not all – see below) reputable paid-for services allow torrenting these days. These include: 

Feel free to try any of them, most have money-back guarantees, so you can do so without risk.

VPNs to avoid if you want to file-share (P2P)

These providers, listed below, are known to either not allow torrenting or are simply not recommended to use while torrenting. Again, please note that this list is not at all exhaustive.

What about free VPNs for torrenting?

Running a VPN service is a major operation. And an incredibly expensive one at that. No-one, and we mean absolutely no-one, will do this for “free”. 

There are free services around, but the more reputable of these offer free plans that are severely limited in various ways – such as restricted speeds or strict download limits. They then hope these free plans will entice you into paying for a premium subscription.

These, at least, are transparent about how they monetize their free services. Less reputable providers have been known to spy on users’s information and sell user data to the highest bidder, or to steal and sell your bandwidth.

And almost no decent free VPN services permit P2P, anyway! Dealing with the hassle of DMCA notices and the like simply isn’t worth it for non-paying customers!

Can I download a cracked VPN from torrent sites?

If you pirate everything else, you might be wondering whether you can torrent a VPN? 

There is an increasing number of VPN apps appearing on torrent sites, complete with cracks, but downloading one is a terrible idea for several reasons:

• All reputable services work on a subscription model. Functionality is, therefore, tied to your account, not whether you are using “activated” software or suchlike. So “cracking” the software is pointless.
• This means the so-called “cracks” bundled with apps on torrent sites are invariably malware. Make sure to avoid, avoid, avoid!
• It is also possible to torrent “free” VPN apps. Apart from the fact that these are readily available anyway, many of them are scams that monetize their service by stealing your browser history and/or bandwidth (see the section above).

Check out our best torrent sites article for a list of the best sites in 2020.

FAQs

Conclusion

Now we have covered all the important aspects of torrenting with a VPN and how to do it safely, let’s review our top picks:

1. 
   Private Internet Access
   
   – One of the most secure VPNs for torrenting. PIA has proven its no logs claim in court & is loaded with privacy features.
2. 
   CyberGhost VPN
   
   – A great torrent VPN choice with split tunneling for targeted protection and a super-generous 45-day money-back guarantee.
3. 
   ExpressVPN
   
   – This premium VPN is torrent-friendly and an exemplary all-round VPN service. Ideal for torrenting with excellent speeds & privacy.
4. 
   Surfshark
   
   – A cheap VPN for torrenting. From $2.49 per month you get a zero-logs policy, excellent speeds & an impressive server network.
5. 
   IPVanish
   
   – A consistently fast VPN for torrenting. Offers great speeds through a proprietary network of servers, which is excellent for privacy.