By using a VPN for eMule, you can hide your activity from prying eyes and unblock it if your internet service provider (ISP) restricts it on its network.
eMule is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program for Windows. In principle, it works much like a BitTorrent client, meaning it is just as important to use a VPN with eMule as it is when torrenting. VPNs encrypt the data going to and from your device which drastically improves your privacy online and when using eMule.
In this article, we list the best VPNs for eMule and give you some tips on how to fix low ID and use port forwarding in the P2P app.
What is the best VPNs for eMule?
Our experts have listed the best VPNs for eMule below. If you need more information about any of the services in our best eMule VPN list, scroll below this list and check out our detailed in-depth of each VPN.
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ExpressVPN
– The best VPN for eMule. It’s has reliably fast servers based in over 90 countries and has great privacy and security features. -
Private Internet Access
– The most secure VPN for eMule. It has proven in court that it doesn’t keep logs and has advanced torrenting features. -
PrivateVPN
– A brilliant eMule VPN and great value for money. It lives up to it’s name as it has great privacy and security features. -
Ivacy
– The cheapest VPN for eMule. It’s fast, has excellent security features, and low ID won’t be an issue with this VPN. -
Hide.me
– A great all-round eMule VPN. It has a stealth Guard feature which is handy for eMule users.
All the eMule VPN services listed above have the following features to ensure that you get the most out of your VPN:
- Fast servers
- Strong privacy features
- Allow P2P downloading on their servers
- Offers Split tunneling
The best eMule VPN services – In-depth analysis
We take a closer look at the best VPNs for eMule below. If you need any more information about the services in the list, check out our detailed VPN reviews.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for eMule. It allows torrenting on all of their super-fast servers in 90+ countries, has great torrenting features including split tunnelling and it’s secure.
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Pricing
From
$6.67 –
$12.95 -
Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
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Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
ExpressVPN offers just about the best VPN service around at the moment. It tops our list of eMule VPNs because the company has a fast network and is fine about customers joining P2P networks.
The customer support team is available 24/7 and, therefore, can be reached at almost any hour of the day. Each representative has proven incredibly competent at solving customers’ problems, too. ExpressVPN is a little on the expensive side compared to others, but its base of operations in the British Virgin Islands means there is no requirement for data retention.
Private Internet Access is the most secure VPN for eMule. It has proven in a court of law that it doesn’t keep logs, offers Port forwarding, and strong encryption.
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Pricing
From
$2.69 –
$9.95 -
Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
-
Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
Private Internet Access is a US-based service that has a strong reputation for protecting its customers’ privacy and has had its no-logs policy put to test in front of two courts of law!
PIA allows P2P (torrenting or eMule) on all its 3,295 servers in 29 countries, and support for (static) port forwarding through its NAT firewall for High ID performance.
It also offers kill switches in all its custom VPN apps (Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, and iOS), and Linux eMulers should be particularly pleased to note that its full GUI Linux app offers all the features available to users on other platforms.
PrivateVPN is a fantastic VPN for eMule. It’s fantastic value for money, private by name, private by nature. It has excellent encryption and a strong no-logs policy.
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Pricing
From
$1.89 –
$7.12 -
Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
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Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
PrivateVPN is based in Sweden, this no-logs VPN service takes its name seriously. P2P is permitted (even encouraged!) on all its 100+ servers in 56 countries around the world.
PrivateVPN also supports dynamic port forwarding for High ID when using eMule, but not static port forwarding (for security reasons). Although this means you can’t simply select a port to listen in on in eMule since it changes each time you connect to a VPN server, this can be fixed using uPnP on your router.
Technical security is great, and the Windows client features a system-level kill switch to ensure against VPN drops when downloading with eMule.
Ivacy is the cheapest VPN for eMule. It’s super-fast, secure, and because it doesn’t use NAT firewall by default low ID shouldn’t be an issue. Has optional NAT firewall with port forwarding
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Pricing
From
$1.00 –
$9.95 -
Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
-
Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
Ivacy is a Singapore-based VPN that offers a very professional product at surprisingly low prices. It keeps no logs that can threaten your privacy, technical security is great, and its Windows and Android apps feature kill switches and split-tunneling.
This last may be of interest to eMule users, as it allows you to use the VPN only for eMule (and other selected programs), while leaving your internet connection unaffected for your regular apps. An even bigger pull, though, is that Ivacy does not use a NAT firewall by default, so low ID shouldn’t be a problem.
And if the lack of a NAT firewall worries, no problem! As a bolt-on extra you can add a NAT firewall, which comes port forwarding included to ensure it doesn’t damage your High ID.
Hide.me is a great all-round eMule VPN. It has servers in 70+ countries and allows torrenting on most of them. Pick what apps stop working if your VPN fails with their Stealth Guard feature.
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Pricing
From
$2.43 –
$12.95 -
Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
-
Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
Hide.me is a VPN based in Malaysian. It’s a little on the pricey side, but, It keeps zero-logs, allows P2P downloading on most of its servers (except Australia, Mexico, USA and UK, thanks to those countries rigorous copyright enforcement) permits up to 10 simultaneous connections, and supports dynamic port forwarding.
Hide.me’s Stealth Guard feature is also handy, as it allows you to specify which apps will not work in the event of a VPN failure (so is perfect for eMule).
What is a VPN for eMule?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an online privacy service that allows you to hide what you get up to on the internet from others, get around blocks and other forms of censorship, and appear to be in another country to access services such as US Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
It will also protect you from hackers when using public WiFi networks, and when using P2P file sharing networks such as eMule.
For more information on VPNs in general, please check out our VPNs for Beginners guide.
What is eMule
If you don’t know already, eMule is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing program for Windows. In principle, it works much like a BitTorrent client, meaning it shares the same pros and cons as torrenting. Given the risks involved, it’s important you only use eMule when connected to a VPN.
Why do I need a VPN for eMule?
eMule is a peer-to-peer file sharing application, so files are shared among other eMule users. And when files are shared among other users, you can see who they are and they can see who you are via IP address. It’s how file sharing works!
A VPN hides who you are from other eMule users because the VPN server sits between you and the internet. Other eMule users will, therefore, see the unique IP address of the VPN server instead of your real one.
A VPN will also hide what you download from your internet provider (ISP) because all data traveling between your PC and the VPN server is securely encrypted. If you value privacy when downloading with eMule you should therefore always use a VPN.
What is Low ID and Port Forwarding?
Even more so than with BitTorrent, eMule requires that you have open UDP and TCP ports to work at its best. If the open ports are not accessible from the internet, this results in what is termed low ID. You can still share files with low ID, but downloads will be much slower than if you have high ID.
Many VPN services use NAT firewalls to help protect their users from external threats, but a NAT firewall will block access to open ports on your PC, and thus result in low ID.
Some VPN services offer port forwarding, which effectively opens a hole in the NAT firewall so that connections can be routed to an open port on your computer. But eMule does not play ball very well with any modern firewall, including the built-in Windows Defender firewall. Thanks to UPnP it can usually automatically configure to work with most firewalls, but if a NAT firewall is also running, this is beyond its capabilities.
So, to run eMule with high ID while protected by a VPN you must:
a) Use a VPN which offers port forwarding, and
b) Disable your firewall.
Disabling your firewall is not as bad as it sounds as the NAT firewall should help protect you against most external threats. That said, it is hardly ideal.
How to Port Forward Through a VPN with eMule
- Select port numbers for eMule. Go to Options -> Connection -> Client Port. Pick any TCP and UDP ports numbers you like (eMule doesn’t care) and make a note of them. Make sure that “Use UPnP to Setup Ports” is not enabled.
![connection options]()
- Open the ports in your VPN’s NAT firewall. This process will depend on which VPN provider you use. There may be an option in the client software, but more commonly it can be found in the web-based user console. This is the case with AirVPN shown below.
![showing forwarded ports in airvpn]()
Open the TCP and UDP ports that you chose in eMule.
- Disable your firewall. If using the default Windows firewall, go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Defender -> Open Windows Defender Security Centre -> Firewall & network protection -> and disable the firewall on all networks.
- Return to the eMule connection panel (step 1) and click “Test Ports.” A web page will open which tests to see if ports used by eMule can be reached from the web.
![connection testing in emule]()
Hopefully, you will see something like the above!
Check out our what is NAT guide for more information about what it is and how it works.
Consider using an alternative to eMule
I am aware that this is a page dedicated to using eMule, and that die-hard fans may be disgruntled at the suggestion, but you should consider using a BitTorrent client instead.
Many eMule servers are riddled with malware and spyware. To a certain extent, this is true of BitTorrent too, but this is can be mitigated by using private torrent sites which vet torrents. Indeed, even when using public torrent sites, other users’ feedback can be very good at verifying which downloads work well and are malware free.
Besides this, although eMule is still updated, the last full stable release (0.50a) was in 2010. That’s eight full years ago, and eMule is seriously showing its age! It is a simple fact that modern BitTorrent clients are much leaner, meaner, and easier to use than eMule.
BitTorrent also performs much better even when no open ports are available (Low ID), and port forwarding with a VPN does not require you to disable your firewall.
In its day, eMule garnered a great reputation for granting access to rare and hard-to-find files. In large part, though, this was simply due to its very large user base. BitTorrent now has far more users than eMule.
Best eMule VPN – Conclusion
Thanks to its peer-to-peer nature, downloading via eMule is anything but private. Using a VPN, though, makes it private. So, it’s a bit of a no-brainer, really.
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ExpressVPN
– The best VPN for eMule. It’s has reliably fast servers based in over 90 countries and has great privacy and security features. -
Private Internet Access
– The most secure VPN for eMule. It has proven in court that it doesn’t keep logs and has advanced torrenting features. -
PrivateVPN
– A brilliant eMule VPN and great value for money. It lives up to it’s name as it has great privacy and security features. -
Ivacy
– The cheapest VPN for eMule. It’s fast, has excellent security features, and low ID won’t be an issue with this VPN. -
Hide.me
– A great all-round eMule VPN. It has a stealth Guard feature which is handy for eMule users.