10 Best VPN for Torrenting 2024 (Updated in September 2024) Top Picks

I think torrenting is great, but I hate how many downsides I have to put up with. For starters, my internet service provider (ISP) almost always throttles my P2P speeds, no matter what country I travel to. Also, I don’t like how anyone in the torrent swarm can see my IP address, as they could use it to track my online activities to compromise my privacy.

Using a VPN for torrenting gets rid of those issues, but sadly not all VPNs have good P2P support. Many VPNs either don’t allow torrenting on their servers, or they only allow P2P downloads on a very small number of VPN server locations. In addition, many VPNs also have slow download speeds, come with buggy apps, and don’t provide access to good security and privacy features. 

So I put together a list of the best VPNs for torrenting, seeing as how I’ve been using VPNs for the past 10+ years while traveling. All of the torrenting VPNs on my list are very good, but I think ExpressVPN is the best VPN for torrenting since it has excellent P2P support, very fast download speeds, and high-end privacy features.

🥇 1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for Torrenting in 2024 ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is the best torrenting VPN on the market in my opinion. It has excellent P2P support, it maintains the fastest torrenting speeds out there, it provides a very secure torrenting experience, and it’s really simple to use too.

This provider allows torrenting on servers in 100+ countries, so you can easily connect to nearby servers to get the fastest P2P speeds. What’s more, ExpressVPN has Lightway, a proprietary protocol that’s designed to provide super-fast speeds. When I ran tests with this provider, it always took just 7–8 minutes to download a 9 GB file on both nearby and distant servers.

Also, ExpressVPN supports port forwarding, which is a feature that can boost P2P speeds by letting you connect to more peers. Port forwarding is only allowed on the provider’s router app, which is a bit inconvenient, true. On the plus side, ExpressVPN has very user-friendly installation guides for its router app, and the app also features a very intuitive design. 

And this VPN is excellent for securing your torrenting experience. In addition to having an audited no-logs policy, ExpressVPN also has Advanced Protection — this security feature blocks ads and malicious websites. So, you can use it to get rid of ads on torrenting sites, and also to avoid shady P2P websites.

I also think this is one of the best torrenting VPNs for people new to VPNs. Its VPN apps are very easy to install and use, and most of its apps also come with Shortcuts — this feature lets you create 1-click shortcuts for apps and sites that show up on your connection screen after you connect to ExpressVPN. When torrenting, I always use this feature to get instant access to my favorite P2P app.

ExpressVPN’s prices begin at $6.67/month. It’s a bit pricey, but keep in mind the longest plan often includes extra months of service for free. Plus, ExpressVPN also has a risk-free 30-day refund.

Read my full ExpressVPN review

🥈 2. Private Internet Access — Has Excellent Ad Blocker + Port Forwarding & SOCKS5 Support Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access (PIA) supports torrenting on servers in 90+ countries, and it also has an extremely good VPN ad blocker that’s called MACE. I tried out MACE on several popular torrenting websites, and it always got rid of all banner and pop-up ads.

I think it’s great how port forwarding is built into most of the provider’s apps, and it’s easily enabled with just one click — this is more convenient than ExpressVPN’s port forwarding, which is only available on the provider’s router app. Just keep in mind that port forwarding isn’t supported on the provider’s US servers.

And SOCKS5 proxy support is very good for boosting P2P speeds too. It allows you to hide your IP address without encrypting your traffic, making it ideal to use when you only care about privacy and speeds, and not online security. Setting up PIA’s SOCKS5 proxy server in your torrenting client is also extremely simple and won’t take more than 5 minutes to do.

What’s more, the VPN also offers high-end privacy for torrenting. On top of having an audited no-logs policy, it also has open-source apps — this means that anyone can inspect the code for vulnerabilities to make sure that PIA is safe to use while torrenting. 

And PIA’s apps are very intuitive. It only takes a few seconds to find and connect to a server to start torrenting. Plus, PIA also allows unlimited simultaneous connections, which means you can install and use the VPN to download torrents on as many devices as you want — making it a good pick for large families. 

Private Internet Access’ plans begin at just $2.03/month, so this is one of the most affordable torrenting VPNs on the market. Plus, all purchases are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read my full Private Internet Access review

🥉 3. NordVPN — Excellent Protection Against Malware-Infected Torrents NordVPN

NordVPN is one of the only VPN services with built-in malware protection. Its Threat Protection Pro feature is actually able to detect malware when you download files via torrents — and it does this without putting your privacy at risk. And if it detects anything, it automatically removes all malware.

In addition, Threat Protection Pro can also block ads and malicious websites. I tried it out on a few ad-heavy P2P sites, and it always stopped all ads from loading. This not only made the sites load faster, but it also stopped me from accidentally clicking on potentially malicious ads. I also used it to access a few shady torrent sites, and it always stopped me from doing that. 

I also like that the provider has an app-based kill switch that shuts down specific apps if the VPN connection drops — I tested it with my torrent client, and it always successfully shut it down whenever I disconnected from the VPN. 

The VPN allows torrenting on VPN servers in 110+ countries, which is really great. The size of its network makes it super easy to torrent on nearby locations to get the fastest download speeds. Plus, NordVPN also has SOCKS5 proxy servers, which are great for boosting your P2P download speeds — but it lacks port forwarding (Private Internet Access has both port forwarding and SOCKS5 proxy support).

NordVPN has tier-based subscriptions that start at $3.99/month. I don’t recommend getting the cheapest one, though — instead, you should get the Plus subscription since that includes Threat Protection Pro. The VPN also has a 30-day refund policy.

4. CyberGhost VPN — Very Good Torrenting VPN With Excellent Automation CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost VPN has dedicated servers for torrenting in 80+ countries, which is great. This makes it super easy to torrent on nearby servers, which helps you get fast download speeds. In my tests, it generally took me just 13 minutes to download a 9 GB file. 

I also like how the provider has convenient automation via its Smart Rules tool. This feature allows you to automate your VPN connection, which is very convenient. For instance, you can configure the VPN client to automatically connect to a P2P server of your choice and open your desired torrent client. 

That said, I think it’s a shame that the VPN is missing port forwarding or SOCKS5 proxy support. If this is a deal-breaker for you, consider getting Private Internet Access instead, as this provider comes with both features. 

On the plus side, CyberGhost VPN is great for security and privacy. It doesn’t keep usage or connection logs, which has been confirmed in a security audit. Plus, it releases transparency reports that detail what requests for user data the provider receives (like copyright infringement complaints), and how it doesn’t comply with them. Also, the VPN has Content Blocker, which is very good at blocking shady P2P sites.

CyberGhost VPN is one of the most affordable VPN providers out there, with prices starting as low as $2.03/month. The provider also offers a generous 45-day money-back guarantee for its long-term plans. Its shortest plan, however, only comes with a 14-day refund. 

5. Surfshark — User-Friendly P2P VPN With Excellent IP Protection Surfshark

Surfshark is one of the best torrenting VPNs for beginners, as its apps are super intuitive. The interface is really simple to navigate, and there are helpful explanations for all settings and features. Plus, the provider allows unlimited connections, making it an ideal choice for people who torrent on tons of devices. 

The VPN is also excellent for protecting your VPN IP while torrenting. This is mainly thanks to its IP Rotator feature, which changes VPN server’s IP address throughout the VPN session. And the feature does that without dropping your connection. This makes it much harder for malicious actors or copyright trolls to track your VPN IP in the swarm.

On top of that, Surfshark also allows torrent traffic on 3,200 P2P servers in 95+ countries, which is very impressive. This makes it very easy to get fast connection speeds — and I can confirm this is true, as it generally took me just 13–14 minutes to download a 9 GB file on both nearby and distant servers, which is really good. 

My only complaint is that there’s no port forwarding or SOCKS5 proxy support. If this is an issue for you, consider getting Private Internet Access instead, as that provider has both features.

Surfshark is also a very cheap VPN, as its plans start at just $2.19/month. In addition, this provider backs all purchases with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

6. PrivateVPN — Minimalistic P2P VPN That’s Good for Beginners PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is a good pick for people new to VPNs. That’s because its apps are really minimalistic, meaning they don’t come with many features and settings. This makes the apps less overwhelming for new users. Plus, it also makes it simple to connect to a server (it doesn’t take more than 5 seconds to do it). 
I also like how the VPN has an app-based kill switch, as this kind of security tool is very convenient. I tested PrivateVPN’s app-based kill switch 10+ times with my P2P client, and it always successfully closed it whenever I disconnected from the VPN. 

PrivateVPN has good P2P support, as it has 200+ P2P servers in 60+ countries. In addition, it also comes with port forwarding and SOCKS5 proxy support. I had pretty good download speeds with this provider, as it usually took about 16 minutes to torrent a 9 GB file. Still, I think Private Internet Access is better — it has P2P servers in 90+ countries, it too comes with port forwarding and SOCKS5 proxy support, and it provides faster download speeds. 

PrivateVPN is one of the most affordable VPN services out there, with prices starting at just $2.00/month. Plus, you don’t need to meet any requirements to get a refund, as the provider has a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read my full PrivateVPN review

7. Proton VPN — Great P2P Support + High-End Privacy for Torrenting Proton VPN

Proton VPN is a very good torrent VPN for privacy. That’s because it comes with a strict no-logs policy that has been independently audited. In addition, all of its apps are open-source and audited. Plus, it regularly releases transparency reports that detail how it doesn’t comply with user data requests.

You also get access to a really good ad blocker, called NetShield. I tried it out on different popular torrenting sites, and it always stopped all ads from loading. Plus, NetShield is also great for blocking connections to malicious websites.

The VPN also has really good P2P support, as it allows torrenting on servers in 90+ countries. In addition, it also provides built-in access to port forwarding into its apps, just like Private Internet Access — though, this provider also has SOCKS5 proxy support in addition to port forwarding.

Proton VPN also provides good file-sharing speeds. When I ran tests, it took about 16 minutes to torrent a 9 GB file on most servers. Plus, I really like the provider’s VPN Accelerator feature, which boosts torrenting speeds on distant servers. 

Proton VPN has tier-based subscriptions and plans that start at $3.59/month. It also has a very good free plan, but it sadly lacks P2P support. Also, the provider backs its paid plans with a prorated 30-day money-back guarantee. 

8. PureVPN — Good for Secure Torrenting PureVPN

PureVPN is great for securing your file-sharing internet traffic. That’s because the VPN comes with an audited no-logs policy, and it also comes with protection against IPv6, WebRTC, and DNS leaks (plus, it never leaked my data in my tests).

 

You also get good torrenting support, as the VPN has P2P servers in 30+ countries. It lets you forward ports too, but it’s one of the only VPNs that offer port forwarding for an extra cost, which is really weird. Other top competitors (like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access) let you forward ports for free.

And PureVPN also has pretty good P2P speeds, as it performed really well in my speed tests. When I used it to torrent a 9 GB file, it usually took me around 15–16 minutes to download it on nearby and distant servers. 

PureVPN has different tier-based subscriptions that start at $2.14/month, so its plans are pretty affordable. In addition, it also backs all purchases with a 31-day money-back guarantee.

9. IPVanish — User-Friendly Torrenting VPN With Good P2P Support IPVanish

IPVanish provides access to VPN software that’s pretty intuitive. I especially like that most apps come with a digital map that lets you quickly connect to a VPN server location. On top of that, the apps have an easy-to-navigate interface, and the provider also allows unlimited simultaneous connections.

The provider also allows torrenting on 2,400+ servers in 50+ countries, which is really good. Plus, it comes with SOCKS5 proxy support, which helps you boost download speeds if security is not a concern. That said, if the network size is too small for you, I’d go with ExpressVPN instead, as it allows torrenting on servers in 100+ countries. 

And the VPN is also pretty secure, as it comes with IPv6 and DNS leak protection. Plus, IPVanish comes with an independently-audited no-logs policy, and it also has a good ad blocker.

IPVanish is pretty affordable, as its plans start at $2.19/month. It also has a 30-day money-back guarantee, but it only applies to its long-term plans (there’s no refund for the shortest plan). 

10. Astrill VPN — Decent for Torrenting in Restrictive Countries Astrill VPN

Astrill VPN is a good torrent VPN for people traveling through or living in restrictive countries. That’s because it provides access to proprietary VPN protocols that are designed to circumvent government censorship by hiding VPN traffic — and I can confirm that this VPN works without issues in China, as I often use it while traveling there. 

The provider has decent file-sharing support, as it has P2P servers in 30+ countries. On top of that, it also comes with port forwarding support. That said, I think Private Internet Access is much better, as it allows P2P downloads on servers in 90+ countries, it supports port forwarding, and it also comes with SOCKS5 proxy support. 

The VPN also has pretty good download speeds. When I used it to torrent a 9 GB file on both nearby and distant servers, it usually took about 16 minutes for the download to finish.

Astrill VPN is one of the most expensive file-sharing VPNs on the market, with plans starting at $12.50/month. It provides decent value, so that might justify the steep price, but I also don’t like how the provider doesn’t have a refund policy.

Quick Comparison of My Top Picks

How I Chose the VPNs on This List

• Choose a VPN with a good P2P server network — It’s important to get a torrenting VPN that allows P2P traffic on most of its servers. All of my top picks allow torrenting on servers in at least 20+ countries (ExpressVPN allows torrenting on servers in 100+ countries).
• Look for additional P2P-related features — I recommend opting for a VPN service that comes with additional features that are useful for torrenting, like port forwarding or SOCKS5 proxy support. Private Internet Access, comes with both.
• Go for a torrenting VPN that’s very secure — I strongly recommend only getting a torrenting VPN that comes with all industry-standard security features. This includes a kill switch to prevent leaks if the VPN connection drops, a no-logs policy, military-grade encryption, and protection against DNS leaks. Most of my top picks also have advanced security features, like RAM-only servers (every reset wipes all data) and perfect forward secrecy, which ensures each VPN session uses a different encryption key.
• Pick a VPN with good download speeds — When you use a VPN, your original speeds will always slow down. This is due to the added encryption, and also due to the distance between you and the VPN server. So you should only go for a top VPN service that takes measures to minimize the speed loss (like providing P2P support on servers in tons of countries or offering access to fast VPN protocols).
• Opt for a torrenting VPN that’s user-friendly — You should only choose a VPN provider that has intuitive apps for most desktop and mobile devices. On average, it really shouldn’t take you more than 5 seconds to find and connect to a P2P VPN server.
• Get a VPN provider that offers good value — I advise picking a VPN provider that offers access to additional tools (like split-tunneling or an ad blocker), and which has affordable plans. Ideally, the VPN should also come with a generous money-back guarantee.

How Can Someone Track Your P2P Activity?

Here’s how your torrenting activities could be tracked: 

• Via your IP address — Your IP address is visible to anyone in the torrent swarm, including malicious actors, lawyers, and copyright trolls. So, anyone could use it to track your location. Also, they can use it to find out who your ISP is, and send them legal threats. 
• Via traffic monitoring — Your ISP can monitor your web traffic, as all of it goes through its network. P2P traffic is hard to detect, true, but your ISP could still spot it by looking for certain indicators, such as simultaneous upload streams and high bandwidth usage.

The best way to protect your privacy while torrenting is with a VPN. VPNs encrypt your data, making it 100% unreadable, and they also hide your IP address. All the VPNs I recommend on this list are great picks for securing your P2P activities. 

Here’s to easily test how safe a VPN is for torrenting: 

1. First, visit ipleak.net without the VPN. This online tool will run IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leak tests, and it will display your DNS and IP addresses. 
2. Next, take a screenshot of your leak test results. You will need this screenshot later for comparison purposes. 
3. Now, connect to the VPN. Simply connect to your desired VPN server location. 
4. Access ipleak.net again. Wait for the online tool to run its leak tests again. 
5. Compare your leak test results. Check the new results with the ones from your screenshot. If you spot DNS or IP addresses from your screenshot in your current results, it means the VPN is leaking your data.

In addition, I also recommend using a tool like bash.ws to run a torrent IP leak test. Running such a test will tell you if the P2P client you’re using is leaking your true IP address (even though you’re using a VPN). To run the test, just download a test P2P file while connected to the VPN, and then check which IP addresses are displayed on bash.ws — if you see your real IP address, it means you’re experiencing a VPN leak. 

All of the VPNs on my list come with strong leak protection. Even so, I still tested all of them for leaks, and I’m happy to say I never experienced any leaks with either one of them.

What Could Happen If You Don’t Use a Good P2P VPN? 

Here are the main risks of using a subpar VPN for torrenting: 

• It might leak your data — Poorly-configured VPNs might leak your data, which could expose your real IP address. This means anyone in the torrent swarm will be able to see it, including malicious actors and copyright trolls. 
• Your ISP might see your P2P traffic — Because such VPNs might leak your DNS request, this would allow your ISP to see which P2P sites you’re browsing. In addition, your ISP would also be able to see your P2P traffic and throttle it (if it doesn’t want its users engaging in torrenting).
• The VPN might log your data — A subpar VPN might not have a no-logs policy, so it might log your IP address and browsing traffic. This is terrible for your privacy, as the VPN provider could share this data with third parties.

That’s why you should always use a secure P2P VPN. I think the best VPN for secure torrenting is ExpressVPN since it has all essential VPN security tools, it has a feature that blocks ads and shady sites, and it has an audited no-logs policy.

Here are the best ways to improve your torrenting speeds with a VPN: 

• Torrent on a nearby server — The smaller the distance between your device and the server, the faster your speeds will be. That’s because it’ll take less time for the VPN to route data between your device and the web. 
• Use a lightweight VPN protocol — Many VPNs use the OpenVPN protocol by default, but that’s not ideal since the protocol has medium speeds. Instead, I recommend using faster protocols like WireGuard and IKEv2/IPSec. 
• Use split-tunneling (if available) — Use this tool to only route P2P data through the VPN. If there’s less data to encrypt and route, your VPN speeds will be faster. ExpressVPN provides access to this feature.
• Enable port forwarding or SOCKS5 proxy support — These are P2P-related features that are likely to increase your download speeds. Private Internet Access provides access to both tools, which is really convenient. 
• Turn off background web-connected apps — If you leave such apps running in the background while you torrent with a VPN, they will eat up your bandwidth and slow down your VPN speeds. 
• Use a wired connection — Torrenting on Wi-Fi might result in slow download speeds if the signal is too weak. In this case, it’s much better to just switch to a wired connection.

Best VPNs for Torrenting in 2024 — Final Thoughts: Final Thoughts