5 Best VPNs for Torrenting (According to Reddit) in 2024

Downloading data through torrent is fast, convenient, and safe and it has been gaining in popularity since its inception early in the 2000s. The COVID-19 crisis, with the associated increase in working and connecting from home, has further increased the appeal of torrenting, with an estimated 100 million+ users per month.

However, there are issues with regard to its legality and torrenting could pose a significant risk to your privacy because it is possible for people to see your Internet Protocol (IP) address when you are torrenting.

As a result, it is highly recommended to use a good Virtual Private Network (VPN) any time that you torrent, as this protects both your identity and your security.

There is a huge variety of VPNs available to you today, each boasting its benefits.

Because we know that people who enjoy Reddit value their privacy and security, both of which are values that are important to any Torrent client, we turned to Reddit users to ascertain which is the best VPN for torrenting. This means that the advice we give you comes from people who actually use the platform and can give the best information possible.

Why Reddit Users Recommend Using VPNs for Torrenting 

Today, it is extremely simple to exchange information online, but this comes at the cost of potential threats to your security.

In addition, because of copyright law, there can be some legal issues around torrenting, even when your online activities are totally harmless and legitimate.

Using a VPN service gives you the ability to safely and securely connect to the Internet using an encrypted address and an extended network that protects your identity and your security and ensures that your online activity cannot be monitored.

Always bear in mind that every time that you seed a torrent or download, your privacy can be compromised, because your IP is accessible to other users and to your internet provider.

Understanding Torrenting

In simple terms, torrenting is a way to transfer information online from one location to another, using a P2P network. What makes torrenting different is that the information moves in many different directions (the term for this is “omnidirectional”), as opposed to a conventional download that only moves in one direction.

Therefore, when you download any file using torrenting, you are also uploading some part of it back onto the P2P network, which makes you vulnerable to security threats and to potential issues around copyright or anti-piracy laws.

Using the best VPN for torrenting prevents your ISP from locating your IP address by encrypting and masking all your online activities.

Wherever you are on the globe, using one of the reliable VPN providers will ensure that no one online can tell whether you are in the US, Asia, Africa, or anywhere else.

How to Choose the Right VPN for Torrenting

When we conducted research, Reddit users provided us with the VPN features that they felt were the most essential when choosing the best VPN for torrenting.

We used these to create a list of features that will assist you in choosing the right VPN for torrenting. These are:

 Download speed — VPNs have a tendency to affect your download speeds, often significantly slowing the speed of your downloads. Therefore it is important to choose a good VPN that will only negligibly slow the functioning of your system. You should also look for a VPN with the WireGuard protocol, as this protects your speed and security, making it an effective torrenting VPN.

 Port forwarding — a lot of Reddit users mentioned the port forwarding feature because it allows them to improve their speed by connecting to more “peers in the swarm.” This is only really important if you often torrent large files or download files and then share them with others (known as “seeding”), not if you are a regular user of torrenting.

 P2P support — You will need to choose a VPN that has dedicated torrenting servers or allows P2P traffic on all its servers. You should be aware that there are many VPNs that do not allow this, so this is an important criterion when choosing a VPN for torrenting.

 Kill switch — A Kill Switch assures a torrent client that you will not data leak when your VPN connection drops. It shuts down your internet connection until the VPN connects again, thereby ensuring that your ISP cannot see that you are downloading torrents.

 Split-tunneling — Using split-tunneling allows you the option of choosing which information the VPN encrypts and which it disregards. This allows you to instruct the VPN to only direct torrented information, thereby improving your speed as there is less information to be encrypted and decrypted.

 Leak protection — VPN providers that are best for torrenting have IPv6 leak protection and DNS leak protection. This ensures that there are no data leaks that would give people in the swarm access to your IP.

 Zero-log policy — a good VPN provider should not have any information about what you download or where you browse, because it should have a Zero-log policy. As a result, there is no way that any copyright agencies or other authorities can pressure them to hand over information about any of your internet access.

 Unlimited data — if you choose a VPN that has a cap on bandwidth, you are limited in terms of how much you can download, which affects download speeds and impacts torrenting. All the VPN providers recommended below have unlimited bandwidth.

How to Use a VPN to Download Torrents Safely & Securely

This is a simple procedure that can be broken down into 4 basic steps that will allow you to torrent files using a safe VPN service:

1. Sign up for a VPN that you choose from the list below, avoiding the tempting but highly inadvisable free VPNs. We highly recommend ExpressVPN.
2. Download and then install the appropriate app for the relevant VPN service.
3. Run the app, which will allow you to connect to the VPN server.
4. You are now ready to torrent and download the information that you want.

Port Forwarding:

It is important to bear in mind that using port forwarding to establish a secure connection between a device and another remote device (e.g. when you want to connect remotely to a home security camera when you are out), can interfere with torrenting.

This is because port forwarding needs to bypass the firewall that your VPN service is likely to be utilizing, making it easy to discover your identity on the network and compromising your security.

VPN firewalls also often interfere with sharing on the network (seeding).

You also need to be aware that some torrent networks will reduce your speed if you do not seed when downloading torrents. Therefore you need to bear this in mind when choosing a VPN service; if the one you choose has port forwarding, your download speed will not be reduced.

Best VPN for Torrenting According to Reddit: Overview

Here are the 5 best-rated Reddit VPN services for torrenting:

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a great option for torrenting according to Redditors.

With this VPN, all servers support torrenting and allow seeding which, according to Reddit users, makes this one of the best VPN services.

ExpressVPN has a huge network of servers, with over 3,000 spread across 94 countries. It is one of the very fastest VPN services for torrenting, enabling reliable connections and fast download speeds.

ExpressVPN offers users top-notch security, with AES 256-bit encryption, split tunneling, a strict no-logs policy, a Kill Switch, RAM-only servers, and IP and DNS leak protection.

ExpressVPN offers unlimited bandwidth and no data caps and allows for unlimited buffer-free access to popular streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, or BBC iPlayer.

You can connect your VPN to your Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, or Linux device, and use up to 5 devices simultaneously on one account.

2. NordVPN

NordVPN is another Redditor-approved VPN with excellent privacy and security, including a strict no-logs policy, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, a Kill Switch, and military-grade encryption.

When using NordVPN, your IP address is masked, allowing you to connect securely to a private VPN tunnel.

This VPN offers easy access to geo-blocked content on any of its over 5,100 servers in 60 countries, offering fast speeds, unlimited bandwidth, and the ability to connect up to 6 devices on a single user account.

3. Surfshark

Surfshark is another top-rated VPN, with over 3,000 servers in 65 countries worldwide, offering users powerful encryption, a no-logs policy, and a Kill Switch, all of which protect your online security.

Surfshark has an affordable price point, but it still delivers good-quality service, with a fast download speed, which is essential for any torrent client.

Surfshark allows users to connect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously to one account, which is more than its competitors allow.

4. PIA (Private Internet Access)

PIA has a huge server network with almost 30,000 servers, which is great for torrent clients, according to Reddit users, since there is never an issue of server crowding, so connection and download speed remains good.

PIA has RAM-only servers, AES 256-bit encryption, split tunneling, a Kill Switch, a verified no-logs policy, private DNS servers, and disabled IPv6 traffic that prevents DNS and IPv6 leaks.

PIA apps are compatible across platforms, and this VPN can be used on up to 10 devices at the same time, and there are no limits on data or bandwidth.

5. AirVPN

AirVPN has over 200 servers, and supports P2P traffic and seeding on all of its servers.

This service offers unlimited data, port forwarding, and strong security features, including a no-log policy, AES-256 encryption, reliable kill switch, and open-source software that can be easily audited to ensure safety.

Unfortunately, AirVPN is based in Italy, which is a member of the 14-Eyes Alliance, so users who are worried about data retention might want to pass on this VPN.

What Do Reddit Users Say About Free VPNs for Torrenting?

There are a lot of free VPN services advertised and many torrent clients are tempted to use them to save money.

However, almost all Reddit Users discourage one from using free VPNs as they severely compromise your online security because they lack privacy protection.

A free VPN service is also likely to have a cap on data and limited bandwidth, which will prevent you from torrenting in many cases and is likely to reduce your download speeds and result in a situation in which your VPN connection suddenly drops.

You should always try to choose one of the VPN services that offer unlimited bandwidth.

In addition, as one does not pay for a free VPN, they tend to make their money by selling your data to others. This compromises your security and results in you receiving unsolicited and irritating information and advertisements.

Useful Tips From Savvy VPN Redditors

Regardless of which VPN you decide to use, there are some tips from Reddit users that you should always keep in mind when using a torrenting VPN:

 Never torrent without first enabling the Kill Switch.

 You will be able to access an additional level of protection if, in addition to using a Kill Switch, you also bind your torrent client to the VPN.

 After you connect to any VPN servers, always check for DNS and IP leaks.

 Only begin to use your torrenting VPN and connect to your torrent client once the VPN is enabled and you have checked for the above-mentioned leaks.

FAQs

Conclusion

Having combed through a large range of Reddit reviews, we have concluded that the 5 VPNs listed above are the best for you to use when torrenting.

They provide you with quick download speeds, a wide variety of security features, and a high degree of privacy.

We reiterate that you should resist the temptation to use a free VPN when torrenting because they do not provide you with the security or degree of privacy that allows you to torrent without concerns about possible legal or copyright issues.

Now that we have done the investigations for you, you can go ahead and access the VPN that best suits your needs and can begin torrenting with your peace of mind being assured!