5 Best VPNs with Port Forwarding in 2023

Are you looking for a VPN that offers port forwarding? Keep reading to find out the best VPNs with port forwarding, based on our extensive research.

If you are using a VPN, it is very possible that you have chosen to use it for one of its most common benefits: Safe, secure Internet access.

A VPN connection will conceal your real IP address so that you are not traceable or detectable online. This means that if you are living in Europe, you can connect to a VPN server in the USA, with the VPN giving you an IP address that reflects this US location and making it look like you are actually located there, as well.

By concealing your IP addresses, VPN users are hidden and anonymous online, which is helpful when online gaming, torrenting, or performing a number of sensitive activities on the Internet.

If you are using a reputable VPN provider, it will offer you military-grade encryption as well as firewalls to block certain online connections. But, because of this level of security, your VPN providers may actually block some connections that you may want or need.

To avoid this issue of blocked connections, port forwarding is a great workaround. Port forwarding helps improve your speed and performance, and it can even add a layer of protection. Some VPNs even offer automatic port forwarding.

Since port forwarding is only permitted with a few VPN providers, we have come up with a list of VPNs that support this feature. Keep reading to find out more about which VPN providers offer this feature today…

5 Best VPNs that Support Port Forwarding

Based on our research, here are the top VPNs that support port forwarding in 2023:

1. Private Internet Access (PIA)

PIA is the best VPN to use for port forwarding, with almost 30,000 servers available in over 78 countries, all of which support P2P sharing as well.

PIA is user-friendly and all you have to do to enable the port forwarding feature is go to the Network Preferences and check the box to enable it.

In terms of online protection, PIA offers military-grade encryption and an automatic Kill Switch that will cut your connection and port forwarding to prevent any vulnerabilities if your encrypted connection drops unexpectedly.

Keep in mind that port forwarding with PIA is only permitted on non-US servers, so if you are torrenting from the US, this will cause a decrease in speed.

2. ExpressVPN

The reason that ExpressVPN is not number one on our list is that it does not offer port forwarding on its apps.

But, fortunately, you can enable port forwarding on your router if using a router that is ExpressVPN-compatible. Still, because of ExpressVPN’s stellar security and privacy features, ExpressVPN had to make it onto this list.

ExpressVPN offers users AES 256-bit encryption, a no-logs policy, an Internet Kill Switch, and IPv6 and DNS leak protection to keep your IP addresses hidden at all times.

Unfortunately, because you have to use an ExpressVPN-recommended router in order to benefit from port forwarding, this can become more expensive.

On the plus side, though, if you opt to use ExpressVPN on your router for port forwarding, this router connection only counts as one device connection, which means that you will be able to connect an unlimited number of devices to your wi-fi in order to connect all of them to your VPN.

ExpressVPN offers users a 30-day money-back guarantee, and if you want to cancel, you can just contact a customer support representative via the 24/7 live chat feature, which is super easy to use.

3. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is a good choice for port forwarding that is easy to navigate for VPN newbies, but also advanced enough for more serious VPN users.

When you connect to a PrivateVPN server, you will see a random port number above the button that helps you disconnect. You can change this number manually to any port you choose easily, and port forwarding does not impose any limits on your bandwidth.

PrivateVPN offers users DNS and IPv6 leak protection, its own version of a Kill Switch, a no-logs policy, and other top security features; and it allows users 6 connected devices on a single VPN account.

There is a 7-day free trial available with this provider, but you have to request it via customer support before you can take advantage of this offer.

4. VyprVPN

While VyprVPN’s inbound ports are shut due to the NAT Firewall’s protection, these ports can be opened by choosing to disable this Firewall in your account settings.

If you choose to disable this Firewall, make sure to disconnect/reconnect from your VPN server before utilizing these new open ports.

VyprVPN offers DNS leak protection, a no-logs policy, a Kill Switch, and compatibility with all devices, including iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and your router, allowing users to connect up to 5 devices at once to a single account.

5. PureVPN

PureVPN is a good VPN to use if you are on a budget, with port forwarding supported across all devices.

The hiccup? Though it offers port forwarding that you can use to use with your torrent client or for online gaming purposes, in order to configure these secure ports, you will have to purchase the port forwarding add-on in addition to the regular VPN subscription cost. Because this is still pretty affordable, this isn’t such a huge deal.

What Is Port Forwarding?

Before we get into the definition of port forwarding, let’s first take a look at what a port is.

Ports are used to determine how information travels across the web. Ports are assigned numbers, and, often, similar systems or functions will use the exact same ports. The user’s IP address and the port number are all retained by each internet service provider (ISP).

A port is an important element of internet security, and determines the method in which your data will be transmitted/received across the internet. Port numbers help steer internet traffic on the appropriate path, so blocking a port will block any internet traffic that uses that port.

During this process, ports are remapped between local and remote devices, rerouting traffic assigned to a particular port to another port instead. This can help open new pathways to your network or to improve speed or performance. Using this feature, you can tunnel through the NAT firewall to permit incoming connections labeled with the specified port.

How Does VPN Port Forwarding Work? 

Anytime you are accessing a site from your device or computer, packets of Internet data are sent, containing your request information across the Internet. These data packets carry information pertaining to the user’s final web destination, which includes a port number.

Typically, your network’s router will recognize your port, sending your packet on to the proper destination online. When you use port forwarding, however, your signal is stopped and your port number is rewritten, sending your data to the destination corresponding to your new port number. This process blocks unwanted server access, concealing private information, and allowing you to increase your speeds by using a new open pathway.

Why You Might Need a VPN with Port Forwarding

Port forwarding works by allowing your incoming data to bypass the NAT firewall, which will increase the speed of your online connection. Port forwarding with a VPN can improve download speeds, help you establish a connection directly with your gaming server or torrent client, and also allow you remote access to devices and computers when you are away from home.

Unfortunately, there are some downsides, as VPNs that offer port forwarding are sometimes susceptible to port fail attacks.

What Makes a Good VPN with Port Forwarding 

When you are trying to choose a VPN with port forwarding, here are the criteria to keep in mind:

 Is it easy to navigate? Can you easily figure out how port forwarding works using this VPN provider?

 Are there limits to the port forwarding services? Check to make sure you are OK with any of the fine print when it comes to port forwarding with your VPN.

 Does your VPN provider offer top privacy and security? A VPN provider must encrypt your traffic with military-grade encryption, and offer a strict no-logs policy, and secure VPN protocols, like OpenVPN.

 Does your VPN offer fast server speed? This will usually be directly connected to the size of your VPN server network and the span of its servers.

 Are P2P connections supported? Does your VPN support P2P connections on its servers, and are there limits to this?

 Is it affordable? Is the VPN provider you are choosing affordable, and does it offer good value for the cost?

 Is there customer support available? Does the VPN offer a live-chat customer service feature 24/7? This is usually the best feature to seek that will ensure a rapid response to your port-forwarding questions.

Difference Between Static and Dynamic Port Forwarding

There are two kinds of ports: Static ports and dynamic ports.

When you use a dynamic port, this means that the ports change every time there is a new connection. Dynamic ports allow providers to recycle the unused ports to reassign them. With a static port, however, this means that the ports do not change.

If you are planning on using an ExpressVPN configured router, it is better to use static ports when you are port forwarding so you won’t have to update port settings every time there is a new connection. It is also better to use a static port when torrenting for this same reason.

Dynamic ports are more useful than static ports when it comes to bypassing firewalls and restrictions, as they actually increase the range of ports available, which comes in handy if your firewall is set to block certain ports.

Why Use Port Forwarding for Torrenting 

VPNs use firewalls to help protect users online from malicious sites, but these firewalls can actually also make it impossible to torrent. When you come across servers that are labeled as P2P-optimized or friendly, this implies that these particular servers will let you access your torrents without the nuisance of being blocked by this firewall. Port forwarding also ensures that you can upload and download without the barrier of this firewall that may interfere with P2P sharing.

Why Are There So Few VPNs Offering Port Forwarding?

There are actually very few VPNs that offer port forwarding, mostly because using this feature can enable connections that might put users at risk, and with quality VPNs, the main concern is typically security.

VPNs block malicious connections with NAT firewalls, and port forwarding would allow users to bypass those firewalls, which would decrease security. VPNs permitting port forwarding may also be opening themselves to the risk of port fail attacks, allowing attackers to expose your real IP address.

Because port forwarding can open doors to these malicious connections, many VPNs opt not to allow port forwarding.

FAQs

Conclusion

While there are not too many VPNs that offer port forwarding due to the fact that it may compromise user privacy and security, there is still a handful that continues to offer this feature to those of you who simply need it.

While the VPNs on our list all offer this capability in one way or another, our top pick is PIA. PIA has a huge network of servers, with over 30,000 servers in more than 78 countries, and it offers user-friendly port forwarding and up to 10 devices that you can connect on a single user account at once. You can try out PIA for up to 30 days with a money-back guarantee, so there is no risk to testing it out today to see if it works for you.