It's no secret that you should one of the best torrenting VPNs when sharing P2P – so much so that many torrent sites themselves advertise VPNs on their homepages. However, picking the best VPN for the job isn't always easy.
We've undertaken hands-on testing of dozens of VPNs, focusing on their privacy credentials, ease of use, and any extra features that add to the experience. While most VPNs support P2P, there are a few that really excelled in our testing – and here I'll be rounding up the very best VPNs for torrenting.
If you want to explore what makes these providers the bst VPN s for torrenting, keep scrolling for my in-depth analysis of the top five providers. If you just want a quick answer, though, pick from the three best torrenting VPNs just below.
The top 3 best torrenting VPNs at a glance
My expert list of 2024's best torrenting VPNs:
Private Internet Access: the best torrenting VPN overall
✔️ Customization is a top priority: PIA is well-suited to experts who know what they're doing, with features like port forwarding, automation through command line, and the ability to adjust encryption to your tastes.
✔️ You're on a strict budget: considering its rich catalog of security and streaming-oriented features, PIA is great value and one of the best bargain picks.
✔️ You want a VPN with a proven track record: PIA has proven its no-logs policy twice in court, meaning it's reliable and delivers exactly what it promises.
❌ You want the fastest provider: while PIA offers good OpenVPN speeds, its WireGuard speeds aren't a match for the likes of NordVPN.
❌ You want the simplest VPN: PIA certainly isn't difficult to use, but beginners may prefer a simpler interface like ExpressVPN or Surfshark
Private Internet Access is the best torrenting VPN for just about anyone – beginner or expert. Besides a verified no-logs policy, it offers unlimited simultaneous connections, more servers than any of its rivals on this list, and interesting features like port forwarding, which can really enhance your P2P experience.
Private Internet Access has risen through the ranks in the last year or so, and proves that old dogs really can learn new tricks. With improvements in its streaming power combined with stellar P2P support and nifty extra features, it's easily the best choice if torrenting is your #1 priority.
On paper, it offers over 10,000 servers, all of which support P2P torrenting, and like any good torrenting VPN there are no bandwidth restrictions whatsoever. If you're in the US, having a server in every mainland state will also be a bonus.
Port forwarding allows the VPN to redirect connections around your NAT firewall, and this ensures your torrenting speeds stay as fast as possible – although I only recommend this for those who know what they're doing, as it could open you up to further threats.
Alongside that, you'll also get the requisite kill switch and split tunneling to further optimize your P2P experience.
In my Private Internet Access review, I found PIA to be one of the most configurable VPNs in my testing, with fairly easy-to-navigate settings where you can shuffle around options, including your server location, encryption level, and more. That said, the same customization plays against its appeal for beginners, but the good thing is there's 24/7 professional support with tons of helpful guides in case you need any help.
PIA's key attraction, though, is its excellent value for money and unlimited simultaneous connections.
At just a little more than two dollars a month, you can use PIA to cover any number of devices and device types – from Windows and Mac to routers and Linux, where it comes with a graphical user interface. Even providers like ExpressVPN only offer a command-line interface.
There's no cost-cutting on the security front at all. It's one of the few services to have proven its no-logs policy in court, and that too, twice. Not only this, PIA releases transparency reports every quarter with a record of every time they've been asked to provide logs, and every time they've not provided these logs as they do not exist.
PIA is also fully open-source – just like Proton VPN – meaning you can inspect its code anytime to reassure yourself of its privacy.
Somewhere that PIA falls a little flat is its connection speeds. Delivering around 330 Mbps when using WireGuard and 270 Mbps when using OpenVPN, it certainly isn't slow, but big rivals NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN all outstrip it. However, if you're not using a gigabit connection, you're unlikely to see any difference.
As I mentioned earlier, PIA's one of the best streaming VPNs, unblocking everything I tested it with in my review.
Alongside a zero-log policy and its interesting MACE blocking tech, PIA offers an industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee. While it's not a slick as some others, PIA is a good-value torrenting VPN that has a lot of features that will appeal to dedicated torrenters.
NordVPN: the fastest torrenting VPN
✔️ You want an all-in-one solution at a reasonable price: NordVPN excels on all fronts at a good price, making it a comprehensive solution for just about everybody.
✔️ You want a VPN for Netflix: NordVPN is the best Netflix VPN and will get you access to even niche locations like Japan.
✔️ You want a VPN with added cybersecurity features: NordVPN does a clean sweep in terms of privacy and security by offering a built-in antivirus at no extra charge.
❌ You want unlimited simultaneous connections: NordVPN allows a maximum of 10 simultaneous connections. While that may be enough for small families and individuals, I'd recommend PIA for coverage for unlimited devices.
❌ You want a simpler interface: Nord's UI on mobile is a little busy with its map interface.
NordVPN offers a comprehensive security suite that includes additional extras like antivirus alongside a world-class VPN. It's very useful for torrenting, but be aware that if sharing P2P is your priority, PIA and ExpressVPN have a greater number of optimized servers. For the price, though, NordVPN is a very tempting proposition.
In my NordVPN review, I found the big-name provider was a very close match for Private Internet Access when it comes to torrenting. Thanks to powerful encryption, a choice of protocols, two kill switches, DNS leak blocking, and zero-logging, there's plenty here to keep you safe.
NordVPN ensures your data remains private at all times by encrypting it twice through its Double VPN feature, which routes your online traffic through two servers instead of one.
If you want even more anonymity, you can pay via cryptocurrency, and the Onion over VPN feature rounds up this set of privacy tools by giving you access to the Tor network without ever having to download the browser.
While not all servers are P2P supported, there are hundreds in the US, UK, and plenty more across the globe that do support torrents. Plus, since the VPN will connect you to the best P2P server in your location when it detects torrenting traffic, the process is painless too.
With more servers than rivals ExpressVPN and Surfshark, combined with a streaming-focused SmartPlay feature and peak speeds of over 950 Mbps as per my recent testing, NordVPN is an excellent choice for streaming – as well as one of the fastest VPNs for torrenting I've tested.
The DNS-based SmartPlay feature evades VPN blocks put in place by various streaming sites, granting you access to all streaming platforms, including Netflix, iPlayer, Prime Video, Hulu, and YouTube.
NordVPN’s WireGuard-based proprietary tunneling protocol, NordLynx, further adds to the overall speed and lagless experience. What's more, the recent introduction of Threat Protection Pro means that those if you're using Windows or Mac, you can stay protected from malware and malicious websites all the time – even when you're not connected to the VPN.
An externally audited no-logs policy by the reputable PricewaterhouseCoopers and a special program encouraging just about anyone to report any security troubles with NordVPN make its already comprehensive security suite even better.
Nothing is perfect, though, and that goes for NordVPN too. Compared to PIA, Nord's choice to limit you to 10 simultaneous connections seems a bit tightfisted, although this has recently been increased from 6. However, at a time when services like Surfshark and PIA are offering unlimited simultaneous connections at lower prices, it's a little disappointing to see the world's biggest VPN be a little stingy.
Overall, NordVPN is a delight for privacy purists. The service prides itself on foolproof security, with top-of-the-line encryption and security measures, including a built-in antivirus and blockers to keep irritating ads, pop-ups, and malware at bay.
ExpressVPN: the easiest torrenting VPN to use
✔️ You want the best security money can buy: ExpressVPN offers a comprehensive security suite with an audited no-logs policy, excellent encryption, a built-in password manager, and other handy features.
✔️ Torrenting is your #1 priority. Every one of ExpressVPN's servers is optimized for P2P, so it's as easy as picking the nearest server and connecting.
✔️ You want to stream everywhere: with the most individual server locations among all the VPNs I've tested, ExpressVPN is the best choice for unblocking content from around the world.
❌ You're on a budget: while ExpressVPN provides good value, it's an expensive pick. Services like PIA and NordVPN are better for those on a strict budget.
❌ You want to torrent on a number of devices: If you want more than 8 simultaneous connections, consider Surfshark which is entirely unlimited.
❌ You want a VPN with built-in antivirus: while ExpressVPN is one of the most complete VPNs in terms of security, it doesn't come with an antivirus which its rivals like NordVPN do.
ExpressVPN is an excellent choice if you're looking for a fast, secure, and beginner-friendly VPN for torrenting. Its superior unblocking, wide coverage and fool-proof features ensure a smooth experience, irrespective of whether you're using it as a streaming or travel buddy, or both! Try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
In our ExpressVPN review, we found the premium provider is a great all-purpose VPN, and it’s no surprise that it's excellent for torrenting too.
Not only does it have full torrenting support on every server, but it provides WebRTC leak protection, private DNS servers, and Perfect Forward Secrecy, which uses a unique key every time you connect and every 60 minutes afterward.
Your real IP addresses won’t be vulnerable to leaking, even if your browser holds onto your data from previously opened tabs. The ExpressVPN browser extension comes with an option to disable WebRTC from the settings.
Express boasts both a kill switch and split tunneling, and combined with a strict, independently audited policy of no activity or connection logs, it offers a very complete torrenting package.
Split tunnelling allows you to protect your connection to a torrent client via the VPN, leaving other online activities, such as browsing or gaming, as regular internet traffic.
ExpressVPN is fast, but the likes of Surfshark and NordVPN are a little faster. Still, with average download speeds of around 750 Mbps, I had no trouble downloading large files in my recent round of testing.
These sort of connection speeds are also more than enough for streaming in 4K Ultra HD, given that you only really need around 20 Mbps for the most quality streaming experience.
As one of the best services when it comes to streaming, ExpressVPN unblocks just about everything, from popular streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to niche libraries and services like 10Play.
This is made possible by its wide network of servers around the globe – 26 server locations in the Asia-Pacific region alone, for example.
ExpressVPN is also one of the easiest VPNs to use, thanks to its auto-connect feature, straightforward app interfaces, and 24/7 friendly support. That's ideal for new users who might still be figuring out how to use a VPN, but it's also great for more experienced users, too.
The overall package is ideal for small families or individuals with multiple devices – no matter the device type – but those looking to cover a large number of devices on a single subscription might be better off considering Surfshark or PIA.
However, one of Express's biggest downfalls is its price. At two to three times the price of the other providers on this list, it certainly looks expensive, even if you do get a very polished and professional product for that. But, if it turns out it's not for you, then there's a 30-day money-back guarantee too – so it's definitely worth considering.
Best of the rest
✔️ You want an open-source VPN: Proton VPN is a fully open-source platform, meaning you can inspect it anytime and verify its claims.
✔️You want a VPN for Linux: Proton VPN is one of the few providers to come with a graphical user interface for Linux devices.
✔️ You want plenty of simultaneous connections: Proton VPN can cover up to 10 devices at a time, more than rivals ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
❌You want a free torrenting VPN: Proton VPN has a completely free plan for normal usage, but it doesn't come with torrenting abilities.
❌ You want lots of server options: with over 2,900 servers, Proton VPN is a little behind some of the industry leaders in terms of connectivity options.
❌ You want a budget VPN: Proton VPN isn't incredibly expensive, but there are cheaper alternatives in PIA and NordVPN.
Proton VPN offers a compelling package, with an always-on VPN feature and proprietary technology to increase server speeds. This Swiss provider is open-source, and is very reliable when it comes to torrenting. Sign up for its free plan or try the whole package risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
From the creators of Proton Mail, Proton VPN is a high-quality torrenting VPN – and in my Proton VPN review, I found that it just keeps getting better and better, now rivaling the behemoths that dominate the industry.
Proton is clearly targeted at a more VPN-savvy crowd – ExpressVPN will appeal to newbies more than Proton VPN will – but it's still more than simple enough to use for most.
If you're comfortable with more robust, detailed apps and prioritize Swiss privacy above all else, though, Proton may well be your best choice. Switzerland is known for its strict privacy laws, plus it’s outside the US and EU jurisdiction and not a member of the ‘14 Eyes’ surveillance network, giving Proton VPN an upper hand on the privacy front.
With 190 P2P-optimized servers and over 3,000 regular servers, Proton VPN doesn't offer the widest range, but in my testing I had no problems downloading torrents and experienced absolutely no slow-down.
This means these servers aren't too crowded, and you can expect a pretty seamless experience.
While other VPNs provide a standard multi-hop feature, Proton VPN takes it up a notch. Its Secure Core servers route your internet traffic through secure locations like Switzerland, Sweden, and Iceland before finally connecting you to your chosen destination.
By doing this, Proton VPN ensures that prying eyes, like hackers ISPs and governments, cannot get a glimpse of your activity logs or personal information. However, for most users this is an unnecessary step, and it's worth noting that you'll make a trade-off in terms of speed when activating Secure Core.
On that note, Proton VPN's WireGuard speeds are pretty good. Topping out at over 460 Mbps in my speed tests, it's not the fastest, but it's more than speedy enough for almost any domestic internet, and connections are very reliable too. That's not it, though – Proton VPN employs a proprietary VPN Accelerator technology that claims to boost server speeds by up to 400%.
With a kill switch, an advanced split tunneling system, and fully audited and open-source apps, all of these factors come together to make Proton VPN a very compelling VPN for torrenting – and it also offers one of the best free VPNs (although this doesn't support torrenting).
✔️ You want an easy-to-use torrenting VPN: CyberGhost allows you to select a server to automatically connect to when you launch your torrent application.
✔️ You want ample time to test the service: CyberGhost offers a whopping 45-day money-back guarantee – the longest in the industry.
✔️ You’re on a budget: Priced at less than three dollars per month, CyberGhost competes with PIA as my best budget torrenting VPN.
❌ You're a big streamer: Even with a handsome server count, CyberGhost couldn't unblock UK Netflix and Disney Plus in my last round of testing.
❌ You want a VPN for your large family: Although CyberGhost's 7 simultaneous connections are decent, competitors such as PIA offer unlimited simultaneous connections.
❌ You want an exhaustive library of help resources: While CyberGhost’s support agents are friendly and professional, its website resources could use more depth.
CyberGhost comes with dedicated functionalities for a superior torrenting experience, and is ideal for beginners looking for an easy-to-navigate VPN with plenty of customization. However, for the vast majority, I'd recommend ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or PIA depending on your budget.
From the get-go, you'll be able to tell that torrenting is a priority for CyberGhost, as the VPN will automatically configure itself to deliver the best torrenting experience. In fact, in my CyberGhost review, I found these specializations one of the Romanian provider's best features.
That means you don't have to fuss around with protocols or testing servers randomly to try and find the best P2P performance – CyberGhost knows what you want to do, and it'll make it happen. It even has a great big 'Torrent Anonymously' button to make the whole process entirely idiot-proof.
A feature I'd like to see in every torrenting VPN is CyberGhost's App Protection. This feature means you can configure the VPN to automatically connect to a server of your choice when you launch a particular app.
In practice, the app in question will be your torrent client, and once you've set that up, you won't even need to open CyberGhost to get protected.
Although not at the top of my list, CyberGhost impresses with over 9,000 servers – much more than the likes of ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Also, the servers are all nicely spread out in 91 countries, which again trumps most of its rivals' reach.
One of CyberGhost’s core attractions is its ease of use, thanks to its very navigable interface and intuitive design that's easy to customize even for beginners. Add to this prompt and capable customer support and a help center rich in resources, and you get one of the best beginner-friendly VPNs.
With industry-standard AES-256 encryption and a range of VPN protocols, an intuitive kill switch, blockers for ads and trackers, and a no-logs policy audited by Deloitte, CyberGhost does very well as far as user security and privacy are concerned.
When it comes to streaming, however, CyberGhost fails to perform – the service failed to unlock UK Netflix and Disney Plus in my last round of testing.
That said, CyberGhost delivered decent speeds, with the WireGuard and OpenVPN connections peaking at 630 Mbps and 360 Mbps respectively. Most other VPNs topped out at around 150 Mbps when I set them to use their OpenVPN protocol.
Overall, CyberGhost is a good VPN, but being priced similarly to PIA but delivering slightly less means it's hard to recommend it instead. However, CyberGhost does offer a lengthy 45-day money-back guarantee, so there's plenty of time to test it out if you fancy giving it a go.
Tested by
These experts have tested and reviewed all the best torrenting VPNs on this page:
VPN speed testing – my results
Speed is crucial when it comes to torrenting larger files if you don't want to risk this activity to become a painful slow nightmare. As an independent reviewer, I regularly test all the top VPN services across different servers and protocols to check for myself the speed they are capable of delivering.
In my review process I test every VPN software on a 1Gbps line. I measure the speeds with a number of tools, including the Ookla SpeedTest website and CLI, nPerf, Netflix's Fast and others. I then take the average (median) of each tool's results to generate an accurate range of speeds. I repeat these tests morning and evening to ensure accuracy. Below are the speed results during my last round of testing:
How to choose a VPN for torrenting
Ultimately, your specific use case will determine which VPN is your perfect match. In addition to torrenting, do you plan on streaming? Or are you looking for a speedy service that can keep up with online gaming? Either way, there are a few factors to keep in mind when shopping around.
First of all, make sure that your chosen provider allows P2P activity on most, if not all, of its servers. This refers to the support for the decentralized peer-to-peer network that allows sharing bigger files (torrents) between two or more computers — more on this in the FAQs below. Thankfully all the providers on this page permit torrenting through their servers.
Excellent privacy and security features should come next – after all, what's the point of using a torrenting VPN if it leaks your data or drops connections mid-download?
Speed is also crucial. If you're downloading a torrent with few seeders, you don't want to be slowed down even more by a sluggish VPN.
Finally, if you think you'll use them, extra features like port forwarding may be useful. However, we recommend only activating these features if you know what you're doing, as improper usage can result in inferior protection.
How we test the best torrenting VPNs
Every VPN that I recommend – and many that I don't – have been tested and reviewed in-house by the VPN team. We have a detailed outline of how we test VPNs, but here's the short version.
We don't just copy and paste the info given on a VPN's website and declare the provider with the most impressive claims the best. Rather, we hand-test each one, making sure they fulfil what they say they can do.
We start off by checking over the website, and installing the VPN on our test devices. The Windows application is the first to been inspected – as this is where the most features are likely to be – we'll try to break the kill switch, ensure any leak protection is working correctly, and measure connection speeds. The other apps see comprehensive testing, too, as we check every available setting across the board to ensure it's functioning as promised by the provider.
Due the popularity of using VPNs for torrenting, we also test each VPN's performance when downloading files that are shared P2P. Of course, we don't download copyrighted content – and nor should you – but our process gives us a hands-on experience of what each provider is like for torrenting.
As we use the apps, if anything appears to be behaving strangely we'll investigate that. We look at the code, check what's being stored in RAM, and generally leave no stone unturned. This overall usage stage is also informs how we rate each app in terms of usability and aesthetics.
From speed results and streaming unlocking capabilities, to customer support and app usability, we regularly make sure to test every aspect of the software that could affect the experience of our readers. In the case of torrenting VPNs, I especially focused my testing on downloading speeds.
Best torrenting VPN FAQ
What is peer-to-peer (P2P) torrenting?
A peer-to-peer (P2P) network is a decentralized infrastructure that allows two or more devices (peers or nodes) to connect and share resources without requiring a separate server or server software to distribute the content. Torrents are the name of the files shared via P2P. P2P sharing is the ideal to allow users to send and receive bigger media files such as books, music, movies, and games at ease.
Is using a VPN for torrenting legal?
Torrenting itself isn't illegal – it's simply sharing information in small packets across different machines. This allows for fast and efficient transfers between computers, which is also known as P2P sharing.
The practice only becomes illegal when you use it to share content which is owned by someone else – for example, a movie that's owned by a media company which you're not paying for.
Torrenting VPNs are also totally legal, and should be used whenever you're sharing P2P, regardless of what you're downloading. So, as long as the files you're downloading are legal, the rest of the process is as well.
What features make a great VPN for torrenting?
To maximize your digital privacy, and boost your anonymity, you'll want to choose a VPN that sticks to a clear no-logs policy. This means that the provider won't store details that could identify you and, if the service is ever pressured to hand over evidence, there simply won't be anything to surrender.
Performance is another integral factor, seeing as you're probably going to be sharing big files while connected to a torrenting VPN.
Finally, leaks are another massive no-no. There are plenty of media companies that run networks of monitoring nodes that can infiltrate torrent swarms and collect IP addresses. Fortunately, if you're using a VPN with solid leak protection, you won't have to worry about turning up on the list.
Can a VPN make torrenting faster?
In short, yes. Torrenting is a data-intensive task that your ISP will monitor, and they might just throttle your connection if they find out that you're doing a little P2P file sharing.
Throttling, in a nutshell, occurs when your ISP slams the breaks on your internet speeds. It sounds petty, buy they do it to discourage certain activities or conserve bandwidth—and it doesn't just affect torrenters. Folks using a lot of bandwidth for HD streaming and online can be impacted by a sudden loss of speed, or connection drop-outs, for no apparent reason.
Luckily, a VPN keeps your browsing activity private. Nobody, including your ISP, can see what you're doing, and that means that they can't make the decision to throttle your internet speeds. So, if you think you're being impacted by throttling when you're torrenting, a VPN could help.
