I’ve put together this comprehensive guide to torrenting so you can learn what torrenting is, the difference between legal and illegal downloads, how to protect yourself, and more. The easiest way to torrent safely and anonymously is with a VPN connection. I tested more than 30 services to find the top choices, and ExpressVPN is the best option for torrenting in 2023. Every ExpressVPN server is optimized for torrenting, and fast speeds ensure quick downloads. Best of all, you can try torrenting with ExpressVPN risk-free. Torrent securely with ExpressVPN
Short on Time? Torrenting at a Glance
What is Torrenting and How Does It Work?
Torrenting is a way to share files using the BitTorrent network. Rather than using a central server to store the files, torrent users download (leech) and upload (seed) files directly to each other’s devices. Torrenting is easily the most popular method of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing, as it’s fast, convenient, and usually free. All torrenting participants are known as peers, and a group of peers makes a swarm. When torrenting a file, a peer downloads from and uploads to multiple peers in the swarm at the same time, rather than a single source. Once a peer has completed the download, they become a seeder, uploading the torrent to other peers in the swarm. If a torrent file has no seeders, the torrent is considered “dead.” Torrenting differs from direct downloading in that you’re not downloading the whole file from a single source. Instead, the seeders all upload pieces of the torrent. The leecher then downloads those separate pieces from the swarm of peers, and it gets assembled into a whole using a torrent client. To access the torrent network, you need specialized software called a torrent client. This connects your device to the BitTorrent network so you can then connect with peers to leech and seed. There are a number of popular free clients available, including Vuze, qBittorrent, and uTorrent. Alongside your torrent client, you’ll also need access to torrent websites to choose and download files. Some popular sites include The Pirate Bay, RARBG, and 1337x. These websites host links to torrent files — once you click a torrent link, your client opens and connects you to the BitTorrent network and to other peers who are uploading (seeding) and downloading (leeching) the same file.
Is It Safe to Download Torrent Files?
There is always risk when downloading torrents, especially if you don’t protect your connection with VPN encryption. You could be exposed to malware, accidentally download copyrighted material, or have your personal data made vulnerable to hackers and spies. It’s possible to safely download torrent files, providing you take the necessary precautions before you start torrenting. Here are a few steps you should take before torrenting to maximize your security:
Is Torrenting Illegal?
The act of torrenting — sharing files directly with peers — isn’t illegal. Legal issues arise when we look at the content within the torrent files and where in the world you’re torrenting. It’s perfectly legal to torrent copyright-free content. P2P file-sharing is a fast and effective way to access open-source software (like Linux distros), public domain content (like books, movies, and music that are no longer copyrighted), and content from independent artists (like games, music, books, and movies). In most countries, it’s illegal to torrent files that are protected by copyright laws and regulations without permission from the copyright holder. Typically, this includes popular media like new-release movies, music, video games, and books. However, in some places (like Mexico, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland) it’s legal to download copyrighted content provided it’s for personal use only. Downloading copyrighted content (even accidentally) is punishable by law in most locations, so make sure you are aware of the laws regarding torrenting in your country before you torrent. My team and I don’t condone illegal torrenting.
What Happens If You Get Caught Torrenting?
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and third parties, known as “copyright trolls,” are constantly monitoring BitTorrent and other file-sharing networks to locate users who download copyright-protected content. If you’re found to download copyrighted content, you could face network restrictions, threats of legal action (like being sued for copyright infringement), or legal penalties.
Copyright trolls
Copyright trolls are typically legal firms that hunt down users who illegally torrent copyright content on behalf of the copyright owners. The trolls obtain user IP addresses and use them to find personal information to which they can send letters, emails, or even visit in person, threatening the user with legal action. These copyright trolls use intimidation and fear as tactics to force users into making a settlement payment — they’ll threaten to sue for thousands and thousands of dollars, then propose a much smaller settlement that appears much more reasonable. If you receive a settlement letter or other correspondence from copyright trolls, seek legal advice — there are many attorneys who specialize in these issues and who will be able to help you with a correct response.
ISP penalties
Your ISP may actively monitor your online activity to ensure you’re not torrenting copyrighted content. If you’re found to illegally torrent content, your ISP is likely to notify you with a warning first and discourage you from continuing to torrent protected files. Should you continue to torrent, your ISP may throttle your network connection, give you a short ISP ban, or hand over your personal details to copyright owners — making it easy for them to bring legal action against you. Torrenting takes a great deal of bandwidth, so throttling your connection saves your ISP money and creates space for other users. Your ISP may also get compensation from copyright owners for notifying them about illegal activities.
Legal penalties
The legal repercussions for torrenting vary depending on where you live. Typically, torrenters aren’t pursued with legal action unless the unlawful action is repeated or significant (like torrenting and distributing a large amount of protected content). Usually, legal penalties involve a fine, and in very rare cases may lead to a prison sentence. Here are some of the punishments in different countries:
How to Stay Safe When Torrenting
To torrent securely and anonymously, there are several precautions you should take, and some alternative methods to consider.
Use a VPN when torrenting
The safest and most reliable way to torrent is with a premium VPN. A VPN connection protects you in 2 ways: first, it masks your IP address, replacing it with one from the VPN server. This ensures your IP cannot be traced by peers, hackers, or copyright trolls. Second, it encrypts the connection, hiding it from anyone who may be watching — like your ISP — so no one can see your torrent activity. You’ll only get top-tier protection if you use a premium VPN. Many VPNs promise to provide the best security and privacy but are often lacking military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and data leak protection. Not only that, some only have a small data cap, which wouldn’t be enough for torrenting large files. Only the best VPNs for torrenting have the necessary security and privacy features for fast, uninterrupted, and anonymous downloads.
Antivirus software
It’s vital to protect your devices from potential malware that could be hiding amongst the files you torrent. Typically, torrents themselves don’t contain malware, but torrents are often accompanied by other files (like information about the torrent creator, the content of the torrent, and other similar data). You could be exposed to malicious software planted by a hacker in these extra files. You should always scan your torrents with an up-to-date antivirus software program before opening them. It’s also a good idea to download your torrent to a virtual machine — this lets you check the torrent in a secure, sandboxed environment first, so any lurking malware can’t infect your device.
Other alternatives
If you’re not sure about using a VPN, there are a couple of other methods you can use to torrent more securely:
Tor: The Onion Router (Tor) is a network of “nodes” that acts a little like a VPN. Your encrypted traffic travels through several volunteer computers (nodes) before arriving at your online destination, making it difficult to trace your activity back to you. While this is effective at keeping you anonymous, it’s not ideal for torrenting — Tor is notoriously slow, and as it’s often used by hackers, using it could make you more of a target for surveillance. PeerBlock: This is a popular choice with torrenters, as it has an extensive blacklist of IP addresses known to track online activity. If one of these IP addresses tries to connect with your torrent activity, it’s blocked automatically. However, PeerBlock isn’t free — it requires a subscription to keep updating the IP blacklist — and it’s not guaranteed that a shady IP address won’t avoid PeerBlock’s list and still connect with you.
Usenet
Usenet is a subscription service that lets users download files from a centralized server rather than from peers. Usenet providers often have secure connections that feature a level of encryption, so you don’t have to share personally identifying data as you download. Plus, Usenet downloads are often super-fast, as you don’t have to wait for seeders to complete your torrent. Once you’ve downloaded the file, you don’t have to seed it yourself — this makes you less of a target as you’re not distributing content, only receiving it, and you’re not taking up as many resources from your ISP. The downside is that Usenet services aren’t free, typically costing around $10-20 per month (more expensive than the monthly price of top VPN services).
Best VPNs for Torrenting in 2023
1. ExpressVPN — Top-Tier Security and Privacy Features for Blazing-Fast Torrenting
Key Features: ExpressVPN’s entire server network is optimized for torrenting, with each connection secured by high-level features that keep your P2P downloads anonymous. Every connection is obfuscated by default making sure that your online activities are always private. It also comes with the following security features:
AES-256-bit encryption on all servers ensures your torrent activity is hidden from prying eyes Data leak protection secures against DNS, IP, and WebRTC leaks that could leave your personal information vulnerable Automatic kill switch cuts access to the internet if the VPN connection is interrupted, maintaining anonymity Proprietary Lightway connection protocol ideal for fast, secure torrenting Split tunneling configurable with torrent clients guarantees you’re always connected to the VPN before you start downloading Port forwarding available on ExpressVPN-compatible routers, increasing connection speeds TrustedServer Technology servers run on RAM so no data can physically be stored — proven when an ExpressVPN server was seized by Turkish authorities but no data was recovered Audited zero-log policy confirms ExpressVPN never logs or stores your data
I was concerned that ExpressVPN’s high-performance security and privacy features would slow my speeds. However, ExpressVPN is easily the fastest service I’ve tested — its blazing-fast speeds are available across its network of more than 3,000 servers. No matter where I connected, my speeds were more than fast enough for torrenting, with an average reduction of just 18% on my regular speeds. I could download a 40GB file in just 28 minutes, with a 2GB music file taking a minute to complete. With these speeds, I could also connect to Netflix and stream in UHD quality, play online games without lag or interruptions, and browse the web as though I weren’t connected to the VPN. The only downside is that ExpressVPN is a little more expensive than other options — its plans start at $6.67/month for a 1-year subscription. However, I think it’s worth paying a bit extra for guaranteed security and privacy, plus super-fast speeds on all P2P server connections. You can try torrenting with ExpressVPN risk-free as the service is backed by a money-back guarantee. If you’re not fully satisfied, you have up to 30 days to claim a refund, and the process is easy. I tried it by contacting the 24/7 live chat, with the agent arranging my refund request in less than 3 minutes. I had my money back in just 5 days. Torrent safely with ExpressVPN
2. CyberGhost — Optimized Streaming Servers Provide Fast, Secure Torrent Connections
Key Features: CyberGhost’s optimized P2P servers are ideal for fast, secure torrenting. These servers are available in more than 75 locations worldwide, so you can always find an optimized connection nearby. These servers are tested regularly by CyberGhost staff to ensure you get the best security for torrenting, and fast speeds. During my tests, CyberGhost’s dedicated torrenting servers were quick, reliable, and secure — it took only 40 minutes to download a 40GB file. I found that CyberGhost’s optimized servers were considerably faster than its regular connections, and I was surprised that the nearest optimized server wasn’t always the fastest. Less popular torrent locations, like the Isle of Man, Algeria, and Greenland sometimes had better speeds than my nearest connection — this is due to those servers being less crowded. For the best speeds, I recommend choosing an optimized P2P server less than 5,000km from your location. Alongside reliably fast connections, CyberGhost has a variety of security and privacy features designed to keep your data and devices secure. These include:
AES-256-bit encryption on all servers for secure connections worldwide Leak protection stops DNS and IP leaks from exposing your data Automatic kill switch blocks internet access if the VPN is accidentally interrupted Secure connection protocols including WireGuard and OpenVPN Malicious ad blocker stops shady pop-up and banner ads on torrent sites App Rules configurable with your torrent client ensure you won’t start downloading unless you’re protected by VPN encryption Audited zero-log policy and RAM-based servers guarantee no data is ever logged or stored by CyberGhost
You’ll find CyberGhost also has optimized servers for gaming (Windows only) and specific streaming services, making it easy to catch up with your favorite shows and movies. My issue with CyberGhost is that it’s an expensive option if you want a short-term subscription. However, its long-term plans are much more affordable, with prices starting at $2.11 per month. Plus, with a long-term plan, you can take advantage of a 45-day money-back guarantee, which is much longer than other VPN services — short-term plans only allow 14 days to claim a refund. Fortunately, CyberGhost’s refund process is very easy, with a no-questions-asked policy. When I tested this, I simply requested a refund using the 24/7 live chat. The agent promptly processed my request, taking just a couple of minutes. I had my money returned within a week. Torrent safely with CyberGhost
3. Private Internet Access — Enormous Server Network Supports Torrenting on All Connections
Key Features: Private Internet Access (PIA) has a huge network of more than 35,000 servers — all of which support P2P file-sharing. With so many connections to choose from, you’re guaranteed to find one nearby so you can enjoy fast and reliable torrenting. During tests, I could connect to PIA’s servers in just a few seconds. As PIA can struggle to maintain speeds over long distances, I was pleased I could customize PIA’s encryption for a speed boost. By lowering encryption from AES-256-bit to AES-128-bit, you can improve torrent download speeds while maintaining top-tier security — AES encryption has never been brute-force broken. It’s easy to customize too, thanks to PIA’s intuitive app interface. I recommend always choosing a local PIA server to keep your speeds fast (less than 3,000km away). My speeds dropped an average of 30%, which didn’t affect my torrenting as my regular speeds are fast. However, further away my speed dropped significantly. To keep speeds as fast as possible, I used the WireGuard protocol — a top choice for P2P file-sharing, online gaming, and streaming. To protect your data and devices when torrenting, PIA has a range of high-level security and privacy features, including:
Data leak protection stops accidental DNS, IP, and WebRTC leaks Kill switch secures your personal information if the VPN is interrupted when torrenting MACE ad and malware blocker stops all annoying and malicious ads when visiting torrent sites Split tunneling ensures your torrent client won’t download files unless the VPN connection is active Audited zero-log policy confirms PIA will not log or store personally-identifiable data when connected to its servers
The downside to PIA is you can’t port forward using its US servers. This could result in slower download times for torrenting, as port forwarding makes it easier for peers to find and connect to your torrent client. However, there are many port forward-friendly servers in nearby locations, like Canada and Mexico. You can try PIA risk-free and at an affordable price — it’s one of the top affordable monthly VPNs, with plans starting at just $2.11/month. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee, and getting a refund if you’re not satisfied is simple. I contacted the 24/7 live chat and, after confirming my cancellation, the agent processed my request. I had my money back in a week. Torrent safely with PIA
How to Choose the Best VPN for Torrenting
I tested more than 30 services to find the best VPNs in 2023 for torrenting. Each VPN was ranked according to the following criteria:
Supports torrenting: Ideally, every VPN server supports P2P file-sharing, or the VPN has dedicated servers optimized for torrenting available in multiple locations worldwide. Premium security features: Military-grade encryption, data leak protection, and an automatic kill switch are necessary. Other useful features include secure protocols, split tunneling, ad and malware blockers, and auto-connect for apps like torrent clients. Guaranteed privacy: Each recommended VPN has a strict zero-log privacy policy that has been independently audited to guarantee your data is never logged or stored while connected to its servers. Global server network: A large network ensures you get reliable connections for torrenting, even at peak traffic times. Plus, you can always find a nearby server to keep speeds fast. Fast speeds: I ran multiple speed tests to ensure each VPN can provide fast connections for quick torrent downloads. Customer service: The recommended VPNs have 24/7 live chat with prompt responses and knowledgeable staff so you can get quick answers to all your VPN and torrenting questions. Value for money: Each VPN provides top value for money, with a range of features designed to keep your torrent activity anonymous and secure. Plus, the VPNs all have a money-back guarantee so you can try the services risk-free.
Quick Guide: How to Torrent in 5 Easy Steps
For Windows, Android, Linux, and More
For Mac and iOS
It’s a little more complicated to download torrents on Mac and iOS — first, Apple doesn’t permit torrent clients on its App Store, and macOS Catalina 10.15+ doesn’t support most torrent clients. Instead, you’ll need to use an in-browser torrent application. 2. Make sure your VPN is configured for the highest security when torrenting: 3. Connect to a VPN server optimized for torrenting. Make sure you know and understand the rules and regulations regarding torrenting in your country. 4. Get a quality torrent client. Choose a tried-and-trusted service like Vuze, BitTorrent, or Flud. 5. Visit your chosen torrent site and choose a file. Your torrent client will automatically open and connect so you can download your torrent. Torrent securely with ExpressVPN When I tested the process, it was easy. It took less than 5 minutes to arrange my refund using the 24/7 live chat, and I had my money back within a week. The following torrent clients are well-known and popular options, so you can consider one of these: BitTorrent, qBittorrent, Vuze, Deluge, uTorrent, Transmission, BitComet, BitLord, and Tixati. Make sure you choose a quality VPN with AES-256-bit encryption, data leak protection, and a kill switch to keep your data protected. Also, check that your VPN supports torrenting — there are many top-tier VPNs with optimized networks for P2P file-sharing, but some will block torrents altogether. Make sure you only download torrents with the protection of a VPN and antivirus software, and that you choose verified files from trustworthy torrent sites to minimize the risk. When you use a public site, you’re much more likely to encounter malware, intrusive ads, and have your IP address tracked (unless you’re using a premium VPN to encrypt your connection). With a private site, you can expect faster download times, a higher level of privacy and security, and high-quality torrents. However, it can take a long time to be invited to a private site, and you may not find the torrent files you want. Torrent streaming is generally a more private option, as the file is streamed directly to your device without any third parties (like peers in a swarm). This makes it much harder for hackers or copyright trolls to track torrent streamers. However, you’re still at risk — the website you’re streaming from could be logging your IP information and handing that over to the authorities. Plus, you’re likely to be bothered by intrusive ads, and platforms like Kodi are often the subject of man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks and other threats from third-party add-ons. Many of the risks of streaming or downloading torrents can be mitigated by using a quality VPN. An encrypted connection, leak protection, and kill switch will keep your data and activity anonymous. But you must bear in mind that a VPN connection doesn’t give you the right to download or distribute copyrighted content — my team and I don’t condone illegal activity at all. However, some countries do have jail time as a punishment for illegal torrenting. Typically, this is reserved for very serious offenses like repeated illegal downloads and uploading and distributing copyrighted content. It all depends on the country you’re in, so I suggest you make yourself aware of local laws and regulations surrounding torrenting before you share files. Make sure that you:
Choose torrent files that are in the public domain. Check before you start torrenting that the file isn’t protected by copyright laws. Don’t upload or distribute copyrighted content. Seeding copyrighted material is illegal worldwide. Check your country’s laws regarding torrenting. While file-sharing is legal, your country may have restrictions and regulations for torrenting and may prohibit access to certain torrent sites and clients.
LimeTorrent — best for movies and shows TorrentDownloads — best for games Torrentz2 — best for music The Pirate Bay — best for ebooks 1337x — best for software and applications
Just be aware that these torrent sites may host links to copyrighted content, so make sure you’re only downloading public domain files to avoid legal penalties. Other peers connected to the same torrent file (including potential hackers and copyright trolls) can see what you’re downloading. To ensure your data and devices are safe when torrenting, make sure you are connected to a VPN first — this will mask your data and true location to stop you from being tracked by others. Free VPNs and proxies are notoriously shady, promising unlimited data and top features — but they don’t have the resources or infrastructure to keep your connections private. Worse still, some free services won’t actually protect you, but track and store your online activity to sell to third-party advertisers. You could even be at risk of malware if you download a free service. Even the best free VPNs in 2023 aren’t a good choice for torrenting. While they’ll keep your data and connections private and secure, small data caps restrict your torrenting, and some don’t support P2P file-sharing to encourage you to upgrade. Instead, I recommend you try a premium VPN that has a long money-back guarantee, like CyberGhost. With CyberGhost, you can torrent as much as you want for up to 45 days risk-free — if you change your mind, you can get a full refund with no questions asked.
Get the top VPN for torrenting
Get a VPN and Stay Safe While Torrenting Today
Torrenting is notorious for being risky and potentially illegal, but it doesn’t have to be. Making sure you download public domain content, using antivirus software, and connecting with a premium VPN ensure safe and secure P2P file-sharing. Of all the VPNs tested, ExpressVPN emerges as the top choice. Every server is optimized for file-sharing so you can always find a nearby connection, and blazing-fast speeds are ideal for quick downloads. Plus, you can try ExpressVPN risk-free as the service is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you change your mind, you can get a full refund with no questions asked.
