You’ll have the same expression as Fry from Futurama after you realize the importance of using the best VPN for torrenting.
Most of us have heard about a virtual private network, otherwise known as a VPN, but many don’t quite understand how it works or why you need that software installed, especially when you engage in web activities, such as torrenting, that risks the exposure of your location and personal data.
What is a VPN?
In layman’s terms, a VPN is a type of service that allows you to access the web in a safe and private manner through a server connection that acts as an identity dummy. With this proxy connection, your online activities and data are encrypted by the software, keeping your virtual actions and identity anonymous as you browse through your favorite websites.
How Does a VPN Work?
When you use a VPN, the software encrypts your data before your internet service provider (ISP) or other wireless connection provider reaches your data. This means you can surf the web without worrying about your ISP snooping about your online activities and it also greatly reduces the likelihood of cybercriminals exploiting your data.
Trouble is, if you are not familiar with VPNs, picking the right VPN can be a daunting task. Because you are relying on third-party applications to safeguard your identity, it is crucial to choose a reliable VPN to make sure your identity stays private, especially when it comes to torrenting files.
What to consider before choosing VPN for Torrenting:
- Does your VPN support torrenting? Look for a VPN that supports torrenting as some do not allow it. Many VPNs actually set up restrictions for users, with some banning torrenting activities.
- Does your VPN collect logs from your data? While it’s important to remain anonymous to websites you visit and during torrenting, you don’t want the very web shield you trust end up being the one who stores and manipulates your data.
- Is your VPN performance fast enough? The question explains itself. You want a VPN that allows speedy large file downloads and fast web surfing instead of making your life miserable with lags and torrent speeds that could go on for years.
- What is the VPN’s jurisdiction? It’s best to use a VPN that is set outside the United States, preferably not tied to laws and regulations under the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes alliances. There’s a small chance your personal data may end up in security databases if the VPN provider in question is forced to cooperate with the jurisdiction. Unless you are fine with such potential data collection, it is best to stick to unregulated VPNs.
Not sure where to start in finding the best VPN for torrenting? You’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will cover:
Why Use a VPN for Torrenting?
Torrenting sounds like a straightforward thing so why the need to use best VPN for torrenting though? The thing is, while you are happily getting parts of your intended file from the network of peers, you are also putting your identity and personal data in danger out there for potential internet baddies to chance upon.
A VPN helps to hide your identity, location, and activity, making you more anonymous since your actual IP address will not be easily known by other downloaders. Not only that, but a VPN also filters out the possibility of downloading virus-infected files. Though this is not 100% foolproof — as long as you avoid torrenting files with no feedback from the torrent community, you should be safe coupled with your VPN’s presence.
How to Choose the Best VPN for Torrenting
With the many VPNs out in the market, you may be at a loss trying to decide on the best VPN for torrenting. Regardless of which VPN you choose, ensure your VPN fulfills the following criteria:
- Has a clear laid out privacy policy with a no-logging guarantee
- Has a kill switch to prevent your true IP from being exposed
- Has great security with strong encryption
- Has fast download speeds and does not restrict the bandwidth
Most importantly, remember to choose a VPN that supports torrenting!
Paid vs Free VPN for Torrenting
Given a choice between a paid or a free VPN for torrenting, most of us will prefer to go for the free option hands down. However, like all free things in this world, there is a catch: Reliability and trustworthiness of the free programs are oftentimes questionable.
What are the major differences between a paid versus free VPN for torrenting? Here’s a quick comparison:
- Pricing — Paid VPN services for torrenting come at a range of price depending on the package duration while free VPNs are literally free, with some offering partially-free subscriptions. While it is always nice to get and use free stuff, do bear in mind that there may be some cons and restrictions.
- Security — Security is usually something free VPNs lack…not that they are to be blamed since the software is free. A lot of free VPNs only offer Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), the less secure tunneling protocol compared to paid VPNs, which usually offer a mix of OpenVPN, Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol (L2TP) and IPsec protocols.
- Service Quality — Paid VPNs tend to have unlimited data service without suffering from restricted bandwidths coupled with technical support. Such is the opposite for free VPN services though, and some free programs allow only a certain amount of connections to servers before they start asking a fee from you.
Best VPNs For Torrenting
ExpressVPN.com
ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers from 93 countries, which is nicely spread out across the world. Apart from being Netflix-compatible, ExpressVPN is also The Orion Router (TOR) compatible. This translates to enhanced security since your traffic info is encrypted across many servers to the point where it is hard to track you down.
ExpressVPN is located in the British Virgin Islands and is one of the most secure VPNs for torrenting, especially since it has a strict no-logging policy. This VPN promises fast, secure, and private services and it stays true to its words — the download speed is good, there is a kill switch available, and OpenVPN protocols are backed by AES-256 encryption with no torrenting restrictions.
If you ever need more info on using uTorrent software with this VPN, ExpressVPN provides useful support articles and 24/7 live chat support to help you navigate around. ExpressVPN works on multiple devices but there’s a limit to this though: you can only connect up to three devices simultaneously.
The one downside is that ExpressVPN has a higher cost at about $6.67/month but the security and reliability it offers are worth the money.
NordVPN.com
Anyone who is a fan of torrenting will recognise this brand immediately: NordVPN is known to be the most anonymous and secure VPN for torrenting.
With over 5,300 servers across 100+ countries, you can expect good torrenting performance with hundreds of servers optimised for peer-to-peer (P2P) activities except not all their servers support P2P. Not that it’s a major issue.
And being the most anonymous and secure VPN for torrenting, it is not surprising that NordVPN enforces strict no-logging. This very easy-to-use VPN also has an automatic VPN kill switch in case the VPN malfunctions to avoid leaking your data during its downtime, and the VPN’s double data encryption also helps increase your online security.
NordVPN.com lets you torrent without limits as they do not believe in placing caps on bandwidth. Also, fans of Netflix will be happy to know this VPN unblocks Netflix USA.
A free three-day trial is available if you plan to test this VPN out. Otherwise, you can consider subscribing to NordVPN for under $3/month for a three-year plan — totally affordable pricing if you ask us! Subscription plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, with decent live chat support at your service 24/7.
Surfshark
While it has a much smaller network compared to NordVPN, with 800+ servers from 60 countries, Surfshark does not lose in terms of privacy and security. Abiding by a no-logging policy and offering secure tunneling protocols such as OpenVPN and IKEv2 with AES-256-GCM encryption, you can enjoy an optimized torrenting speed while having your identity kept safe and secure.
Surfshark is a very easy-to-use VPN with no bandwidth limit and no simultaneous connection limit, so say hello to using this VPN on different devices all at the same time! It allows torrenting on all its servers including countries where P2P activities are forbidden via rerouting the connection to torrent-friendly servers in the Netherlands or Canada, depending on your location. Smart move, Surfshark.
The best part? Surfshark by far is the cheapest VPN on the market, costing about $1.99/month for a two-year plan with a 30-day refund policy. The VPN also provides features like a 30-day free trial version, 24/7 live chat support and even gives you lists of the best torrent sites and P2P services.
Surfshark is located in the British Virgin Islands out of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes surveillance jurisdiction, so you can be sured that your personal data remains safe away from government interference.
ClearVPN
Optimized for torrenting, you can expect a great application speed with decent usability. ClearVPN is all that, offering an engaging and easy-to-use UX.
Like other VPNs in this list, ClearVPN uses OpenVPN protocols and AES-256 encryption. This VPN provider practices zero-logging — you can be sure your privacy will not be compromised. ClearVPN is a leak-free VPN with no torrenting restrictions, allows six simultaneous connections per single account.
ClearVPN is great for Netflix and other popular streaming services coming at an accessible cost ($9,99/month). Good 24/7 live customer support is also available for the clueless. The bottom line, ClearVPN serves as a great VPN for torrenting.
Private Internet Access
Earning the best reputation in the VPN business, Private Internet Access or PIA is known to be one of the oldest and well-known VPN providers out there with excellent coverage in North America and Europe.
With over 3,300 servers in 31 countries, good AES-128 and AES-256 encryptions with OpenVPN protocols, and pretty fast download speeds, no wonder PIA is quite a favorite among peers.
As one of the torrent-friendly VPNs, PIA does not limit you torrenting an event and provides you with P2P support throughout their server network. You can have up to ten simultaneous connections and you can use PIA’s services for less than $3/month with a seven-day money-back guarantee.
PIA has a no-logging policy but it does keep track of payment information and email. Located within the United States, personal data may be exposed in government databases but thankfully, the software is leak-free. It has a kill switch, though performance is not that consistent according to some.
Interestingly, PIA accepts cryptocurrency as a payment method and even gift cards from popular retailers like Starbucks, Costco, Best Buy, and Target. Time to put your gift cards to use while staying protected under this VPN!
Final Thoughts
It is imperative to use a VPN to protect your anonymity and privacy plus provide security when torrenting. It is equally important to choose a VPN that has a no-logging policy, good speed, allows torrenting, and falls away from jurisdiction for enhanced privacy. You would also want a VPN that has affordable subscription plans, has as few restrictions as possible and comes with a reliable built-in kill switch.
To sum up:
- For strict no-logging, go for NordVPN, ExpressVPN, PIA, Perfect Privacy, Surfshark, TorGuard.
- For fast speed, go for NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
- For easy-to-use interface and most economical VPN, go for NordVPN and Surfshark.
- For Netflix-friendly VPNs, go for NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
Now that we have covered the best VPNs for torrenting, we hope you found this article useful and that it provided the insight you need to pick the right VPN for you.
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