What is the best VPN for torrenting right now?
While the term torrenting often suggests illicitly downloading copyrighted materials, BitTorrent is simply a file-sharing protocol, and there are plenty of legal uses for it. For instance, I regularly download open-source software, including Linux operating systems, with BitTorrent. Similarly, there’s a lot of public domain content that you can freely and legally torrent, like the renowned 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. But some ISPs may slow down or completely block BitTorrent traffic, so I suggest using a VPN nonetheless. As always, remember that illegal activity is still illegal even if performed under the privacy of a VPN.
NordVPN is the best VPN for torrenting, thanks to its blisteringly fast download speeds that trounced the competition. Its excellent privacy, robust fleet of peer-to-peer-optimized servers and outstanding streaming performance make it a terrific all-around VPN.
Proton VPN is the best VPN for torrenting with port forwarding, making it a great choice for power users and file-sharing enthusiasts. I was impressed with Proton VPN’s snappy speeds, exhaustive global server network and terrific region-restricted streaming content unblocking.
Surfshark is the best value VPN for torrenting, boasting file-sharing support on all its servers. You’ll get a slew of amenities that pricier VPNs lack, including unlimited simultaneous connections and nifty privacy features.
Mullvad is the best VPN for torrenters with critical privacy needs. The company keeps the personal information it asks for to an absolute minimum, and doesn’t even require an email address, name, username or password. While it was fast in our 2025 speed tests, Mullvad was mind-blowingly quick in my hands-on torrenting test. Its streaming struggles, small server network and meager five simultaneous device allotment mean it won’t be the best fit for everyone, but for torrenting, those limitations are offset by Mullvad’s strong commitment to privacy and transparency, plus its superb torrenting performance.
The best VPNs for torrenting at a glance
| NordVPN | Proton VPN | Surfshark | Mullvad | |
| Price | $13 per month, $60 for a year or $82 for two years (one- and two-year plans auto-renew at $140 a year) | $10 per month, $60 for a year or $108 for two years (one- and two-year plans auto-renew at $80 a year); Free plan available | $15 per month, $48 the first year or $54 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $79 per year) | 5 euro (about $6) per month |
| Server network | 7,900-plus server locations in 125 countries | 13,600-plus server locations in 122 countries | 3,200-plus server locations in 100 countries | 724 servers in 49 countries |
| Average internet download speed loss | 3% | 16% | 21% | 24% |
| Simultaneous connections | 10 | 10 | Unlimited | 5 |
| Supports P2P | Dedicated P2P servers | Dedicated P2P servers | On all servers | On all servers |
| Port forwarding support | No | Yes | No | No |
| Streaming services unblocked | Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, CBC and more | Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, CBC and more | Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, CBC and more | Netflix, Max |
| VPN protocols | NordLynx (WireGuard-based), OpenVPN, NordWhisper | WireGuard, OpenVPN, Stealth | WireGuard, OpenVPN | WireGuard, OpenVPN |
| Platform support | Windows, MacOS, Linux (with GUI), Android, Android TV, iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Web browsers, Routers | Windows, MacOS, Linux (with GUI), Android, Android TV, iOS, iPadOS, Fire TV, Apple TV, Web browsers, Routers | Windows, MacOS, Linux (with GUI), Android, Android TV, iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Web browsers, Routers | Windows, MacOS, Linux (with GUI), Android, Android TV, iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Web browsers, Routers |
Factors to consider in a VPN for torrenting
Torrenting servers and features
While most VPNs support torrenting, some VPNs restrict file-sharing activity to select servers, whereas others allow torrenting on any server. For instance, NordVPN and Proton VPN have designated P2P servers, while ExpressVPN and Surfshark allow you to torrent on any server. If torrenting activity is limited, make sure there’s a comprehensive roster of P2P servers to pick from.
A feature known as port forwarding can be advantageous for torrenting by allowing faster download and upload speeds or starting poorly seeded torrents (ones with few uploaders). Think about making a call with a restricted number. You can place calls, but if nobody picks up and you can’t leave a message, then you probably won’t get a call back. But if your phone number is publicly available, the combination of incoming and outgoing calls boosts the chance of having a conversation. Without port forwarding, your torrent app searches for sources to download a file from, and if it’s a healthy torrent file with lots of uploaders, you shouldn’t have any issues. But if you’re downloading a file with few seeders, your torrent client bears the full responsibility of finding a connection. Port forwarding leaves a port open, so uploaders can find you, not just the other way around. And the two-way traffic may help, particularly with older or obscure torrents lacking seeders.
However, leaving ports open can also be a minor security risk, so many VPN providers don’t support it. Proton VPN offers port forwarding, and the service claims that its implementation has addressed some security vulnerabilities. In my experience, downloads and uploads — even of poorly seeded torrents — worked just fine with VPNs that lacked port forwarding, so you may not need it.
VPN torrenting speeds compared
| VPN | Torrent | Time to complete download | File size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mullvad | Batocera Linux Steam Deck | 2 minutes and 34 seconds | 3.29GB |
| Mullvad | Ubuntu 25.04 ISO | 3 minutes and 32 seconds | 5.84GB |
| NordVPN | Batocera Linux Steam Deck | 5 minutes and 25 seconds | 3.29GB |
| NordVPN | Ubuntu 25.04 ISO | 5 minutes and 52 seconds | 5.84GB |
| PIA | Batocera Linux Steam Deck | 6 minutes and 34 seconds | 3.29GB |
| ExpressVPN | Batocera Linux Steam Deck | 6 minutes and 43 seconds | 3.29GB |
| Surfshark | Ubuntu 25.04 ISO | 9 minutes and 43 seconds | 5.84GB |
| ExpressVPN | Ubuntu 25.04 ISO | 10 minutes and 24 seconds | 5.84GB |
| PIA | Ubuntu 25.04 ISO | 10 minutes and 43 seconds | 5.84GB |
| Proton VPN | Batocera Linux Steam Deck | 13 minutes and 5 seconds | 3.29GB |
| Surfshark | Batocera Linux Steam Deck | 17 minutes and 23 seconds | 3.29GB |
| Proton VPN | Ubuntu 25.04 ISO | 19 minutes and 43 seconds | 5.84GB |
Internet speed loss
All VPNs slow down your internet speeds by nature of encrypting your connection, but the fastest VPNs only drop your base download speed by an average of 25% or less. For torrenting, you’ll want the quickest possible download and upload speeds. NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and Mullvad all delivered sub-25% internet download speed loss in our 2025 testing. You shouldn’t notice much impact from a fast VPN, especially on a reliable, high-bandwidth connection of 50Mbps or more, like cable or fiber.
Server network
When analyzing a VPN’s server roster, think about the overall number of server locations and the country count. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Proton VPN and Surfshark offer thousands of servers peppering 100-plus countries. You’ll want a generous global server lineup for frequent international travel and worldwide streaming content unblocking. But it’s essential to make sure your VPN has a server presence in your home country and the nations you regularly travel to, so check the available cities and countries.
For torrenting specifically, you’ll want to verify if a VPN company supports P2P traffic on all servers or just select servers. Some VPNs, like ExpressVPN and Surfshark, let you torrent on any server. Others, including NordVPN and Proton VPN, have designated P2P servers.
Privacy
Privacy is paramount when torrenting, so look for a provider with a choice of VPN protocols, including WireGuard (or equivalents and derivatives) for faster download speeds and OpenVPN for obfuscation (which tries to hide the fact that you’re using a VPN). Some VPN companies offer proprietary obfuscation-focused VPN protocols, like NordVPN’s NordWhisper and Proton VPN’s Stealth. Likewise, you’ll want modern encryption: AES 256-bit with OpenVPN or ChaCha20 over WireGuard.
Because you’ll want to keep your torrenting activities hidden at all times, make sure your VPN app has a kill switch, which cuts off your internet in case your VPN unexpectedly disconnects. That way, if your torrent client is running and your VPN stops working, your internet connection is shut off to prevent your ISP from discovering your file-sharing activity.
Split tunneling lets you route some apps and websites but not others through a VPN, and it’s a useful privacy feature, particularly for torrenting. I often use split tunneling to send just my BitTorrent traffic through a VPN connection to mask my downloading while installing games in Steam or streaming Netflix outside of a VPN for faster internet speeds.
RAM-only servers can provide peace of mind when torrenting, because theoretically, no data from your VPN session is saved to a hard drive. However, a traditional hard drive-based server infrastructure with full-disk encryption can deliver equally as reassuring security benefits. While they don’t paint a full privacy picture, third-party audits and transparency reports can be helpful trust signals.
If you’ve got serious torrenting privacy concerns, think about the country a VPN service is based in. VPN companies headquartered in jurisdictions outside of the Five, Nine and 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances may not share information with other nations.
Device support
Think about the devices you want to torrent on. Most VPNs are compatible with Windows, MacOS and Linux, so you can easily use a VPN on your laptop or desktop. Our top VPN picks — ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and Mullvad — all have Linux GUI apps, which are intuitive for beginners.
Additionally, consider your other devices, like phones, tablets, streaming devices and smart TVs. Most VPNs work on Android, iOS/iPadOS, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV. If you need to use a VPN with a device that doesn’t natively support VPN apps, like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X or a Roku device, you can run a VPN on a router or use a PC as a VPN hotspot.
Streaming service unblocking
While you can freely and legally torrent many public domain movies, like Plan 9 From Outer Space, many films and TV series aren’t available to download. But you can use a VPN to unblock region-restricted content on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, BBC iPlayer and CBC. Accordingly, if you’re traveling, you can binge-watch Bridgerton on Netflix or Cross on Prime Video. You may even be able to save money on streaming service subscriptions by leveraging a VPN.
Price
Most VPNs cost anywhere from $5 to $13 per month. Typically, you’ll save money with a longer subscription term, paying between $20 and $100 for the first year. While two-plus year plans often provide the most savings, running anywhere from $30 to $140 for the two or more years, we don’t recommend shelling out for more than one year at a time. Your initially fast, private VPN could suffer a data breach or slower speeds during the course of a year. We suggest sticking with an annual plan for the most significant savings with the least risk.
Many VPNs hit you with price hikes after your initial subscription, so we suggest paying attention at sign-up and avoiding a costly renewal. Thankfully, you can often bypass an expensive autorenewal by stacking subscriptions or by canceling your plan and resubscribing.
How I tested VPNs for torrenting
I’ve been downloading public domain movies and Linux operating systems using VPNs for over a decade. To evaluate VPNs for torrenting, I primarily looked at internet speed loss, privacy, usability and streaming service content unblocking. We run over 252 internet speed tests per VPN provider using multiple VPN protocols to calculate average speed loss. We check for DNS leaks and ensure that all major privacy features, including kill switches and split tunneling, are working correctly. When testing geo-restricted content unblocking, we streamed hours of videos from streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, BBC iPlayer and CBC.
For torrenting specifically, I downloaded two well-seeded (highly shared) files: a 5.84GB Ubuntu Linux ISO and a 3.29GB Batocera Linux Steam Deck ISO. Then, I recorded the time it took for the full download to complete. To gauge how VPNs performed when obtaining downloads with fewer users uploading, I downloaded a few lesser-seeded public-domain movie torrents with each VPN. I factored in both the average internet speed loss and my hands-on torrenting data to get a sense of file-sharing performance. Additionally, I looked at server networks with a keen eye on whether VPN companies allowed torrenting on all servers and, if not, whether the P2P server roster was comprehensive. VPNs that were fast, private and downloaded plus uploaded files reliably using BitTorrent clients took top spots as the best VPNs for torrenting.
Reasons to use a VPN for torrenting
Although torrenting is sometimes used synonymously with illicitly downloading the latest episode of a favorite TV show or a blockbuster movie, there are legal uses for the BitTorrent file-sharing protocol. I’ve been using BitTorrent since high school, mostly to download public domain movies and Linux operating systems. Before you go knocking public domain cinema, know that there are loads of great flicks in the public domain, including the 1968 George A. Romero classic Night of the Living Dead.
But even if you’re downloading completely legal content using a BitTorrent client, you should still consider using a VPN. Some internet service providers throttle or completely block all BitTorrent traffic. Because VPNs encrypt your web traffic, your ISP can’t slow down or stop your torrenting activity.
Other VPNs for torrenting we tested
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is user-friendly, fast and allows torrenting on all its servers. I downloaded an Ubuntu ISO in 10 minutes and 24 seconds, while Batocera took 6 minutes and 43 seconds to complete. NordVPN was faster than ExpressVPN in both tests, although Express was faster than Proton and Surfshark. In our experience, the provider is solid for streaming and unblocks some tough-to-access foreign Netflix libraries, like Netflix Egypt.
But its high initial pricing makes ExpressVPN a tough sell for file-sharing enthusiasts. You’ll pay $13 per month, $100 per year (renewing at $117 annually) or $140 total for two years (renew at $140 annually). While the renewal price is actually cheaper than NordVPN’s astronomically high $140, ExpressVPN’s starting cost is more than nearly all of its rivals, including Nord, Proton VPN, Surfshark and Mullvad.
Read our ExpressVPN review.
PIA
Private Internet Access is a good budget-friendly VPN, but I don’t recommend it for torrenting because of its sluggish speeds. In my 2025 benchmarking, PIA clocked an underwhelming 48% average internet download speed loss. If you have a fast internet connection of 50Mbps or more, PIA may suffice, but you won’t want a VPN to cut your internet connection in half. Particularly when compared to our top-rated VPNs, which all remained under a 25% average download speed loss, PIA’s molasses-slow server speeds were disappointing. Moreover, I encountered a lot of CAPTCHAs when trying to perform basic functions like a Google search.
In my torrenting tests, PIA was surprisingly swift, downloading a Ubuntu ISO faster than Proton VPN and just shy of Proton VPN as well as ExpressVPN. It downloaded a Batocera Linux image quicker than ExpressVPN, Surfshark and Proton but slower than NordVPN. Still, my experience varied greatly by individual VPN server, with fluctuating speed loss and many CAPTCHAs. If you need a cheap VPN, consider Surfshark or Mullvad instead.
Read our PIA review.
How to use a VPN for torrenting
To use a VPN for torrenting, make sure that your VPN is running before you begin downloading anything in your BitTorrent application. I recommend checking your split tunneling settings first to ensure that your torrent client isn’t set to bypass your VPN — otherwise, your torrent activity won’t be hidden.
For the fastest possible internet download speeds, I suggest using WireGuard or an equivalent (NordLynx on NordVPN and Lightway with ExpressVPN). If you need obfuscation to mask that you’re using a virtual private network, go with OpenVPN or a proprietary obfuscation protocol (NordWhisper with NordVPN, Stealth on Proton). You can easily test whether your VPN is working properly and correctly hiding your public IP address.
What to look forward to in 2025
The biggest trend we’re seeing in the VPN space is companies bolstering VPN offerings with antivirus software, password managers and identity theft protection. VPN services are now positing themselves as one-stop cybersecurity solutions, but also charging more for those bundles.
ExpressVPN and Proton VPN both debuted Linux graphical user interface apps in 2025, so all of our top VPN recommendations now offer Linux GUI apps, which are beginner-friendly. NordVPN rolled out post-quantum protection to its entire suite of apps. ExpressVPN and Mullvad also offer post-quantum encryption, which can guard against threats from quantum computers, like hacking. We expect that as computers continue becoming more powerful, post-quantum protection in VPNs will become more prevalent.
Best VPNs for torrenting FAQs
