Since magnetic sound recording technology became available in the 1940s, people have been sharing files. Back then, it took a slightly different form, however. The birth of the internet saw to it that file sharing exploded. Despite extremely slow connections by today’s standards, people would still share games, programs, music, or even pictures. The most recent type of file sharing comes in the form of torrents. Torrents utilize p2p networks, and are sometimes banned by quite a few countries. If you are going to explore that option, you need to use a VPN for torrents. Shopping for a VPN can be tedious, but we offer some great options in our list.
| Rank | Provider | Price | Rating | Software | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | $4.87 60% Off | 9.9 Read Review |  |  |
| 2 |  | $3.33 52% Off | 9.5 Read Review | | |
| 3 |  | $8.32 35% Off | 9.7 Read Review | | |
| 4 |  | $4.99 50% Off | 9.5 Read Review | | |
| 5 |  | $6.67 | 9.5 |  | |
How to Find the Right VPN for Torrents
Finding the right VPN for torrenting can be tricky. It is important to remember that many countries frown on torrents, if they do not ban them all together. If you attempt to use torrent software without using a VPN, you can expect to get some unpleasant results. There are a few things that can happen in that situation. You will get a letter from either a lawyer or ISP telling you to cease and desist, and in some of the worse cases, you could be required to compensate the rights holder, and/or go to jail if you violate their copyright. When looking for providers, you want to use the ones that have a no logs policy, and are p2p friendly. That way, even a request by those groups we just mentioned will stop with the VPN. They can’t turn over information if they do not have it.
Advantages to using a p2p friendly VPN for torrents
In our choices, we picked the best VPNs for torrenting behavior. Officially, you may see that some of these companies take a neutral stance on torrent traffic. They may not come out and say it, but what they do say is they do not throttle data based on the type of traffic. By choosing a non p2p friendly provider, your traffic may get throttled to a very slow speed. If you continue your behavior, you could be banned from that VPN, turned over to the authorities, or both. Before you start to think that can’t happen, it already has with some providers.
What are the Benefits of Using a VPN while Torrenting?
As we mentioned a bit earlier, torrents are a bit of a slippery slope. Though they can be used for legitimate purposes, they can also be used to download material that is copyrighted. Not always is that because the people do not want to pay. In fact, the most pirated show in history is HBO’s Game of Thrones. If you are in the US, there are ways to watch it. A newspaper reporter even mentioned she borrowed a friend’s information to be able to watch it. However, for those outside of the US, the show is unavailable, at least the most current episode. Then, torrenting begins to look like a good idea.
By using a VPN for torrenting, you can gain access to popular torrenting sites that may be banned in your country. One of the most well known banned torrenting sites is blocked in more than 28 countries. Others are not far behind. If you live in one of those countries, even accessing those sites are impossible without a VPN. Another benefit to using a VPN is of course, privacy. If you are engaging in this type of behavior, you will definitely want to use a VPN. In theory, you could use torrenting software without it, but doing that opens yourself up to possible consequences, just like we mentioned earlier.
What Factors Should you Consider for Choosing the Right VPN?
Now that you see the benefits of using a VPN for torrents, there are a few things you need to consider in your VPN choices.
- How many simultaneous connections does the service offer? Generally, you will want a service that offers 2 or more.
- How trustworthy is the company? Do they have a history of turning people in or discontinuing service?
- Do they have a clear logs policy? If it is no logs, are they neutral towards all traffic?
- Do they throttle any traffic? Look for companies that take a neutral stance on traffic. If they do throttle, that is not a service you would want to use.
- Do they have a fast network? Since a big part of torrenting is about speed, that could be a deciding factor.
- Do they have a world wide presence? If countries are banning torrents, you want to be able to connect to one where they are still allowed.
- Do they offer unlimited bandwidth? Not all providers do.
- Do they support OpenVPN (UDP)? If they do, you want to make sure to use 256 bit encryption.
- Does the service offer any unique features? VPN kill switch and DNS leak protection are good for p2p.
All of those factors are ones to consider in choosing a VPN for torrents. Make sure they are fast, have good networks, and are friendly to p2p traffic. No matter which one you choose, you will want to test the speeds and features to see if they meet your needs.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many reasons for using a VPN for torrenting. In our list below, we provide our favorites. All of these VPNs will do a stellar job for torrents, and have their good points. IPVanish is the best all around. It is a very reasonably priced and dependable service with a large network. Their interfaces are also easy to use. PIA is a favorite among the p2p community. ExpressVPN is a good provider with a large network. Torguard has a strict no logs policy, and offers servers in several countries. BolehVPN is a Malaysian company, with a smaller network. Instead of taking a “neutral” position on traffic, they openly promote torrent usage.
In recent times, VPNs have come a long way. Notable differences include design, ease of use, network size, and speed. For torrents, the speeds have greatly increased. The world has faster internet as a whole, but more media companies and governments are cracking down on filesharing behavior. The bottom line here is, if you are going to use torrent software, using a VPN is crucial. All of the providers we list offer a money back guarantee, so you will have time to test the services.