Updated on: August 26, 2023
Short on time? Here’s the best free VPN for torrenting in 2023:
- 🥇 ExpressVPN: It’s not free but it backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Allows torrenting on 3,000+ servers in more than 90 countries, has industry-leading security features, maintains the fastest download speeds, and provides very user-friendly apps for all of the major operating systems.
When you torrent, you should always make sure that your personal data is secure. Otherwise, malicious actors can spy on your P2P downloads and use that information to target you with cyberattacks.
The best way to keep your P2P data safe is with a VPN, which hides your actual IP address and encrypts all of your online traffic — including the files you download. A VPN can also prevent your internet service provider from throttling your P2P speeds, so you’re always able to download files quickly.
I know it’s tempting to use a free VPN, but I don’t really recommend it. Most free VPNs don’t allow torrenting, and the ones that do often lack essential security features and have slow speeds. So I always recommend using a top paid VPN like ExpressVPN instead.
But if you insist on using a free VPN, check out this list first. I tested tons of free VPNs and managed to find a few that actually allow torrenting on their free plans and also provide strong security and good speeds.
Please Note: SafetyDetectives doesn’t condone using a VPN for illegal purposes. Please consult with local rules and regulations to ensure you are aware of the law for file sharing as it pertains to your jurisdiction.
Quick summary of the best free VPNs for torrenting:
- 1. 🥇ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for torrenting in 2023.
- 2. 🥈CyberGhost VPN — Great for automating P2P connections.
- 3. 🥉hide.me — Great beginner-friendly free VPN for P2P traffic.
- 4. TunnelBear — Fun & free P2P VPN.
- 5. Hotspot Shield — Comes with unlimited data (but doesn’t promise P2P support)
- Comparison of the Best VPNs for Torrenting in 2023.
🥇1. ExpressVPN — The Best VPN for Torrenting in 2023
ExpressVPN is hands-down my favorite VPN for torrenting. It’s ultra-secure, extremely fast, and really easy to use. ExpressVPN allows torrenting on all of its 3,000+ servers in more than 90 countries, which is far more than any other VPN on this list. Plus, it works with all of the top torrent clients like BitTorrent and Vuze, and it comes with unlimited data, which means you can download as many files as you want. This is also why ExpressVPN is ranked #1 on our list of the best VPNs for torrenting in 2023.
ExpressVPN covers all plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It doesn’t have a free plan, but since it offers a money-back guarantee, you can test the VPN risk-free by downloading files for a month and then get a full refund if you’re not happy with it.
The provider has excellent security features for torrenting, including a no-logs policy that’s been independently audited and confirmed, so you can trust that the provider doesn’t record any of the P2P sites you visit or files you download. Also, it includes full leak protection, which prevents your actual IP address from being exposed on the internet. I tested ExpressVPN on servers in 10+ countries, and only ExpressVPN’s IP address was displayed (and not my actual IP address).
ExpressVPN also comes with advanced security features like RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and the Lightway protocol. RAM memory is great for torrenting because it ensures that no data is stored on the hard drive and all data is erased each time the server is rebooted. And I like how perfect forward secrecy randomly changes your encryption key — this means that even if your current key is compromised, a hacker cannot access any past or future keys. Lightway is ExpressVPN’s proprietary protocol that has high-end security and blazing-fast speeds (it’s even passed an independent security audit).
Thanks to Lightway, ExpressVPN has the fastest speeds in the industry. In my tests, I downloaded a 6 GB file on a local server in less than 7 minutes, which is really impressive. When I attempted to download the same file connected to a distant server, it still only took about 10 minutes.
I love how ExpressVPN also comes with other cool features to help increase your speeds. I took advantage of its split-tunneling feature, which allows you to choose which apps are routed through the VPN connection, and excluded all apps except my torrent client app from the VPN. You can also use port forwarding (only available on ExpressVPN’s router app) to connect to more peers for slightly faster speeds.
ExpressVPN offers affordable monthly and yearly plans, which start at $6.67 / month. Its prices are on the higher end compared to some other top VPNs, but ExpressVPN offers the best app on the market (and it usually offers deals that include extra months for free).
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is by far the best VPN for torrenting. It supports P2P traffic on all of its servers in 90+ countries, includes unlimited data, works with each of the top torrenting clients, and is the fastest VPN out there. ExpressVPN comes with industry-leading security features and a strict and audited no-logs policy. While it’s not free, it covers all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. CyberGhost VPN — Great for Automating Secure P2P Connections
CyberGhost VPN is an excellent choice for convenient and secure torrenting. With 8,500+ P2P servers in 70+ countries, CyberGhost has a large network of P2P servers that ensure speedy downloads and prevent overcrowding. Additionally, CyberGhost’s Smart Rules feature lets you automate VPN connections — for example, you can configure the VPN app to automatically connect you to a P2P server and open a P2P app on launch.
CyberGhost lacks a free plan, but it has a free 24-hour trial that provides access to all features and doesn’t require payment card details. Also, the provider backs all long-term plans with a 45-day money back guarantee, which provides plenty of time to fully test the service.
The VPN has advanced security features, such as RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy. Additionally, the provider’s Content Blocker protects you from shady P2P sites that may contain malware or other security threats. Also, CyberGhost’s no-logs policy has been independently audited and confirmed, and the provider regularly publishes transparency reports to demonstrate its commitment to user privacy.
The provider is also very fast. In my tests, it only took me about 15 minutes to download a 6 GB torrent. That said, ExpressVPN is still faster since the same file took 5 minutes less to torrent on distant servers.
CyberGhost VPN’s plans are affordable, with prices starting at just $2.19 / month. In addition to its 45-day money-back guarantee, it also has a 14-day money-back guarantee for the shortest plan.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN is an excellent choice for fast, secure, and convenient torrenting. With a vast network of P2P servers and advanced security features, CyberGhost VPN provides everything you need to enjoy torrenting without compromising your privacy or security online. It’s not free, but it has a free 24-hour trial and a 45-day money-back guarantee for all long-term plans.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
🥉3. hide.me — Easy-to-Use VPN Good for New Users
hide.me’s free plan has really good security features and comes with beginner-friendly apps for all of the major operating systems. Plus, it’s compatible with popular torrent clients such as uTorrent and Deluge, has servers in 5+ countries, and you get 10 GB of data each month, which is good if you only want to torrent small files. However, it only allows 1 connection.
I love all of the security features that are included in the free plan. It has RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and full leak protection, and I really like how there’s also a customizable kill switch that lets you choose which apps to disable if the VPN connection drops — I set it up so my uTorrent app could access the internet only if I was connected to a hide.me server.
And new users will really like hide.me. I downloaded and installed the app on my Windows and Mac PCs in less than 2 minutes, and it takes just a few minutes to get used to the interface and to navigate the server menu and Settings tab.
However, I was a little disappointed with my download speeds. hide.me has WireGuard and port forwarding, but neither one is available for free users. So, I used OpenVPN — it’s still secure and fast but a bit slower than WireGuard. It took me over 15 minutes to download the same 6 GB file I tested with ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN.
hide.me’s premium plans come with unlimited data and full server network access. They start at ($3.84 / month), include up to 10 connections, and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
hide.me is very good for secure P2P downloads, is easy to use, and allows 10 GB per month. However, some features that are good for torrenting are locked behind the paywall, including port forwarding, and the free plan excludes WireGuard. The paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. TunnelBear — Fun & Free P2P-Friendly VPN
TunnelBear’s free plan comes with a user-friendly app that’s super fun to use. You can use a digital map to connect to servers, and little animated bears dig tunnels to a VPN server’s location when you connect to it. TunnelBear also comes with unlimited device connections, which is a nice bonus since this allows everyone in your house to use the VPN’s free plan to torrent.
The VPN’s free plan allows 2 GB per month. That could be enough for some people, but I still think the data cap is pretty restrictive — hide.me, for example, allows 10 GB per month.
TunnelBear has good security features. It comes with full leak protection, and to confirm this, I ran 10+ leak tests and never experienced any leaks. Plus, the VPN’s server infrastructure, codeware, and apps undergo regular security audits.
The VPN has good P2P speeds, but they’re still slower than ExpressVPN. On average, it took me around 10 minutes to torrent a 1 GB file. Still, I like how split-tunneling is available, so you can use it to boost your download speeds a bit.
TunnelBear’s paid plans start at $3.33 / month. Unfortunately, there’s no money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
TunnelBear’s free plan allows torrenting, comes with very enjoyable apps that have a cute design, strong security, and good download speeds. However, it limits you to 2 GB per month. Upgrading to a paid plan gets you unlimited data but there’s no money-back guarantee.
Read the full TunnelBear review
5. Hotspot Shield — Has Unlimited Data (But Doesn’t Guarantee P2P Support)
Hotspot Shield is one of the only free VPNs that allows unlimited data, which means you can use it to download as many torrents as you want. Despite that, I ranked it last because its free plan doesn’t officially supports torrenting — I didn’t encounter any issues downloading torrents in my tests, but I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same results.
I like the advanced security features and fast speeds that Hotspot Shield provides — it has perfect forward secrecy, DNS leak protection, and its own superfast proprietary Hydra protocol. Even though Hotspot Shield throttles free subscribers’ speeds to 2 Mbps, Hydra maintained good speeds (though ExpressVPN was much faster).
However, the free plan limits you to servers in 3 countries, namely the US, the UK, and Singapore. So not all users will be able to use nearby servers to torrent with good speeds. In addition, the free plan only lets you connect 1 device.
Hotspot Shield’s premium plans begin at $2.99 / month and give you guaranteed P2P support, access to servers in over 80 countries, and 10 connections. All plans include a generous 45-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Hotspot Shield has unlimited data, but it unfortunately doesn’t guarantee P2P support on its free plan — it worked in my tests, but you might not get the same results. The free plan provides good security and speeds, but it limits you to servers in 3 countries and 1 device. The paid version adds more servers and guaranteed P2P support. All purchases are backed by a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Hotspot Shield review
Comparison of the Best VPNs for Torrenting in 2023
How to Choose the Best VPN for Torrenting in 2023
- Select a VPN with reliable security. All of the VPNs on this list have key industry-standard VPN security features, including military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and a kill switch to prevent your data from leaking onto the internet if your VPN connection is interrupted.
- Make sure the VPN has P2P support. The free VPNs on this list allow torrenting on their free servers and are compatible with popular torrenting clients.
- Choose a VPN with fast speeds. All VPNs slow down your connection speeds due to the distance between the server and your device, as well as because of the encryption process. However, I only recommend VPNs that maintain very fast speeds (ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN out there).
- Pick an easy-to-use VPN. It’s important that the VPN offers an intuitive app for each of the top devices you want to use for torrenting. All of the VPNs here have easy-to-install and easy-to-use apps for Windows, Macs, Android, iOS, and more — ExpressVPN even has a router app, so you can connect all of the devices in your home to the VPN.
- Check for affordable paid plans. I only considered VPNs that offer affordable premium plans in case you decide to upgrade to a paid subscription to access additional servers and features.
Risks & Disadvantages of Using a Free VPN
- No torrenting support. There are many free VPNs that don’t allow P2P traffic. I always recommend using a premium VPN to ensure you’re able to access servers that support file sharing (for example, ExpressVPN allows torrenting on all 3,000+ servers in 90+ countries).
- Bad security. A lot of free VPNs lack essential security features like encryption and leak protection, which can actually put your data and privacy at high risk. Without encryption, your internet service provider can see which websites you visit and files you download. And if your IP address leaks on the internet, it will expose the city where you’re located. The best way to keep your data and privacy secure is to use one of the top premium VPNs for torrenting in 2023.
- Beware of free VPNs that monetize your data by selling it to advertisers. Always opt for VPNs with strict no-logs policies.
- Poor Speeds. Free VPNs often have slow speeds due to limited server access and bandwidth congestion. Some free VPNs also intentionally throttle speeds for their free users.
- Check for data caps. Almost all free VPNs limit how much data you can use each day or month, which really limits your downloading. Every VPN I recommend has enough data to at least torrent small files, though some offer enough data for a couple medium files per month.
Affordable Alternatives
- Private Internet Access (PIA). Private Internet Access allows torrenting on servers in all 80+ countries, works with all of the top torrent clients, has extremely fast speeds, and features some of the best security tools in the industry — you get a verified no-logs policy, a transparency report, full leak protection, and open-source apps. Plus, it offers other extras that enhance your torrenting experiences like split-tunneling, port forwarding, SOCKS5 proxy servers, and the best ad and malware blocker on the market. With prices starting at just $2.19 / month, PIA is one of the cheapest VPNs on the market, and each plan is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our full Private Internet Access review.
- Surfshark. Surfshark allows P2P sharing on 3,200+ servers in 100+ countries. It also has good security and privacy features, including an audited no-logs policy, a feature that regularly changes your VPN IP address to provide better privacy, and a very good ad blocker. Also, its apps are very easy to use, and the provider also allows unlimited connections. Plus, it has cheap prices, with plans starting as low as $2.30 / month. Read our full Surfshark review.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- DroidVPN. It has a free plan, but I don’t recommend it for torrenting. DroidVPN doesn’t say if it provides any encryption, it doesn’t have a kill switch, and it also leaks your DNS data.
- Proton VPN. Proton VPN has one of the best free plans on the market thanks to offering unlimited data. While this is great, the provider doesn’t allow torrenting (or streaming) on its free plan.
- ZoogVPN. ZoogVPN’s free plan allows 10 GB of data per month, but you only get access to P2P servers in the US, UK, and the Netherlands, and it has slower speeds on distant servers — so if you’re not located near one of the 3 server locations, you’ll likely experience slow download speeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free VPN for torrenting?
The best 100% free VPN for torrenting is hide.me. It supports P2P downloads on its free plan, works with top P2P apps, has servers in 5+ countries, comes with strong security features, and allows 10 GB per month, which is enough for downloading small files.
However, my top choice for torrenting in general is ExpressVPN, which supports torrenting on 3,000+ servers across 90+ countries, works with all of the popular torrent clients like uTorrent and Deluge, includes industry-leading security and privacy features, and is the fastest VPN on the market. While it’s not 100% free, ExpressVPN backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it out for yourself risk-free.
Are free VPNs safe?
No, many free VPNs often lack essential security features, leaving your data and privacy at risk. In my research, I found a lot of free VPNs don’t have 256-bit AES encryption, which makes all of your internet traffic indecipherable to third parties like your internet service provider. And most free VPNs don’t have a kill switch, so there’s a serious potential that your data may leak onto the web if the VPN connection unknowingly fails.
On top of that, many free VPNs also log and sell user data to third-party advertisers. I strongly recommend that you only use a VPN that has a strict no-logs policy — this way, you can trust that the provider doesn’t store any user data. Fortunately, all of the VPNs on this list include these industry-standard VPN security features.
Why do I need a VPN for torrenting?
A VPN secures your data and protects your privacy when you download files. It uses bank-grade encryption to scramble all of your online traffic (including the torrenting sites you visit) and the files you download, and it hides your IP address so other peers are unable to figure out where you live.
All of the free VPNs on this list come with the essential VPN security features, but my favorite VPN for torrenting is ExpressVPN — it also includes advanced security features, has blazing-fast download speeds, and easy-to-use apps for all of the major operating systems.
Is using a VPN to torrent legal?
Yes, torrenting with a VPN is legal in many countries. However, VPNs are either banned or restricted in some restricted countries, including China, Russia, and Iran, And other countries, like the US and the UK, allow torrenting in the public domain but don’t allow the practice of torrenting copyrighted content. Honestly, I strongly recommend checking the policies and local laws in your country before torrenting so you can avoid facing any associated penalties or fines.
