7 Best FREE VPNs for Torrenting – Fast & Anonymous in 2023

Most free VPNs claim to keep your data anonymous, but it’s frustrating to find that not all free VPNs are as safe for torrenting as they say. That’s why I ran my own tests to determine the best free VPNs in 2023 that are actually safe for torrenting.

While I was happy to find that some free VPNs do have decent security and privacy features, there is usually a catch in other areas. This includes data caps, server limitations, and speed throttling. The only way to torrent without restrictions is by using a premium VPN.

An affordable service like ExpressVPN provides anonymous torrenting on every server, unlimited data, fast download speeds, and 24/7 customer support. While it’s not free, you can try ExpressVPN for torrenting without risk. If you’re not happy, you can get a full refund with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Short on Time? Here Are the Free VPNs for Torrenting in 2023

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The Best Free VPNs for Torrenting (Tested in 2023)

1. ExpressVPN — High-Speed Servers for Fast Torrenting

Outstanding!

Outstanding!

📍Servers	3,000+
📱Devices	5
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

ExpressVPN’s high-speed servers are ideal for torrenting, ensuring you can get the files you want without limiting your connection. During tests, I measured an average of 289.9Mbps with ExpressVPN’s global servers, only a 14.6% drop from my baseline of 350Mbps. This was more than adequate for torrenting files without a noticeable impact.

Its torrent-specific security features are top-of-the-line, providing users with comprehensive protection while downloading torrents. This includes:

• AES-256 bit encryption — for secure data transmission, ensuring that your online activities remain private and protected.
• Automatic kill switch — safeguards your identity if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly, preventing accidental IP exposure.
• DNS leak protection — stops prying eyes from seeing your DNS queries, further enhancing your privacy while torrenting.
• TrustedServer technology — RAM-based servers to ensure that no traffic data is ever written to a disk.
• Audited no-logs policy — verifies that ExpressVPN follows all its claimed privacy procedures.

With ExpressVPN’s Split Tunneling feature, you can select which apps you want to use via the VPN connection. This optimizes your torrenting experience by ensuring secure high-speed downloads without sacrificing the performance of other online activities, such as browsing or streaming.

Another aspect that makes ExpressVPN the top torrenting choice out of the best-ranking VPNs overall is its vast network of over 3,000 servers in 94 countries. Such extensive coverage ensures that you will almost always have a nearby server for optimal performance while torrenting. This leads to lower latency and the ability to maintain high download speeds.

One drawback of ExpressVPN is its cost. At $6.67 per month with its 1-year + 3 months plan, it’s the priciest long-term option on this list. However, its high speeds and overall exceptional torrenting performance, coupled with robust security features, help justify the higher price.

If you want to try ExpressVPN risk-free, you should know that it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. I tested this policy and found it to be fast and simple. When I contacted a support agent via the 24/7 live chat, the agent didn’t ask any questions, quickly approved the request, and sent the money my way (I had it 5 days later).

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2. CyberGhost — P2P-Optimized Servers for Reliable Downloads

Outstanding!

Outstanding!

📍Servers	9,000+
📱Devices	7
💰Refund	45 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

CyberGhost offers multiple global torrent-optimized servers, designed to guarantee fast and uninterrupted torrent downloads. By prioritizing and optimizing P2P file-sharing connections, these servers ensure you can enjoy a reliable torrenting experience regardless of your location.

Although I experienced a drop of 34.7% in my tests, CyberGhost’s average speed still clocked in at a respectable 228.41 Mbps. Provided you have a baseline speed of around 25 Mbps to begin with, this level of drop shouldn’t impact your torrenting. I downloaded a 1GB public domain show in around 20 minutes while browsing the internet.

It’s reassuring that CyberGhost offers a comprehensive suite of security features tailored for torrenting, including:

• Military-grade AES-256 bit encryption — secures your data and maintains privacy.
• Automatic kill switch — safeguards your identity if the VPN connection drops.
• DNS and IP leak protection — prevents unintended exposure of your IP address and browsing history.
• Ad and malware blocker — protects against malicious content and online threats.
• Strict no-logs policy — so your torrenting activities are never recorded.

To ensure you don’t accidentally start torrenting without being connected to CyberGhost, you can set up Smart Rules. This way, CyberGhost will initiate a connection as soon as you open a torrenting client. As someone who has thought their VPN was active even though it wasn’t on more than one occasion, it’s reassuring to know I won’t start seeding without protection.

By using CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers you get even more bandwidth, as well as added physical security and maintenance speeds (due to the server location inside CyberGhost’s headquarters in Romania). Several of these servers have been set aside specifically for torrenting, making them the best choice if you’re close enough to ensure high speeds.

As for pricing, CyberGhost offers a range of plans to suit different needs and budgets. The best-value subscription is the 2-year + 3 months plan, which costs only $2.11 per month, making it one of the most affordable monthly VPNs available.

If you want to try CyberGhost risk-free, know that the generous 45-day money-back guarantee on its long-term plan provides you with ample time to test the service’s torrenting capabilities. When I tested the refund process the cancellation was approved within minutes after my live chat request, and I received my money back within a week.

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3. Proton VPN — 10Gbps Servers for Fast and Secure Torrents

Excellent!

Excellent!

📍Servers	1,700+
📱Devices	6
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	No

See Deals

Key Features:

Proton VPN’s 140+ P2P-optimized servers offer up to 10Gbps connectivity, making it a great pick if you’re seeking fast and secure torrenting. High-speed Proton VPN server performance enables you to download large files quickly and efficiently, while the dedicated P2P servers ensure seamless file-sharing experiences without restrictions.

It’s essential to note that the free version of Proton VPN doesn’t support P2P traffic. To access the P2P-optimized servers, you’ll need a paid plan, with pricing starting from $4.99 per month for the 2-year plan. Also this is a free VPN article, I couldn’t leave Proton VPN out of the list because of the great torrenting results I had with the paid service.

With Proton VPN’s paid plan, I experienced a 29.8% drop in speed from my baseline, which is significantly better than the nearly 90% drop I got using the free servers. This goes to show that the paid plan is the way to go for torrenting, allowing you to download and share files without compromising on speed.

There are several security features included, designed to provide robust protection for all your online activities:

• AES-256 bit encryption — makes your data unreadable for top-notch security.
• Kill switch — cuts you off from the internet in case of a connection issue to prevent accidental data leaks.
• DNS leak protection — stops personally identifiable data being exposed to the web.
• Perfect forward secrecy — generates a new encryption key for each session, so in the unlikely event you get hacked, they won’t be able to access future sessions.

The company has a strong commitment to privacy, which is seen in Proton VPN’s strict no-log policy and the fact that it’s headquartered in Switzerland. This country is known for its favorable privacy laws, providing an additional layer of protection for your torrenting activities.

Although a downside is that it’s not free, you can try Proton VPN’s paid plan risk-free with its 30-day money-back guarantee. Just keep in mind that it’s prorated, so you’ll be refunded for the time you haven’t already used. Thankfully, the process was straightforward, but I’d like to see a simplification of the policy to bring it in line with other VPNs.

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4. Hotspot Shield — Generous Free Monthly Data Allowance for Torrenting

Good!

Good!

📍Servers	3,200+
📱Devices	5
💰Refund	45 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

Hotspot Shield’s free plan is great for torrenting enthusiasts thanks to unlimited data and 5 server locations. These include LA, New York, Singapore, the UK, or Auto (an unspecified US location). For a free plan, Hotspot Shield is generous, especially since you don’t need to worry about data caps which are often the norm with free plans.

While the free plan supports P2P traffic, it’s limited to a maximum speed of 2Mbps. To put this into perspective, it would take you 73 minutes to download 1GB at this speed. In contrast, the paid plan showed just a 29.4% drop in speed, which is a significant improvement and delivers a more consistent torrenting experience.

Hotspot Shield’s free plan offers robust security features for torrenting, with additional improvements available in the paid plan:

• Military-grade encryption (AES-256) — for secure data transfer.
• Kill switch — terminates your connection if the VPN drops out.
• DNS leak protection — prevents exposure of your original DNS and IP addresses while torrenting.
• Proprietary Catapult Hydra encryption — enables safe and high-speed connections.
• No need to create an account for a free plan — for heightened privacy.

Note that Hotspot Shield has faced privacy concerns in the past. In 2017, it was accused of violating its “anonymous browsing” promise by redirecting web traffic to partner websites and using third-party tracking to serve targeted ads. Hotspot Shield, however, refuted these allegations — although it does still log quite a bit of data to this day.

There’s also a Premium plan which provides additional benefits, including faster speeds, access to more server locations, and more connections. It is $7.99 per month with the 3-year plan. However, it’s still costlier than ExpressVPN, so I’d recommend trying out the free option for now, or heading straight to ExpressVPN and signing up.

If you opt for Hotspot Shield’s premium subscription, you can try it risk-free thanks to its 45-day money-back guarantee. I found the refund process to be smooth with zero hassle. After contacting customer support, my refund was promptly processed and I had the money back within a week.

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5. hide.me — Stealth Guard Protects Torrent Apps 24/7

Good!

Good!

📍Servers	2100
📱Devices	10
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

hide.me’s top torrent-related functionality is its Stealth Guard feature, which significantly minimizes risks when using your preferred torrenting apps. When you add a torrent app to Stealth Guard, it guarantees that it won’t work unless you first have hide.me connected. This prevents you from accidentally exposing your IP address.

There is an extensive list of security features included with hide.me’s free plan, with plenty of configurability available, including:

• Wide variety of VPN protocols — including OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, SoftEtherVPN, and SSTP.
• Strong encryption — scrambles your traffic to secure your data.
• Audited no-logs policy — verifies that nothing is stored to guarantee your privacy.
• Kill switch — blocks web access in case of a VPN failure, preventing IP leaks.

It’s impressive that hide.me’s free plan supports P2P traffic; however, my speeds dropped a significant 90.55% compared to my baseline speed. You also only get 10GB of monthly data with the free plan, which can quickly hold you back if you’re a frequent downloader. I got through it within a week with only a few downloads.

If the free plan isn’t enough for you, you can try the premium plan risk-free with its 30-day money-back guarantee. You can choose between a few competitive plans, with the best deal being the 2-year + 2 months subscription at $3.45 per month. Note that I had to email hide.me support to get a refund rather than live chat, although it’s hardly a dealbreaker.

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6. NordVPN — SOCKS5 Proxy Support for Improved P2P Performance

Outstanding!

Outstanding!

📍Servers	5,700+
📱Devices	6
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

NordVPN offers excellent torrenting performance with its SOCKS5 proxy support, which improves P2P connections and speeds. A SOCKS5 proxy helps by masking your IP address and allowing for faster data transfers, while also bypassing ISP throttling and restrictive firewalls that may hinder your torrenting experience.

I measured only a 15.2% drop from my baseline speed during NordVPN’s tests, keeping it well above what’s necessary for a good torrenting experience. On a local server this meant I could download a 1GB file in under 3 minutes. Note that not all servers support P2P, although the available selection allows for good global coverage.

Torrent-specific security features included in NordVPN’s network include:

• Dedicated P2P servers — for optimal torrenting performance.
• Military-grade encryption — to protect your data.
• Audited no-logs policy — maintains your privacy.
• Kill switch — prevents accidental IP leaks if the VPN cuts out.
• DNS leak protection — to keep your online activities secure.

Given the overall strong torrenting capabilities, it was a shame to see NordVPN doesn’t support port forwarding. This can be useful for bypassing restrictive NAT firewalls, which may impede P2P connections, and for improving overall download and upload speeds by enabling direct connections between peers.

With plans as low as $3.99 per month, NordVPN makes for a competitive alternative to a free VPN. It also has a tried-and-tested 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it stress-free. When I tested it, the support agent first offered me a trial extension (which I declined), but then confirmed the request, and I had the money back 6 days later.

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7. Surfshark — Ample Simultaneous Device Connections for Limitless P2P Downloads

Outstanding!

Outstanding!

📍Servers	3,200+
📱Devices	Unlimited
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

With unlimited simultaneous device connections, Surfshark is an excellent choice for torrents. You can perform limitless downloads across various devices without restrictions, making it perfect if you have multiple devices that need protection at once. I connected 10 devices at once and proceeded to torrent without any interruptions.

Surfshark had high speeds while I torrent public domain files, with only a 19.7% reduction from my baseline. With these high-speed servers, you can download and share files without any significant slowdowns, providing a seamless torrenting experience on all your devices.

Surfshark’s torrent-specific security features provide robust protection while downloading torrents, including:

• AES-256 bit encryption — for secure data transmission.
• Automatic kill switch — to prevent accidental IP exposure.
• Audited no-logs policy — so your torrenting activities remain private.
• Whitelisting feature — enables you to select specific apps or websites to bypass the VPN connection.

Although Surfshark has a global server network, its server coverage in certain regions, such as Africa and the Middle East, is limited. If you’re in these areas you might experience reduced torrenting speeds due to the more distant server connections.

At just $2.30/month for its 2-year + 2 months plan, Surfshark is great value-for-money. Surfshark provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, which I successfully tested myself. The process was straightforward, with quick approval from its customer support team, and I received my refund within a few days.

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Why You Need a VPN for Torrenting and P2P Downloads

Torrenting downloads can expose you to a range of security and privacy risks if you’re not careful. A VPN is an essential tool for anyone who engages in torrenting, as it provides a layer of protection and anonymity to ensure your online activities remain secure and private.

The main issues can occur during the file-sharing process itself. Seeding refers to the distribution of the files from the source — if you don’t protect your details during this stage of torrenting, they can be seen by everyone sharing the file. While most file sharers mean well, it only takes one person with bad intentions to wreak havoc.

A VPN hides your real IP address and replaces it with one from its own network of servers. This means that nobody can see your real information. It also protects you in the event a file you click on contains malware and other cyber threats, which can be a common occurrence on torrent sites.

Using a VPN also protects you if you accidentally download or share a copyrighted file. The penalties for breaching copyright vary from country to country but can come with hefty fines and even jail time. If your identity is protected by the VPN, you minimize the risk of accidental breaches.

Quality VPNs come with the following features as standard, which are essential for safe torrenting:

• Protection against ISP throttling – Your internet service provider can spy on everything you access. If they see that you are torrenting files, it can lead to throttling of your internet speeds.
• Getting around NAT Firewalls – A NAT (Network Address Translation) firewall is a security feature employed by routers to control incoming and outgoing internet traffic. A VPN can avoid firewalls, enabling seamless P2P connections and faster torrent downloads.
• IP binding – By binding your torrent client to a specific VPN-assigned IP, you can ensure that your torrenting activities are only conducted through the VPN connection. This adds an extra layer of security since your torrent client won’t function if the VPN isn’t active, preventing exposure during seeding.
• Port forwarding – allows you to connect to a source directly to speed up your P2P connections for faster download speeds. This feature can be particularly helpful if you’re experiencing slow torrent downloads due to ISP throttling or other network restrictions.
• Kill switch – automatically disconnects your internet connection if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly. This prevents your IP address and torrenting activities from being accidentally exposed, maintaining your privacy and security at all times. This is not only useful for torrenting, but during any online activity where you require privacy.

While torrenting public domain files can be perfectly safe, the risks associated with P2P file sharing are high. It just takes one wrong click to cause serious issues. That’s why you need to use a top VPN, such as the ones in this article, to protect you every time you torrent.

Comparison Table: 2023’s Best VPNs for Torrenting

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Warning! Avoid These Free VPNs for Torrenting (Updated List)

How I Tested and Ranked The Best VPNs for Torrenting and P2P Downloads

I used the following criteria to narrow down the list of the best free VPNs for torrenting:

• P2P-friendly servers — to ensure you won’t face any restrictions when using the VPN for torrenting purposes.
• Powerful security features — including strong encryption, a kill switch, and proven reliability to protect your data and privacy while torrenting.
• High speeds — crucial for torrenting without issue and activities such as gaming or watching shows on Netflix US (and anywhere) without lag or buffering.
• No-logs policy — even better if it’s independently audited, meaning it doesn’t store any user data or activity logs. This ensures that your privacy remains intact and prevents any potential data leaks or tracking by third parties.
• Wide device compatibility — including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
• Unlimited bandwidth servers — prevents throttling or limits in data usage so users can download and upload as much as they want without worrying about data caps.
• Reliable customer support — to address any issues or queries. I evaluated each VPN’s customer support to ensure they provide quick and helpful assistance.
• Money-back guarantee — since not all the VPNs on the list are 100% free, the paid ones have trustworthy guarantees so you can at least try them out risk-free.

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FAQs on Free VPNs for Torrenting

Get the Best Free VPNs for Torrenting Today

Utilizing a VPN is the most secure and user-friendly way to protect yourself while torrenting. Although there are free VPNs that support P2P downloads, it’s crucial to remember that free VPNs add risk, and taking risks while torrenting is a bad idea. That’s why a reliable premium VPN is the safest choice for P2P file sharing.

While it’s a paid service, ExpressVPN is the best VPN for torrenting. Its audited zero-logs policy, military-grade encryption, and high-speed servers ensure you can torrent swiftly and anonymously. Plus, with a 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try ExpressVPN for torrenting risk-free. If you don’t like it for any reason, you can claim a full refund.

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Summary — Best Free VPNs for Torrenting in 2023

Rank

Provider name

Our score

Price

Top Choice

1.

9.8

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$6.67 / month Save 49%

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2.

9.6

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$2.11 / month Save 84%

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3.

8.5

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$4.99 / month Save 50%

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4.

7.6

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$2.99 / month Save 77%

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5.

7.2

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$3.84 / month Save 61%

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6.

9.4

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$3.29 / month Save 75%

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7.

9.4

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$2.30 / month Save 82%

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