The VPN market is filled with free services claiming they’re good for torrenting, however, not all of them are safe. Only the best free VPNs for torrenting can ensure top-notch security and online anonymity.
But free VPNs come with limitations – data caps won’t let you torrent much and slow servers will leave you waiting much longer. That’s why Twistory rather suggest trying out premium services, such as NordVPN, using a 30-long money-back guarantee. They provide you with P2P optimized servers and blazing-fast speeds, which free services lack.
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Whether it is safe to use a free VPN for torrenting depends on the VPN service you use. Some untrustworthy providers give you a free VPN and sell your data in return. Some of them may even be malware in disguise.
That’s why it’s better to opt for the so-called freemium VPNs. They’re free introductory products of premium VPN providers, which means they use the same infrastructure and have strict no-logging policies. That’s how you know they’re reliable. Such free VPNs will provide you with basic security and online anonymity, yet they aren’t the best options as they come with limitations, such as data caps and only a select number of servers.
However, the best option is getting a premium service. They offer unlimited bandwidth which means unlimited torrenting. Plus, they usually have torrenting-optimized servers and ensure great download speeds. And thanks to their 30-day money-back guarantees, you can basically try the VPNs out for free.
The best free VPNs for torrenting should guarantee solid P2P sharing, good speeds, and at least some kind of security from your Internet Service provider’s (ISP) eyes. To make things easier, we ranked the top VPNs that you can torrent with and enjoy for free:
NordVPN is one of the best free VPNs for torrenting for many reasons. One of the most important ones is the P2P optimized servers, which ensure a smooth torrenting experience.
Thanks to NordVPN’s proprietary tunneling protocol NordLynx, the speeds of this VPN are blazing-fast. And these are not empty words – we tested the service out, and it retained over 90% of the original speed. It took 2 minutes and 24 seconds to download a file.
Considering that NordVPN has 5,900+ servers in 60 countries, you’ll always be able to find the best-performing ones.
NordLynx is not the only tunneling protocol that this VPN provides – you can also use OpenVPN (UDP and TCP). And in terms of data security, you get industry-standard AES 256-bit and ChaCha20 (with Nordlynx) encryption. Even if your VPN fails to connect, a kill switch will prevent your data from reaching third parties.
It’s also worth noting that NordVPN has an audited no-logs policy, so everything you do online is for your eyes only.
NordVPN doesn’t have a completely free version, but they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Technically, you can use it as a free trial – just cancel the subscription before the month ends. Even if you don’t, all you’ll have to pay is $2.99/month, which is a wallet-friendly option.
Surfshark is another great free VPN for torrenting on all of your devices. All of its servers are P2P optimized, meaning you can connect to any of the 3,200+ servers in 100 countries and receive excellent torrenting performance.
Surfshark supports the WireGuard protocol and is known for its extra fast speeds. During our test, Surfshark retained 86% of the baseline speed, and the file took only 1 minute and 55 seconds to download.
Aside from WireGuard, you also get the OpenVPN (UDP and TCP) and IKEv2 protocols. And just like with NordVPN, you get excllent data security with the AES-256 and ChaCha20 (with WireGuard) encryption and a reliable kill switch.
Not to mention that Surfshark’s no-log policy has been audited, proving that collecting your data is not in the company’s interest.
While Surfshark doesn’t have an unlimited free version, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee available. Considering you get to try out a premium VPN with unlimited bandwidth and no data caps for free, this is a great option. And even if you decide to stick with the plan, all you’ll have to pay is $1.99/month.
Norton VPN is another good option if you’re looking for a torrenting VPN with added security. What makes it good for torrenting are the special P2P optimized servers.
In terms of speed, Norton VPN might not be as fast as NordVPN or Surfshark, but it retains 74% of the initial baseline speed. This is enough for a quite acceptable torrenting experience, although you would need to wait a little longer than with other top providers.
Norton VPN uses the OpenVPN protocol for Windows and Android, and the L2TP/IPSec protocol for Mac and iOS. While these protocols aren’t WireGuard, they do a pretty good job of keeping your connection stable and secure. This provider also uses the industry-standard AES-256 encryption. There’s also a reliable kill switch, an auto-connection feature, and an ad blocker.
Norton VPN has a no-logs policy. The only information it logs is subscriber data for communication purposes, your device data, and bandwidth usage.
You can try Norton VPN for free with the 7-day free trial. After that, you can also use the 14-day money-back guarantee for monthly, and the 60-day money-back guarantee for yearly plans.
ExpressVPN is another torrent-friendly VPN that combines efficient security with great performance. It delivers excellent speed and global P2P file sharing on all servers, as well as 8 simultaneous connections.
ExpressVPN pumped up its speed by creating a proprietary Lightway tunneling protocol. It is designed to use cryptographic libraries, and as a result, it’s fast, easy to maintain, and uses less battery.
Apart from speed, ExpressVPN has excellent security features. The provider comes with industry-standard AES-256 encryption. Additionally, it’s paired with a kill switch, IP & DNS leak protection, and ChaCha20 encryption (with Lightway), making it impossible for anyone to track you down. By the way, ExpressVPN keeps you safe with Threat Manager. This feature blocks all tracking as well as such malicious activity as malware.
Furthermore, ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, which lacks data retention laws. This means that the provider can guarantee completely anonymous torrenting. The promise is well-kept according to an independently audited no-logs policy. On top of that, the provider uses RAM-only servers that wipe out data every time you stop using it.
Although ExpressVPN does not have an entirely free version, it does provide a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, you’ll be able to use the service free of charge for a month. If you end up liking the benefits and performance, you can get a full subscription for $6.67/month.
Need more insights? Check out our detailed Express VPN review or see how ExpressVPN fares against #1 in our NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison.
Proton VPN has a great free version for torrenting that doesn’t have data caps. Although there are no P2P optimized servers, we managed to download the needed files.
With Proton VPN, you get the WireGuard protocol, ensuring solid speeds even on the free version. However, with download speeds reaching around 17MB/s. The file took 3 minutes and 35 seconds to download as well.
The free version gives you around 147 servers in 3 countries, which is quite generous for a free VPN. Plus, you get a kill switch, guaranteeing accidental data leak protection in case your VPN connection drops dead.
As for their no-logs policy, they promise not to collect information about your online activities. However, when signing up, you are asked to confirm you’re human by adding another email address, SMS, or a donation. That being said, the policy is audited, so you’re guaranteed anonymous torrenting.
Free VPNs can be dangerous to use because, well… they’re free. This means the providers of such services don’t really make any profit and need to find other ways to ensure a money flow. So, here’s why free VPNs might be dangerous:
They can sell your data. As the saying goes, if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product. Such VPN providers may sell the personal data you provide while you get their free service in return.
It can be malware in disguise. You may hop on an untrustworthy VPN service that’s actually a cyber threat waiting to infect your device. This defeats the purpose of a VPN in the first place.
The software can be outdated. Since free VPN providers don't make a profit, they don’t have money for keeping the app updated. Plus, they often use outdated tunneling protocols, meaning they can’t ensure complete safety.
If you still want to use a free VPN, we’d suggest opting for freemium ones instead. These are free VPNs offered by premium VPN providers as introductory services. So, the only thing you’re risking with them is running out of monthly data, as they’re quite limited.
Getting a VPN for torrenting, even if it’s a free one, is crucial for the sake of security and privacy. There are various restrictions surrounding this online activity, and a VPN can help bypass all regulations while keeping you anonymous.
While most free torrenting VPNs are quite limited, it’s important that they support torrenting and deliver decent speeds. Aside from that, security is another crucial factor you should take into consideration, including the encryption used and whether a strict no-logs policy is available.
That’s why you should always choose time-tested and reliable VPN services. If you’re good with trying out a premium service with a month-long money-back guarantee, NordVPN is the best option available overall. It has everything you need for torrenting – optimized P2P servers, market-leading download speeds, an audited privacy policy, and first-class security.
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