5 Best FREE VPNs for Torrenting — Fast & Anonymous in 2024

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 2024 that are actually safe for torrenting.

I was pleased to discover that certain free VPNs do indeed offer respectable security and privacy features. However, there’s often a drawback in other aspects. This encompasses data caps, restricted server availability, and speed throttling. The sole method to engage in torrenting without limitations is by opting for a premium VPN service.

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.

 Short on Time? Here Are the Free VPNs for Torrenting in 2024

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 The Best Free VPNs for Torrenting (Tested in 2024)

1. ExpressVPN — High-Speed Servers for Fast Torrenting

Outstanding

Outstanding

📍Servers	3,000+
📱Devices	8
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

All of ExpressVPN’s servers are optimized for high-speeds and torrenting, ensuring you can get the files you want without limiting your connection. While it isn’t free, I recommend it for a safe, secure experience when doing something as privacy-important as torrenting. 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 105 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 of the two premium options 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).

2. CyberGhost — P2P-Optimized Servers for Reliable Downloads

Outstanding

Outstanding

📍Servers	11,780+
📱Devices	7
💰Refund	45 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

CyberGhost’s premium service 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.

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 + 4 months plan, which costs only $2.03 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.

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

Excellent

Excellent

📍Servers	4,450+
📱Devices	10
💰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 + 6 months plan. Even though its free service doesn’t support P2P connections, I couldn’t leave Proton VPN off the list because of the great torrenting results I had with the paid service. You can still make use of the free version for less intensive tasks like streaming or browsing.

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 from 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.

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

Excellent

Excellent

📍Servers	1,800+
📱Devices	10
💰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 $2.99 per month with the 3-year plan.

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.

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

Great VPN

Great VPN

📍Servers	2,400
📱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 + 4 months subscription at $2.69 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.

 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:

• 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 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.

Torrenting public domain files carries minimal risks, but engaging in P2P file sharing can be highly hazardous. A single misguided click can lead to significant consequences. That’s why it is crucial for you to employ a reputable VPN, like the ones recommended in this article, to safeguard yourself whenever you engage in torrenting.

 Comparison Table: 2024’s Best VPNs for Torrenting

 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 — no limits on 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.

 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 some 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.

Summary — Best Free VPNs for Torrenting in 2024

Rank

Provider name

Our score

Price

Top Ranked 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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$2.03 / 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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$2.69 / month Save 73%

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