Free VPN for torrenting in 2024

Torrenting, or P2P file sharing requires a higher level of security and privacy than your basic browsing. To avoid the risk of malware and other digital threats while also saving some cash, many people believe that a free VPN for torrenting will do the trick.

Take my advice and avoid free VPNs for torrenting. These VPNs carry risks that are more prevalent when torrenting, such as extremely limited data that means you’ll get cut off fast; slow speeds, leading to days waiting for your download; and lax security features, plus no guarantee that the no-logs policy does as it says on the tin.

That’s why I recommend choosing reliable torrenting VPNs like NordVPN, which have robust security, unlimited data, and the fastest speeds in the industry. With a free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, it effectively serves as a free VPN option for your torrenting needs.

Best free P2P VPNs for torrenting: shortlist

1. NordVPN

   Overall best free torrent VPN with P2P servers in 2024
   9.8
2. Surfshark VPN

   Free VPN for torrenting on unlimited simultaneous devices
   9.5
3. PrivateVPN

   User-friendly VPN with strong unblocking and download power
   8.7
4. ExpressVPN

   User-friendly torrent VPN with port forwarding
   8.4
5. Proton VPN

   Extremely secure VPN that doesn’t have data caps
   8.6

How to choose free torrenting VPN?

In the US, torrenting is not illegal, but downloading copyrighted material is. Still, many people choose to take that risk even though there is a potential for large financial penalties if you’re caught – plus your ISP (internet service provider) could cut your connection. Whatever your reason for torrenting, I strongly recommend using a VPN to avoid being tracked, and to avoid the risks of exposing your IP address to strangers that you share files with. But be wary that free VPNs are not well-suited to torrenting, leaving you exposed to online dangers.

Consider that the primary factors for choosing a VPN for torrenting are security, speed, and download allowances. In my experience, these are all areas in which free VPNs fall short. Security is lax, and many free VPNs either leak your IP or sell your details to other third parties for a profit. There are also data limitations that’ll probably let you download one or two files at best, while speeds are slow enough that it could take days to get your download rather than hours.

Additionally, some free P2P VPNs have ambiguous privacy policies. They could hold the records of your browsing and torrenting history, which is a massive confidentiality breach. This info can be used against you by the government and copyright holders.

Furthermore, some VPN providers can do more harm than good by injecting ads and malware into your device, which is a real risk – especially when you are torrenting. Malicious actors could use this opportunity and infect your devices, leading to potentially dire consequences.

Therefore, picking a reliable VPN for torrenting is essential. Only then you’ll be able to use P2P file-sharing platforms trouble-free.

Best free VPNs for torrenting in 2024

1. NordVPN – most secure free VPN for torrents
2. Surfshark VPN – free P2P VPN for torrenting on multiple devices
3. PrivateVPN – user-friendly VPN with strong unblocking and download power
4. ExpressVPN – free trial torrenting VPN with great features
5. Proton VPN – VPN with torrenting optimized servers

If you’re looking for a completely free VPN for torrenting, there are several reliable options to consider. However, a truly effective free VPN should offer fast speed, unlimited data, and security that can protect you from disgruntled torrent users looking for a victim. Unfortunately, that just doesn't fit the bill of what a free VPN is. So, I tested 15+ VPNs and their associated free trials and money-back guarantees to see how they compared.

I'm happy to say that the VPNs below will meet all your needs for P2P file sharing, while checking those all-important quality boxes.

1. NordVPN – overall best VPN for torrenting with P2P servers

NordVPN is the best free VPN for torrenting due to top-notch security features, dedicated P2P VPN servers that will keep streamers and gamers from stealing your bandwidth, and the fastest speeds.

You can also use NordVPN it without paying if you take advantage of the 7-day free trial – though unfortunately it’s only for Android – and a 30-day money-back guarantee. And after that? You can get it for as little as $2.99/month.

While the network of 7000+ servers is impressive, the true gems of NordVPN are the dedicated P2P servers. This vast fleet includes top torrenting locations, like Switzerland, Romania, Iceland, and Panama. I tend to torrent often, so I know first-hand that these countries have very strong data privacy laws, offering you that extra buffer in keeping your activity secure and private.

These P2P servers will maximize the performance of your torrent client, based on my experience. For reference, my connection averages approximately 380Mbps, and while torrent speeds depend on the number of users in your swarm, I still saw speeds exceeding 100–200Mbps. Of course, the proprietary NordLynx protocol also plays a significant role in ensuring the best speeds.

NordVPN offers two other tools that support P2P, too: split tunneling and the SOCKS5 proxy. These allow you to secure only your torrent traffic, while your usual web browsing goes via your normal internet connection. In my experience, it ensures that your usual web traffic isn’t slowed down by torrenting activity – I tested this out for myself, and the difference was noticeable, though remember that this data will also not be protected by encryption. Moreover, you can use Threat Protection to fend off annoying ads, malware, and trackers, or simply hop to an obfuscated servers that will help you bypass stricter firewalls.

Malicious actors, snoopers, and connection drops won’t be a problem either, with high-grade encryption, IP and DNS leak protection, and a robust kill switch. Finally, you’ll enjoy unparalleled privacy, as NordVPN has an independently-audited zero-logs policy that has consistently passed independent third-party auditing, annually.

For a deeper investigation of NordVPN, read our NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark VPN – free torrenting VPN with top-notch privacy

Surfshark is an excellent free VPN for torrenting, with each of its 3200+ servers in 100+ countries optimized for P2P, ensuring fast and reliable torrenting on any device you use. With unlimited simultaneous connections, you can protect all your devices at once without compromising speed or performance.

But if you want to use it for free, you'll need to take advantage of the 7-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee. If you like what you see, the plan will only set you back $2.19/month – it’s one of the cheapest VPNs for torrenting you’ll find.

On Surfshark’s powerful server fleet, none of my torrents ever failed or stuttered due to the WireGuard protocol and the latest Nexus upgrade, which has delivered a noticeable impact on my torrents when I use Surfshark. It now routes all VPN traffic through a single massive network instead of separate servers, increasing stability & speeds.

This VPN comes with the full tool suite, including the CleanWeb feature for battling malware and the Camouflage mode for bypassing internet censorship. Surfshark also has its own version of split tunneling – the Bypasser tool.

If you’re curious, what’s the best free VPN to hide my torrent from my ISP? Well, I’ve found Surfshark and Bypasser to be a solid combination – this is one of the best VPNs for bypassing tracking, which is why it’s so heavily used in oppressive countries. I’ve even spotted Surfshark reps hanging around on Reddit and helping users to get connected and stay hidden in China.

Additionally, Surfshark VPN has an independently-audited no-logs policy, which ensures top-tier online privacy. Furthermore, your online identity remains anonymous thanks to the essentials – advanced leak protection, a kill switch, and AES-256 encryption. And you torrent on as many devices as you want, thanks to infinite connections.

For a deeper investigation of Surfshark VPN, read our Surfshark VPN review.

3. PrivateVPN – free P2P VPN with port forwarding

PrivateVPN is a solid contender for torrenting. One of my first tests was to check that it can unblock the torrenting sites that my ISP (internet service provider) blocks – it passed with flying colors. And while I found this to be a pretty small server network, with 200 servers in 63 countries, I did find that PrivateVPN’s servers tend to be especially adept at avoiding detection for VPN usage. This can help with less annoying captchas and blockades while torrenting.

Price wise, PrivateVPN is highly affordable and comfortable nestles itself around Surfshark’s price point, at $2.00/month. I personally think that the value for money you get from NordVPN and Surfshark is far better. That being said, PrivateVPN offers both a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s literally no harm in testing it out for yourself.

I dug into PrivateVPN's security features to see if it can stand up to the likes of Nord and Surfshark in other areas. All the security must-haves I'd expect are there, including a no-log policy – though not audited – and powerful WireGuard protocol, 256-bit encryption, and a kill switch. The one thing I will say is that PrivateVPN fell short on speeds compared to the greats, but it still let me download torrents without a hitch.

For a deeper investigation of PrivateVPN, read our PrivateVPN review.

4. ExpressVPN – free P2P VPN with port forwarding

ExpressVPN is one of the longest-standing VPNs in the industry, and I’ve seen this provider go from strength to strength over the years. Now, I use it when I need guaranteed high speeds and reliable connections – like with torrenting. The client is optimized for P2P and allows port forwarding, but all of the above comes with a caveat – it’s a bit pricey ($4.99/month).

However, there is a way to use ExpressVPN for torrenting without paying!. All you have to do is grab a 7-day free trial , which you can roll into the 30-day money-back guarantee afterward if you feel that you’re getting your money’s worth out of the service.

With ExpressVPN, you’ll get to explore thousands of servers in 105 countries, all of which support the Lightway VPN protocol – in my experience, the best protocols for torrenting are WireGuard and Lightway, so I found this useful.

More so, you can use port forwarding, which can help improve torrenting performance even further. If you imagine that you are an “inactive user” while those with port forwarding are “active,” and you can only transmit files with other active users. As soon as you enable this feature, you can also share files with inactive users, increasing the number of seeds you can draw from to download a file more quickly.

ExpressVPN has loads more to offer. You can use split tunneling, which is great if you want to protect your P2P traffic only. For your safety, Threat Manager will make sure that no virus, ad, or tracker bothers you. Not to mention, the provider has a wide range of obfuscated servers to help you bypass various firewalls.

In the meantime, AES-256 encryption, a rock-solid kill switch, and IP & DNS leak protection will ensure that no one can compromise your safety. Plus, ExpressVPN has a court-proven no-logs policy. So, you won’t have to worry about someone snooping or getting your browsing history info.

For a deeper investigation of ExpressVPN, read our ExpressVPN review.

5. Proton VPN – free VPN for torrenting with no data caps

Proton VPN is one of the best free VPNs for torrents, purely because it has no data limitations. This is a huge deal for somebody looking to torrent without paying for a full-price subscription, as you’ll need a lot of data. However, speeds may be slower compared to other competitors mentioned above.

Fortunately, in all other areas, I found this client pretty solid. Proton VPN offers an independently-audited zero-logs policy, so all of your web ventures will stay secret. Not to mention, you’ll be totally safe with the help of AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, and IP & DNS leak protection that I have personally tested and verified with a leak testing tool.

Since the no-pay version has no data limitations, you’ll only find free servers in the US, Japan, and the Netherlands. These were not the best countries for torrenting that I’d found in my tests, but crucially, they were truly free. This is despite advanced functionality that I haven’t seen in many other services, including the Stealth protocol, which will help you bypass firewalls in areas of strong censorship. The only downside is that Proton VPN is quite slow, and torrenting will be nearly impossible with the freemium unless you’re truly not in a rush to get your downloads.

Therefore, getting a premium Proton VPN subscription is way better. For $3.59/month, you’ll get to enjoy phenomenal speeds with the WireGuard tunneling protocol and the VPN Accelerator technology. Moreover, you’ll be able to use P2P file-sharing platforms trouble-free. Server congestion won’t be an issue either, thanks to 9200+ pieces of hardware in 110 countries. In summary, as soon as I converted my free account into a 30-day money-back guarantee period, this already impressive VPN became a torrenting powerhouse.

For more safety, Netshield will ensure that no malicious ad, virus, or rootkit gets to you. In addition, the Secure Core feature will protect you from network attacks. Lastly, Proton VPN is the best P2P VPN for Windows, as it offers port forwarding.

For a deeper investigation of Proton VPN, read our Proton VPN review.

Free torrenting VPN: comparison

After finishing my in-depth tests, NordVPN is my choice of the best free P2P VPN for Windows and other devices. This P2P-optimized VPN offers more than enough server choice, plus unlimited data and blazing-fast speeds that never failed me once in torrenting. I considered and chose NordVPN because you can use it for free for over a month if you take advantage of the 7-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee. In other words, try it yourself – I guarantee it won’t disappoint.

Start torrenting safely with NordVPN

How I tested free P2P VPNs

To ensure good coverage, I tested over 15 VPNs with numerous torrent clients, including leading apps BitTorrent and uTorrent. I also tested on my main device – a 2024 Macbook Air – as well as a Windows PC. Once all my hardware was up and running, and my torrent clients installed, it was time to consider the most important factors in choosing a P2P-friendly VPN.

I can be strict with requirements, but top-notch security is just as important for torrenting as speed and data allowances. Here’s a full rundown of my criteria for choosing the best free VPNs for torrenting:

• Torrenting is enabled. This seems an obvious statement, but free VPNs are notorious for being very limited when it comes to what users can do with them. It’s rare to find a free VPN provider that allows torrenting; it’s the first hurdle most services can’t jump over – so I made sure they could first.
• No data logging. In my book, even free VPNs should have a strict, no-tolerance stance on collecting user information. VPNs with a no-logs policy always come out on top, and the best VPNs have their no-logs policies externally audited, too.
• Lenient or no data caps. Besides limiting your activities, free torrenting VPNs also restrict your bandwidth. If you’re just browsing Facebook, it’s not a huge deal – but a torrent will chew through most free VPNs’ limited data allowance in a matter of minutes or hours, depending on your speed.
• Robust protection tools. It’s why you’re getting a VPN in the first place, so making sure the essentials are covered, as a minimum, is mandatory. I’m talking about AES-256 encryption, a reliable kill switch, and IP and DNS leak protection. The lack of one or another affects the provider’s placing on my list.

How to use free VPN while torrenting?

When using a free VPN for torrenting, it's important to make sure the VPN has a strict no-log policy and follows industry-standard privacy protocols. Some VPNs may throttle traffic or flag activity as suspicious, which could lead to legal and financial issues.

1. Pick the best free VPN for downloading P2P files. While the free version of Proton VPN is good, I recommend NordVPN to avoid being cut off quickly.
2. Set up the VPN and connect to a server. Remember, the best VPN locations for torrenting are Switzerland, Romania, Iceland, and Panama.
3. Check for any IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks on a website like IPleaks
4. Download a reliable torrent client, such as qBittorrent, uTorrent, or BitTorrent
5. Head to a torrents site and download the content you desire
6. Turn off the P2P client once you get your files, and enjoy the content you downloaded!

Get NordVPN free trial and money-back guarantee

Free torrenting VPNs to avoid

Free torrenting VPNs can do more harm than good, depending on the provider. I suggest you avoid the following ones at all costs if your online security and privacy are of any importance to you.

• VPNGate. Extensively logs everything you do and discloses this information to government institutions when asked. Doesn’t include any leak protection tools or a kill switch, and connections are unreliable and tend to drop at the worst moments.
• Hola! VPN. Works as a proxy rather than a proper VPN and doesn’t even use encryption or have a kill switch or leak protection. The provider also shares personal info with authorities if they deem it necessary and blocks BitTorrent traffic to boot.
• Betternet VPN. Injects its client with malware and user trackers, putting overall security at risk. Lacks basic features such as a kill switch, and the tools that are included are weak & unreliable. Betternet VPN logs everything it can about you, which does not bode well since it is based in Canada, a Five Eyes country.

Bottom line

You can never go overboard with your online privacy & security, especially when it comes to such a risky activity as torrenting. While it’s possible to protect yourself with VPNs that cost nothing, you have to exercise extreme caution when choosing the provider.

Thankfully, I’ve done the legwork and found the best free VPN services that can actually be trusted. To avoid the pitfalls of data limitations, lax security that risks your data, and poor speeds that make downloads take days, choose NordVPN and use it free for up to a month. After that, simply grab a refund if you want to cancel within 30 days – or longer, if you have an Android device to snag the 7-day free trial, too!

As for no-pay services? The best truly-free P2P VPN for torrenting is undoubtedly Proton VPN, as it allows torrenting on all servers and offers a pretty generous data cap. Just remember that you’ll be accepting worse performance and potentially putting yourself at risk.

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You may also like to read:
Is torrenting illegal in your country?
Free VPN for Windows
Free VPN for Android
Free VPN for Mac
Free VPN for gaming
Cheapest VPN services

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FAQ

Can I use a free VPN for Torrenting?

Yes, you can use a free VPN for torrenting – so long as you choose one that allows P2P. But free VPNs have restrictive speeds and data limitations, so you won’t get far. Premium VPN free trials from the likes of NordVPN negate these drawbacks and won’t risk your personal data being exposed.

Is there a free VPN that allows P2P?

Yes, some free VPNs do allow peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing. However, the majority of them might not work while torrenting. Therefore, I highly recommend picking a free trial VPN for torrenting, such as NordVPN. NordVPN has P2P-optimized servers in [brand countries, NordVPN] countries, with all but 12 locations are geared toward torrenting.

Does free Proton VPN work with torrenting?

Yes, Proton VPN works with torrenting and protects you with a strict no-logs policy, IP cloaking, and powerful encryption, all of which guards you against hackers and DDoS attackers. The powerful server fleet can support connections of up to 10Gbps, and there’s even support for split tunneling – torrent securely without disrupting your regular browsing. I tested both the free and premium Proton VPN tiers, and while the premium tier works well with torrenting, I was quickly cut off after running out of data with free Proton VPN.

How can I set up a free VPN for torrenting?

You can quickly set up a free VPN for torrenting by using NordVPN’s 7-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee. I recommend choosing this option to avoid the security pitfalls and other risks that come with most free VPNs. Just download NordVPN, install the client, and connect to a VPN server.

Do I really need a VPN when torrenting?

Yes, you need a VPN when torrenting to avoid exposing your location to everyone that you share files with. Otherwise, you can be left open to malware and DDoS attacks, among other risks – and your internet provider will be able to see everything you do. I suggest using a premium torrenting VPN like NordVPN as I did, which will cloak your IP, protect your data, and keep you safe online.