13+ Best Torrent Sites for Downloading Free Media (May 2024)

The following guide ranks the Best Torrent Sites in 2024 for downloading thousands of files on any device.

Whether you are looking to load movies, TV shows, music, games, or software, this guide includes the best options for all of your downloading needs. This includes The Pirate Bay, 1337x, YTS, EZTV, LimeTorrents, and several other torrenting websites we list below.

Some of these are the most widely accessed websites on the internet with millions of daily and weekly visitors. They have been around since the beginning of the internet and continue to provide users with fabulous content choices.

As you will find, nearly all of the options below contain malicious/suspicious files associated with them. The best way to protect yourself when torrenting is to use a quality VPN.

Our recommend VPN for torrenting is Surfshark VPN. Surfshark is secure, fast, offers a working kill switch, has a built-in ad blocker, offers a strict no-log policy, and other features outlined in our Surfshark Review.

Our reviews team has ranked the best torrent sites below based on safety, content library, categories, user-interface, ad frequency, VPN compatibility, speed, popularity, and user feedback from platforms like Reddit.

We suggest bookmarking this page and check back frequently for new website submissions provided by members of the TROYPOINT Insider.

How to Download Torrents Video

Before we dive into the best websites for torrenting, we suggest watching our video below which will show you how to download torrents safely, anonymously, and quickly.

Mentioned Links:

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qBittorrent Website

Best Torrent Sites in 2024

Below you will find a quick list of the best torrenting sites for all your needs.

• The Pirate Bay – Referred to as the “king of torrent sites” and is filled with movies, TV series, games, music, software, and much more
• 1337x – This website is jam-packed full of content for everyone along with a user-friendly interface
• YTS – Very popular torrenting website with an impressive library of movies and TV shows; has had legal issues in the past
• EZTV – Known for being one of the better options for downloading TV series; this site has a fast seeder/leecher ratio making downloads a breeze
• LimeTorrents – This website has an excellent user-interface and filtering options; provides movies, games, anime, software, and more
• iDope – The rebranded version of “Kickass Torrents” and is known for carrying the most in-demand content available today
• TorrentGalaxy – Well known website for torrenting movies, TV shows, software, music, and games; this is a greater security risk than other options on this list
• Torrends – Mirror of the once-popular “torrents io” website that experienced millions of monthly visitors; easy to use and several categories
• FitGirl Repacks – The best option for torrenting games; thousands of gaming files for any device
• GloTorrents – Quality torrent website that also offers streaming services, live radio, and a forum to improve a user’s experience
• Torlock – A torrent search engine that focuses on providing verified torrents to users; filled with movies and TV shows
• NYAA – A notable torrent website focused on anime, manga, music, and other Eastern Asian media; there is a huge community supporting NYAA
• IPTorrents (private) – One of the most visited private torrent websites with thousands of active users; provides movies, TV shows, games, music, and software
• Demonoid (private) – Another private torrent site that requires a subscription for use; quality option for downloading music, software, and VOD content

Torrent Websites to Avoid

The Internet is flooded with thousands of torrent websites, and many of them carry security risks. These risks can include viruses, malware, malicious ads, and threats of user privacy. We suggest you avoid the following:

• KickassTorrents (KAT) – Original website was shut down years ago due to legal issues and we do not trust any of the clones trying to capitalize off the “KickassTorrents” name
• RARBG – One of the most visited choices in peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing, however this site has faced several legal issues and its domain has been seized multiple times
• ExtraTorrents – The original site is shut down and we suggest not visiting any of the mirrors that are filled with malicious files
• SUMOtorrent – This site is known to have an increased risk of malware attacks or experience data breaches

Getting Started with Torrenting

If you are brand new to torrenting and downloading files from the Internet, you will want to pay attention to this next section carefully.

What is a Torrent?

A torrent is a file that contains metadata (a set of data that provides information about other data). It does not contain the file but rather it helps the software search for computers that are sharing the file.

Once it is located, the software connects to the computers to copy documents, photos, movies, music, ebooks, applications, podcast episodes, and games. Think of it as your campus library’s electronic catalog that contains a comprehensive index of all books in its collection.

When you enter a search term, the system provides you with a list of recommendations where each entry contains information about the book and where to locate it. A torrent file does just the same.

It helps users search for needed information and the address of computers that have uploaded the content. Remember that the index contains the information but not the file itself.

The file-sharing happens on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network with computers called “peers”. This activity is known as “seeding”. The more seeders there are, the faster the download will be.

When numerous sources contain the same file, a client can download small portions of it at the same time.

How Do Torrent Sites Work?

When browsing online, the web browser in use sends multiple requests to a server so that it can download the information. Sometimes, however, this server can have too much traffic from users who are trying to access the same information.

When this network congestion occurs, the servers are likely to break down. With P2P communication, however, large files can be shared efficiently without the need for a single server.

Through a swarm or a group of computers in the P2P network that shares a file, a client can receive the requested files through downloading. P2P file sharing is made possible by the BitTorrent communication protocol, which is used to transfer files around the internet.

Through software called BitTorrent client, a request to download a torrent from seeds can be sent. The seed possesses the complete file while the peer only has one portion of the file. When downloading from peers, small pieces of the file are moved from each computer to the client.

A tracker is then used to make it easier for clients to locate the portions of the file that it will request from peers. It records the number of seeders, the size, total downloads, peers, and more. In addition, it has a complete record of which parts of the file you need and which parts you possess that other users need.

Once you complete downloading a file from the P2P network, it is highly encouraged to seed the file to other clients as well. This is to keep BitTorrent working through many seeders.

If you decide to be offline and others follow suit (a process known as “leeching”), new clients requesting the file will have fewer seeders and thus never receive complete copies of the file anymore.

Choosing the Best Sites

When choosing a torrent site, it’s important to understand factors like speed, safety, content library, mirrors, seeder/leecher ratios, ad annoyance, and more.

You will notice in our list below that TROYPOINT has analyzed every popular choice and includes these important metrics.

Safety: The safety of a torrent site is the number one factor users should look at. Most public options carry security risks that include viruses, malware, data privacy, and even hackers. Be cautious of what you decide to visit.

Ad Annoyance: If you have been in this technology for a while you know that advertisements can make or break these. The worst part is, that some of these “pop-up ads” contain viruses/malware that can damage your device. That’s why reliable Antivirus Software is strongly recommended when using these.

Download Speed: Since torrent sites require a VPN, it’s very important to also use choices that offer quality download speeds. The last thing you want to do is spend hours trying to download a single file.

Content Library: This is another important feature to consider. Whether it’s movies, tv shows, games, books, anime, or software, some websites provide more content overall or specialize in certain areas.

Seeder/Leecher Ratios: Prior to accessing these platforms, it’s a good idea to review the seeder/leecher ratios for each file. A higher seeder/leecher ratio means a file has been shared more often.

Mirrors (Proxies): When certain options go offline it’s important to have mirrors (proxies) in place. Typically the more popular a website is the more available mirrors.

Monthly Visitors: This is an important metric to consider when looking at torrent sites. Higher monthly traffic usually means a website is trusted and offers better content.

Founding Year: Sites that have remained online for several years show credibility and trust, especially with the increase in take-downs.

Types of Torrent Sites

These can be placed into two categories: public and private. This depends on the the level of accessibility and content offered.

Public

Public sites otherwise known as open trackers allow any user to access the tracker address. Downloading from these sites is a very simple process.

Public sites are easily available for all and have an opportunity to join them without any need to register or wait for an invitation.

By the rule, public torrent websites most of the time have a huge number of active users; therefore, their speeds are faster, given an increased availability of seeders. On the other hand, public sites are rather filled with content that is not always trustworthy or proven.

Private

Private sites or “private trackers” on the other hand, limit access to its members only. In most cases, new members can register by invitation only.

An existing member must grant permission to a new member through email or an invite code.  All members are required to meet the upload-to-download ratio as well to prevent leeching.

So which one is better? When it comes to ease of access, public trackers, of course, are much better. However, with a growing number of members, the possibility of downloading malware is highly likely because of loose security.

Private trackers, on the other hand, provide more secure downloads because membership is controlled and violators are easily blacklisted.

In addition, private trackers provide faster speeds thanks to their seeding regulations that require each user who has downloaded a file to seed it back. However, it is very difficult to gain access to one of these unless you know an existing member.

Disadvantages

While there are benefits to using torrent sites, there are also some limitations.

Downloading content can consume a lot of your available bandwidth. This is a big issue for users who have a slow internet connection. Internet Speed is a big part of downloading torrents and TROYPOINT has created an article that will help you determine What is Good Internet Speed?

Even with good internet speed, not all file downloads are easy to find. When using these, there’s no guarantee that the file that you’re looking for is available or genuine. When there are no seeds available, you cannot download anything.

And with no feedback available to verify that the file is legit, it becomes much more difficult to identify if the content is what you are looking for. Worse, there are plenty of fake files available that are used by scammers to spread malware to unsuspecting users.

There are also risks that come with downloading torrents. For instance, the tracker in the file keeps track of all computers connected in the network. This means that your IP address is shared in the entire swarm.

Therefore, those who are seeding and leeching can see your IP address which can be very dangerous. People often ask, “Does it matter if peers are able to see my IP address?” While this may seem like an unimportant detail, IP addresses can identify someone’s location, web history, and more.

While the sharing of files isn’t illegal (as long as they are not copyrighted) the legality of downloading from these sites, however, can be an issue.

Your online activity can be easily tracked through your IP address, which can lead to serious consequences.

Why You Need a VPN for Torrenting

Downloading from torrent sites pretty much requires the use of a VPN or Virtual Private Network.

You want to ensure that your VPN is always connected and a kill switch is enabled when using these torrent applications.  When downloading torrents, your IP address is broadcasted to the public which is extremely risky and unsafe.

Not using a VPN can lead to threatening notices like this if you accidentally access copyrighted works through the Internet.

TROYPOINT has tested dozens of VPN services over the years and found Surfshark to be superior for torrenting and general Internet use.

Final Thoughts

Overall, torrent websites can be great for downloading music, movies, TV shows, books, software, games, and more. However, it is very important to understand the security and legal risks of using these.

TROYPOINT does not endorse illegal downloading or uploading in any manner whatsoever. Users should only load content not protected by copyright.

Did we forget your favorite site? Let us know in the comments if there are any others that we should add to this list.

FAQs

What is the Best Torrent Site?

The “best” torrent website is primarily based on user preference and what features you are looking for. After testing dozens, TROYPOINT has ranked The Pirate Bay, 1337x, EZTV, LimeTorrents, YTS, and others listed above as our preferred options.

Are Torrent Websites Legal?

Overall, these are not illegal, considering the kind of software they use to share files is the BitTorrent protocol. However, where legality comes into question is when users are downloading copyrighted files from these platforms. In most countries, sharing and downloading copyrighted content without the holder’s permission are offenses punishable under very strict legal consequences. TROYPOINT does not support or encourage the use of this technology for illegally sharing copyrighted content under any circumstances.

Are These Options Safe?

Some torrent websites are safer than others, but in general most public sites carry security risks that can harm your device. This includes the threats of viruses, malware, data privacy, and even hackers. TROYPOINT highly recommends using a secure VPN when accessing these.

What Happened to The Pirate Bay?

The Pirate Bay is still active today, but they have had several legal problems in the past and are banned in several countries. While accessible in the United States, The Pirate Bay is banned in the UK, Brazil, Iceland, Italy, India, Iran, Ireland, Denmark, China, Germany, Greece, and other regions.

What Happens if I Get Caught Using Torrents?

If you are caught torrenting copyrighted content, you could receive copyright infringement notices from your ISP, get suspended from your ISP altogether, or face legal action from copyright holders. While it’s rare, in some jurisdictions it is technically possible for users to face criminal charges for copyright infringement. TROYPOINT does not endorse torrenting copyrighted content under any circumstances.