Best free VPNs for torrenting in 2024

There are many free torrenting VPN services on the market, however, not all of them are safe. Most free VPNs for torrenting potentially carry security risks, like malicious ads, collection of sensitive data, and unreliable security practices. Instead, I recommend choosing a premium VPN for torrenting, like NordVPN, and using its free trial or a money-back guarantee.

Best free torrenting VPNs alternative

Looking for a VPN that works for torrenting, offers lightning-fast speeds, and ensures complete privacy? Try NordVPN using a 30-day money-back guarantee with no data or speed limits.

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• Excellent connection speed
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Yet, if you’re searching for truly free VPN for torrenting, continue reading to find the best ones in terms of torrenting capabilities, security, and speeds.

We tested 42 VPN service providers to find the best free VPNs for torrenting that offer P2P servers and excellent privacy and security features.

Best free VPNs for torrenting in 2024

1. NordVPN – best free torrenting VPN overall
2. Surfshark – best free VPN with P2P servers for multiple devices
3. Norton VPN – best free VPN for torrenting with a great security package
4. ExpressVPN – feature-rich free P2P VPN
5. Proton VPN – free torrenting VPN with no data caps

Free vs paid VPNs for torrenting

While there are many VPN options on the market, both free and paid, it might be tempting to instantly go for a free VPN for torrenting. Why pay, if you can get the service for free, right? Not quite.

Free VPNs often come with significant risks. They can potentially sell your browsing history to third parties, they often come with weak encryption and security, they can’t offer fast speeds, and often limit bandwidth. Besides, most free VPNs come with a very limited number of servers, which are often already overloaded.

Most paid premium VPNs, on the other hand, come with strong encryption, reliable privacy policies, fast speeds, excellent features, and global server networks – all crucial for a seamless torrenting experience. For this reason, our list gives options of not only completely free torrenting VPNs but also premium ones that you can try out for free for at least a month.

Best free P2P VPNs – detailed list

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 tested 42 VPNs and selected only the best free ones or those with free trials of money-back guarantees. We ranked the top VPNs that you can torrent with and enjoy for free:

1. NordVPN – best free VPN for torrenting overall

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NordVPN is the best free VPN for torrenting for many reasons. One of the most important ones is its P2P-optimized servers, which ensure a smooth torrenting experience. It offers over 5000 P2P servers, out of its global server fleet of 6300+ servers across 111 countries.

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. Besides, thanks to NordVPN’s proprietary tunneling protocol NordLynx, the speeds of this VPN are blazing-fast. And these are not empty words – I tested NordVPN out – it retained over 90% of the original speed and never failed or leaked my IP. It took 2 minutes and 24 seconds to download a test file at an average speed of 27.2 Mbps (the internet download speed was 410 Mbps).

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 it does offer a 7-day free trial on the Google Play Store and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Technically, you can use it as a free trial for over a month – just cancel the subscription before the month ends. If you liked the service – and I’m sure you will – you can continue with a paid plan, considering how good the service is.

2. Surfshark – free P2P VPN with unlimited simultaneous connections

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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 3200+ servers in 100 countries and receive excellent torrenting performance.

Just like with NordVPN, you get excellent data security with AES-256 and ChaCha20 (with WireGuard) encryption and a reliable kill switch, to prevent any data leaks.

Surfshark supports the WireGuard protocol and is known for its fast speeds. During my test on Surfshark, it retained 86% of the baseline speed, and the test file took only 1 minute and 55 seconds to download at the average speed of 11.4 Mbps (download speed was 378 Mbps) – pretty much the same as what NordVPN showed. Aside from WireGuard, you also get the OpenVPN (UDP and TCP) and IKEv2 protocols.

Besides, Surfshark’s no-log policy has been independently 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, as well as a 7-day free trial to test the service risk-free. Considering you get to try out a premium VPN with unlimited bandwidth and no data caps for free, this is a great option. If you decide you like the service, you can stick with the paid plan after the trial.

3. Norton – secure and affordable free VPN for P2P

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Norton VPN is another good option if you’re looking for a free torrenting VPN with added security. What makes it good for torrenting is that some servers are P2P optimized. Overall, Norton VPN offers 1000+ global servers in 29 countries.

Norton VPN uses the OpenVPN protocol for Windows and Android, and the L2TP/IPSec protocol for macOS and iOS. While these protocols aren’t WireGuard, they did a pretty good job of keeping my 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 to keep your connection secure and leak-free.

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 decent torrenting experience, although you would need to wait a little longer compared to other top providers. My test file took around 5 minutes to download, which is still a good result, although the slowest compared to other providers on my list.

Norton VPN has a no-logs policy, meaning 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.

4. ExpressVPN – secure and versatile free VPN for torrenting

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ExpressVPN is another free P2P VPN that combines efficient security with great performance. It delivers excellent speed and global P2P file sharing on all servers.

ExpressVPN 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. During my tests on ExpressVPN, I did not experience any leaks whatsoever. By the way, ExpressVPN keeps you safe with Threat Manager, which blocks all tracking as well as malware.

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. My test file downloaded in around 4 minutes at an average speed of 20.3 Mbps (internet download speed was 328 Mbps), and the connection remained stable at all times. Not quite as fast as NordVPN or Surfshark, but still a good result.

ExpressVPN implements an independently audited no-logs policy and 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 and a 7-day free trial. 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 continue with a paid option.

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

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Proton VPN is one of the best free torrenting VPNs with a free plan that doesn’t have data caps. Although there are no P2P-optimized servers (you can get those on paid plans), I still managed to download the needed files.

The free version gives you around 147 servers in 5 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.

With Proton VPN, you get the WireGuard protocol, ensuring solid speeds even on the free version. My Proton VPN test download speeds reached around 17MB/s and the file took 3 minutes and 35 seconds to download.

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 torrenting VPNs compared

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How we tested these free VPNs for torrenting

Our experienced research team tested 42 VPN providers on the market. The main criteria we looked at were P2P servers, security, speeds, and torrenting support. For all the testing, we used a Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen2 device (AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) with Windows 11 Pro OS. The same test file was used for each provider. Here’s what we looked at:

• P2P servers. While most free torrenting VPNs don’t have P2P-optimized servers, we checked which ones still support torrenting.
  
• Security. A reliable kill switch and strong encryption, such as AES-256, are the most important things a VPN should have, even if it’s free. This is because these features are paramount in securing your connection and avoiding any data leaks.
  
• Data cap. Free VPNs are rarely unlimited, so we made sure to provide you with VPNs that offer little to no data caps.
• Speeds. Even if security should be the top priority, no one wants to compromise speeds because of it. And with the VPNs we ranked, we made sure you get the fastest tunneling protocols, such as WireGuard.
• Servers. Its important for a free torrenting VPN to have multiple servers across the globe. The more servers, the better speeds.

Free torrenting VPNs to avoid

Free torrenting VPNs can be dangerous if not chosen wisely. Some of them are cyberthreat goldmines and some make money off your personal information. Here are a few examples of free VPNs that you should avoid:

• Betternet VPN – it’s a service acquired by the Aura group, and to put it simply – the privacy of users is not their main concern. They log various personal data, including account, billing, identity verification, usage, and device information. Plus, they collect the approximate location of users.
• Hola VPN – this VPN has some stains in terms of reputation. Devices of users that had premium VPN services would be used as a botnet without them being aware. This means users’ computers could be used to perform DDoS attacks and act as open doors for cybercriminals.
• Thunder VPN – it’s an Android VPN that may collect various information, including your Internet Service Provider (ISP), operating system (OS) version, device model, language of the device, app version. They also collect connection timestamps and total amount of data transferred per day.

Risks of using a free VPN for 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 P2P 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.

Is it safe to use a free VPN for torrenting?

Yes, it can be safe to use a free VPN for torrenting, but equally, it might not be. It all depends on the VPN service you use. Some free torrenting VPNs might be perfectly safe, while some untrustworthy providers could potentially sell your data or expose you to malware

That’s why it’s better to opt for the so-called freemium VPNs. 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 and free trials, you can try the VPNs out for free.

Conclusion

There are many advantages of using a free VPN for torrenting. The biggest one being increased security and privacy online. However, completely free torrenting VPNs often come with limitations or even risks. These include data caps, limited amount of servers, and sometimes even compromised personal data.

To be able to use everything that a P2P VPN can offer, I strongly suggest opting for a free trial of a premium provider like NordVPN. It’s a reliable, time-tested torrenting VPN, offering everything you need for torrenting – optimized P2P servers, market-leading download speeds, an audited privacy policy, and first-class security. After the trial ends, you can also take advantage of a 30-day refund policy, enabling you to use the service for free for over a month.

Should you still want a completely free P2P VPN, make sure you find a reliable one. I recommend going for Proton VPN, which doesn’t have data caps, offers a reliable kill switch and a no-logs policy.

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