It’s essential to use a VPN for torrenting. When you join a P2P (peer-to-peer) network, other users in the network can see your IP address. Your IP address is tied to your location and identity, so you don’t want to be broadcasting it to strangers.
However, by using a free VPN for torrenting, you’ll cloak your IP address and protect your online privacy. Our pick of the best free VPNs for torrenting are:
- PrivadoVPN: Secure free VPN for torrenting with 10 GB monthly data
- hide.me: Free, P2P-friendly VPN with decent security
- Atlas VPN: Free VPN for torrenting, from the company behind NordVPN
- Windscribe: A free VPN for torrenting in high-censorship nations
Just bear in mind that free VPNs impose data and speed limitations. Not to mention, it’ll severely limit your server choice. That’s why we recommend choosing an unlimited VPN provider with advanced security features, such as NordVPN.
Keep reading to see more detailed reviews of these VPNs.
The best free VPNs for torrenting and P2P will hide your real IP address from exposure to hackers and government authorities. Security measures like VPNs prove essential in countries where torrenting is frowned upon. By hiding your IP address and encrypting your internet activity, these VPNs help you from being recognized.
We tested 50+ VPNs to shortlist the best free torrenting VPNs. There’s only one caveat: these free VPNs can be limited. Some offer only a few servers, while others limit how much data you can use per month. To help you narrow your search, we also listed the best VPNs with free trials. These let you use a premium VPN service for free for 30 days.
Read on to get to know our list of the best free VPNs for torrenting and P2P file sharing.
The Best Free VPNs for Torrenting
After extensive testing, we recommend PrivadoVPN as the best free VPN for torrenting and P2P file sharing. You get unlimited data and speeds, as well as dedicated P2P servers, for completely free.
Check out the table below for a quick comparison of our favorite torrenting VPNs. You’ll find our full research below the table.
| Free VPN Provider | 1. PrivadoVPN | 2. hide.me | 3. AtlasVPN | 4. Windscribe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited speeds | ✔ (1 Mbps if you exceed data limit) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Free data per month | 10 GB/mo | 10 GB/mo | 2 GB/day | 2 GB/mo (or 10 GB/mo if you provide an email address) |
| Number of free servers locations | 8 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| Countries with free servers | Canada, France, UK, US, and more | US, Canada, Netherlands, and Germany | Netherlands and US | Hong Kong, Norway, Turkey, UK, US, and more |
| Protocols | OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), IKEv2 | OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), IPsec (IKEv1 and IKEv2), SoftEther, SSTP, PPTP, L2TP/IPsec | IKEv2, WireGuard | OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard |
| Zero-logs | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
| Available from | Get PrivadoVPN | Get hide.me | Get AtlasVPN | Get Windscribe |
Note: A VPN doesn’t give you online impunity. Even if you cloak your real IP address to cover your tracks, you’re not untraceable. Law enforcement agencies with sufficient time, motivation, and resources can still track you down if you break the law. Torrenting isn’t illegal, but downloading copyright-protected data or files, or illegal media, is punishable by law.
Ready to dive in? Let’s take a closer look at these VPNs for torrenting and P2P.
1. PrivadoVPN: Secure free VPN for torrenting with 10 GB monthly data
Features:
- 10 GB monthly data allowance, with slower speeds when used up
- Free servers in 10 countries, including the US, the UK, and Mexico
- Offers the super-secure OpenVPN protocol, plus IKEv2
- No logs, and strong 256-bit AES encryption
If you’re looking for a broad choice of server locations, PrivadoVPN is your best bet. With free servers in 10 countries, you’re more likely to find a server near you. That means faster connection times and better download speeds.
PrivadoVPN has a monthly data limit of 10 GB, though you can keep using PrivadoVPN even when you’ve used up your data. Just note that your connection speed will be capped at 1 Mbps once your data allowance is used up, so it won’t be useful for anything other than light browsing.
PrivadoVPN is based in Switzerland, where privacy laws are strict. PrivadoVPN also protects your anonymity with 256-bit encryption, an ironclad no-logs policy, and a kill switch. You’re also secured by top VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, and a SOCKS5 proxy.
Paid users gain access to 200 servers in 44 countries, so it’s a good idea to upgrade your subscription (from $2.50 a month) if you want more locations. Otherwise, PrivadoVPN is a top-tier free torrenting VPN.
2. hide.me: Free P2P-friendly VPN with decent security
Features:
- 10 GB monthly data allowance
- Choice of five VPN protocols, including best-in-class WireGuard and OpenVPN
- Tried, tested, and works with uTorrent, BitTorrent, and qBittorrent
- Strict no-logs policy
An excellent free VPN in its own right, hide.me offers torrent-friendly VPN servers in five locations, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany. With a free subscription, you get 10 GB data per month.
If you run out of data, hide.me doesn’t prevent you from using the VPN. Instead, it just doesn’t let you select a preferred VPN server. It randomly assigns you an IP, so depending on where you are, downloading speeds might suffer.
This provider offers many of the same security and privacy features as the above two. This includes 256-bit AES encryption and a kill switch. Uniquely, you can also choose your VPN protocol, such as IKEv2, SSTP, OpenVPN, and SoftEtherVPN.
This VPN has been independently audited by security analysts and promises not to log your data. If you’re not opposed to randomized IP addresses and a 10 GB monthly data cap, then hide.me is the free torrent VPN for you. You can also pay to get a premium plan for only $2.88/month.
3. AtlasVPN: Free VPN for torrenting from the company behind NordVPN
Features:
- Free 5 GB data per month
- Doesn’t keep logs of personally-identifiable data
- Features a kill switch
- Protocols include IKEv2 and WireGuard
- Supports extensive devices, including smart TVs
With a slick user interface, good speeds, and excellent security options, AtlasVPN is a rising star among free VPNs. It comes with WireGuard protocol, a kill switch, and split tunneling. Free users get 5 GB data per month for their torrenting needs.
While Atlas VPN was only launched in 2019, it was acquired by Nord Security in 2021. This is the same group that owns some of our best VPNs, NordVPN and Surfshark.
Atlas VPN offers a range of other useful features, including a tracker blocker and dedicated IP addresses. However, most features are exclusive to paying customers. Upgrades to the premium plan go as low as $1.70/month. You can even use Atlas VPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. Windscribe: Free VPN for torrenting in high-censorship nations
Features:
- Free 10 GB data per month
- Uses “military-grade” 256-bit AES encryption
- Includes a built-in firewall
- Supports torrenting on all servers
- Pay with bitcoin to further secure your privacy
Windscribe doesn’t specify the number of servers it has, but the software supports 60+ countries. For a provider that offers a free tier, Windscribe is a fairly feature-stuffed VPN. When we tested it, we determined that it’s more suited to advanced users than people looking for their first VPN.
In terms of speed, other providers have done better. Our Windscribe VPN review includes a speed test, where we saw varying results. Download speeds dropped to around 80 to 90% of normal speeds on nearby servers, but as low as 6% on distant servers. So, it’s not ideal for torrenting, especially if you’re nowhere near your server of choice.
However, security is a strong point for Windscribe. The software supports five VPN protocols, including OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) and WireGuard. On top of that, Windscribe has a built-in, always-on firewall and kill switch.
There’s an additional protocol called “Stealth” that’ll help you to get around more stringent online censorship. This protocol uses an open-source algorithm called “Stunnel.” Already protected by VPN encryption, your data is further “wrapped” within an SSL encryption layer, making your online activity even harder to detect.
Try Windscribe for free today, or upgrade to its premium plan for only $5.75/month.
How to Choose the Best Free VPN for Torrenting
In recommending these free VPNs for torrenting, we considered numerous factors. You should consider these same points when deciding on which VPN to use.
- Data and speed limits: Free VPNs often offer very small data allowances and limited speeds. We picked the VPNs with the best offers in this aspect, so you can make the most out of their services.
- Security: A torrenting VPN should have security features that prevent your information and activity from being leaked. We looked for VPNs with AES-256 encryption and multiple secure protocol options. VPNs get plus points if they have a kill switch and DNS leak protection.
- Privacy: We require VPNs to have strict a privacy policy and a verified no-logs policy before we recommend them to users. Otherwise, your data might be in danger of being handed over to advertisers and the government.
- Servers and server locations: The more servers and server locations, the better. Understandably, free VPNs have a very limited offering when it comes to servers.
The Disadvantages of a Free VPN for Torrenting
We can’t expect free VPNs to compete with premium VPNs. Think of mobile apps, for example, where free usage commonly means putting up with tons of ads. Free VPNs are no different — you’ll have to contend with several drawbacks if you choose one of the above free VPNs for torrenting.
There are typically three main disadvantages of free VPNs:
- A limit on how much data you can use each day or each month that you’re a subscriber
- A cap on your connection and download speeds, which can make downloads slower and reduce video quality
- Fewer VPN server locations to choose from when you connect to the VPN
If you wanted to use a VPN connection to watch US Netflix, speed limits can be a dealbreaker. If you’re using a VPN for torrenting, data limits are your enemy. Even torrenting a single large file can make you hit your limit very quickly.
While premium VPNs aren’t perfect either, they offer greater control, flexibility, and above all, privacy and security.
The Best VPN Free Trials for Torrenting and P2P
Not happy with the data and speed caps on free VPNs? One alternative is to use the free trial offers of premium VPNs.
We’ve highlighted our picks of the best premium VPNs for torrenting and P2P, with instructions on how you can take advantage of their free trials or money-back guarantees.
1. NordVPN: #1 Top-rated VPN with Premium Speed and Security (Free Trial)
Features:
- Over 5,500 VPN servers in 59 countries
- Super-secure, custom-built NordLynx VPN protocol
- Accepts cryptocurrency payment for anonymity
- Offers dedicated IP addresses
NordVPN is our top-rated VPN, bar none. With lightning-fast servers, its own VPN protocol called NordLynx, and built-in Threat Protection that alerts you about malware, no other VPN matches its specs at the price tag it has.
Based in Panama, away from international data-sharing alliances, NordVPN offers some of the best VPN security you can find. This premium VPN comes with a kill switch, DNS and WebRTC leak protection, dedicated P2P servers, and AES 256-bit encryption.
How to get a NordVPN free trial
You can take advantage of NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee to get a whole month’s service for free! If you don’t want to continue your subscription after that, you’ll get a full refund.
- Get NordVPN by picking one of its subscriptions. The 30-day money-back guarantee works on all their plans.
- Within 30 days, visit NordVPN and go to the Help section.
- Launch a live chat by clicking the speech bubble button in the lower right corner.
- Ask the chatbot for a payment refund. You will be transferred to an agent in the process.
- Tell support that you want to cancel and request a refund. Expect to provide information about your payment method.
- Wait for five to ten business days for the money to return to your account.
2. ExpressVPN: Best VPN for Ultra-High Speed Torrenting (Free Trial)
Features:
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Alternatively, three months for free with an annual plan
- Speeds of 80 to 90 Mbps on both near and distant servers
- Around 3,000 servers in 94 countries
If you need a broad selection of countries to choose from, ExpressVPN is your go-to VPN for torrenting. Only Surfshark rivals its vast coverage of almost 100 countries. However, ExpressVPN is typically faster, which is ideal for torrenting. In our review, linked above, we’ve also proven ExpressVPN’s success with both uTorrent and BitTorrent.
ExpressVPN supports up to five simultaneous connections, with compatibility for Windows and Mac, plus Android and iOS. Their software is particularly easy to use, even for VPN beginners. But don’t let that fool you; it’s secured by AES 256-bit encryption and VPN protocols that include OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP/IPsec.
How to get an ExpressVPN free trial
ExpressVPN allows you to get a full refund after 30 days if you want to cancel ExpressVPN and don’t want to carry on with your subscription. That means you can get an entire month for free by following these steps!
- Get ExpressVPN by choosing any subscription option on their website.
- Before the 30 days expire, visit ExpressVPN and go to the “Support” section.
- Search for “How to cancel” in the search bar.
- Click on “How to cancel your ExpressVPN subscription” for detailed instructions.
- Follow the instructions that apply to your payment method. They differ depending on how you subscribed.
- As long as you cancel more than 24 hours before the billing date, you’ll receive a refund to your payment method. You can follow up with Support if you have any trouble.
3. Surfshark: Best VPN for Torrenting on Unlimited Devices (Free Trial)
Features:
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No device limit: Protect unlimited computers or mobile devices
- NoBorders mode can unblock the internet in the strictest countries
- Around 3,200 servers in 60+ countries
Surfshark’s 30-day money-back guarantee means you can effectively use the service for free, for a month. If you’re not happy to carry on with your subscription, you won’t have paid a cent. Meanwhile, you’ll benefit from a super-fast, secure VPN service with servers in 60+ countries.
Surfshark allows torrenting through its VPN servers, and it won’t log your activity. Meanwhile, your data is secured by AES 256-bit encryption, and you can choose protocols including OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), IKEv2/IPsec, WireGuard, and Shadowsocks.
How to get a Surfshark free trial
With Surfshark, you can enjoy a month’s protected browsing without paying a cent! If you want to cancel your subscription after 30 days, you’ll get your money back:
- Get Surfshark by signing up on the website. You can choose any plan, since they’re all covered by the money-back guarantee.
- Within 30 days, send an email to support@surfshark.com.
- Alternatively, go to the Help Center on the Surfshark website. Scroll down and click “Chat With Us.”
- Complete the refund request form. You will then be transferred to an agent.
- Tell support that you’d like to cancel and receive a refund. Expect to provide information about your payment method.
- Wait for five to ten business days for the money to return to your account.
What is Torrenting?
Torrenting is the process of downloading and uploading a file through a peer-to-peer network known as BitTorrent. It is just one kind of file sharing that relies on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network.
If you download torrents from a centralized server, you suffer from other people also downloading from that server. This can result in a slowdown or even a crash. People who download and upload through a torrent network are known as “peers”, and as a whole, they’re part of a “torrent swarm.”
Using torrents can have benefits over using a centralized server. If many people download from a single server, the server could slow down or even crash. However, sharing the burden among numerous user devices removes this risk. It can even result in faster downloads.
If you’re interested in finding out more about downloading torrent files, check out our guide to torrenting.
Why Do You Need a VPN for Torrenting?
If you aren’t using a VPN, your identity can be exposed. This doesn’t just apply to torrenting, either. Websites see your IP address whenever you visit a page. With this information, law enforcement agencies, your ISP (internet service provider), and even complete strangers can determine your location and identity.
The trouble is, when torrenting, your real IP address is visible to everyone within your torrent swarm. Download a popular enough file, and you could be exposed to a very large number of people. Hackers often trawl torrent clients looking for victims, so you really don’t want your IP address on display.
When you connect to a VPN server, your IP address is cloaked. Anybody who snoops on your IP will instead see the address of the VPN server that you’re connected to. And if that server happens to be several hundred or thousand miles away, you’ll be safe in the knowledge that they can’t work out your location and identity.
Free VPNs to Avoid
Not all VPNs have your best interests in mind. Some want to turn a profit by selling your data to advertisers. During our VPN tests, we determined that the following VPNs are dangerous to use.
| Free VPN | Why you should avoid it |
|---|---|
| Hola | Hola sells your bandwidth to paying users. This enables paying users to use your internet connection to access the web. As a result, your IP address could end up being connected to suspicious activities. |
| SuperVPN | SuperVPN keeps track of your data to fulfill DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) requests. If you’re looking for a way to download anonymously, you’ll be better off with a different VPN. |
| Psiphon Pro | Psiphon Pro allows partner companies to track users. It also shares data with commercial partners, other partners, and the Psiphon Pro parent company. In other words, you’ll have a hard time staying anonymous with this VPN. |
| Touch VPN | Touch VPN can load various tracking software onto your device’s browser, which will share your data with third parties. |
| Betternet | Betternet compromises your personal data by making it accessible to advertisers and other third parties. |
| AnonyTun | AnonyTun is another VPN that allows advertisers to gather personal information about you. |
| Turbo VPN | Turbo VPN offers a free tier of subscription, which poses an adware and tracker risk to your device. |
| Tuxler VPN | Tuxler VPN‘s free version isn’t just slow, but it’ll also gather your personal information to sell to marketing agencies. |
Bear in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list; there are sure to be other unsafe VPNs out there. If in doubt, reach out to the VPNOverview team for our opinion. You can leave a comment below this article.
Conclusion: The Best Free VPNs for Torrenting and P2P
Free VPNs for torrenting can cover small file downloads and torrent website browsing. VPNs cloak your IP address so no one can know your real IP — not even the other people in your P2P network. Having a VPN is essential if torrenting is frowned upon in your country.
Here are the best free VPNs for torrenting you can choose from:
- PrivadoVPN: Secure free VPN for torrenting with 10 GB monthly data
- hide.me: Free, P2P-friendly VPN with decent security
- Atlas VPN: Free VPN for torrenting, from the company behind NordVPN
- Windscribe: Free VPN for torrenting in high-censorship nations
But while free stuff is great, there’s almost always a catch. Companies will typically push you toward a purchase by serving you with adverts or locking down features. Free VPNs are no different. You’ll likely hit your data allowance quickly.
For the best privacy and security features when torrenting, plus unlimited data and speed, NordVPN wins hands down. Whether we’re talking data allowances, connection speeds, server choice, or security, NordVPN covers all the bases.
Click the button below to snag 67% off a two-year plan, while safe in the knowledge that you have 30 days to decide if it’s for you. The price of unbridled security might surprise you.
Got questions about torrenting with a free VPN? Check out our frequently asked questions. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, drop a comment below the article, and we’ll come back to you soon!
We’ve tried and tested numerous free VPNs for torrenting, and our favorite is PrivadoVPN. It’s one of the few VPN providers to offer a free version with enough data for torrenting at 10GB per month.
Just bear in mind that torrenting is a data-intensive activity. Once you’ve spent your allowance, your connection speed will be limited to a maximum of 1mbps. To avoid this, it’s better to try a free trial with a premium provider, like NordVPN.
There are many free VPNs for torrenting, but some don’t support P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing. That’s why we’ve tested numerous free VPNs to find the best among the bunch. Privado offers enough data to get the job done, and has a “truly free” VPN option. Connection speeds are only capped once you run out. Alternatively, consider NordVPN’s free trial for unlimited data.
Torrenting is a legal way to download and share files over the internet. However, it is the specific files and data that you share that could land you in trouble. Torrenting copyrighted material is illegal in the vast majority of countries around the world. While not an exhaustive list, this includes movies, video games, and software. Using a VPN anonymizes you and your connection, though it doesn’t guarantee you impunity from prosecution, so tread carefully.
you include an ad section saying the free protonVPN allows p2p/tor... and it doesn't. only their premium ones do that.
You're right. A small error on our part - we meant to say PrivadoVPN. Thank you for your comment. We have corrected the article.
A "Free trial" is not "Free" software. Free software doesn't cost anything - ever.
Hi Bill!
Thank you for your comment. The free VPNs noted in this article definitely don't cost anything, so you can use the completely free versions of our top 4 (currently Privado, hide.me, Atlas, and Windscribe) to get you through.
For users who don't want to deal with the limitations of free VPNs, however, we also included some premium VPNs like NordVPN. It's true that, for most of those, you'll have to pay an initial sum of money, but if you use their money-back guarantee in time, you'll get a full refund, essentially giving you free use of the VPN for a little while. If that's not your cup of tea, no worries. The completely free versions of the aforementioned VPNs are still there to help you out.