By: Hailey | Last updated February 10, 2020 
Anyone who’s ever downloaded anything on the Internet, has most likely heard about The Pirate Bay. It has a lot of fans all over the Globe and in spite of all the controversies and legal issues, it is still going strong.
Since its launch in 2003, The Pirate Bay has disappeared, reappeared and disguised itself in many URLs, fighting constant copyright infringement accusations. But torrenting is still very popular all over the world, whether people are using The Pirate Bay or one of the many alternatives available across the World Wide Web: EZTV, Zooqle, Kickass Torrents, Torrentz2 and many more.
Why do you need a VPN when torrenting?
While torrent downloading is not the worst thing you could do, it is nevertheless frowned upon. You’ll most likely not get into too much trouble as a simple user who downloads a file, but things can easily change if you also turn into a host of illegal content and you share it with other users. And that is exactly what torrenting is based upon. Torrenting allows users to share with each other online content using the peer-to-peer (P2P) technology. When torrenting, you don’t have to rely on a single source/user when you want to download something, because content is shared by several people (called seeders). This method makes it possible for you to download large files at a very high speed.
When you download something using torrents, it is a two-way process. You download the content you want, from several other users, but while that is happening, you also make that content available to others. Everything you download from torrents, you also share with the others and that’s when you yourself become a seeder, or a host.
And while downloading is not such a big problem, hosting content so that others can download it from you, might get you into more trouble. And every time you are sharing those files/that content with others, they can see your IP address, which means zero privacy for you, which means you are exposed.
That is why using a VPN is crucial when torrenting. A VPN keeps you anonymous and protects your privacy by encrypting your P2P traffic so that no one can track your activity, not even your Internet provider.
Most important factors to consider when choosing the best VPN for torrenting
There are countless options out there when it comes to VPNs. But not all of them are great for the same activities. Some of them are too slow, others don’t even allow torrenting and so on. Here are the most important things to look for when choosing the best VPN for torrenting:
- Security should be your number one priority (aside from choosing a VPN that actually allows P2P download). In order to be 100% protected, you need to make sure that the service you choose uses the strongest encryption possible and we mean military grade. That is why you should go with a VPN that uses 256-bit encryption. Your own privacy is also an important aspect to consider, so make sure that you choose a company that doesn’t keep logs of its users’ online activities
- Make sure there are no bandwidth limitations
- Choose a VPN that has a large number of servers in various locations worldwide
- Opt for a VPN that is renowned for its fast connections
Best 5 VPNs to consider for torrenting
CyberGhost. CyberGhost is a great VPN for torrenting. It is extremely fast, it has over 3,000 servers worldwide, in over 60 countries, it allows torrenting and even has a special button for it: ‘torrent anonymously’
ExpressVPN. It is another great option. It is also very fast, it has no bandwidth limitations, it uses 256-bit encryption and doesn’t keep any logs
IPVanish. IPVanish has impressive download speeds, doesn’t keep any logs on its users, has more than 1,000 servers in more than 60 countries worldwide and offers unlimited P2P traffic
NordVPN. NordVPN has a very large number of servers (over 4,000) in over 60 countries. It comes with double data encryption, which means more security for you and has good constant download speeds
HideMyAss! HMA is fast and also has a large number of servers in more than 280 locations. It uses military-grade encryption and has specialized servers for P2P downloading. It does keep some logs but only on your connection times and not your activity.
