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The Best Free VPN for Anonymous Torrenting
Guide Summary
Out of the 150 VPNs I examined, there’s only one free service I trust for torrenting: PrivadoVPN. It allows P2P on every server and never asks for payment details, but a 10GB monthly cap and slow speeds hold it back. For regular downloading, a paid VPN is the better call.
- PrivadoVPN: The only free VPN that passed my P2P tests. Read my review.
- Private Internet Access: My highest-rated paid VPN for torrenting.
➡️ Jump to my comparison of every free VPN.
Using a VPN is essential for torrenting safely and anonymously. If you don’t use one, any file you download or share will be visible to your internet service provider (ISP).
While I understand the temptation to use a free VPN to hide your downloads, this desire to avoid paying anything whatsoever leads to unsafe VPNs that leak your data.
And there’s another big issue: websites claiming to be “VPN experts” that embarrassingly recommend free VPNs that in reality don’t allow P2P traffic ( e.g. Proton VPN), or log way too much data (e.g. Hotspot Shield).
Being brutally honest, most free VPNs are no good for torrenting. Only one cleared my testing methodology, and even then I’d only recommend it for occasional file-sharing.
While PrivadoVPN doesn’t require payment details upfront and actually supports BitTorrent traffic, it has two major limitations: a 10GB monthly data cap, and small server networks.
For faster and unlimited P2P file sharing, I strongly recommend using a premium VPN for torrenting, instead. While they’re not free, they do offer free trials and money-back guarantees.
🔄 Key Updates
I’ve removed Windscribe from my recommendations following its policy change on torrenting. Additionally, I’ve added a new chapter detailing each free VPN’s stance on P2P sharing.
We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our ratings are based on our own testing results and are unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs
| Free VPNs Investigated | 150 |
| IP & DNS Leak Tests Performed | 9,500+ |
| Combined Years of Experience | 50+ |
The Risks of Torrenting with a Free VPN
Even the free VPN I recommend comes with drawbacks, and every other one I’ve tested carries more risk than a paid service.
Crucially, almost all of them impose a data cap. . This is particularly important for torrenting as file sharing consumes a lot of bandwidth.
You can see the IP addresses of other peers at all times while torrenting.
Here’s why that’s dangerous: while you’re torrenting, you can see the IP addresses of every other peer, and they can see yours.
The moment your data allowance runs out and the connection drops, your real IP address and download activity are exposed to those peers and your ISP. The video below shows that in action:
Our torrent downloads and IP address were exposed once we exceeded the free VPN's data cap.
To avoid this happening to you, I strongly recommend subscribing to a subscription-based torrenting VPN. Paid VPNs don’t impose data caps, eliminating any unexpected connection drops or IP leaks. They often have additional privacy and security features, too.
The Best Free P2P VPN Reviewed
1. PrivadoVPN: Best Free VPN for Torrenting
Ranked #1 Free VPN for Torrenting
Data Cap 10GB per month Average Bitrate 5.7MiB/s Free P2P Servers 13 Countries with Servers 11 Torrenting Features Kill Switch Logging Policy No Identifiable Data Jurisdiction Iceland (Privacy Haven) Compatible with 
Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Linux
Amazon Fire TV
Android TV
Apple TV
Router
Chrome
After testing it myself and cross-checking against my team’s results, PrivadoVPN is the only free VPN I can recommend for torrenting. It’s the sole service that’s both safe and genuinely P2P-friendly.
Many other secure free VPNs, such as Windscribe, Hide.me, and Proton VPN don’t allow torrenting, while other free VPNs lack the necessary privacy and security, like Hotspot Shield and ZoogVPN. Only PrivadoVPN has both.
However, PrivadoVPN’s free VPN has a below average bitrate, and an unverified logging policy. I trust the company, and believe it’s still very safe to use, but it demonstrates the gulf between paid and free services.
Torrenting Allowed on All 14 Free Servers
Aside from a 10GB data cap, Privado VPN places no restrictions on torrenting. You can torrent on 14 servers across 11 countries, more than any other free torrenting VPN.
Its P2P server coverage is excellent, especially for US residents. There are four US server locations covering both coasts, as well as VPN servers in Canada and Mexico.
To maximize P2P speeds, sort by latency and connect to the top server.
Connecting to these servers, I recorded an average bitrate of 5.7MiB/s.
That’s poor compared to almost any premium VPN, and you’ll notice it on larger downloads, but for small files it’s perfectly workable.
Secure VPN but Lacks Important Features
PrivadoVPN doesn’t log any data that identifies you, but this hasn’t been proven by an audit or real-world court case.
I’ve been testing PrivadoVPN for several years and I’ve found no reason not to trust the VPN company. It’s also based in Iceland, where VPNs are exempt from data retention laws.
The VPN uses AES-256 encryption keys to protect your torrenting traffic, alongside OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols. To verify this, I ran my P2P traffic through Wireshark and found no data leaks.
PrivadoVPN’s free app encrypted my network traffic while torrenting.
I did spot that PrivadoVPN, for some unknown reason, uses the IKEv2 protocol by default. I recommend you switch to OpenVPN or WireGuard, which are more secure, before you open your torrent client.
EXPERT ADVICE: Frustratingly, PrivadoVPN requires you to manually install and authorize WireGuard on macOS. Do this before you start torrenting, not after.
Before You Torrent with PrivadoVPN:
- Check you have enough data. PrivadoVPN displays your remaining data in a banner at the bottom of its app.
- Check the kill switch is turned on. Use the toggle on the homescreen, or go to Settings > VPN and check the kill switch box. Ensure you click Save in the bottom-right corner before exiting.
- Check you’re using the best available protocol. In Settings, click VPN Protocols, uncheck Automatic, and choose WireGuard or OpenVPN. Click Save before exiting.
- Check you’ve chosen the optimal server. Click the arrow next to your selected location to access the full server list. I recommend sorting by Latency (Low to High) to maximize your torrenting speeds.
- Check your VPN connection is active. The central connect button will turn green and display your new IP address once you’re connected.
Every Free VPN Compared
As I’ve already highlighted, the list of free VPNs you can actually torrent with is very short.
More and more freemium VPNs are pulling P2P support from their free plans to encourage users to upgrade to the paid tier.
There’s also many free VPNs that fail to use proper encryption, if any at all, or log too much of your personal data.
To give you a better sense of the current landscape, I’ve listed every free VPN I review in the table below alongside their torrenting metrics:
Other Safe Free VPNs I Considered
Many of the free VPNs I’ve tested performed well in other categories, but fell short when it came to torrenting.
In most cases it isn’t bitrate speed or logging policies that rules them out, but the P2P policy itself.
Some VPNs block torrenting outright, while others allow it only under conditions restrictive enough to make it impractical.
Here are some of the most popular free VPNs that didn’t make meet my standards, and exactly why:
Windscribe
Windscribe hasn’t supported P2P traffic on its free servers since 2025.
Sadly, Windscribe’s free plan no longer supports torrenting traffic. If you attempt to torrent while using Windscribe’s free VPN, your torrent client stalls indefinitely.
Proton VPN
Proton VPN’s free servers block all P2P connections.
Although Proton VPN is an excellent service, it blocks all P2P traffic on its free plan.
Hide.me
The VPN provider admits that the free plan isn’t a reliable choice for file-sharing.
Hide.me ended torrenting support on its free plan in November 2023. That was a big loss as I previously recommended Hide.me on the basis of its privacy features and minimal data collection.
TunnelBear
TunnelBear significantly slowed my download bitrate.
TunnelBear’s free tier comes with a 2GB monthly data allowance, which heavily restricts how much you can download.
In my experience, the data ran out before I could even finish my first download.
Checklist: How to Choose a Free VPN for Torrenting
If you want to do your own research before settling on a free VPN for torrenting, these are the features and characteristics I’d look for.
Get them wrong and you risk nasty surprises, up to and including potentially serious legal repercussions.
Free P2P VPN Torrenting Methodology
To determine the best free VPNs for torrenting, I’ve created a stringent testing methodology, with all tests conducted in a controlled environment to ensure the utmost accuracy.
My methodology is based on four key testing categories which all contribute to an overall torrenting rating.
I’ve outlined the categories and their respective weightings in the chart below:
In the sections below, I’ll detail exactly how I calculate a VPN’s rating for each torrenting testing category.
1. Torrenting Speed (30%)
To test file-sharing bitrate, we always use:
- qBittorrent client
- Fixed 10MiB/s connection
- 1GB Torrent File
- Windows Virtual Machine
A fast bitrate is important for quickly downloading large torrent files, such as movies or video games. As such, I test every VPN’s torrenting speeds, record its average bitrate, and then calculate a speed score.
To determine the average bitrate of a VPN, I use a custom P2P speed test:
- Set up a private tracker for a 1GB data file on a Windows virtual machine.
- Configure the client not to use DHT or otherwise communicate with any other peers.
- While connected to a nearby VPN server, torrent the 1GB file on a fixed 10MiB/s connection.
- Measure the duration of the 1GB download to determine the average bitrate.
2. Privacy (25%)
A VPN’s logging policy determines how much of your data is monitored and stored by the service. For torrenting, it’s essential to choose a VPN service that doesn’t log enough user activity to generate a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) request.
I also take into account the VPN’s jurisdiction and any additional measures implemented by the service to protect your privacy, such as diskless servers.
VPNs that have a verified no-logs privacy policy, whether through audits or real-world court cases, score the highest in this category.
3. Security (25%)
To test security & technical features, I always use:
- Custom-built IP, WebRTC & DNS leak test tool
- In-house kill switch tool
- Wireshark network analyzer
Strong VPN encryption is essential for hiding your torrenting activity from malicious third parties. It also conceals your torrenting activity from your ISP and safeguards against bandwidth throttling.
Connecting to a remote VPN server also conceals your real IP address from other peers and copyright trolls.
To test for this, I run every VPN through our proprietary security tools and third-party software like Wireshark.
4. P2P Servers (20%)
VPN services vary in their policy toward P2P traffic. VPNs can block all P2P connections, limit it to specific regions, or impose no restrictions whatsoever.
Too few P2P servers can result in slow torrenting speeds due to server congestion, lack of nearby servers, or both.
Ideally, a VPN will have multiple P2P servers in your country, but as a minimum you need to be able to connect to a server in your region.
