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The Best Free VPNs for Anonymous Torrenting
The Short Answer
After years of testing, we’re sure that the best free VPN for anonymous torrenting is Windscribe. It allows P2P traffic on every free server, encrypting it via AES-256 keys, fast tunneling protocols, and a dependable kill switch. Free bandwidth is capped at 10GB per month, though. For faster and unlimited torrenting, we recommend trying our favorite P2P VPN Private Internet Access risk-free for 30 days.
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 ISP.
While it’s very tempting to avoid paying to hide your downloading activity, this desire has sadly led to way too many beginners using unsafe VPNs that instead caused serious damage.
A scary 88% of free VPNs we examined leaked identifiable data during live use, including your IP address.
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 (Proton VPN), or log way too much data (Hotstpot Shield).
Being brutally honest, most free VPNs are no good for torrenting. That said, there are two good free VPNs that allow P2P file sharing and will be fine to torrent smaller files infrequently.
Summary: The Best Free P2P VPNs
Out of the 150 free VPNs we examined for torrenting, these are the only two we can honestly recommend for downloading files anonymously:
- Windscribe: Best Free VPN for Torrenting Overall
- PrivadoVPN: Widest Range of Free P2P VPN Servers
Why Trust Us?
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+ |
Both VPNs don’t require payment details upfront, don’t block P2P traffic, and prevent any internet activity exposure to ISPs and other snoopers.
Windscribe and PrivadoVPN come with two major limitations, though: a 10GB monthly data cap, and small server networks.
For faster and unlimited P2P file sharing, we strongly recommend using a premium VPN for torrenting, instead. While they’re not free, they do offer free trials and money-back guarantees.
The Risks of Torrenting with a Free VPN
While the two VPNs we recommend are genuinely safe for torrenting, all free VPNs still carry some risk.
Crucially, the vast majority of free VPNs impose a data cap to limit your usage. 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.
Crucially, if you exceed your data allowance while torrenting, your real IP address and web activity will be exposed to other peers and your ISP. The video below shows this in action:
Our torrent downloads and IP address were exposed once we exceeded Atlas VPN Free's data cap.
To avoid this happening to you, we strongly recommend subscribing to a subscription-based torrenting VPN. Paid VPNs do not impose data caps, eliminating any unexpected connection drops or IP leaks. They often have additional privacy and security features, too.
VPN Comparison Table
The table below compares our chosen free VPNs based on their average download bitrate (speed), policy towards torrenting, and security features.
You can also see a visualization of our findings in the chart below:
The Best Free P2P VPNs Reviewed
1. Windscribe: Best Free VPN for Torrenting
Ranked #1 Free VPN for Torrenting
Data Cap 10GB per month Average Bitrate 6.3MiB/s Free P2P Servers 11 Countries with Servers 10 Torrenting Features Kill Switch Logging Policy No Identifiable Data Jurisdiction Canada (Five Eyes Member) Compatible with 
Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Linux
Amazon Fire TV
Android TV
Apple TV
Router
Chrome
We feel very confident proclaiming Windscribe the absolute best free VPN for anonymous torrenting. It conceals your P2P activity with AES-256 encryption and secure tunneling protocols.
It’s also a trustworthy VPN service with a private logging policy and torrenting support on all free servers.
Although it’s free to use, you’re limited by a {{data_cap_free-vpn}} monthly data cap and you can’t port forward.
Private VPN with a P2P-Friendly Stance
Windscribe allows torrenting on all 10 free servers, with its only limit being a 10GB monthly bandwidth cap.
We recorded a respectable average bitrate of 6.3MiB/s. This is the fastest bitrate on this list and indicates Windscribe doesn’t throttle P2P traffic.
For the best possible bitrate, connect to a 1Gbps server.
The VPN does log some data, but it isn’t enough to generate a DMCA request. In fact, Windscribe’s transparency report shows, in real-time, that exactly zero DMCA requests have been complied with.
Windscribe also uses a diskless server network which makes it impossible to extract data from a server. As such, your torrenting activity can’t be shared.
The best Windscribe free servers for torrenting in the US are:
- For US East Coast: Canada, Toronto – “Comfort Zone” (1Gbps)
- For US West Coast: Canada, Vancouver – “Granville”
Robust Security Features for Safe Torrenting
Windscribe encrypts your BitTorrent traffic with AES-256 encryption and tunnels it using trusted protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard.
We used Wireshark, a packet-sniffing tool, and verified that Windscribe’s free apps securely encrypted our P2P traffic.
Windscribe encrypted our torrenting traffic with WireGuard.
The VPN also provides a ‘Firewall’ kill switch to disconnect your device from the internet if your VPN connection drops. Crucially for torrenters, this protects your anonymity and hides your downloads.
To test this, we downloaded a torrent while connected to a Windscribe Free server and induced several VPN disconnections. In each instance, the kill switch activated and we didn’t detect any IP leaks on our kill switch test tool.
Before You Torrent with Windscribe:
- Check you have enough data. You can see how much data you have left in the bottom-left of the Windscribe app.
- Check the kill switch is turned on. Go to Settings > Connection and set Firewall Mode to Always On.
- Check you’re using the best available VPN protocol. In the Connection settings, change Connect Mode to Manual and choose either WireGuard or OpenVPN.
- Check malware protection is enabled. Select R.O.B.E.R.T within Settings and toggle malware blocking to on.
- Check you’ve chosen the optimal server. Click the arrow next to Locations to see the full server list and select the location nearest to you.
- Check your VPN connection is active. A green ring will appear around the ‘connect power’ when the VPN connection is active and will disappear once you disconnect.
2. PrivadoVPN: Widest Range of Free P2P VPN Servers
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 Switzerland (Privacy Haven) Compatible with - Windows
- Mac
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Router
- Chrome
PrivadoVPN is a great alternative to Windscribe, especially for torrenting in different countries. It has more free P2P servers than Windscribe and in more countries, with all the necessary security features needed for safe file sharing.
However, PrivadoVPN’s free VPN has a below average bitrate, and an unverified logging policy. We trust the company, and believe it’s still very safe to use, but a few improvements are needed for it to really challenge Windscribe.
Torrenting Allowed on All 14 Free Servers
Aside from a 10GB data cap, Privado VPN Free places no restrictions on torrenting. You can torrent on 14 servers in 11 countries, more than any other free torrenting VPN.
Its P2P server coverage is excellent, especially for US residents. There’s four US server locations covering both coasts, as well as VPN servers in Canada and Mexico.
To maximize P2P speeds in the US, sort by latency and connect to the Canada server location.
Connecting to these servers, we recorded an average bitrate of 5.7MiB/s. This is poor compared to most premium VPNs, but fast enough for torrenting small files.
The best PrivadoVPN free servers for torrenting in the US are:
- For US East Coast: Canada, Montreal
- For US West Coast: Mexico, Mexico City
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.
We’ve been testing PrivadoVPN for several years and we have no reason not to trust the VPN company. It’s also based in Switzerland, which has no data retention laws.
The VPN uses AES-256 encryption keys to protect your torrenting traffic, alongside OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols. To verify this, we ran our P2P traffic through Wireshark and found no data leaks.
PrivadoVPN’s free app encrypted our network traffic on Windows.
That said, we did spot that PrivadoVPN, for some unknown reason, uses the IKEv2 protocol by default. We recommend you switch to OpenVPN or WireGuard before opening your torrent client, which are more secure protocols.
EXPERT ADVICE: Frustratingly, PrivadoVPN requires you to manually install and authorize WireGuard on its macOS app — ensure you do this before torrenting.
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. You can select the toggle from the homescreen or go to Settings > VPN and tick the kill switch box.
Make sure you click Save in the bottom-right corner before exiting.
- Check you’re using the best available VPN protocol. In Settings, click VPN Protocols and untick the Automatic box. Then, choose either WireGuard or OpenVPN.
Make sure you click Save in the bottom-right corner before exiting.
- Check you’ve chosen the optimal server. Click the arrow next to your selected location to access the full server list. We 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 the VPN is connected.
The Fastest Free VPN for Torrenting
Based on our recent tests, Windscribe Free is the fastest free VPN for downloading torrents. It’s completely free to use and requires no payment details upon sign-up.
Windscribe’s average download bitrate is fast enough for most file sizes and you can increase its data cap to 15GB to accommodate larger file transfers.
The bar chart below shows how the free version of Windscribe compared against other free VPNs in our P2P speed tests:
Although we can’t guarantee identical results for you, Windscribe will generally outperform most free VPNs for file sharing speed.
Other Safe Free VPNs We Considered
Many of the free VPNs we’ve tested performed well in other categories, but fell short when it came to torrenting.
Other VPNs excelled in specific areas of our torrenting methodology, but were let down by a slow bitrate or an intrusive logging policy.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular free VPNs that failed to meet our requirements, and their reasons for doing so:
Proton VPN
You can’t torrent on any of Proton VPN Free’s servers.
Although Proton VPN is an excellent service, it blocks all P2P traffic on its free plan.
Hide.me
Hide.me blocks P2P traffic on all of its free servers.
As of November 2023, Hide.me no longer supports torrenting on its free plan. This is disappointing as we previously recommended Hide.me as a free torrenting VPN due to its excellent privacy features and minimal logging policy.
TunnelBear
We often weren’t able to download our test file while connected to TunnelBear servers.
TunnelBear Free is heavily restricted by a 2GB monthly data allowance. Plus, torrenting only works if you connect to a Sweden server while using the OpenVPN protocol.
Checklist: How to Choose a Free VPN for Torrenting
If you want to more research on your own before settling with a free VPN for torrenting, we strongly advise you to look for the below features and characteristics, to avoid nasty surprises and potentially serious legal repercussions.
How We Test Free VPNs for Torrenting
To determine the best free VPNs for torrenting, we’ve created a stringent testing methodology, with all tests conducted in a controlled environment to ensure the utmost accuracy.
Our methodology is based on five key testing categories which all contribute to an overall torrenting rating.
We’ve outlined the categories and their respective weightings in the chart below:
We’ve assessed every free VPN on how well they perform in the above categories and then ranked them accordingly.
You can use the table below to see how the top-rated free VPNs for torrenting compare in each of these key testing categories:
In the sections below, we’ll detail exactly how we calculate a VPN’s rating for each torrenting testing category.
1. File-Sharing Bitrate/Speed (30%)
To test file-sharing bitrate, we always use:
- qBittorrent v4.5.5 Client
- Fixed 10MiB/s connection
- Bespoke 1GB Torrent File
- Windows 10 Virtual Machine
A fast bitrate is important for quickly downloading large torrent files, such as movies or video games. As such, we test every VPN’s torrenting speeds, record its average bitrate, and then calculate a speed score.
To determine the average bitrate of a VPN, we use a bespoke 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.
This value, on a scale of 0 to 10, is then divided by 3.33 to account for its 30% weighting.
2. Security (20%)
To test security & technical features, we always use:
- Bespoke 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.
We test each VPN’s encryption using Wireshark.
Connecting to a remote VPN server also conceals your real IP address from other peers and copyright trolls.
To test for this, we run every VPN through our proprietary security tools and third-party software like Wireshark.
To calculate this rating, we take it directly from the Security & Technical Features section of the VPN review. We then divide it by 5 to reflect its 20% weighting.
3. Privacy (20%)
To test privacy & logging policy, we always use:
- Custom-built logging policy calculator
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.
We 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.
To calculate this rating, we take it from the Privacy & Logging Policy section of the VPN review. We then divide it by five to accommodate its 20% weighting.
We run every VPN through our logging policy calculator.
4. P2P Servers (20%)
VPN services vary in their policy towards 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.
To account for a range of torrenting policies, we assign a rating from 0.0 to 10:
- Rating of 10: All servers permit P2P traffic.
- Rating of 7.5: P2P servers in almost every country.
- Rating of 5.0: Only regional P2P servers, e.g. one or two servers for the entirety of Asia.
- Rating below 2.5: Few P2P servers across the network, or an absence of servers in a particular region, e.g. Europe.
We then divide its rating by five to accommodate its 20% weighting.
5. Extra Torrenting Settings (10%)
A kill switch blocks your internet in the event of a sudden VPN disconnection, preventing you from torrenting until your VPN connection resumes.
As a result, your real IP address remains concealed from other users in the torrent swarm, as well as those looking to file a DMCA request.
Port forwarding is another feature we look for when testing the best free VPNs for torrenting. This feature allows you to direct inbound traffic to your torrenting client, thereby increasing your torrenting speed.
A VPN can score up to 10 points in this category depending on the availability of features:
- Rating of 10: VPN provides both a kill switch and port forwarding.
- Rating of 5: VPN offers one of the two features.
- Rating of 0: VPN lacks both a kill switch and port forwarding.
We then divide its rating by 10 to account for its 10% weighting.
