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The Best Torrent Sites in 2024

Callum Tennent oversees how we test and review VPN services. He's a member of the IAPP, and his VPN advice has featured in Forbes and the Internet Society.

Fact-checked by Simon MiglianoAdditional Research by Harry Ferrigno

Our Verdict

Based on our testing, the best torrent site is 1337x thanks to its fast download speeds, huge content library, and well-designed website. You can use 1337x to quickly download movies, TV shows, music, software, and more.

the best torrent sites

Quick Summary: The 10 Best Torrent Sites

We’ve tested over 40 torrent sites, and the 10 shortlisted below have built up an active and dedicated community of uploaders from years of continued uptime. The absolute best sites are 1337x, the Pirate Bay, and YTS.

The torrents on these sites are well-seeded, fast to download, and compatible with most torrenting clients — including uTorrent and BitTorrent.

Here is a summary list of the top 10 torrent sites that still work in 2024:

  1. 1337x: The best torrent site overall and a great alternative to RARBG.
  2. The Pirate Bay: Long-established torrent site with millions of torrents.
  3. YTS: One of the leading torrenting sites for high-quality movies.
  4. LimeTorrents: Popular site for movies, TV shows, and games.
  5. YourBittorrent: Very clean, well-designed and intuitive torrent site.
  6. EZTV: The best torrenting site for TV shows.
  7. TorLock: Regularly updated torrent site with an active community.
  8. FitGirl Repacks: The best torrent site for video games.
  9. TorrentGalaxy: User-friendly website for torrenting beginners.
  10. Nyaa.si: The top torrent site for anime.

EXPERT ADVICE: These top torrent sites let you download tons of free content. However, some of that content may be copyrighted. We do not condone downloading copyrighted material, and encourage you to practice responsible online behavior.

Some ISPs also restrict access to these torrent sites. To bypass ISP web restrictions and unblock these websites, use a VPN for torrenting.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find working torrent sites that are safe to use, while still offering the best and latest content.

In recent years, even popular and well-established torrent sites have shut down completely, including RARBG, KickAssTorrents, and YIFY. Often, the sites that remain are riddled with ads, scam links, or even malware.

That’s why we’ve tested over 40 torrent websites and compiled the very best in this guide. You’ll be able to compare them based on reputation, user experience, number of seeders, and much more.

Further below, we’ve also listed well-known torrent websites that host dangerous content. We firmly recommend avoiding these torrent sites, or you’ll run the risk of infecting your computer with malware.

Quick Summary: 10 Dangerous Torrent Sites You Should Avoid

These 10 torrent sites are known to have been compromised and host potentially malicious torrents. We recommend avoiding them based on their poor user experience, safety risks, and lack of content.

The 10 Best Torrent Sites (That Still Work)

Below are the most popular torrent sites that are still active. They attract millions of visitors each month, despite facing numerous bans and shutdowns.

You can use these websites to torrent the latest movies and TV series, video games, close-sourced software, and more.

All listed torrent sites still work and you can use them with a variety of popular torrenting clients, including qBittorrent and uTorrent.

They also have minimal ad intrusion, meaning your torrenting won’t be interrupted by annoying pop-ups or distracting banner ads.

Use the table below to compare the leading torrent sites we’ve shortlisted based on their online status, content specialization, ad intrusion, and more:

1. 1337x

The best torrent site with the latest movies, TV series, and games uploaded hourly.

Pros Cons
Modern & streamlined UI Ignores DMCA
Torrent health score to reduce risk Blocked in several countries
Diverse content library with an active community Can’t filter by seeders or leechers
Minimal ads Support chat and forum don’t work
New content uploaded hourly
Fast download speeds & well-seeded torrents

1337x Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2007
Specialization: Movies, TV series, video games, music, software & more
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: 1337x.to, 1337x.ws, 1337x.st, 1337x.se
Blocked in Countries: India, US, UK, Canada, Australia & more
Ad Intrusion: Occasional banner ad
Registration: Optional

1337x is the number one torrent site due to its diverse and up-to-date catalog of movies, TV series, video games, music, apps, and more.

Thanks to its broad content library and continued longevity, 1337x is the best alternative to RARBG, with the latter shutting down in May 2023.

The 1337x torrent site

1337x has torrents for the latest TV series, movies, and sports events.

During our testing, we found 1337x easy to use and navigate with a sleek, modern user interface. Clicking on a torrent displays user comments, the number of seeders and leechers, the file size, and the name of the uploader for increased transparency.

The site includes multiple ways to download its content: magnet links, torrenting, direct download, and streaming. This is a welcome level of flexibility that isn’t matched by any other torrenting site.

You can expect fast download speeds on 1337x thanks to its large core of users consistently providing well-seeded torrents.

There’s also barely any ads on 1337x either which is rare for a torrent site. Instead, the site sustains itself through anonymous Bitcoin donations.

Its main domain is blocked in several countries due to its copyrighted content. You’ll need to use a 1337x mirror link or change your online location with a VPN to access the site in a blocked country.

EXPERT ADVICE: To torrent files anonymously on 1337x, and to unblock the main website, we recommend using a no-logs VPN like Private Internet Access.

2. The Pirate Bay

Popular torrent site with 20+ years of uptime, but blocked in most countries.

Pros Cons
An unprecedented collection of movies, TV series, e-books, anime & software Ignores DMCA
Fast download speeds Blocked in multiple countries
Torrent health score to reduce risk Compromised by malware in 2019
Only verified users can upload torrents Subject to frequent shutdowns
Excellent advanced search filters Inactive support forum
Minimal ads

The Pirate Bay Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2003
Specialization: Movies, TV series, video games, software, anime & more
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: tpb.party, ukpiratebay.org, unblockedtpb.org
Blocked in Countries: India, US, Russia, UK & 25 more
Ad Intrusion: Minimal
Registration: Optional

The Pirate Bay is one of the most popular torrent sites on the internet with more than 25 million monthly visitors. The latest movies, TV series, and video games are uploaded to the site hourly and packaged in well-seeded torrents.

The Pirate Bay torrent site

The Pirate Bay hosts an estimated 6.7 petabytes of torrents.

Due to its large volume of copyrighted content, The Pirate Bay is blocked in several countries and has been subject to multiple shutdowns — the most recent in March 2020. Despite this, the Pirate Bay continues to operate and the main domain still works in 2024.

The site is easy to use with a minimalist interface and in-built search function for specific titles. You can also filter its torrents by number of seeders, file size, and upload date.

Each torrent has numerous seeders and magnet link support, resulting in consistently fast download speeds.

The Pirate Bay only permits verified users to upload new content. This aims to improve site safety and reduce the likelihood of downloading malware, following an incident in 2019.

Despite these security improvements, we still advise using a VPN with the Pirate Bay. Our top choice is Private Internet Access, which you can trial for 30 days.

3. YTS

The best movie torrenting site on the internet.

Pros Cons
4K quality movie torrents, including the latest releases Allegedly handed over user data to US law firms
Unmatched collection of classic movies & obscure titles User agreement warns against accessing the site from the US
Has never experienced a shutdown Ignores DMCA
Includes advanced search filters Only accommodates movies
Constant redirects to new tabs
No support channel or torrent health score

YTS Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2011
Specialization: Movies
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: yts.pm, yts.gs, yts.bypassed.in
Blocked in Countries: UK
Ad Intrusion: Annoying redirects
Registration: Optional

YTS is the best torrenting website for movies, serving as a successor to the once popular website YIFY.

The YTS torrent site

YTS has the latest titles in 4K quality.

It has a wide selection of titles available in 4K and HD picture quality, ranging from classic movies to the latest cinematic releases. In fact, YTS is a great alternative to RARBG if you want to find and download the latest movies.

YTS is an easy site to navigate and use. Each movie is shown with its name, poster, and release date to simplify the UI. You can also use an in-built search function to find a specific title.

YTS is blocked in the UK, but its user agreement states that US residents should not access the site either.

There are also reports that YTS handed over user data due to the threat of legal action in 2020. We haven’t been able to substantiate these claims, but the warning to use a VPN on the site’s homepage alongside its anti-US user agreement, suggests that they may be true.

If you choose to use YTS, we strongly recommend you use a VPN.

4. LimeTorrents

Well-designed torrenting site with an active community of seeders.

Pros Cons
Massive content library Ignores DMCA
Multiple channels of support Blocked in several countries
Simple and attractive site design Constant redirects to new tabs
Torrent health score to reduce risk Lacks advanced search filters

LimeTorrents Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2009
Specialization: Movies, TV series, music, video games, applications & more
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: limetorrents.asia, limetorrents.co, limetor.pro
Blocked in Countries: UK, Australia, India, US & more
Ad Intrusion: Annoying redirects
Registration: Optional

LimeTorrents is a popular torrent site with over 17 million torrents. Users have access to movies, TV series, music, software for multiple platforms, and video games.

The LimeTorrents torrent site

LimeTorrents has a streamlined user interface.

The site itself is sleek and well-designed, with icons for each content format on the homepage. Clicking one of these icons automatically directs you to the relevant torrents for that content type.

Each torrent is listed alongside its date added, file size, number of seeders and leechers, and the ‘health’ of the torrent. This is great for helping you identify well-seeded and safe torrents but it’s frustrating that you can’t filter by these parameters.

The user experience is further limited by the constant redirects to advertisements in new tabs. This is frustrating and lengthens the process of finding and downloading a torrent – the top torrent sites won’t do this.

5. YourBittorrent

Sleek torrent site with verified torrents for the newest movies, TV series & anime.

Pros Cons
Accessible and modern UI Ignores DMCA
Only verified users can upload files Blocked in several countries
Accommodates multiple content types Pop-up ads
Survived multiple shutdowns since 2003 Mirror links & proxies don’t work
Modest user base

YourBittorrent Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2003
Specialization: Movies, TV series, video games, ebooks & more
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: Offline
Blocked in Countries: India, UK
Ad Intrusion: Annoying redirects
Registration: Optional

YourBittorent is an easy-to-use torrent site encompassing multiple types of content.

The YourBittorrent torrent site


YourBittorent was specifically targeted by the Indian Government in 2016.

Its 20+ year uptime has seen YourBittorent survive multiple shutdown attempts with its main domain remaining online. However, all of its mirror links and proxies are currently blocked which means you’ll need to change your geo-location with a VPN to access YourBittorent.

Unlike other torrenting sites, YourBittorent has a modern design and an intuitive user interface. Site navigation is simple, torrents are clearly labeled with the relevant information, and specific torrents are easy to locate.

Despite its great usability, YourBittorent does suffer from pop-up ads and occasional redirects to new tabs.

It also has a small user base so torrents can take a while to become adequately seeded.

6. EZTV

Popular torrent site for classic and modern TV series.

Pros Cons
Great selection of TV series Ignores DMCA
Active forum and community Blocked in several countries
Accommodates multiple languages Awful and outdated UI
New episodes uploaded within hours Lacks nuanced search filters
Only accommodates TV series
No torrent health score

EZTV Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2005
Specialization: TV Series
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: eztv1.xyz, eztv.wf, eztv.tf, eztv.yt
Blocked in Countries: Italy, Netherlands, UK & more
Ad Intrusion: Banner ads & occasional redirects
Registration: Optional

EZTV is an excellent torrent site for TV series. Its catalog includes older and newer titles and its torrents are generally well-seeded.

The eztv torrent site

EZTV actively encourages you to use a VPN while torrenting.

The site’s forum is very active, posting regular community announcements and responding promptly to content requests.

Multiple changes in ownership, coupled with shutdowns over the years, has resulted in a lack of investment in the site. We were unimpressed by its stripped-back user interface, especially the lack of advanced search filters.

Allowing users to filter torrents by seeders would drastically improve EZTV’s usability.

EZTV is blocked in several countries due to its copyrighted content, however it is one the few torrenting sites that still works in India.

7. TorLock

Well-rounded torrent site with a useful feedback system.

Pros Cons
Assorted content library covers newest releases Ignores DMCA
Torrent health score to reduce risk Blocked in several countries
Intuitive rating and comment system Intrusive and persistent ads
Well-seeded torrents for fast download speeds Lacks advanced search filters

TorLock Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2010
Specialization: Movies, TV series, music, ebooks & more
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: sitenable.top/torlock-proxy/, sitenable.co/torlock-proxy/, sitenable.in/torlock-proxy/
Blocked in Countries: UK, Italy, India, France & more
Ad Intrusion: Lots of ads including pop-ups
Registration: Optional

TorLock has one of the most up-to-date content libraries we’ve tested. It has torrents for movies, TV shows, and video games released in March 2024.

The TorLock torrent site

Our testing was continually interrupted by TorLock’s ads.

We also appreciated its torrent ‘health score’, represented by a coloured bar, to indicate the risk associated with the corresponding torrent.

Each torrent has hundreds of seeders thanks to TorLock’s massive user base. This means that larger files, like movies or video games, can be downloaded quickly.

TorLock’s main drawback is its frustrating user experience. Aside from by category or by name, TorLock doesn’t offer any advanced search filters. Its persistent pop-up ads also impeded our testing and the site’s overall usability.

8. FitGirl Repacks

Latvian torrent site specialising in high-quality video game torrents.

Pros Cons
Quick to install & high-quality video game torrents Ignores DMCA
Verification system to reduce risk Irregular uploads
Detailed descriptions for each torrent Other users can’t upload content
Helpful & active community Only accommodates video games & Windows users
No ads Can’t filter by seeders or leechers
Excellent troubleshooting section Frequently targeted by DDoS attacks

FitGirl Repacks Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2014
Specialization: Video games
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: N/A
Blocked in Countries: US, Egypt, Italy, UK & more
Ad Intrusion: No ads
Registration: Optional

FitGirl Repacks is the best torrenting site for video games, providing compressed torrents for a wide selection of games. Launched in 2014, the website is blocked in multiple countries, including the US.

The FitGirl Repacks Torrenting Site

The FitGirl Repacks website is visually unappealing but functional.

Only the site owner can upload torrents to FitGirl Repacks which removes the possibility of users uploading malware at the cost of long wait times for new content.

However, the site also hosts titles from other torrenting sites which don’t come with the same guarantee of safety.

Although there aren’t many search filters to make site navigation easier, each torrent includes its seeder-leecher ratio and in-game screenshots for visual reference.

We also found the comment sections for each torrent useful, particularly for finding graphical mods to improve the game’s FPS.

We were impressed by the absence of ads on the site, with FitGirl Repacks’ revenue solely coming from cryptocurrency donations.

FitGirl Repacks’ main drawback is that it only provides torrents for Windows, with some torrents available for Linux. Mac users should use 1337x to find a suitable video game torrent.

9. TorrentGalaxy

Recently established torrent site with a modest collection of movies, music, and TV series.

Pros Cons
Multiple content types and subcategories Ignores DMCA
4K options for movies and TV series Poor seeder-leecher ratio for recent uploads
Responsive and helpful forum Annoying and intrusive ads
Large amount of seeders Content library weaker than competitors
Torrent verification system to minimize risk Recently established with a small user base

TorrentGalaxy Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2018
Specialization: Movies, TV series, music, video games & software
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: torrentgalaxy.su, torrentgalaxy.mx, torrentgalaxy.cyou
Blocked in Countries: Unknown
Ad Intrusion: Lots of ads
Registration: Optional

TorrentGalaxy is a relatively new torrent site that has avoided any shutdowns or domain migrations – despite hosting copyrighted content.

The TorrentGalaxy torrent site

It’s easy to locate a specific content type with TorrentGalaxy’s quick nav bar.

Despite some distracting banner ads, we found TorrentGalaxy easy to use with an accessible interface.

We appreciate the amount of information it lists for torrents including: uploader name, magnet link availability, number of seeders, and user comments.

The comment system, in particular, reduces the risk of downloading malicious files due to the feedback from other users.

We were able to download content quickly due to a large number of seeders for most torrents. Although, recently uploaded torrents tended to suffer from a subpar seeder-leecher ratio.

A major drawback is TorrentGalaxy’s limited number of torrents. Although its content is varied it still falls short of leading torrent sites such as the Pirate Bay and 1337x.

As a result, TorrentGalaxy’s content library feels outdated as it can’t match the pace of its competitors.

10. Nyaa.si

Consistently the best torrent site for anime.

Pros Cons
Comprehensive library of anime torrents Ignores DMCA
Torrent verification system to minimize risk Blocked in several countries
Useful advanced search filters Poor seeder-leecher ratio
Support for multiple languages Limited support channels
History of frequent shutdowns
Only accommodates anime

Nyaa.si Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2005
Specialization: Anime, music, video games & software
Mirror Sites & Alt. Domains: nyaa.ink, nyaa.iss.ink, ny.iss.one
Blocked in Countries: India, Japan, US
Ad Intrusion: No ads
Registration: Optional

Nyaa.si is a clone of the once popular anime site Nyaa.se, with the latter shutting down indefinitely in 2021.

The Nyaa.si torrent site

Nyaa.si is the last unblocked clone left of Nyaa.se.

Nyaa.si remains online but, due to its illegal nature, access to the site is blocked in several countries, including India and Japan.

You can torrent the latest animes both dubbed and subbed with support for multiple languages. There’s also torrents for anime music videos, video games, and software.

It’s easy to use Nyaa.si thanks to its simple interface. You can click the ‘up arrow’ at the top of the torrent list to quickly sort by number of seeders. There’s also options to filter torrents by content type, language, and file size.

However, its average seeder-leecher ratio was poor, resulting in consistently slow download speeds.

Are Torrenting Websites Legal?

Torrenting is a legitimate form of P2P file sharing that uses a decentralized network to quickly transfer large files.

While the act of torrenting itself is completely legal, using it to download copyrighted content is not.

We do not condone torrenting copyrighted content or accessing the sites that host it. The torrent sites listed in this guide are present for your informational and safety benefit only.

Whichever website you choose to torrent from, we strongly recommend following our best practices for torrenting safely.

These include using a verified torrenting VPN. Without a VPN, your real IP address will always be exposed while torrenting — even on legal torrent sites.

Connecting to a VPN will conceal your true IP address from other peers and encrypt your web traffic, preventing your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from monitoring your online activity.

Using a VPN is also the easiest way to unblock torrenting sites that might be restricted by your ISP.

10 Torrenting Sites You Should Avoid at All Costs

The following torrent sites should not be used under any circumstances. These are illegal sites that lack the necessary content, seeders, or safety measures to risk using.

Many of these websites are poorly designed and don’t have the required search features to help you locate specific torrents.

All of them contain intrusive pop-up ads which makes site navigation difficult, and many of them host malware that pose a danger to your online security.

As a result, they should all be avoided.

TorrentDownloads

Pros Cons
Diverse selection of torrents Ignores DMCA
Multiple ways to download Blocked in several countries
Frequently blocked us from torrenting
Google Chrome flags the site as dangerous

TorrentDownloads Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2007
Specialization: Movies, TV series, music, video games, & more
Blocked in Countries: India, UK
Ad Intrusion: Annoying redirects
Registration: Optional

TorrentDownloads is a long-standing torrenting site that ignores DMCA requests. You can torrent movies, TV series, music, games, software, anime, and ebooks.

The TorrentDownloads torrent site

TorrentDownloads kept freezing when we inspected individual torrents.

We found TorrentDownloads horrible to use in our testing. We were frequently directed to advertisements in new tabs, its torrents were incompatible with every torrenting client we tested, and Google Chrome highlighted the site as dangerous.

We recommend you avoid TorrentDownloads at all costs – it’s unsafe and doesn’t work properly.

Bibliotik

Pros Cons
Substantial collection of ebooks Ignores DMCA
Completely private torrenting site Not currently accepting new members
Unresponsive staff
Only has ebooks

Bibliotik Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2016
Specialization: ebooks
Blocked in Countries: Unknown
Ad Intrusion: Undetermined
Registration: Mandatory, private site

Bibliotik is an ebook focussed torrent site with an entirely private membership. It allegedly has one of the largest collections of ebooks on the internet, although we were unable to obtain an invite and verify this ourselves.

Bibliotik torrent site

Bibliotik hasn’t accepted new members for over a year.

It’s unclear as to when Bibliotik will begin accepting new members again.

The lack of communication from the Bibliotik team is frustrating and we recommend you look elsewhere for ebook torrents.

Demonoid

Pros Cons
Varied content Ignores DMCA
In-depth FAQs Blocked in several countries
Excellent advanced search filters History of regular shutdowns
Outdated design
Inactive userbase
Access to the forum requires an account

Demonoid Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2003
Specialization: Movies, TV series, anime, audio books, music & more
Blocked in Countries: US, Canada & UK
Ad Intrusion: Minimal
Registration: Mandatory for forum access

Demonoid has a diverse content library, accommodating more niche categories like Japanese anime and comics.

The Demonoid torrent site

Demonoid has experienced periodic shutdowns since its launch in 2003.

There’s an abundance of useful search filters to make navigating the site simple as well as helpful FAQs covering multiple topics.

However, the site itself is in need of a major cosmetic overhaul. Its GUI hasn’t been updated since its launch in the early 2000s which results in an ugly and difficult to read website.

Demonoid hosts copyrighted content and has been blocked in several countries such as the US and Canada. It’s also been subject to regular shutdowns forcing the site to periodically change domains.

Despite its regular influx of content, its users rarely leave comments on individual torrents. This further limits the site’s trustworthiness and reliability.

GloTorrents

Pros Cons
Considerable amount of software torrents Ignore DMCA
Torrent health score to minimize risk Inactive userbase
Slow download speeds
Low seeder-leecher ratio
Constant redirects to new tabs

GloTorrents Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2013
Specialization: Movies, TV series, music, video games, software & more
Blocked in Countries: Unknown
Ad Intrusion: Annoying redirects
Registration: Optional

GloTorrents has a varied library, but specializes in software, allowing you to filter by platform and device. It also provides torrents for mobile apps and wallpapers.

The GloTorrents torrent site

GloTorrents lacks the content, usability, and speeds of its competitors.

We found GloTorrents hard to use. Clicking anywhere on the site caused us to be redirected to a new tab, stalling our torrenting.

It also lacks the core user base of major torrent sites like The Pirate Bay or LimeTorrents. As a result you have to wait a bit longer for the newest releases to be uploaded to the site and most torrents lack sufficient seeders.

A majority of torrents have more leechers than seeders on average, resulting in slow download speeds.

TorrentFunk

Pros Cons
In-depth FAQs Ignore DMCA
Torrent health score to minimize risk Blocked in several countries
Constant redirects to new tabs
Lacks advanced search filters
Subpar UI

TorrentFunk Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2011
Specialization: Movies, TV series, video games, music, anime & more
Blocked in Countries: India, UK
Ad Intrusion: Lots of ads & annoying redirects
Registration: Optional

TorrentFunk is well-seeded with a sizable torrent library, but it’s difficult to use.

The TorrentFunk torrent site

TorrentFunk’s UI is barebones and clunky.

Each individual torrent is assigned its own health score and the site provides a total count of ‘verified’ torrents. These are welcome features but we’re reluctant to trust TorrentFunk’s self-assigned health scores.

We were also unimpressed by the absence of search filters, making sorting through TorrentFunk’s large content library impossible. Coupled with frequent intrusive pop-up ads, the user experience on TorrentFunk is awful.

Due to its copyrighted content, TorrentFunk is also subject to several blocks, most notably in India.

Angie Torrents

Pros Cons
Modern design and simple UI Ignores DMCA
No ads Blocked in several countries
Guests can’t use the internal search engine
Doesn’t have the latest titles
Recently established
Modest user base

Angie Torrents Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2020
Specialization: Movies, TV series, video games, music & more
Blocked in Countries: Unknown
Ad Intrusion: No ads
Registration: Mandatory for browsing

Angie Torrents is a newly-launched torrent site with a modest library. It doesn’t use any ads or redirects and its design is simple and easy to understand.

The Angie Torrents torrent site

We suspect Angie Torrents is too new to be blocked anywhere.

However, its recent launch date means it’s too soon to determine whether the site is trustworthy. Angie Torrents could be sharing user data with legal authorities or infecting its torrents with malware – more time is needed to establish user trust.

As a new site, Angie Torrents also doesn’t have many users which is reflected in its poorly-seeded torrents and dated content.

You also can’t access the site’s internal search engine until you create an account. This makes it near-impossible to locate a specific torrent.

We don’t trust Angie Torrents and, even if we did, its content is too outdated and slow to download to make the site worth using.

RuTracker

Pros Cons
Large and diverse library Ignores DMCA
Multiple channels of support Blocked in Russia
Massive user base Support section hosted on HTTP
Unintuitive UI
Regularly shut down by Russian government

RuTracker Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2004
Specialization: Movies, TV series, ebooks, music, video games & more
Blocked in Countries: Russia
Ad Intrusion: Minimal
Registration: Optional

RuTracker is the largest illegal Russian torrent site, with over 13 million registered users.

The RuTracker torrent site

RuTracker has already been shut down once in 2022.

Its content library is vast, comprising video games, movies, TV shows, documentaries, sporting events, books, and even language-learning tools.

It’s not the most intuitive site to use. Content is primarily organized by the year it was created (80s, 90s, etc.), and each torrent’s seeder-leecher ratio isn’t immediately obvious either.

RuTracker is under constant pressure from the Russian government with a site representative claiming that Russian officials demanded access to users’ personal information.

With a real possibility of user data being shared with Russian authorities, we strongly recommend you don’t use RuTracker.

NoName Club

Pros Cons
Well-seeded torrents Ignores DMCA
Uploader reliability rating to mitigate risk Blocked in Russia
You can’t torrent without an account
Not the best for Western titles
Unattractive website and awful UI

NoName Club Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2016
Specialization: Movies, TV series, anime, audiobooks, music & more
Blocked in Countries: Russia
Ad Intrusion: Minimal
Registration: Mandatory

NoName Club is another illegal Russia-centric torrent site. Its torrents are well-seeded and accommodate a variety of media but we found its Western content lacking.

The NoName Club torrent site

NoName Club isn’t the best torrent site for Western movies and TV shows.

The site is visually unappealing and its interface is cluttered with tabs and unnecessary information.

You also can’t torrent without first creating an account. Considering its illegally hosted content and Russian jurisdiction, we advise against giving NoName club your email address.

You should avoid NoName Club at all costs.

iDope

Pros Cons
Functions as a torrent search engine Ignores DMCA
Easy-to-use and understand Blocked in several countries
Difficult to access
Outdated UI
Latest uploads are poorly seeded

iDope Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2016
Specialization: Movies, TV series, video games, music, anime & more
Blocked in Countries: UK, US, India, Australia, India & more
Ad Intrusion: Minimal
Registration: Optional

iDope is primarily a torrent search engine but it does host some content itself. Content assigned a pink square can be torrented directly from the site, whereas grayed-out squares are hosted on other torrent sites.

The iDope torrent site

It took us several attempts to unblock the iDope website.

iDope has been blocked in several countries: we were forced to locate a proxy link to access the site. It also employs a woefully outdated design that resembles the Google homepage from the early 2000s.

The average seeder-leecher ratio across the site was disappointing, especially on newly uploaded torrents. You can expect slow download speeds when using iDope.

torrentz2.nz

Pros Cons
Torrent search engine covering multiple libraries Ignores DMCA
Simple to use Blocked in every country
Only available on Tor
Negative seeder-leecher ratio
Basic UI

torrentz2.nz Quick Summary:

Year Launched: 2016
Specialization: Torrent search engine
Blocked in Countries: Everywhere, except Tor
Ad Intrusion: Minimal
Registration: N/A

torrentz2.nz is a clone of Torrentz, a popular torrent search engine shut down in 2016.

The torrentz2.nz torrent site

It’s no longer possible to access torrentz2.nz on a normal web browser.

It can only be accessed via the Tor browser as the torrentz2 domain has been blocked everywhere else for hosting copyrighted content, including India and the US. Tor has its own risks and should only be accessed using a trusted VPN service.

Its user interface is minimal, consisting of a search bar and options for the newest, best, and trending torrents.

Despite drawing results from multiple torrent sites, most of the torrents we inspected had an overwhelmingly poor seeder-leecher ratio. In fact, it took us nearly half an hour to torrent a TV show on a 300Mbps+ connection.

You shouldn’t use torrentz2; it’s too slow, difficult to access, and lacks the modern GUI of its competitors.

Torrent Sites That Don't Work Anymore

Due to the hosting of copyrighted content, popular torrent sites are regularly subjected to blocks or shutdowns at the request of government officials, distributors, labels, and ISPs.

Furthermore, these sites often operate on user donations and the personal expenses of their owners, which can also lead to them permanently shutting down their servers.

Below we’ve listed several popular torrent sites that were forced to shut down, along with their stated reasons for doing so:

RARBG

Terminated: May 2023

Reason(s) for termination:

  • Members of RARBG’s developer team were affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and rising inflation across Europe

ETTV

Terminated: February 2022

Reason(s) for termination:

  • The site’s owner disappeared and their replacement lacked the necessary funds to keep ETTV online.

KickAssTorrents

Terminated: July 2016

Reason(s) for termination:

  • Blocked in the UK, Belgium, Ireland, Malaysia, Somalia, the Isle of Man, Costa Rica, Portugal & the US.
  • Blocked by Google, Firefox, and Twitter.
  • The US Department of Justice seized its main domain and detained the site’s owner.

YIFY

Terminated: October 2015

Reason(s) for termination:

  • The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against the site’s owner for enabling mass copyright infringement.

Zooqle

Terminated: April 2021

Reason(s) for termination:

  • Part of a long list of torrent sites blocked by the MPA in March 2021.

How Do You Use a Torrenting Website Safely?

Every torrenting website comes with potential risks, but there are steps you can take to minimize them.

In the section below, we’ve outlined some of the measures you can implement to ensure you’re using torrenting sites safely:

1. Use a VPN

Best for: Protecting your online security and anonymity while torrenting.

It’s essential to connect to a VPN server immediately before, during, and after using a torrent site.

Routing your connection through a remote VPN server ensures that your real IP address remains hidden from your ISP and other members of the torrent swarm.

This prevents anyone from targeting your IP address with malicious attacks, tracking your real location, and monitoring what content you torrent (or even the fact you are torrenting).

Do not disconnect from your VPN until you’ve finished downloading your torrent, closed your torrenting client, and exited the site.

EXPERT ADVICE: We recommend you use Private Internet Access (PIA) for torrenting thanks to its fast average bitrate, secure encryption, and P2P-optimized servers. Take advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee and try PIA VPN risk-free.

2. Use a Private Browser

Best for: Locating real torrent sites and ensuring your online anonymity.

Using a conventional browser, such as Google, to find your preferred torrent site can lead to search results full of malicious URLs.

Google will remove torrent sites in response to DMCA requests and fill its results page with scam sites and FBI honeypots.

Using a top private browser, like Mozilla Firefox, will display more accurate result pages and conceal your search history from snooping third-parties.

3. Use a Malware Checker

Best for: Detecting malware and fraudulent websites.

If you suspect that a torrenting site may host malware, you can use a scanning tool to inspect the contents of your torrent file.

We’d recommend using virustotal.com, a publicly available API that compares your selected file against a large database of viruses and trojan malware.

More generally, we’d suggest using torrent sites with a long-standing history and a torrent health score or verification system in place. This further minimizes the likelihood of downloading malicious content onto your device.

4. Use the Tor Browser

Best for: Remaining completely anonymous online.

For total anonymity, you can access torrent sites through the Tor browser.

This makes it near-impossible to identify you and ensures your torrenting activity cannot be detected by any third-parties, including your ISP.

This does come with some drawbacks, though.

Not every torrent site is accessible via the Tor network, which means your choice of websites may be limited.

Moreover, downloads are usually slower on Tor which makes torrenting larger files, such as movies, time-consuming.

There’s also some safety risks associated with Tor which can affect you.

How to Unblock Torrenting Sites with a VPN

Torrenting sites are constantly subjected to shutdowns and ISP blocks, forcing entire domains to migrate.

If you live in the US, India, or the EU then you likely won’t be able to access popular torrenting sites due to strict local privacy laws and litigious distributors.

Using ExpressVPN to unblock a torrent site

We used ExpressVPN to spoof our geo-location and access the Pirate Bay.

You can use a VPN to change your online location by connecting to a VPN server in a different region to your own. This ‘spoofs’ your IP address and allows you to bypass local bans on popular torrenting sites.

Here’s how to:

  1. Sign-up to a VPN service. Go the provider’s website, create an account, and select a subscription length. We recommend using Private Internet Access.
  2. Install the VPN. Download the VPN onto your device and enter your account credentials when prompted.
  3. Choose a VPN server location. Open the server list and select a VPN server located in a region where the torrent site isn’t blocked.Make sure the region is as close as possible to your physical location for the fastest speeds.
  4. Start your VPN connection. Go to your VPN app’s home screen and select the central power button or toggle to activate your connection.
    You can use our IP leak test to verify that the VPN is working properly
  5. Locate the torrent site. You can try searching for the site using a conventional search engine, like Google, or by inputting the site’s URL directly into your browser’s address bar.
  6. Navigate the site carefully. The torrent site will load unblocked into your browser.Do not disconnect from your VPN until you have finished torrenting and exited the website.

FAQs

Are Torrenting Sites Blocked in India?

Visiting and browsing a torrent site in India is not a crime, neither is downloading non-copyrighted content.

However, it is illegal to distribute or download copyrighted content. This has led to India’s Bombay High Court blocking several torrent sites since 2016, including the Pirate Bay, TorrentFunk, and YourBittorrent.

What Is the Safest Torrenting Client?

qBittorrent is the safest torrenting client due to its open-source software, attentive community, and advanced security settings. qBittorent also doesn’t come with any bundled software or malware.

Do I Need to Use a VPN for Torrenting?

It’s recommended to use a VPN for torrenting to keep your P2P activity anonymous. Connecting to a VPN hides your IP address from other peers in the torrent swarm, and conceals your torrenting activity from your ISP and any other snooping third-parties.

You can also use a VPN to spoof your geo-location and access blocked torrenting sites.

Why Are Torrenting Sites Banned?

It’s illegal to host and distribute copyrighted content without the permission of the copyright holder.

Popular torrenting sites tend to exclusively host copyrighted content, which leads to lawsuits from major distributors, governments, and ISPs.

It’s also common for scam sites to masquerade as P2P sharing platforms and bundle malware within its torrents. This can cause the domain to eventually become blocked.

However, it is legal for a site to host content that’s available within the public domain. This includes self-published music from independent artists, classic movies, and older books.