Top 6 Free VPNs for Torrenting: Unleashing Secure and Efficient File Sharing in 2023

Is torrenting without a VPN safe? Torrenting without a VPN or proxy exposes your IP address to ISPs, media companies, and copyright trolls, making it easy for them to identify you and impose fines. Only reliable free torrenting VPNs and premium torrenting VPNs can prevent this. However, the VPN market is saturated with free services that claim to be suitable for torrenting, but not all of them are secure.

It is well-known that free VPNs have limitations. They often have data caps that restrict torrenting and slow servers which result in longer waiting times. This is why some users prefer to explore premium VPN services like NordVPN, which offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Premium services like NordVPN provide P2P optimized servers and lightning-fast speeds, which are lacking in free services.

Yet, if you still want to find a trustworthy torrenting free VPN for temporal use, it is crucial to choose the best ones that guarantee top-notch security and online anonymity. How can you select the best free VPNs for torrenting? Keep reading to discover the top options in terms of torrenting capabilities, security, and speeds.

Overall of the Top 5 Torrenting Free VPNs in 2023

NordVPN: The top choice for a free VPN for torrenting.

Surfshark: A free VPN for torrenting that supports multiple devices.

Atlas VPN: A relatively fast free VPN option for torrenting.

ExpressVPN: A feature-rich and secure VPN for torrenting.

Proton VPN: A secure VPN option with no data caps.

Hotspot Shield VPN: Free VPN for torrenting with lots of servers.

Best Free VPNs for Torrenting & P2P Detailed and Analyzed

1. NordVPN: The Top Choice for a Free VPN for Torrenting

✔️ Pros

• P2P optimized servers
• 5700+ servers across 60 countries
• Excellent performance
• Massive server fleet
• AES-256
• Audited no-logging policy
• 30-day money-back guarantee

❌ Cons: No totally free version

NordVPN is a standout option among free torrent VPNs, offering a seamless experience with its P2P-optimized servers and impressive speeds. With NordLynx, their exclusive tunneling protocol, we achieved download speeds of up to 23MB/s during testing, completing file downloads in just 2 minutes and 24 seconds. Moreover, NordVPN boasts a vast network of 5700+ servers across 60 countries, ensuring access to high-performing servers at all times.

In terms of security, besides NordLynx, it provides additional tunneling protocols such as OpenVPN (UDP and TCP) and IKEv2. Your data remains protected with AES 256-bit encryption, regarded as virtually unhackable. The kill switch feature adds an extra layer of protection by preventing your data from being exposed to third parties in the event of a VPN connection failure. Furthermore, NordVPN's adherence to an audited no-logs policy guarantees the privacy of your online activities.

While NordVPN doesn't offer a completely free version, they do offer a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee, effectively serving as a free trial. You can cancel your subscription before the month ends to avoid charges. 

2. Surfshark: A Free VPN for Torrenting that Supports Multiple Devices

✔️ Pros

• 3200+ servers in 100 countries
• P2P optimized servers
• Great performance
• Huge server fleet
• AES 256-bit encryption
• Audited no-logs policy
• month-long money-back guarantee

❌ Cons: No unlimited free version

Surfshark VPN is a great free VPN for torrenting on all your devices. With P2P-optimized servers in 100 countries, you can expect excellent torrenting performance. It supports fast speeds with the WireGuard protocol and offers other secure protocols like OpenVPN and IKEv2. Surfshark ensures unbreakable data security with AES-256 encryption and a reliable kill switch. Plus, they have a no-log policy. 

While Surfshark doesn't have an unlimited free version, they provide a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try their premium VPN with unlimited bandwidth and no data caps for free.

3. Atlas VPN: A Relatively Fast Free VPN for Torrenting

✔️ Pros

• 3 accessible free server locations (the US and the Netherlands)
• Free version
• Supports torrenting
• Good performance
• AES 256-bit encryption
• Strict no-logs policy

❌ Cons:

• No P2P-optimized servers
• Data caps

Atlas VPN is a great choice if you're looking for a completely free VPN for torrenting. Despite not having P2P optimized servers, it still performs well for torrenting. The free version even supports the WireGuard protocol and maintains a speed of around 14MB/s. While there are data caps of 5GB per month on the Windows app and 2GB on iOS, Android, and macOS apps, the three available server locations (the US and the Netherlands) are quite generous for a free plan.

In terms of security, Atlas VPN ensures the protection of your data with AES encryption, offering market-standard privacy. Additionally, it features a kill switch that prevents accidental data leaks if the VPN connection drops. Although the no-logs policy is not audited, Atlas VPN has a clean reputation, giving you peace of mind that your data is secure.

4. ExpressVPN: A Feature-Rich and Secure VPN for Torrenting

✔️ Pros

• 3000+ servers in 94 countries
• Lightway tunneling protocol
• HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies
• Reliable security features
• 30-day money-back guarantee

❌ Cons: No forever-free version

ExpressVPN is a top choice for torrenting, thanks to its strong security and impressive performance. It offers excellent speed and global P2P file sharing on all servers, along with the convenience of five simultaneous connections. With its proprietary Lightway tunneling protocol, ExpressVPN enhances speed while maintaining efficient battery usage.

In terms of security, ExpressVPN is highly reliable. It uses AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, IP and DNS leak protection, and ChaCha20 encryption, ensuring your online activities remain private and untraceable. Based in the British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN operates under favorable jurisdiction for user privacy and adheres to an independently audited no-logs policy. Additionally, their RAM-only servers automatically delete data when you finish using the service. While there is no completely free version, ExpressVPN offers a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try it out at no cost. 

5. Proton VPN: A Secure Free VPN Option with No Data Caps

✔️ Pros

• 147 servers in 3 locations
• Free version
• Supports torrenting
• Solid performance
• AES 256-bit encryption
• Audited no-logs policy

❌ Cons: 

• No P2P-optimized servers
• Servers in 3 locations only

Proton VPN has a great free version for torrenting that comes without data caps. Despite the absence of P2P-optimized servers like the first free torrenting VPN, we were able to download torrents successfully. The inclusion of the WireGuard protocol ensures solid speeds, even on the free version, with download speeds reaching around 17MB/s. The file we tested took just 3 minutes and 35 seconds to download.

With the free version of Proton VPN, you have access to approximately 147 servers in three countries, which is quite generous for a free VPN. They also offer a kill switch feature to protect against accidental data leaks if your VPN connection drops. While Proton VPN asks for additional verification during sign-up, such as an extra email address, SMS, or donation, their no-logs policy is audited, guaranteeing anonymous torrenting.

6. Hotspot Shield VPN: Free VPN for Torrenting with Lots of Servers

✔️ Pros

• 1 free server location (the US)
• Free version
• Supports torrenting
• Good performance
• AES 256-bit encryption
• No-logs policy

❌ Cons: 

• No P2P-optimized servers
• Free servers in 1 location only

Hotspot Shield VPN is a secure and free option for torrenting, even without P2P-optimized servers. While its speeds are not the fastest, torrenting still works on the platform. The free VPN offers Hydra and IKEv2 protocols, but the download speed is around 2MB/s compared to the baseline of 33MB/s. The paid version with WireGuard provides better speeds. However, the free version has its own benefits, including no data cap.

Hotspot Shield VPN offers limited server locations in the US for its free version, but includes protective features like a kill switch and IP leak protection, ensuring anonymity while torrenting. However, there is a concern regarding their no-logging policy. The company reserves the right to display your approximate protection level with the free version, so if privacy is a priority, it is recommended to opt for the premium plan.

Comparison of the 6 Torrenting Free VPNs