12 Best Torrent Sites in 2023 — Safe & Still Working

Finding a working torrent site is not only tricky but can be dangerous. Even the most reputable ones sometimes get taken down for copyright infringement. Searching for a site on Google can be risky and usually gets you nowhere. Results are often packed with fake sites containing dodgy links and disturbing ads instead of actual torrent sites.

To help you avoid these issues, my team and I tested 50+ torrent sites and shortlisted the best ones with long-standing reputations and huge amounts of content. Plus, each one verifies torrents for added safety. That said, even my recommended sites aren’t immune to the occasional hacker or malicious link, so I recommend using a reliable VPN for safe torrenting.

A VPN hides your IP address with military-grade encryption to keep you safe. My favorite is ExpressVPN because of its robust security and privacy features and fast speeds for torrent downloads. It’s also backed by a money-back guarantee, so you can torrent with ExpressVPN risk-free. If you’re not impressed, you have 30 days to claim a full refund.

Torrent Safely With ExpressVPN >>

Important! Torrenting itself is not illegal in most countries, but the file you torrent MAY be if it is still under copyright. My team and I don’t condone illegal torrenting, so be sure to check the rules and regulations in your country before you download anything that might be protected under copyright.

The Best Torrent Sites That Still Work in 2023

1. The Pirate Bay — The Most Well-Established Torrent Site

The Pirate Bay is one of the best-known torrent sites used by millions of people every month. It’s available in 35 languages and has been named the world’s best torrent site since 2018.

Although The Pirate Bay was temporarily shut down in early 2020, it’s still thriving and has managed to avoid several takedown attempts over the years. There are estimated to be millions of torrent files on the site.

The Pirate Bay is a pretty safe torrent site. It verifies uploaders so you know whether torrents are trustworthy or not. While you can’t guarantee protection from malware and spyware, this verification reduces the likelihood of infection.

With its huge community of seeders, you get faster downloads. Even old or obscure torrents usually have at least a few seeders. It also has a simple, easy-to-use interface. There are magnet links available — plus, whenever I searched for a torrent, I could filter my results by file format, quality, and gaming console. It made finding the right torrent a breeze.

The only minor downside is that The Pirate Bay displays a few ads. But you can easily use a trusted ad blocker. Or, even better, protect yourself while downloading torrents with a VPN that comes with an ad blocker built in. VPNs also change your virtual location, so if you happen to travel somewhere The Pirate Bay isn’t available, a VPN can allow access.

Check out The Pirate Bay

2. 1337x — Huge Torrent Library With Great Variety

1337x is a popular torrent website that gets over 53 million visitors every month. Most of its torrents are movies, TV shows, and music, but it has a good collection of games as well. What's great is that 1337x has been around for a while, and its community is active, which means its torrents are updated every few hours.

Its website is easy to use and gives you a lot of useful information about each torrent. For example, it’ll display whether a show or movie has been nominated for an award or not and the number of times it’s been downloaded (this can tell you whether it’s a good quality torrent or not). It also gives you 2 options: magnet download or torrent download. This is a massive improvement compared to a few years ago when the user interface was slow and clunky.

1337x has very few ads and it shows some dedication to protecting your privacy — it only makes money through Bitcoin donations, for example.

That said, it can only do so much to protect you — you’re still at risk of third parties spying on your online activity when browsing any torrenting site. A VPN will add another layer of security by hiding your IP address and encrypting your traffic so your online movements remain anonymous.

Check out 1337x

3. YTS — Best Torrent Site for High-Quality Movies

YTS (also known as YIFY) is hands-down one of the best torrent websites for high-quality movies. It has a massive user base of over 75 million people worldwide, and it offers over 40,000 movie titles, many of which come with subtitles and are available in 1080p. The best part is that its files are small, but the quality isn't compromised, so it's great for anyone, regardless of internet speed.

It also has a clear and simple interface that reminds me of Netflix. When I searched for the film Carnival of Souls, it provided the tech specs, synopsis, and IMBD ratings of the film, along with a list of similar films and film pictures.

Since YTS specializes in movies, you won't find other types of content like music, games, or software on its site. Plus, it has some annoying pop-up ads that can jeopardize your privacy. But the good news is that the number of ads has decreased over the years. If you want to avoid ads altogether, I recommend using a reliable ad blocker.

It's worth keeping in mind that YTS has been caught up in several legal disputes in the past and has handed over user data to authorities. To keep your online activity private, I recommend torrenting with a reputable VPN.

Check out YTS/YIFY

4. Torrentz2 — Optimized Torrent Search Engine With a Focus on Music

If your favorite torrent site doesn’t have the file that you’re looking for, then Torrentz2 is a great alternative. Torrentz2 (formerly Torrentz) is a torrent search engine that uses your search query to index torrents from over 90 torrent download sites. From your search results, you can click the magnet link to download your torrent from one of the sites.

Your download speed will depend on the site you’re redirected to — it doesn’t have anything to do with Torrentz2. It gets 10 to 20 million hits per month and is mostly used for music, and its extensive music library has a vast selection of genres.

On the other hand, it's not the best choice for other types of media. When I tried it out, I had to spend some time looking for the file I wanted because the site lacks filtering options. But it’s not too bad, you can still filter torrents to see if they're verified or not, which is pretty convenient.

In the past, Torrentz2 had a lot of annoying pop-ups with fake and misleading links, but it has fixed many of those bugs to make the site safer. However, it's worth noting that your torrenting activity can still be exposed to prying eyes. That's why it's a good idea to use a VPN to enhance your safety by encrypting and rerouting your traffic through a different IP address.

Check out Torrentz2

5. EZTV — Great Torrent Site for TV Shows

EZTV specializes in TV shows in HD or 1080p, attracting around 20 million visitors per month. Although it might not have as extensive a library as some of the bigger sites like The Pirate Bay or 1337x, it's a great choice if you're specifically looking for TV shows. Plus, it has a useful "live countdown" list for new releases and a large collection of old shows.

One thing to keep in mind is that downloading new releases could get you in serious trouble since they're under copyright. So, I strongly advise against it. Additionally, EZTV copies content from other torrent sites, so you might unknowingly get yourself into some hot water.

On the plus side, EZTV has a handy drop-down search box, and I always got results no matter what I searched for. Unfortunately, the interface looks pretty outdated, and the number of ads on the site can be pretty intrusive.

One thing that annoyed me a little about EZTV is that you can't download full seasons in one go. You have to download each episode separately, which is a real hassle and time-consuming. Thankfully, ExpressVPN let me download individual episodes fast, so I didn’t have to compromise security for speeds.

Check out EZTV

6. Limetorrents — Huge Torrent Library With Tons of Variety

Limetorrents boasts a massive torrent library with over 10 million torrents across all media types, and attracts more than 20 million users every month. Searches on the site always yield plenty of results so you won’t be disappointed. Its library is even larger than The Pirate Bay’s library, which is very impressive.

You can download torrents of movies, games, music, apps, and TV shows, and the site shows the top 100 torrents available for each category. This top 100 list focuses on newer releases — which means most of them are under copyright and illegal to download — so be careful when using this list to make sure you're not breaking any laws.

Otherwise, Limetorrents has tons of other files which are in the public domain that you can download safely. I also found its interface to be sleek and visually pleasing and liked being able to filter torrents by their health or verification status.

But having millions of torrents has its drawbacks, as quite a lot of them are fake. Also, irritating ads are pretty common on the site.

Check out Limetorrents

7. Torrent Galaxy — Tons of Newly-Released Shows and Movies

TorrentGalaxy is a newer but popular torrent site that hosts a wide variety of content, including but not limited to movies, TV shows, music, software, and games. The torrents offered are known for their high quality, and the site stands out for providing newer content, especially TV shows and movies.

One distinctive feature is its 'Online streaming' option, which lets users stream video content directly without downloading the whole torrent. Moreover, TorrentGalaxy offers detailed descriptions and user ratings for each torrent, enabling users to judge the quality and reliability before downloading.

TorrentGalaxy is committed to providing a safe platform for its users. To mitigate risks associated with malicious software, the site actively moderates its content and takes down any torrents reported to contain malware.

The site has a lot of pop-up ads, so it's a good idea to use an ad blocker. The easiest solution is to use a VPN with ad blockers built-in to protect your downloads and block all the sketchy ads at once.

Check out TorrentGalaxy

8. Torlock — Good Site for Safe Torrent Downloads

If you’re concerned about downloading unsafe torrents, then consider using Torlock. The site pays its users $1 for every fake torrent reported, which shows its commitment to your safety. It’s also one of the few torrent sites that still uses its “.com” domain name, which means it’s well-established. In particular, it has a lot of music, eBooks, and anime series in its library.

Its homepage displays the most recent and popular torrents for each category. However, new releases are usually under copyright, which means downloading them is illegal — so beware. I liked that the site also displays all the file specifications for each torrent, including the file size, upload date, seeders, and health. When you search for a torrent, the site will also display torrents containing all of your search terms.

Check out Torlock

9. IPTorrents — Private Torrent Site That's Safe

Unlike the other sites on this list, IPTorrents is a private torrent download site with over 7 million monthly visits. This means you can only use it if you get invited and make a donation. But once you’re in, you’ll get access to a big library and an active community — without any pop-up ads. It’s also safer because it’s much harder for people to spread spyware or malware since not just anyone can use it.

Another benefit of IPTorrents is that its download speeds tend to be faster because members need to comply with seeding quotas. The only downside is you need to comply with 1 of 2 entry requirements to use it. You’ll get access if 1) someone sends you an invite link or 2) you pay a $20 donation to get in.

Check out IPTorrents

10. NYAA.si — Specialized Site for Anime

NYAA.si is a specialist site that focuses on East Asian media, especially from Japan, China, and South Korea. It's perfect if you're into anime series, but I also found some music and software on there too. The site is actually a reincarnation of the popular anime torrent site NYAA.

One of the things I appreciate about NYAA.si is its simplistic interface. Navigating and finding the files you're after couldn’t be more straightforward. On the other hand, it can be quite intrusive with its pop-up ads. Make sure you have an ad and malware blocker installed and turned on if you decide to check out NYAA.

Check out NYAA.si

11. Demonoid — Well-Established Private Torrent Site With Lots of Media Types

Demonoid is one of the original torrent sites that’s still active today. The site once struggled due to increased political pressure to get it taken down but now has over 10 million users and 1 million torrents. You can find a great variety of media types on Demonoid, including movies, TV shows, music, games, and more. Movies and TV shows are especially popular on the site.

In the past, you needed to create an account and receive an invite to use the site. But, that's no longer the case. When I tried it out, I was able to download Night of the Living Dead without signing up or creating an account.

Even though it’s a solid torrent site, it hasn’t been immune to shutdowns. Luckily, it’s been up and running without a hiccup for the past 4 years.

Check out Demonoid

12. iDope — Best Torrent Site for Mobile Downloads

iDope’s free mobile app lets you download torrents on the go. You can find the download link for the app on iDope's site as an APK file, which means you get ultimate privacy. The app is sleek and straightforward, and iDope guarantees that it will never contain ads or viruses. Plus, the database (of over 18 million torrents) gets updated almost every hour.

The desktop interface is just as user-friendly and doesn't display any pop-ups or ads. It's got a Google-like appearance that's easy to navigate, even if you've never used the site before. Plus, every torrent download is also available as a magnet link to speed up the process.

On the downside, iDope doesn't have an iOS app — but that’s to protect your privacy since app store downloads are easily tracked. Sticking with the APK file download option is much safer.

Check out iDope

Tips on How to Choose the Best Torrenting Site for You

Even the safest torrenting sites can be dangerous places to download files from. Many of these sites are unregulated (or difficult to regulate), containing fake links with viruses, tracking software, or malware. That’s why my team and I put each torrenting site through extensive testing, and only listed those with long-standing, trustworthy reputations.

To further enhance your safety and reduce some of the risks involved, I recommend that you use a trusted VPN service whenever you browse any torrent site. By encrypting your traffic, it prevents the risk of your data being exposed when you visit these sites.

When choosing a torrent website, these are the most important factors you should consider:

• Security features — Choose a site that has been around for at least 5 years and verifies its torrent files. But keep in mind that no torrent site is 100% safe because they can leave your data and activity exposed to third parties. To increase your safety while torrenting, I recommend using a VPN.
• Large variety — Sites with a large library and a wide array of content tend to be the most popular. If you’re after a particular type of content, such as movies, then consider specialist sites too.
• Well established — The established year of the torrent site indicates its reliability. If the site has been around for 5-10 years or more and has never been shut down, then that’s a good sign.
• High popularity — Choose a website that has a high number of engaged users. Specifically, look for a site with a lot of comments. Comments from past users on torrent files are very useful because they can help you find out whether a file is fake or not.
• High seeder/leecher ratio — A high ratio of seeders to leechers indicates a high level of sharing and results in faster downloads.
• As few ads as possible — Intrusive pop-up ads are an inevitable feature of many torrent sites. Avoid sites that go over the top in bombarding you with ads; some ads can expose you to malware. Using a VPN with an adblocker can also be helpful.
• Availability in your region — Some regions block torrent sites more than others, so make sure you can access the site in your area. Otherwise, a reliable VPN can overcome these types of geo-restrictions.

How to Stay Safe and Avoid Fake Torrent Sites

Staying safe while torrenting is more than just choosing a reputable site. When you visit torrent sites, your IP address is exposed, which can reveal your location and personal data to anyone who's seeding or leeching the same file. That's why it's important to take steps to protect your privacy. You can enhance your torrenting safety with a highly secure VPN.

With a VPN, your torrenting traffic is encrypted, and your IP address is hidden from prying eyes. Another benefit to this is that your ISP won't see what you're doing online. As a result, they can't cap your speeds based on your activity. Some VPNs also come with built-in ad and malware blockers to keep you safe in case you come across any malicious files.

To make sure you're staying as safe as possible while torrenting, here are a few extra steps you can take:

• Inspect every torrent — Unverified torrents are often filled with malware. Make sure any torrent you download has been verified, and check its seeder to leecher ratio, user comments, and the uploader’s history.
• Use a private search engine — Mainstream search engines like Google hide the URLs of many torrent sites due to the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) and display dangerous fork sites instead. A private search engine like DuckDuckGo won’t hide URLs and will keep your searches private.
• Use a safe torrent client — A good torrent website on its own isn’t enough to stay safe and protected. Using a reliable torrent client like uTorrent or qBittorrent will add further protection against viruses, malware, and spyware.
• Check files for malware — Hackers can use torrent sites to lure people into downloading fake files, which can infect your devices with malware. Check for malware in RAR, TAR, and ZIP files. Pay close attention to EXE files and stay away from WMA, WMV, and password-protected files because they’re outdated and can be dangerous.
• Look out for copycat sites — Strange-looking URLs, numerous pop-up windows, and registration demands are all signs of dangerous copycat sites that can expose you to malware and hackers. Also, keep an eye out for URLs with minor misspellings, as these are usually meant to trick you.
• Be aware of copyright — Downloading and sharing copyrighted material is illegal in most countries. This could land you in some serious legal trouble, and you could be facing hefty fines or even worse repercussions. So it's always best to be careful and avoid any copyrighted material when torrenting.

Try ExpressVPN for Torrenting

Best VPNs for Accessing Torrent Sites Safely

A reliable VPN can help keep you safe while on torrent sites. It encrypts your data, sending it through a private server, so your real IP address isn't connected to your torrenting activity. This means that hackers and prying eyes can’t see what you're downloading or where it's coming from. It can also unblock torrent sites in certain countries where they’re not accessible.

In addition, VPNs help prevent your ISP from throttling your connection. Some ISPs do this if they notice excessive downloading activity. But when you use a VPN, it hides your activity, so you could get faster download speeds as a result.

1. ExpressVPN — Best Torrenting VPN with Fast Speeds and Strong Privacy Protection

ExpressVPN’s fast speeds are ideal for torrenting. I put it to the test and downloaded the film Carnival of Souls from The Pirate Bay (709MB). It only took around 30 seconds to complete using its New York server, which gave me 108 Mbps (from my base of 123 Mbps). New York is over 5,000km from me, so this is impressive. Some VPNs can cut speeds by over 40% on long-distance servers.

It also kept my activity hidden from my ISP to help prevent bandwidth throttling.

It keeps you safe while torrenting by providing top-of-the-line security features. With 256-bit encryption, it’s almost impossible for hackers to intercept your data. It also hides your torrenting activity from prying eyes and helps you avoid ISP throttling. As an added bonus, its Threat Manager feature blocks connections to a set of torrent sites (and other sites) that ExpressVPN has blocked due to malware or other dangerous content.

And if your connection drops unexpectedly, ExpressVPN's "Network Lock" kill switch feature cuts you from the network. That way, your data won't accidentally be exposed. It also offers Perfect Forward Secrecy, which generates a new and unique encryption key for every VPN session. Even in the unlikely event a hacker accessed one session's key, they wouldn't be able to decrypt any previous sessions.

Some torrent sites are blocked in certain locations, but ExpressVPN has no problem accessing them. With 3,000 servers scattered across the globe, it's easy to access the sites you want and find a reliable torrenting connection.

One minor downside is that ExpressVPN doesn’t have a built-in ad or malware blocker. That said, it’s perfectly compatible with the most reputable ad blockers — some you can even get for free.

The great thing is that you can test ExpressVPN risk-free since it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you're not satisfied, claiming a refund is easy. I requested my money back using their 24/7 live chat feature, and it was a breeze. The agent asked a couple of quick questions about my experience, approved the return, and the money was back in my account in just 2 days.

Useful Features

• Lightway protocol. ExpressVPN’s proprietary Lightway protocol gave me the fastest speeds while torrenting during my tests. As the name suggests, it's lightweight, consisting of only 1,000 lines of code (compared to WireGuard’s 4,000 and OpenVPN’s 70,000), which means it performs faster.
• Entire network is P2P enabled. You can torrent on any of ExpresssVPN’s servers, which saves the hassle of having to search through a long list to find one that works.
• Split tunneling. This feature lets you choose which apps will be routed through your VPN to prevent unnecessary speed loss. For example, you can encrypt your torrenting activity while keeping your banking and streaming apps on your local network.
• Strong privacy protection. ExpressVPN has a strict no-logs policy, which means it does not store any logs of your online activity. It also adds an extra layer of privacy and security to your torrenting activities with RAM-only servers (TrustedServer technology) that wipe your data upon each reboot.

Try ExpressVPN for Torrenting

2. CyberGhost — Optimized P2P Servers for Fast and Reliable Downloads

Although you can use any of its 9,487 servers for torrenting, CyberGhost has connections in 70+ countries that are optimized specifically for P2P. These are designed to keep you safe and download torrents faster. When I tested its torrenting servers in France and Switzerland, I noticed a 5% increase in speeds compared to the regular ones. I used the French connection to download Night of the Living Dead from YTS in less than 2 minutes.

You can also “favorite” servers to find them quickly when you need them next

For those with heightened privacy concerns, CyberGhost's NoSpy servers offer an added layer of protection for torrenting activities. Situated at the company's Romanian headquarters, these servers fall outside the scope of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance. As they are exclusively owned, managed, and accessed by CyberGhost personnel, the likelihood of third-party interference is minimized.

CyberGhost’s Block Content feature for Windows and Android prevents popups and blocks ads on popular torrent sites. This was especially helpful while I visited sites like YTS and 1337x, which are usually riddled with these types of annoyances. It also keeps your browsing data private and stops advertisers from tracking and targeting you with ads.

One downfall I encountered was that a couple of CyberGhost's long-distance servers were not the fastest. They slowed my torrent speeds down quite a bit — around 30% when connected to its US servers. Luckily, it has a huge network of servers across the globe, so I had no problem finding a faster alternative.

The long-term plan comes with a trustworthy 45-day money-back guarantee. On the other hand, you only get 14 days with the short term subscription.

Useful Features

• Privacy friendly. CyberGhost is based in Romania, which has no data retention laws. This means it’s not required to store or share any user data.
• Highly secure. It offers 256-bit encryption and perfect forward secrecy.
• Easy to use. CyberGhost’s app interface is simple and easy to navigate, so finding the perfect server for torrenting takes no time at all.
• Fast speeds. Local servers in the EU which gave me no more than an 18% speed loss.

Try CyberGhost for Torrenting

3. Private Internet Access – MACE Prevents Ads and Malware on Torrent Sites

Private Internet Access (PIA) has a built-in ad and tracker blocker (called MACE). Unlike CyberGhost’s Block Content feature, MACE is also available on macOS and Linux. Using it helps reduce the risk of accidentally downloading a malicious file. When I tested this, it blocked all the ads on YTS and 1337x.

Additionally, it offers numerous configuration choices to assist you in fine-tuning it for rapid and secure torrenting. For example, you can transition to 128-bit encryption for enhanced speeds. However, bear in mind that these configurations are less secure compared to employing a VPN connection with 256-bit encryption.

There are 2 levels of kill switch to choose from. The standard kill switch works like any other kill switch, cutting off your computer's internet connection if your VPN connection drops. The advanced kill switch is stricter and blocks traffic from going outside the VPN, even when it’s disconnected.

I recommend using the WireGuard protocol for better speeds while torrenting

A slight drawback is that PIA is located in the United States, a member of the 5 Eyes Alliance. Fortunately, PIA's no-logs policy has been independently verified, ensuring that it does not retain any user data.

You can sign up for just $2.03/month with a long-term subscription. Sometimes it also offers additional months for free with this plan. All of the plans come with PIA's 30-day money-back guarantee. I tested this by using its 24/7 live chat — I made my request and answered a couple of questions. The money was in my account in 4 days.

Useful Features

• Large server network: 29,650 servers in 84 countries so you can always find a fast and reliable server for torrenting, no matter where you are. Plus, all servers are P2P-enabled.
• Supports port forwarding. This configuration allows you to connect directly with more seeds for faster downloads.
• Choice of protocols. PIA offers 2 reputable protocols: WireGuard and OpenVPN. I recommend WireGuard for torrenting since it’s optimized specifically for speeds and strong security. Although, OpenVPN is open-source and highly secure as well.
• Decent speeds. Even though it wasn’t as fast as ExpressVPN or CyberGhost, I still had speedy downloads. Especially with its nearby connections in the UK, which gave me an average of 96Mbps between the 3 servers I tested.

Try PIA for Torrenting

FAQs on The Best Torrent Sites

What are some of the best torrenting sites?

It depends — the type of content offered by my recommended sites varies. If you’re looking for the best torrent sites for a particular form of content, then refer to the list below:

• Movies — YTS. It has a wide range of high-quality movies. The files are also small without compromising picture quality, so you can download them quickly.
• TV Shows — EZTV. Extensive collection of TV shows in either HD or 1080p. It has mostly old TV shows.
• Music — Torrentz2. Unrivaled selection of music.
• Games — The Pirate Bay. Good selection of both PC and console games.
• eBooks — 1337X, as one of the most widely-used torrent sites, has millions of eBook downloads.
• Applications — 1337x. A wide selection of apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android devices.

Warning! These sites host illegal files that are protected under copyright, and the team at vpnMentor doesn't condone downloading content illegally. That being said, there are plenty of public domain and open source files available on them, too. So please adhere to your local law and download responsibly to avoid facing legal consequences.

Are torrenting sites safe?

All torrent sites come with safety risks, but some are safer than others. Some sites (like 1337x and The Pirate Bay) verify their torrents to prevent hosting malware-infected files.

However, these sites usually aren’t regulated and can be risky, with fake links and pop-up ads that could compromise your privacy or harm your computer. Even private torrenting sites, which are often considered safer, can’t guarantee 100% safety.

Before you visit torrent sites, it's a good safety precaution to connect to a VPN. VPNs come equipped with powerful security features like secure protocols, AES 256-bit encryption, and a kill switch, so you can visit torrents sites confidently, knowing you're protected.

How do I use a torrent website?

You’ll need to install a torrent client to fully use a torrent site. This reads the metadata on your torrent file (that you get from the torrent site) and pairs it with other users, so you can download the file from them. Just keep in mind that some torrent sites and files can be risky, but you can take steps to protect yourself.

One of the best ways to stay safe is to use a VPN. VPNs encrypt your traffic and provide strong security features to keep your data private and anonymous. Here's what you should do to use torrent sites safely:

• Get a VPN. Any of the VPNs in this list are excellent options.
• Connect to a server. Choose a privacy-friendly country where torrenting sites aren’t blocked, like Switzerland.
• Download a torrenting client. My go-to’s are uTorrent or qBittorrent since they have long-standing, good reputations.
• Start torrenting. Visit the torrent site of your choosing. To find your desired file, use the torrent site’s search bar. You can download the file and open it from that location. Or use a magnet link to automatically open the file in your torrent client.

Which torrenting site is the fastest in 2023?

It depends, but reputable sites with a high number of seeders, like The Pirate Bay, are usually the fastest. That’s because the more sources there are, the faster the files will download. Private torrent sites are also known to offer faster download speeds as they require anyone who downloads a file to seed it back.

It’s important to protect yourself while torrenting, so using a high-speed VPN is important to maintain fast torrent downloads. A VPN with the WireGuard or Lightway protocol, won’t noticeably slow your download speeds, so are the best option for torrenting quickly and safely.

Why are some torrenting sites blocked?

This is usually due to government actions. Most torrenting sites host copyrighted material, so it’s common for governments and ISPs to block them to prevent illegal sharing and downloading. Sometimes, you may see a warning from a security agency saying that the site has been taken down. That’s what happened with KickAssTorrents when the US government shut it down.

Finding torrenting sites can also be tricky since regular search engines like Google hide them from the search results due to legal issues. Some extensions, like Chrome's AdBlock, will block you from seeing these sites as well.

If you want to access a torrent site privately, it’s best to do so with a reliable VPN. However, you should always be careful when accessing blocked sites since they’re usually inaccessible for legal reasons. It's important to research the rules and regulations in your location first to see if any torrenting sites have been blocked there.

Are torrent download sites legal?

This depends on the torrent site and your location. You can legally access torrent sites in many countries because torrenting itself is not always illegal. What’s illegal is downloading copyrighted or licensed content. Downloading copyrighted material has legal repercussions in most countries, which can result in users receiving hefty fines.

While some countries allow torrent sites to stand, others are serious about taking them down. Some of the locations that ban torrent sites entirely include: India, Australia, the UK, China, Russia, and some European countries.

I don’t condone illegal torrenting; even if you download something that you think is legal (but isn’t), you can still get in trouble in the open domain. Be sure to check the rules and regulations in your country before you torrent.

How can I access the best private torrent sites?

Usually by either making a donation or receiving an invite (depending on the site). The way to receive invitations is to go to sites like Reddit and 8kun, which have anonymous messaging boards for torrenting. Here, invitations are either given out randomly or by request, so it pays to be persuasive. If you’re looking for a good private torrent site, I recommend IPTorrents.

Stay Safe on Torrenting Sites With a VPN

Finding good torrenting sites on Google can really be a hassle. The search results are usually packed with annoying ads and dangerous links. So, to save you the trouble, I’ve shortlisted the best torrent sites that still work (after much testing and research).

Even the safest torrenting sites come with inherent dangers and could compromise your privacy. That's why it's best to use a trustworthy VPN like ExpressVPN to protect yourself and ensure your data is private. You can stay safe on torrent sites with ExpressVPN risk-free since it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

To summarize, the best VPNs for torrent sites are…