Yes, PrivateVPN is good for torrenting.
It offers full P2P support with dedicated torrenting servers, a SOCKS5 and HTTP Proxy, and a host of customizable encryption options.
4 Reasons Why PrivateVPN Is Good for Torrenting
PrivateVPN has a lot going for it if you’re looking for a VPN that offers safe torrenting.
- For starters, it offers unlimited bandwidth, which is an absolute must for torrenting, considering the enormous amounts of bandwidth required to download a torrent file.
- In line with the huge quantities of bandwidth needed for torrenting, PrivateVPN assigns you a new IP address, so your ISP sees a rise in bandwidth but doesn’t see torrenting activity. This prevents them from throttling your connection.
- Zero-logging means your activity is never tracked, so you have peace of mind knowing your torrenting activities aren’t visible by your ISP. Although the operational location of PrivateVPN is in Sweden, which is a part of the 14 Eyes Alliance, meaning any tracked data could be handed to the government if requested, they do not log any activity.
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If you’re ready to find out more about PrivateVPN for torrenting, including speed tests and torrenting alternatives, keep reading.
PrivateVPN Connection Speeds
Before you invest in a VPN for torrenting, knowing how much your download speeds will differ between the VPN and a direct connection is essential.
I performed speed tests via Ookla, beginning with the speeds experienced without PrivateVPN enabled, and got a 213.49 Mbps download speed.
The UK- London
Next, I chose my nearest server (London UK), which returned different speeds for the following protocols:
OpenVPN
PPTP
L2TP
US - Atlanta
I connected to a server further away, selecting the US Atlanta server location.
Protocols delivered the following results significantly lower than my nearest server but still more than sufficient for a fast torrent download.
OpenVPN
PPTP
L2TP
| Server | Protocol | Download Speed (Mbps) | Speed Loss (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Speed Loss (Mbps) | Ping |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct connection | N/A | 213.49 | N/A | 107.38 | N/A | 3 |
| UK (London) | OpenVPN | 198.29 | -15.2 | 102.79 | -4.59 | 3 |
| UK (London) | PPTP | 173.08 | -40.41 | 96.05 | -11.33 | 4 |
| UK (London) | L2TP | 175.13 | -38.36 | 100.22 | -7.16 | 4 |
| US (Atlanta) | OpenVPN | 100.65 | -112.84 | 88.34 | -19.04 | 181 |
| US (Atlanta) | PPTP | 89.91 | -123.58 | 62.07 | -45.31 | 182 |
| US (Atlanta) | L2TP | 38.95 | -174.54 | 7.13 | -100.25 | 183 |
PrivateVPN Torrenting Speeds
With the default OpenVPN protocol delivering the best speeds among the available protocols, I tested how these performed when downloading a 4.44GB test torrent from Fedora.
UK (London)
The UK London server performed pretty well, with an average download speed of 5.6 MBPS and a maximum of 8.3 MBps, completing the download in less than 10 minutes.
US (Atlanta)
I rerun the test with the same file on the US Atlanta server and received average download speeds of 6.7MBPS and a maximum of 14.1MBps with an ETA of 10:57 minutes.
PrivateVPN Alternatives for Torrenting
If PrivateVPN isn’t hitting the mark, there’s plenty of other VPNs out there that are up to the task of providing safe torrenting.
The following providers have been tried and tested to ensure a solid torrenting experience.
NordVPN is our top PrivateVPN alternative for torrenting.
You’ll enjoy 256-bit encryption, servers optimized for P2P, and blistering-fast server speeds.
Surfshark is a budget-conscious PrivateVPN alternative, with a lightweight app for torrent downloads on your PC and encrypted streams on apps like Popcorn Time and more.
ExpressVPN provides split tunneling, which can route torrenting traffic to a separate tunnel from regular internet traffic.
It includes valuable extras like malware detection and ad blocking, which are helpful scouring sites for torrents you’re unsure of.
It abides by a no-logging policy, and as it’s based in the Virgin Channel Islands, it is outside of the five eyes Alliance jurisdiction.
CyberGhost offers lightning-fast servers that are optimized for activities such as torrenting and streaming.
It operates a no-logs policy and has an internet kill switch that cuts your internet connection if the VPN drops.
Read Also: Best VPN Services With SOCKS5
FAQ
Is PrivateVPN Free?
No, PrivateVPN technically isn’t free.
Sure, you can trial the service before committing to a 12+ month subscription, but you’ll need to provide credit card details to get started.
Here’s how it works: you sign up for PrivateVPN here, follow the steps and pay for 30 days to take the service for a spin.
Although you pay a fee initially, if you’re not 100% satisfied with the service, you can request a full refund after 30 days, giving you peace of mind that you’re not locked into a long-term contract.
Is PrivateVPN Safe?
Yes, PrivateVPN is safe in terms of its DNS leak protection and robust encryption capabilities.
However, for privacy-conscious users, it might not tick the right boxes.
While it offers a zero-logs policy, PrivateVPN operates within the 14 Eyes Alliance territory, meaning they may be required to produce logs to authorities if approached.
Fortunately, though, if PrivateVPN is true to their word of zero-logs, they won’t have any records about your online activity to hand over anyway.
PrivateVPN logs the following information about its users:
- Information related to you and your accounts, such as your username (email address) and password.
- Payment information, including basic billing information required for processing payments and account refunds.
As stated in their privacy policy, PrivateVPN also collects the following secondary information:
- “Verifying your identity when you log in to our site or are using our Service.
- Completing your order.
- Internal record keeping and improvement to our Site.
- Sending promotional e-mails for services we think might interest you (please note that you can opt out of this at any time).
- To communicate with you about your VPN Service or respond to your communications.
- Analyzing the usage of our Site to better understand how our visitors use the Site and our Service.”
Where Is PrivateVPN Based?
PrivateVPN is based in Sweden and operates its network with servers available in the UK, USA, and Canada.
With 200+ servers locations in 63 countries.
Can I Get Caught Torrenting With PrivateVPN?
Technically yes, you could get caught torrenting with PrivateVPN, although it’s doubtful.
No VPN provides 100% online anonymity, but with military-grade encryption, PrivateVPN comes pretty close, so the risk of getting caught is incredibly low.
Conclusion
PrivateVPN is a solid option for safe torrenting.
Its SOCKS5 and HTTP proxy ensure a seamless torrenting experience.
While PrivateVPN operates from Sweden, part of the 14 Eyes Alliance, they employ a robust no-logging policy that ensures your online activity is never recorded.
The top PrivateVPN alternative is NordVPN, as it offers a zero-logs approach and provides servers optimized for P2P.
Your ticket to safer online torrenting is here!
