Yes, PureVPN is good for torrenting! How do I know? I put the VPN to the test.
PureVPN boasts multiple features that make it a great VPN for torrenting, including several P2P-friendly servers, unlimited bandwidth, and fast speeds.
It’s also compatible with most torrent clients, including uTorrent, BitTorrent, and Vuze.
If you want to download torrents safely and privately, PureVPN has you covered!
Find out more below…
What Makes PureVPN Good for Torrenting?
PureVPN’s making a big name for itself in the VPN market and boasts several important features for good torrenting.
I focus on the most prominent features below.
- Several P2P servers in multiple locations. PureVPN offers P2P support on several of its 6500+ servers and even has a P2P server section on its PC apps. These servers translate to fast upload and download speeds, making them ideal for torrenting!
- Compatibility with torrent clients. PureVPN works seamlessly with most popular torrent clients like uTorrent, BitTorrent, and Vuze. Thus, ensuring you’re not limited to a single torrenting app.
- Independently audited no-logs policy. The VPN service offers a solid no-logs policy verified by third-party audits. This helps guarantee anonymity during and after torrenting.
- Automatic kill switch. This security measure prevents IP, DNS, and data leaks to your ISP/copyright trolls if the VPN connection drops. It works by automatically blocking web traffic, closing gaps for security breaches while torrenting.
- PC + multi-platform support. PureVPN has user-friendly apps for PCs (Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebooks) and Android/iOS devices. Fortunately, you can torrent on all these devices at once since it allows for ten simultaneous connections.
- Split tunneling support. This bonus feature allows torrent users to create two data tunnels; one for encrypting internet traffic and another that bypasses the VPN tunnel. So, you can run torrents through the VPN software while accessing, say, your banking app using a normal connection.
- In-app port forwarding. PureVPN’s port forwarding feature encourages faster download speeds and is essential for torrent seeding. Unfortunately, it costs extra ($0.99/mo).
- Fast torrenting speeds. PureVPN eliminates the frustration of slow torrenting by offering fast speeds via the lightweight WireGuard protocol. But more on speed in the next section!
PureVPN Torrenting Speed Tests
To check PureVPN’s torrenting speeds, I tested nearby and faraway P2P server connections. As you’re about to see, PureVPN offers fast speeds for downloading.
Continue reading to learn more.
Collecting My Baseline Data
I first gathered baseline data to compare how well PureVPN performs for torrenting.
So, I used uTorrent to download a 1.13 GB copyright-free film without VPN protection.
Here are my results.
| DATA CATEGORY | RESULTS |
|---|---|
| File Size | 1.13 GB |
| P2P Server Location | None |
| Download Time | 34m 44s |
| Max Download Speed | 670 KB/s |
| Average Download Speed | 580.5 KB/s |
In a nutshell, I downloaded a 1.13 GB file in 34 minutes with an average download speed of 580.5 KB/s.
Next, I connected to two PureVPN P2P servers. I’ll compare these download speeds with my base speed below.
Let’s get cracking.
Testing PureVPN for Torrenting on My Nearest P2P Server
I’m located in South Africa, where there are PureVPN servers.
Unfortunately, none are P2P-friendly.
So, for this test, I connected to the Angola server (since it’s the closest that will support torrenting) and downloaded the same file as my base test.
See the results:
| DATA CATEGORY | RESULTS |
|---|---|
| File Size | 1.13 GB |
| P2P Server Location | Angola |
| Download Time | 25m 30s |
| Max Download Speed | 975 KB/s |
| Average Download Speed | 788.4 KB/s |
While most VPNs slow you down, PureVPN’s Angola server increased average download speeds by 35% and downloaded the 1.13 GB file in 25 minutes!
This shows that my ISP throttles my torrent and streaming speeds.
But with PureVPN masking my torrent activity, my ISP was none the wiser.
Moving on.
Testing PureVPN for Torrenting on the Fastest Recommended P2P Server
To test PureVPN’s remote P2P connection, I connected to the fastest recommended server, which is in Belgium.
| DATA CATEGORY | RESULTS |
|---|---|
| File Size | 1.13 GB |
| P2P Server Location | Belgium |
| Download Time | 30m 28s |
| Max Download Speed | 1.2 MB/s |
| Average Download Speed | 654.3 KB/s |
This server also yielded faster speeds than my base connection!
But it wasn’t as fast as my nearest server in Angola.
An average download speed of 654.3KB/s prompted a 30-minute file delivery even though peers were scarce!
Now, let’s compare!
PureVPN Torrenting Speed Test Results (The Bottom Line)
Have my speed results been a lot to process?
This comparison table should provide clarity:
| MAX DOWNLOAD SPEED | AVERAGE DOWNLOAD SPEED | DOWNLOAD TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline Data | 670 KB/s | 580.5 KB/s | 34m 44s |
| Nearest Server | 975 KB/s | 788.4 KB/s | 25m 30s |
| Fastest Remote Server | 1.2 MB/s | 654.3 KB/s | 30m 28s |
The bottom line’s that PureVPN, like any VPN, can slow a connection – but usually without a huge notable difference in performance.
In my case, it increased average torrenting speeds by at least 23%.
I’m happy!
How to Download Torrents With PureVPN?
Downloading torrents with PureVPN is easy for the most part, but the process differs depending on the torrent client you use.
There are also multiple ways to use PureVPN for torrenting.
This section focuses on “traditional” methods. You may also be interested in binding your torrent client to PureVPN, which I’ll discuss further down.
Right, let’s start!
How to Download Torrents With PureVPN and uTorrent?
uTorrent’s one of the easiest torrenting clients to use and pairs well with PureVPN for seamless, safe downloads.
Here’s how you can get your torrent VPN connection running:
- Purchase a PureVPN subscription and create an account.
- Download and install the PureVPN app on your device.
- Open the app and log in with your account credentials.
- Click on the settings cog in the bottom left corner.
- Enable the internet kill switch by clicking the “Enable IKS” toggle.
- Click on the “Protocol” menu and ensure WireGuard’s selected.
- Click on the globe icon to display server options. Click on “P2P” to see available P2P servers.
- Connect to your preferred P2P server.
- Use dnsleak.com to ensure there are no IP leaks.
- Go to uTorrent and download the free or paid-for torrent client.
- Go to your preferred torrenting website to download the file/s you want (I used The Pirate Bay). Click on “Download” or “Download magnet link.”
- The uTorrent application will open automatically, and you’ll be prompted to accept the download. Click “Open uTorrent.”
- A dashboard will appear where you can adjust download settings to your preference. You can adjust these settings or click on “OK” for a standard download.
- I continued with a standard download for this demonstration.
- Your download will start automatically.
How to Download Torrents With PureVPN and BitTorrent?
- Purchase a PureVPN subscription and create an account.
- Follow steps 2-9 from the uTorrent guide above.
- Go to BitTorrent to download the free or paid-for torrent client.
- Launch the BitTorrent app.
- Go to your preferred torrenting website to download the file/s you want (I used The Pirate Bay). Copy the link of the file you want to download.
- Open your BitTorrent dashboard and click Torrents > Add torrent.
- Paste the download link you copied from the torrenting site into the “paste magnet or torrent link here” field. Click “Add torrent.”
- The following menu will appear:
- Enable/disable the checkboxes to your preference. Click “Add” so your file can automatically start downloading.
How to Download Torrents With PureVPN and Vuze?
- Purchase a PureVPN subscription and create an account.
- Follow steps 2-9 from the uTorrent guide above.
- Go to the Vuze website to download the free or paid-for torrenting client.
- Follow the prompts to complete the Vuze installation on your device.
- Go to your preferred torrenting website to download torrent files (I used The Pirate Bay). Click on “Download” or “Download magnet link.”
- The Vuze application will open automatically and you’ll be prompted to accept the download. Click “Open Vuze Launcher.”
- Your file will start downloading automatically:
Enjoy torrenting on a reliable, private server network!
How to Bind PureVPN IP to Torrent Download Clients?
In the previous section, I advised you to enable PureVPN’s kill switch when using PureVPN with each client.
This ensures your connection shuts down if the VPN disconnects by accident.
As a result, your IP address won’t leak if things go pear-shaped.
While PureVPN’s kill switch works flawlessly, some torrent users prefer to bind their IP to torrent download clients. In other words, you instruct it to use the VPN’s network interface only.
Basically, if there’s no active VPN connection, your torrent traffic will come to a halt (and save your data from leaking).
Not all torrent clients support IP binding, but uTorrent (except for macOS) and Vuze do. My personal favorite is uTorrent, which I use on Windows.
Here’s how you can Bind PureVPN to uTorrent:
- Open your PureVPN app and connect to a server.
- Make a note of the server’s IP address.
- Launch uTorrent and go to Options > Preferences > Advanced.
- Type “ip” in the filter search field.
- Click “net.bind_ip” in the results.
- Enter your VPN IP address in the Value field.
- Click “Set.”
- Click on “net.outgoing_ip” in the results and enter your VPN IP in the Value field.
- Click “Set.”
- Click “OK.”
- Restart the uTorrent client.
How to Download Torrents Using PureVPN's Port Forwarding?
- Purchase a PureVPN subscription and create an account.
- Purchase port forwarding as an add-on to your VPN service.
- Download and install the PureVPN app on your device and connect to a P2P server.
- Login to your online PureVPN account and click on the “Port forwarding” tab.
- Enable the option “Enable specific ports” and enter a port number into the value field. The best port for uTorrent is anything above 10000. Click “Apply Settings.”
- Launch uTorrent and click Options > Preferences > Connections.
- Enter the port number set in your PureVPN account.
- Uncheck “Enable UPnP port mapping,” “Enable NAT-PMP port mapping,” and “Randomize port each time uTorrent[Bittorrent] starts.”
- Click “Apply.”
What Are the Best PureVPN Servers for Torrenting?
PureVPN has several P2P-friendly servers that support torrenting.
Study this table for a list of the best-suggested locations:
| Afghanistan | Algeria | Angola | The Bahamas | Bahrain | Bangladesh | Barbados | Belgium |
| Bermuda | Bolivia | BVI | Brunei Darussalam | Bulgaria | Cayman Islands | Turkey | Chile |
| Denmark | Estonia | Germany | Kenya | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Moldova |
| Monaco | Netherlands | Nigeria | Norway | Oman | Panama | Portugal | Puerto Rico |
| Romania | Russia | Serbia | Sweden |
What’s PureVPN's Copyright Policy?
PureVPN’s copyright policy believes in the intellectual property rights of others and doesn’t endorse sharing copyrighted material without permission.
The GZ Systems company also states that it expects its users to respect these rights, according to the following:
“We strongly discourage our Users from engaging in any activity that can be construed as copyright and/or trademark infringement.”
The provider also highlights its right to disable and/or terminate an account that’s used to repeatedly infringe intellectual property rights.
While this policy should be taken seriously, it’s also possible that it’s there to protect the VPN provider from copyright trolls.
Help! PureVPN Isn’t Working With Torrents (Troubleshooting)
Is PureVPN not working for your torrents? One or more culprits may be throwing a stick in the works!
Follow this troubleshooting guide to try and eliminate the issue/s:
- Check your internet connection. If your connection is slow or unstable, PureVPN won’t perform at its full capacity. Consider upgrading your internet plan if your connection speed doesn’t improve with a reset.
- Ensure you’re connected to a P2P server. Not all PureVPN’s servers are P2P-friendly, and some that are may be under maintenance. It’s best to try several of the provider’s P2P-listed servers to find one that works best for you.
- Switch to the WireGuard protocol. If you’ve switched to the OpenVPN protocol, expect to experience slower torrenting speeds. Switch back to WireGuard, PureVPN’s default protocol, for faster downloads without compromising security.
- Update and/or refresh all apps. You may find that updating your PureVPN application and torrent client enhances file-sharing. Sometimes, all that’s needed is a quick reset or refresh to clear a backlog of data or outdated processes.
- Contact customer support. Fortunately, PureVPN offers a Live Chat option that quickly connects users to customer support agents. This fast and efficient service can provide tailored solutions to help safe torrent downloads.
As with most software, trial-and-error can be the name of the game. Don’t let this deter you from applying the best digital security!
FAQs
Is It Legal to Use PureVPN for Torrenting?
It’s completely legal to use PureVPN for torrenting.
VPN usage isn’t illegal and won’t get you into trouble.
However, downloading copyrighted material is frowned upon in most countries.
If you’re caught torrenting licensed content without permission, you could land yourself in hot water with the authorities.
That’s All, Folks!
I think we can all agree that PureVPN is one of the best VPN providers for torrenting. From military-grade encryption and DNS leak protection to P2P file sharing support in multiple locations, there’s not much to complain about (unless you’re an advocate for free port forwarding and SOCKS5)!
I hope this guide gives you peace of mind and that you feel at ease purchasing your PureVPN plan. Remember, you can always use the provider’s 31-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied.
Need more convincing? Read PureVPN Review: Features, Price & My Verdict.
