To help you stay safe while you download torrents, I’ve found 10 free, safe, and reliable torrent clients that you can use. I’ve also picked out 3 great VPNs that provide fast speeds while torrenting and keep you safe and completely anonymous. The VPNs I’ve picked out mask your identity, encrypt your activity, and provide fast torrenting speeds. They’re all great, but I suggest that you get ExpressVPN for torrenting as it’s the best option. It’s even backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, you can fully test it and ask for a refund if you’re unsatisfied with its performance. Safely Torrent With ExpressVPN
Short on Time? Here Are the 10 Free Best Torrent Clients in 2023
Best Free and Safe Torrent Clients in 2023
1. qBittorrent
qBittorrent is an ad-free and open-source torrent client. It isn’t the most complex or feature-rich option, but it effectively gets the job done and doesn’t significantly impact your system’s performance. The interface is easy to navigate, and I like qBittorrent’s helpful search engine, which makes it easy to find any files I’m looking for quickly. Plus, qBittorrent offers various useful features like IP filtering, bandwidth scheduling, RSS feed support, media playback, torrent creation, and more. Unlike some other torrent clients here, though, qBittorrent doesn’t support third-party plugins, so you can’t fully customize it to your liking. Also, it’s worthwhile to use ExpressVPN with qBittorrent to make sure that you stay anonymous and ensure others can’t track you from your torrenting activity. Overall, qBittorrent is a reliable open-source torrent client. Also, it’s completely free and doesn’t come bundled with other unnecessary apps, so it’s a solid choice. Visit qBittorrent
2. BitTorrent
BitTorrent not only runs uTorrent, but it also has its own torrent client. It’s similar to uTorrent in many ways, like the interface and pricing for the Pro offerings, but it has its share of unique features and is a reliable option nonetheless. You’ll find many features in BitTorrent, like bandwidth limits, download/upload speed limits, a search function, IP filtering, and more. Its IP filtering is a useful feature that lets you control exactly which IP traffic runs through your network, thus providing some additional safety. Of course, it’s better for security if you get a reliable VPN instead, but this is still a helpful feature. BitTorrent’s interface is simple and easy to navigate, but it has ads that clutter the space sometimes. However, it offers multiple paid offerings to get rid of the ads — such as the Ad-free, Pro, and Pro + VPN plan which includes a subscription to the P2P-friendly VPN CyberGhost. Visit BitTorrent
3. Vuze
Vuze is the torrent client I’d advise getting if you want the most feature-packed and customizable option. It’s not the easiest to master, but advanced users can take advantage of its wide variety of features in many ways. One of the things I like most about Vuze is how customizable it is. It has many settings you can adjust, such as download/upload speeds, bandwidth limits, and more. Vuze’s feature set includes IP filtering, magnet link support, a built-in search engine, and much more. I want to highlight that Vuze isn’t a lightweight torrent client. It takes a lot of system resources, which can lead to slowdowns. Vuze free comes with ads, but you can subscribe to the Vuze Plus plan for an ad-free experience. Also, the Vuze Plus plan includes other features like streaming media while it’s downloading. Overall, Vuze isn’t the most lightweight or user-friendly option here, but it’s perfect if you want a feature-rich torrent client. Visit Vuze
4. Deluge
I consider Deluge a great torrent client for anyone who wants a simple, clean, and powerful torrent client. Not only is Deluge free and open source, but it also comes with a variety of useful features that you can use to customize your experience. Deluge fully supports plugins, meaning you can customize and improve its functionality in many ways. Plus, you can set bandwidth limits, download/ upload speed limits, and more. You can also schedule downloads, set up IP blocking, and view detailed torrent stats. Of course, it’s important to highlight that all the features and plugins make Deluge a bit harder to learn if you’re unfamiliar with torrent clients. What I like most about Deluge is that it’s free, doesn’t come bundled with other software, and doesn’t have any ads. So, while it may take time to master, it’s one of the best options on this list. Visit Deluge
5. BitLord
While BitLord isn’t the sleekest torrent client, it offers a fairly clean and easy-to-use interface that anyone can easily figure out. Plus, it has its share of useful features and customization options, so it stands out in a variety of ways and is worth checking out. Among BitLord’s variety of features is a useful search engine that’ll help you quickly find anything you need. I also like that it automatically makes playlists of any media you download and keeps everything neatly ordered. Of course, it also lets you set bandwidth and speed limitations according to your preferences. BitLord even lets you stream while you download, which is something that Vuze only offers in its paid Plus plan. BitLord is completely free to download and use. It isn’t open source and has its share of ads, but the ads are pretty minimal and don’t clutter the screen too much. Visit BitLord
6. uTorrent
uTorrent is one of the oldest names in the torrenting space and is maintained by BitTorrent. This is a superb torrent client that’s proven its reliability over the years. Also, it’s easy to use, offers a great set of features, and is very lightweight. I want to highlight that uTorrent comes bundled with various other software, but you can simply opt out of installing it during the setup. As far as its features are concerned, uTorrent lets you schedule downloads, set bandwidth and speed limitations, find torrents via the search function, and more. uTorrent fully supports plugins, so you can enhance its capabilities even further if you’re an advanced user. Plus, it lets you stream torrents as they’re being downloaded. uTorrent has ads, but I learned that you can block in-app ads with PIA’s MACE ad blocker and enjoy a clutter-free experience. Overall, though, this is a solid torrent client that’s proven its reliability over the years. Visit uTorrent
7. Tixati
Tixati is a simple, effective, and highly reliable open-source torrent client. It may not be the most feature-packed offering on this list, but it provides everything you’d expect from a well-rounded torrent client. When it comes to features, Tixati offers magnet link support, scheduling, intuitive drag-and-drop options, and even supports connection encryption. One of Tixati’s standout aspects is how much data it shows you while you’re torrenting. It provides full breakdowns of your torrent downloads that are far more detailed than what any other client shows. Alongside everything else, Tixati barely uses system resources, so you won’t notice any slowdowns while using it. Tixati is completely free and doesn’t have any ads, either. So, overall, it’s a solid choice if you want an effective and well-rounded torrent client that checks every single box. Visit Tixati
8. BiglyBT
BiglyBT hasn’t been around as long as the other torrent clients on this list, but it’s a solid choice. Among its major highlights is the VPN detection feature, which helps you easily use a top-quality VPN with BiglyBT to mask your torrenting activity. You’ll be quite pleased with BiglyBT when it comes to features. You can easily search for torrents, subscribe to RSS feeds, leave ratings and comments, and even participate in anonymous chats. Plus, its settings menu lets you set bandwidth and speed limitations. BiglyBT also comes with full support for plugins that you can use to enhance its functionality or further customize it to your liking. Overall, while it might not have the cleanest interface, BiglyBT is a solid torrent client that’ll meet most people’s needs. Visit BiglyBT
9. Transmission
Transmission is a torrent client that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. It’s a great way to get started if you haven’t downloaded torrents before and want an intuitive and reliable torrent client that’ll always get the job done. What I like about Transmission is how easy it is to navigate, even for complete newcomers. The interface is clean and neatly presented, and the settings are all easy to navigate through and configure as well. Also, Transmission lets you adjust all the usual settings like bandwidth limits, peer limits, speed limits, and more. There are also different add-ons that you can get for added functionality, but these aren’t officially supported, and I found that they aren’t that useful. Something you’ll be quite pleased with when using Transmission is that it’s completely ad-free. Plus, it’s open source which gives me a lot of additional confidence in it. Of course, it doesn’t offer some of the advanced features you’d get in clients like Vuze, but it’ll rarely let you down. Visit Transmission
10. WebTorrent Desktop
WebTorrent Desktop is among the more unique torrent clients on this list. What makes this client stand out is the fact that it’s mainly designed for streaming media, which it’s great at. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer many other features that you’d find in a well-rounded torrent client. One of WebTorrent Desktop’s most useful features is that it lets you stream your torrents directly as they download. I also like that it suggests various torrents that you can download and stream as soon as you open the app. Some of its other features include drag-and-drop functionality, peer discovery, and full support for magnet links. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer many other controls. Its settings are very limited, there aren’t as many customization options, and it simply isn’t as powerful as some clients like Vuze. WebTorrent Desktop is open source and has no in-app ads, which I like a lot. Plus, since it isn’t as feature-rich, it’s very lightweight, and you’ll never experience slowdowns. While this client might not meet everyone’s needs, WebTorrent Desktop is a solid choice for anyone who wants a streaming-focused torrent client. Visit WebTorrent Desktop
Tips for Choosing the Best Torrent Client
Not all torrent clients are created equal, so it’s important to pick one with all the necessary features and perfectly fits your needs. The following are the key factors I looked at when picking the best torrent clients:
Ease of use — The best torrent clients come with intuitive designs that make them easy to use, even if you haven’t downloaded torrents before. Customization options — I always prefer torrent clients with customization options because this lets you fine-tune them to your preferences. Device compatibility — Any high-end torrent client is available on various devices, from Windows to Android. Impact on system performance — I only look for torrent clients that don’t significantly slow down my system’s performance. Variety of features — I prioritize torrent clients with useful features like scheduling downloads, support for magnet links, IP blocklisting, and more.
Why You Need a VPN When Using a Torrent Client
A VPN masks your identifying information and keeps you safe while downloading torrents. Downloading torrents is a privacy risk because you can expose identifying information like your IP address to cyber criminals online. If your information is leaked, malicious third parties might track your location or target you with attacks. VPNs also help you get around throttling for the fastest possible download speeds. Some ISPs can throttle torrent download speeds, but a VPN circumvents this by hiding the fact that you’re downloading torrents. So, while it’s important to get a safe and reliable torrent client, it’s also crucial to get a top VPN like ExpressVPN to safeguard yourself.
The Best VPNs for Torrenting in 2023
1. ExpressVPN — Airtight Encryption and Lightning-Fast Speeds for Secure and Quick Torrenting
Key Features: ExpressVPN’s lightning-fast speeds and airtight security make it one of the best VPNs for torrenting. All of its 3000 servers support P2P, meaning you can easily use ExpressVPN to download torrents while staying safe. Plus, since its servers are available in 94 countries, you should have no trouble finding one close to you that’ll provide great download speeds. During tests, ExpressVPN’s download speeds remained consistently impressive. I downloaded Captain Kidd from the public domain, and my speeds remained close to that of my base connection with just a 10-15% decrease. Although, keep in mind that your speeds may vary depending on how many seeders a torrent has. You’ll find that this is one of the best VPNs when it comes to security. ExpressVPN offers a variety of features to keep you safe and secure while torrenting, such as the following:
AES 256-bit encryption — Impenetrable industry-standard encryption that’ll safeguard you online. No-logs policy — Makes sure that none of your online activity is ever stored. DNS leak protection — Ensures that any identifying information about you isn’t leaked online. Kill switch — Disconnects you from the internet to keep you anonymous if the VPN connection drops.
ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer technology guarantees that your browsing activity or logs are never stored. These RAM-based servers lose all their logs and data after every reboot, meaning there’s nothing left for third parties to learn about your torrenting activity. Other useful ExpressVPN features include split tunneling, which lets you decide which apps should run their traffic through the VPN’s network. Split tunneling is great for when you want to download torrents safely but want to surf the web without a VPN to access local websites like banking portals. ExpressVPN offers multiple plans like its monthly, 6-month, and yearly offerings. You can subscribe to it for as low as $6.67/month, and I advise getting the 1-year + 3 months plan as it delivers the best value. Also, you can try ExpressVPN completely risk-free. It’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you’ll have a long time to test it. If you’re unsatisfied with its performance at any time, you can easily get a refund. I tested the guarantee myself and asked for a refund via live chat, which was approved within minutes. I received the refund in my account within the same week. Safely Torrent With ExpressVPN
2. CyberGhost — Comes With P2P-Optimized Servers for Fast Torrent Downloads
Key Features: CyberGhost’s P2P-optimized servers make it one of the best VPNs for torrenting. It has a vast network of over 9633 servers, with P2P-optimized servers in over 70 different locations. The variety of locations means you can easily find a P2P-focused server that’s close by and get fast download speeds. I tested CyberGhost’s P2P-optimized servers and was impressed with the download speeds. When downloading Captain Kidd, I got similar but slightly reduced speeds compared to my connection with ExpressVPN. Privacy is always a risk while downloading torrents, but CyberGhost offers a variety of security and privacy-focused features to keep you safe. These include the following:
AES 256-bit encryption — Safeguards your online activity from prying eyes. DNS leak protection — Protects you by ensuring that any identifying information like your IP address isn’t leaked. Kill switch — Kills the internet connection to keep you anonymous if the VPN connection drops. No-logs policy — Independently audited no-logs policy that guarantees none of your information is logged while using CyberGhost.
One of CyberGhost’s most useful features for torrenting is the built-in adblock tool. Many free torrent clients have in-app ads, but CyberGhost successfully blocks these ads and reduces clutter from the interface. You can simply toggle it on from the settings menu, and it’ll take care of the rest for you. Alongside this, you also get split tunneling, which is useful if you only want your torrenting traffic to go through the VPN. I also found CyberGhost to be quite affordable. It currently offers monthly, 6-month, and 3-year plans, each of which is priced well. Your best bet is to get the 2-year + 2 months plan — at just $2.19/month, it’s the best value for your money. CyberGhost has a 45-day money-back guarantee, the longest of any VPN on this list. So, you can try CyberGhost completely risk-free for over a month and request a refund if you aren’t satisfied with its performance. My experience getting a refund was quite easy — I asked for one over live chat, and it was approved immediately. Afterward, I got my money back during the same week. Safely Torrent With CyberGhost
3. Private Internet Access (PIA) — Delivers Smoother and Safer Torrenting With Its Built-in MACE Ad and Tracker Blocker
Key Features: Private Internet Access (PIA) has a vast network of 35000+ servers in 84 countries and each server fully supports P2P traffic. Plus, it offers an ad and tracker blocker and is the only VPN here with in-app port forwarding, so it’s a solid choice if you’re looking to keep your seeding ratio up. I tested PIA’s servers for torrenting and was impressed with their fast speeds I experienced similar speeds to that of CyberGhost. Again, these speeds will fluctuate depending on seeders and the quality of the torrent site you’re using. There’s a built-in ad and tracker blocker in PIA called MACE, which I found quite useful. uTorrent displays multiple ads, but none of them showed up when I had MACE enabled. Plus, it blocks ads on websites as well, so it’ll improve both your torrenting and browsing experience. PIA is also solid as far as security and privacy are concerned thanks to its useful array of features such as:
AES 256-bit encryption — Military-grade encryption that secures your activity. Kill switch — Protects your anonymity by disconnecting you from the internet if the VPN connection fails. No-logs policy — Never store any of your browsing or torrenting data. DNS leak protection — Prevents identifying information like your IP address from leaking online.
Private Internet Access is the only VPN on this list with in-app port forwarding. Port forwarding improves torrenting speeds, and you can conveniently do it with a single toggle in PIA. Some servers don’t support it, but they’re unavailable if you enable port forwarding. Alongside this, you’ll also get other useful features like split tunneling. If you want an affordable monthly VPN, you’ll like PIA a lot as it offers well-priced monthly, 6-month, and 2-year plans. I advise getting the 2-year + 2 months plan, as it provides the best value with a 82% discount. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee, meaning you can try Private Internet Access completely risk-free. I tested this guarantee by asking for a refund over live chat, which was processed in seconds. Afterward, I received the money in my account in 4 days. Safely Torrent With Private Internet Access
Is using a torrent client legal?
Yes, using a torrent client to download torrents is legal as long as you download files in the public domain. However, it’s important to note that sharing pirated or copyrighted content is illegal in most locations. Every country has its own laws, so I recommend checking your local torrenting laws before downloading any files. My team and I don’t condone illegal activity, so you should only download files in the public domain.
Are torrent clients safe to use?
Yes, there are multiple reliable and safe torrent clients you can download. Of course, there are tons of torrent clients available online, and many of them can contain malware or spyware. So, it’s important to download renowned and trusted torrent clients to stay safe online.
What is the best torrent client for a Mac?
There are multiple great torrent clients that you can get on your Mac, including qBittorrent, BitTorrent, uTorrent, and some others. You’ll find several options on this list that are available for Macs, each of which is safe and reliable.
Which torrent client is the fastest?
It depends. Several factors decide your torrent client’s speeds. You need a quality VPN to get the fastest speeds while downloading torrents. VPNs help improve speeds by preventing throttling by hiding your activity and ensuring that your ISP can’t limit your download speed.
Can I get a virus from a torrent client?
Sometimes yes, if you download a malicious file. While the top torrent clients won’t give you a virus, you might still get infected if you download a malicious file. This is among the big risks when downloading files via torrents, so you should only download them from trusted sources and make sure to use an antivirus program to scan any software you download.
Is there a torrent client for iOS or Android?
Yes, there are torrent clients for Android, but not for iOS. The reliable torrent clients I’ve listed include various options like uTorrent, BitTorrent, and BiglyBT that offer Android apps.
Are there any torrent clients with built-in VPNs?
No, torrent clients don’t come with built-in VPNs. There are some exceptions, though, like how uTorrent offers a safe and reliable CyberGhost VPN with its paid PRO + VPN offering. Nonetheless, it’s always best to have a reliable standalone VPN if you’re using a torrent client to keep yourself safe.
Can I use a free VPN for torrenting?
Maybe, but I don’t recommend it. Even though there are some solid free VPNs you can try, they all come with limitations that make them unsuitable for torrenting. Free VPNs sometimes don’t have P2P support on their servers, so some simply refuse to download torrents. Also, they have much smaller server networks than premium VPNs, thus leading to overcrowding and slower speeds.
Start Torrenting With a VPN and a Free Torrent Client Today!
In conclusion, it’s clear that even the most secure and reliable torrent clients have risks you can’t overlook. While I’ve found multiple safe free torrent clients you can use, it’s important to use a reliable VPN with them to stay safe. A top VPN lets you fully encrypt your activity and remain completely anonymous while torrenting. All of the VPNs on this list effectively keep you safe and anonymous, but I advise that you get ExpressVPN for torrenting because of its top-of-the-line speeds, security, and privacy-focused features. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it as much as you want. If you’re unhappy with its performance, you can claim a refund via live chat in minutes.
