If you’ve been searching for a VPN for torrenting, you’ve probably seen the name “NordVPN” mentioned at least a few times. That’s because it’s considered one of the most torrent-friendly VPNs at the moment by many users.
NordVPN has a friendly policy towards torrenting. It provides fast download speeds thanks to its servers specially designed for P2P. On top of that, it has essential features that make torrenting easier and safer.
Overall, NordVPN strikes an optimal balance between security and speed, making it our top recommendation for torrent VPNs.
- Allows torrenting
- It doesn't save user data (proven)
- Located in Panama (neutral location)
- P2P servers with great download speeds
- All the necessary tools for safe torrenting
- At times, the process of connecting to a server may take slightly longer than usual
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Does NordVPN Allow BitTorrent Traffic?
NordVPN allows torrenting, and users can be sure of that within the application itself. The most obvious indicator is the space dedicated to P2P in the software. The fact that they provide servers built to download torrents is an obvious indicator of their stance on file-sharing.
How to Torrent With NordVPN
The process of downloading torrents with NordVPN is simple. Following these steps will ensure a safe torrenting experience.
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Get a NordVPN subscription
To use the software, you first need an account with NordVPN. Head over to the checkout page and choose a plan that suits you.
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Install and configure NordVPN for optimal torrent downloads
After properly installing the VPN software and logging in, you should configure it to download torrents safely. The main steps are turning the kill switch on and choosing a safe protocol. In the settings tab, you will find both options.
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Connect to a P2P server
Now it’s time to connect to a server that allows torrenting downloads. Select one in the “P2P” tab. Those are the ones that allow torrent downloads.
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Start Torrenting
You are now protected behind a NordVPN server with its own IP address and an encrypted connection. You can look for your torrents, open your BitTorrent Client, and start downloading.
Servers
NordVPN has more than 5200 servers spread across 59 countries. But BitTorrent traffic is only allowed in some of them.
They have built special servers for torrenting to achieve faster and more stable speeds than the standard ones. As you probably already guessed, I only tested servers that allow P2P traffic.
It’s easy to identify the servers where you can download torrents. Users can find them on the “P2P” tab and select one of them, as I showed in the torrent instructions above.
There’s a lot more to discuss regarding these servers. Read our post about NordVPN’s P2P servers to see a list of their locations and learn how to choose the best ones.
Security Features
NordVPN has a long list of safety features, which makes it ideal for the most safety-conscious users. I will not discuss every tool because not all are relevant to this review. Instead, I will go over those that are relevant to torrenting.
Kill Switch
The kill switch is essential for torrenting with a VPN since it prevents your real IP address from leaking if the connection with the VPN server is suddenly lost. It automatically suspends your Internet connection if the VPN goes down. In other words, it guarantees that your identity doesn’t leak while the VPN is offline.
Recently, with the release of the NordVPN 7.3 update, they added another version of this tool. Now they offer three kill switch options:
Default: This is the default version. It blocks all internet traffic if the VPN connection is lost.
Strict (latest addition): This more advanced version blocks all internet traffic when there is no VPN connection (even if the user turns it off).
App kill switch: This kill switch only blocks internet traffic for specific apps rather than all internet traffic.
In our extensive post about the NordVPN kill switch, you can learn how to use each of these options and find out which one is the best for you.
DNS Leak Protection
This security feature ensures that your DNS requests always go through the VPN server and do not leak to your ISP.
NordVPN uses its own DNS servers, making a DNS leak impossible. You can even insert custom DNS servers if you want, but we strongly recommend leaving it as it is and using NordVPN’s DNS servers.
It’s good to see this option. Some VPN services use your default DNS servers, leaving you open to snooping by whoever hosts them (hint: it’s often your ISP!).
Encryption and Protocols
The software lets you choose between OpenVPN and the NordLynx protocol. The NordLynx protocol was developed by NordVPN, and it’s an improvement of WireGuard.
The software uses an AES-256-CBC encryption cipher, which is very modern and one of the most robust options available.
Socks5 Proxy
This more advanced feature allows you to route your traffic through a NordVPN server and an additional proxy server. Even though some users like to add an extra layer of security with the proxy server, I don’t think it’s necessary; the regular NordVPN already uses top-notch security protocols.
The proxy is included in every plan of NordVPN, so you can try it out and see if you like it or not. Here is our NordVPN socks5 proxy guide to help you set it up.
Price
Recently, there was a major change in the subscription plans thanks to the new tools NordVPN provides. The lowest price is for the standard plan, which costs $99.63 for a period of two years, plus three extra months. That makes an average of $3.69 per month. Compared to other popular providers in the market, the standard deal is very affordable, only beaten by a few budget VPNs.
Keep in mind that NordVPN has different subscription plans for their various services. You’ll pay more if you want their password manager and encrypted cloud storage. For torrenting purposes, the standard plan is more than enough.
If the service doesn’t work out for you, there’s always the possibility of requesting a refund. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee policy, with no questions asked.
Security Tests
For an extended period, we performed daily tests to verify if NordVPN’s security features worked as they should. These are some of the tests we’ve made:
Basic IP Test
The following is the IP address detected when connected to one of NordVPN’s servers in the Netherlands.
The test came out clean, with the detected IP being the one from the NordVPN server, not my actual IP address.
DNS leak test
Again, no leaks whatsoever. The DNS request was made through NordVPN’s DNS servers.
Torrent address IP detection
The final test I am showing you is detecting the IP being used when downloading torrents.
Like every test we performed with NordVPN, this one also showed the IP address from the VPN server.
Download Speed Test
As you can verify in the screenshots below, my regular Internet connection achieved 299.75 Mbps. After connecting to a VPN server in the Netherlands, it reached 282.58 Mbps. That represents a speed loss of about 6%.
I was very surprised at these results. Usually, when connecting to a VPN server, the speed loss is considerably higher than 6%. As a tip, try connecting to servers in a nearby country. You’re more likely to lose speed the farther away you are from the server.
Compatibility
The software is compatible with the major Operating Systems and devices, such as Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Linux, Android, etc. You can check every device available here.
Regardless of the platform, users can connect to the service with six devices simultaneously. For example, you can connect to NordVPN with the same account with a laptop, smartphone, smart TV, and gaming console. And there would still be enough connections for a couple of family members.
NordVPN Company
To be considered safe to download torrents, a VPN must follow a few good practices that ensure the user’s safety. NordVPN does this and a bit more. Let’s analyze some details that make me believe that NordVPN is one of the best options for torrenting with safety.
Company Location
NordVPN S.A. is a company based in Panama. That’s good news because this country doesn’t have data retention laws. Because of that, it would be very tough to legally coerce the VPN company to provide logs of their user’s activity. Even if a government agency tried to do so, NordVPN could deny such a request.
Staying away from jurisdictions known for strict data retention laws is always a good idea when looking for a safe VPN.
No Logging Policy
One of the essential details of a VPN that aims to be torrent-friendly is its no-logging policy. And according to NordVPN’s privacy policy, they do not keep logs of their user’s activity.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) AG, a famous and neutral audit company, recently confirmed this policy claim. They got permission to scrutinize NordVPN’s servers and apps to ensure that no logs were being kept. In other words, they got permission to see everything NordVPN sees, and found nothing. You can read more about NordVPN’s audit in our post about this subject.
Being a true no-logging VPN provider is excellent news for those who want to torrent securely. It means that NordVPN can’t see or give away any information about their user’s activity, even if legally coerced to do so.
Pros and Cons of Torrenting with NordVPN
Most users will find NordVPN to be an excellent option. However, it does have a few things to watch out for. Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of NordVPN when it comes to torrenting:
What we like about NordVPN
What could be improved
Conclusion
NordVPN did a great job hiding our torrenting activity and keeping it private. It passed every security test we performed without a single leak. It has essential tools that allow users to increase their anonymity even further.
On top of that, everything is very straightforward. The NordVPN app is easy to use; the tools are well organized and easy to find.
When it comes to the NordVPN company itself, there is a double protection that gives me peace of mind. First, it is registered in Panama, which does not have data retention laws. Second, as a result, they are not required to save activity logs. Knowing that my data is not being saved makes me feel much safer when torrenting.
The NordVPN service is one of the most reliable options for downloading torrents. It’s no coincidence that it’s at the top of our list of recommendations for torrenting.
FAQs
Torrenting should work with NordVPN, even with the default settings. If it’s not working, make sure you select a torrent that has seeders. You should also verify if you are connected to a server that allows torrent downloads. Those are tagged with P2P.
Sometimes a torrent may download slower than average with NordVPN. The solution is often changing to a better VPN server. Select a torrent optimized server in a country close to you. Changing protocols may also help to increase speed.
NordVPN does not allow port forwarding. While port forwarding can benefit some users, it can also be a security risk. NordVPN’s decision not to allow port forwarding shows their commitment to providing a safe and secure service.