6 Best Tools to download torrents anonymously
They are similar to Seedbox, but not all of them can seed back. As for privacy, it seems each service has its own privacy policy, so make sure to use the correct ones.
Torrenting Anonymously – The Safe and Easy Way
Torrenting is the process of downloading bits and pieces of files from different sources and combining them together to form a complete file. Since this service allows more than one source to download files, it’s fairly popular throughout the world. Despite the success of streaming services like Netflix and Disney, using torrent client applications to download torrents is still a big thing.
A ton of people use torrenting technology to download large files from the internet for free.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at how you can torrent safely by using a VPN with P2P apps and a torrent app.
What Does It Mean To Engage in Safe Torrenting?
To “torrent anonymously” means to use network security software, enhanced security settings and utilize different devices to make it impossible for an outsider to follow your BitTorrent activity.
With the end goal being to download torrents anonymously, you should have an unknown IP Address and encrypted data transfer. An encrypted data transfer keeps anybody from seeing your web activity.
How To Torrent Without Exposing Your Internet Traffic
The world of torrents and downloading can accompany a side effect. There are numerous law enforcement authorities that look to bring down torrent sites and collect data on the individuals who were utilizing and adding to the download stream.
While downloading torrents safely isn’t unlawful, individuals who want to torrent safely would prefer to not have to worry about “all rights reserved” copyright trolls and the accompanying stress. Due to this desire to torrent anonymously, many torrenters are taking steps to conceal their data and privacy from such entities.
Best Methods to Ensure Your Internet Traffic and Real IP Address Remain Private
Use Anomos
To keep things simple, you should think of Anomos as a torrent client. It’s different from other torrent clients in the sense that it uses end-to-end encryption to make sure torrenting activities are safe from snooping.
The concept remains the same if you already know how to use a torrent. There are peers and trackers that keep things moving in terms of downloading and uploading files.
For even more privacy and security, Anomos uses onion routing as well. This gives users the advantage of using two encryptions instead of one.
As far as the app itself is concerned, most torrenters will find the user interface friendly and easy to use. The best part about using Anomos is that it’s an open-source software application. Therefore, if you know Python you can check everything the client is doing in the background. Also, it’s free.
Anomos also sets itself apart from the rest of the competition by offering full support for VPN services. You’ll have to read a bit further to learn more about how VPNs come into play here but for now just know that downloading with VPN services can not only make your file transfers safer and more private but also speedier if you connect to the right server.
The one negative we have to mention here is that Anomos doesn’t play well with .torrent files but it does work with .atorrent files. Since you won’t find a popular torrent site that supports the .atorrent format, we recommend that if you’re going to use Anomos then download the normal .torrent files from your favorite torrent site and then use a .torrent to .atorrent converter on the internet.
Seedbox
To keep things simple, think of Seedbox as a remote server which helps P2P users get things done. It uses the almost ubiquitous BitTorrent protocol to help users download and upload files from popular torrent sources.
Data centers located around the world run these virtual private servers or VPSs which in turn act as Seedboxes. There’s nothing stopping a service from providing physical Seedbox servers but that’s not the most efficient or cheapest way to go about things.
The main advantage of using Seedbox servers over other downloading applications is that Seedbox gives users a good amount of bandwidth to work with which helps them download faster.
High speeds usually mean you can complete your file faster and then close the torrent client in as little time as possible. As for the distance between the Seedbox server and your physical machine, it doesn’t really matter. The fact that you use zero bandwidth of your own is a huge plus.
To make sure that you have the proper privacy and security you need to download files from the internet at high speeds, Seedbox helps hide your original IP address. When that happens, no one including your internet service provider can see what you’re doing on the internet.
It may know that you’re using Seedbox servers but it won’t know for what purpose. This gives you privacy which has become a privilege rather than a right in modern times.
Additionally, Seedbox servers usually use HTTPS connections as well. These enable encryption on your connection and are an extra layer of protection keeping your internet service provider and government agencies from tracking your activities and using that data against you.
The only problem is that Seedbox servers aren’t free. If you want good performance then you’ll have to pay around $5 per month. You can bring the cost down by not signing up for a powerful or fast VPS but that would ruin the downloading process for you. You can even pay $50 per month for servers that offer high speeds and huge storage capacities.
Download With VPN (Virtual Private Network)
When searching for an approach to torrent anonymously, a VPN is your best security against copyright infringement. By setting up a safe P2P tunnel, it secures information transmission with safeguard encryption and adequately shields you from lawful inconveniences.
Torrenting with a VPN can give you quicker data transfer speeds. A portion of the top VPNs have servers that are specifically designed for torrenting. Additionally, since VPNs utilize 256-bit encryption, you can shield your information exchange from hackers as well as anonymize your online activities once you connect to a server.
Along these lines, your online personality isn’t imperiled when you’re doing your routine P2P document sharing activities. So you can do anonymous torrenting without agonizing over any legal issues.
The fact is that the VPN market is flooded. It’s become very hard for torrenters to know which VPN service will help them secure their data and guard their identity. Even among the elite VPNs that all offer advanced security features such as multiple protocols, lots of servers and military-grade encryption, it can become hard to know which one will fit your needs best.
You can click here to cut out all of these problems and read about the best Torrent VPNs.
All the VPNs on this list come with money-back guarantees so you don’t have to put your money on the line while signing up for any one of them.
In any case, whatever VPN you end up picking, just make sure it offers a kill switch feature. If you want privacy while torrenting, the kill switch feature is the most important feature of them all. The only other feature that comes close is high-speed servers.
You need good download speeds for quickly completing files via torrents but you also need a kill switch feature for hiding your real IP address from other torrent users at all times.
A kill switch will make sure that your activity and real IP address are never revealed because it will cut the internet connection if the connection to the VPN server is lost. A kill switch is vital when torrenting.
In other words, it makes sure that even when you don’t have VPN protection, no one can look at your data or your history of online activities. So make sure you put the kill switch feature over all other VPN features.
Use Antivirus Software
What does using an antivirus product have to do with torrenting privately? Well, the thing about downloading torrents from the internet is that it’s not always a smooth process. Even if you’ve invested in the best VPN there is for torrenting and you’ve taken all the necessary precautions, you can still get hurt.
How? By downloading a torrent file that has malware in it. If you haven’t installed a good antivirus product, your machine won’t be able to fight against a virus. If a hacker takes over your machine using malware, there isn’t much a VPN can do about it. Additionally, ransomware attacks are on the rise everywhere.
This is important:
All you have to do is use an antivirus product in addition to a VPN to protect yourself.
Also, unlike VPNs, there are a ton of good free antivirus products.
Use a Proxy Server
Proxy servers can assist in hiding your real IP address and can hide your activity from your internet service provider. Unfortunately, the vast majority of proxy services, whether they’re free or not, don’t work.
When it comes to torrenting, you really don’t want to put your privacy even at a slight risk because your internet service provider doesn’t need a whole lot of encouragement to spy on you. Therefore, we’d recommend using a proxy server as a very last resort.
How Does a VPN Keep Torrenting Safe?
With BitTorrent, peers are connected through their IP addresses, which means any BitTorrent client can see the IP locations of other people who are sharing files.
The ideal method for getting around this is to utilize a trustworthy VPN, which will permit an alternate IP address to show up as yours. This will enable you to guarantee that nobody approaches your actual IP address and that your BitTorrent movement can never be followed back to you.
You can discover probably the most vigorous and trustworthy VPNs for torrent use. It’s critical to pick a decent one since some VPNs don’t permit torrenting, while others have extraordinary servers committed to it.
How To Choose the Best VPN for Downloading Torrents
Choosing a VPN to download torrent anonymously isn’t a simple task. There are a few requirements to look for when picking a VPN exclusively for torrenting. Here are the most imperative ones:
- Location: Preferably outside the U.S. and 5, 9 and 14 Eyes countries.
- Logging Policy: Preferably a VPN that doesn’t gather ANY logs.
- Speed: A VPN that’s quick enough to download large files.
- Torrenting Policy: A VPN that permits torrenting.
Individuals using a VPN to download torrents anonymously can conceal their movement from their ISP while setting up an extra layer of security against digital criminals who are hoping to misuse them.
But VPNs like Hoxx VPN and Hola VPN penalize clients and boycott torrenting, constraining their web opportunity all the while. That’s the reason clients who are looking to torrent anonymously need to know which VPNs will meet their needs and which won’t.
VPN Alternatives To Download Torrents Anonymously
T here may be VPNs that can keep you anonymous while torrenting. However, it doesn’t hurt to know that there’s more than one service you can choose from to keep downloading torrents anonymously. Those services can’t replace a VPN but can serve in the place of a VPN if one isn’t available to safely download torrents.
The majority of VPN alternatives cost a premium per month for downloading torrents anonymously. However, there are free ones available on the internet. We’ll be covering both the paid and free alternatives to make sure you understand the pros and cons of each type.
Other Options to Download Torrents Anonymously
If you don’t want to pay for a VPN, you may want to think about using Tor. Tor is like a VPN that passes your activity through a few volunteer “servers” while dispersing your IP address.
Tor is best for simple browsing and other low-data transfer activities.
Another application to download torrent anonymously is Peerblock. It’s a work area firewall with a frequently refreshed bundle of blocked IP addresses. These IP addresses are connected with networks that attempt to track your activity on the web.
From that point forward, clients must pay to keep them refreshed. It’s improbable that the blocked bundle could contain each conceivable IP address for copyright trolls and law authorization.
Stay Alert When Downloading Torrents
It’s natural to quickly select websites when torrenting.
This is important:
However, you must conceal your actual IP address when visiting any sites identified with your torrent activities. This incorporates sites like local restaurants, torrent-related gatherings, films and so on.
Many users ignore this and just focus on concealing their IP address when attempting to download torrent files at high speed. There’s less awareness for playing it safe while anonymously torrenting since one can uncover their IP address while torrenting.
Worst VPN When Downloading Torrent Files
There are a few reasons which force you to select a paid VPN while attempting to download torrents anonymously. Since free VPNs are readily available on the web they may be tempting to use, but you should steer clear of them.
Free VPNs keep logs of your online activity and don’t give you full anonymity.
Additionally, these VPNs don’t guarantee fast speeds for torrenters. You would bargain on speed and anonymity while downloading your most loved motion picture or TV series – this can cost you beyond all doubt. Therefore, free VPNs don’t work with anonymous torrenting. Nevertheless, the top-notch paid VPNs support the entire process.
Penalties for Torrenting Without VPN Services
In the past, BitTorrent users have faced challenges. The probability of the punishment of downloading a torrent without anonymity is somewhat high. By the late 2000s, torrent websites were sued for publishing pirated content on their websites.
These activities were highly condemned as it felt like people in authority were harassing teens who sought entertainment over the internet. Those who download torrents anonymously are potentially on the verge of lawsuits and should stay aware of their activities on the web.
Copyright Trolls
Organizations don’t run after torrenters themselves. They give this task to copyright trolls. After finding someone distributing or downloading copyrighted materials, these copyright trolls approach the copyright holder and legal action is taken against torrent websites.
With legal leverage and a list of names, the copyright trolls then go after torrenters via email or even by going door to door and handing out settlement letters. Copyright trolls use intimidation, fear and shame to make torrent users pay without ever going to court.
A common tactic is to threaten to sue for over $100,000 but only asking for $3,000 or so in the settlement. That makes the $3,000 look like a good deal, but going to court is costly and risky for them, so don’t give in if you receive such a letter.
Penalties by ISPs
If you’re a frequent user of downloading torrents, your ISP can apply penalties to you. Since torrenting takes up a lot of bandwidth ISPs want it to stop since the more bandwidth you use, the more costs the ISP incurs. Most ISPs even serve notices from copyright holders to ban torrent websites. This leads to no leverage being provided to the user to download torrents anonymously.
Conclusion
Many people are employing the best VPNs for torrenting to upgrade their internet security with information assurance.
A VPN anchors your information through the help of cutting-edge encryption and protocols.
If a hacker goes into your system and attempts to get to the data, he’ll just see scrambled pieces of code. This guarantees the level of security a VPN provides to finish the procedure.
Torrenting is a progressive innovation for exchanging files. This blog explains the entire mechanism of torrenting. Therefore, torrenting is global!
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6 Best Tools to download torrents anonymously
Serious file-sharing enthusiasts know the importance of privacy while torrenting. Since the protocol is inherently public, it’s a good idea to mask your identity as much as possible.
And there are a number of tools that can do that for you. And more still that claim to, or have been touted on internet forums as useful.
This article will settle the argument once and for all. Which tools actually useful, and which ones aren’t.
Key Takeaways (best tool?)
While most of these tools and methods offer some benefit, a VPN is the clear winner. A high-quality SOCKS proxy is also a decent backup option. Seedboxes are the only other contender but they’re too pricy and complicated for the casual user.
Best Options:
- a Non-logging VPN service:PIA, NordVPN or IPVanish
- Non-logging SOCKS proxy: All the above VPNs also include SOCKS
- Seedbox (pricey but powerful)
- i2P (or Tor) – Slow, but free
The vast majority of torrenters who have already taken the leap of anonymity use our #1 recommended method — a VPN. Preferably a non-logging one like NordVPN or IPVanish.
But go ahead, read the full guide before making up your mind. In the end, you’ll likely decide that peace of mind is worth at least $6 a month (the average cost of an annual VPN subscription).
#1 – Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
A VPN is the easiest, most reliable, and most secure method to hide your torrent activity from prying eyes. Originally used for secure corporate and military communications, VPN technology is now becoming a standard consumer security tool (much like antivirus software).
With a quality VPN provider, you can:
- Encrypt 100% of your internet traffic with unbreakable 256-bit encryption
- Keep your ISP from seeing what websites you visit, files you download or videos you stream
- Unblock sites that are restricted in your country (or local network)
And best of all, there are now more than 10 VPN providers that don’t keep any logs at all. They don’t even record what IP address you were assigned or server you connected to. When you consider that your Internet Provider logs all kinds of stuff about you’re online activity, this is a huge leap in privacy.
How to set it up
Using a VPN is incredibly easy. Simply subscribe to a torrent-friendly VPN, download their software, login, and click connect. The encryption and IP-address switching happens automatically behind the scenes. Just open uTorrent and download to your heart’s content!
You won’t need to make any changes inside your torrent client, and VPNs will work with any client (Vuze, uTorrent, Qbittorrent, you name it).
- VPN Protocol – Wireguard is a newer protocol and a great blend of speed & security. OpenVPN is the best fallback if your provider doesn’t have Wireguard.
- Encryption Strength – If you provider has adjustable encryption, 128-bit AES will give you faster speeds than 256-bit, and is still quite secure.
- Kill-Switch – You’ll want to enable this security feature if your VPN offers it (most do). A Kill-switch prevents unencrypted traffic (or your IP address) from leaking publicly if the connection drops.
Pros & Cons
VPN Pros
VPN Cons
Recommended VPN Providers
When torrenting, you should always use a VPN that doesn’t keep logs. This includes not only activity logs, but also metadata connection logs, which often include IP-addresses and timestamps.
Below you’ll find our top picks. These are three of the best VPNs for torrenting. And all of them are zero-log. In fact, PIA has proven their logging policy in court. Twice.
1
30-day refund policy
2
45-day refund policy
3
30-day refund policy
#2 – SOCKS Proxy
What a SOCKS Proxy does:
- Tunnel your torrent traffic through a remote server
- Hide your real IP address from peers and trackers.
What it doesn’t do:
- Encryption (usually)
- Protect all your (non-torrent) traffic
SOCKS proxies are the second most popular option for torrent privacy. Proxies have several advantages over a VPN, notably: Speed, and one-time setup. . But there are drawbacks too, such as a lack of encryption and problems handling magnet links with some services.
Use SOCKS. Not HTTP – Most of the ‘free’ proxies listed on the internet are HTTP/HTTPs proxies. Most torrent clients allow you to configure http proxy connections, but these do nothing for torrent privacy. Peer-to-peer transfers use UDP, not HTTP so you’re real IP address would still be visible using an HTTP-only proxy. Learn more about the differences.
SOCKS proxies (v5 is current standard) are known as low-level proxies. This is a good thing, meaning they can handle almost any type of traffic, including torrent transfers.
Best SOCKS proxy services
As with VPNs, you’ll want a non-logging proxy service if you plan to use it for BitTorrent. There are several standalone services, but the vast majority are owned by torrent-friendly VPN providers.
In fact, several VPNs actually include SOCKS service with all subscriptions. In general, these are the service we recommend because you get everything for about the same price as a SOCKS-only subscription.
Best zero-log SOCKS services:
- NordVPN: Includes proxy w/ VPN (multiple SOCKS locations)
- Private Internet Access: Proxy + VPN (1 SOCKS location)
- IPVanish: Proxy + VPN (1 SOCKS location)
- Torguard: Proxy sold separately (4 locations)
How to set it up
Unlike a VPN which usually comes with it’s own app, the proxy must be manually configured inside your torrent client. Not all torrent clients support proxy connections, but the 4 most popular desktop clients do.
Torrent clients that support proxies:
- uTorrent/BitTorrent (desktop version)
- Vuze/BiglyBT (desktop version)
- QBittorrent
- Deluge
- Flud (Android)
- tTorrent (Android)
Note: No web-based torrent clients directly support SOCKS proxies. This includes things like uTorrent Web, WebTorrent and Brave.
Proxy Settings
Our Torrent Proxy setup Guide has full step-by-step instructions for the most popular SOCKS providers and torrent clients.
#3 – i2P
i2P isn’t used that frequently by torrent users, for the simple fact that it’s slow. Speeds max out around 100kb/s (yes, you read that right). But in terms of privacy, it’s great.
Think of i2P like Tor. It’s a multi-layered encrypted proxy, but they actually want your torrent traffic on their network.
Advantages of i2P:
- Hide your IP address
- Anonymized traffic mixed with others sers
- Strong encryption
- multi-hop IP switching
- It’s free!
Disadvantages:
How to use i2P for torrents
i2P is a bit more complicated than setting up a SOCKS proxy, or even Tor. But there are several helpful instructional videos specifically for BitTorrent.
But the easiest route is to use a torrent client with built-in i2P support. For example, Vuze has an i2P plugin that makes it incredibly simple to get up and running.
#4 – Seedbox
Price: $20-$100/month
A seedbox is like a dedicated torrenting machine, but in the cloud. You get superfast connection speeds, a high bandwidth allotment, and a web interface to download the files directly to your computer.
Seedboxes are overkill for all but the most hardcore of BitTorrent users, but once you’ve tried it there’s no going back to a regular torrent client.
How To Download Torrents Anonymously And Hide Your IP Address?
The BitTorrent network is still the go-to place for many people across the globe. Given its gigantic size, you can find almost anything that you’re looking for. But you might already know that your activity isn’t hidden when you’re downloading torrents on your device. That’s why you might be looking for ways to download torrents anonymously.
If you want to know more about BitTorrent, you can read our detailed guide on how torrent works and the tech that powers it.
There’s no denying the fact that torrent downloads aren’t safe like before. Even if you’re downloading legal content like open-source Linux operating systems, government agencies are continuously watching you in some countries. Many offices and schools also block torrent sites and torrenting traffic. This becomes even more frustrating when you’re trying to grab some legal stuff with the help of this P2P file-sharing medium.
In this article, we are going to explain how to torrent safely and anonymize your torrent downloads. This way, you won’t be concerned about any middle man or your ISP keeping an eye on you as your actual IP address will be hidden.
How To Download Torrents Anonymously?
The best way to download torrents anonymously is to use a VPN. There are several advantages to using a VPN other than being anonymous. You can use it to access web services and websites that are not available in your region. They can also help you remotely access company resources, bypass censorship, etc.
1. Using VPN to download Torrents Anonymously
One easy way to keep yourself invisible is to download torrents with a VPN. A Virtual Private Network service routes the traffic through its servers by creating an encrypted virtual tunnel. Thus, the IP address any middle man would see will be of the VPN server and not your actual IP address.
Just in case you don’t know how a Virtual Private Network (VPNs) works, you can read our detailed article on the same.
When you use a VPN, the encryption process occurs before your data is transmitted to your ISP. But why isn’t VPN so popular? Why aren’t VPN services being used by everyone around us? The actual reason could be people don’t have much idea about the pros and cons of VPN services. There are some more myths about VPN services that must be busted.
2. Use proxies for anonymous torrenting
There are some good proxy services, too, like Smartproxy, BTGuard, or HideMyAss, which allow you to hide your IP address from the public. It works with all major BitTorrent clients. Please note that if you’re going ahead with proxy software, you won’t get the benefit of encryption. Also, a proxy anonymizes the traffic of a single application. You can read about the differences in detail in another article.
We have also put together a torrents proxy list so give it a look. After setting up your VPN or proxy, you can visit sites like DNSLeak to test if your DNS is leaking. By visiting sites like iPleak.net, you can further confirm your privacy.
3. Seedbox
A seedbox is a dedicated high-speed torrent downloading server that is used exclusively for torrent transfers. Its advantage is having a high download speed through a fast HTTP connection while hiding your IP address. They can effectively hide your IP addresses, but that doesn’t mean they’re always anonymous.
4. Cloud Torrent Downloaders
Cloud torrent downloaders are third-party services that allow users to download torrents from their servers. Some of the best examples would be services like Filestream, Premiumize, Bitport, and Cloudload. In terms of useability, their interface is easy to use and beginner-friendly.
They are similar to Seedbox, but not all of them can seed back. As for privacy, it seems each service has its own privacy policy, so make sure to use the correct ones.
5. Usenet
Usenet is one of the most private ways to share files since the early days of the internet. However, its only limitation is that high-speed Usenet servers are not free and have to be accessed through a paid subscription. The quick solution would be to use a service that has a free trial, such as Easynews.
Best VPNs for Anonymous Torrenting
We have curated some of the best VPN services that you can use to download torrents anonymously. Private Internet Access, ExpressVPN, IPVanish, NordVPN, and Surfshark are some of the good VPN services that you can try out. There are other free-to-use options, too, if you would like.
Using a VPN for torrenting will also let you download torrents on your school or organization’s network. They usually block BitTorrent traffic on their network, which is a common sight nowadays.
Should you use Tor browser for anonymous torrenting?
The general answer is No. This method is regularly shared online for secure torrenting and hiding your IP is using the Tor web browser. But very often, people try to configure their BitTorrent applications like uTorrent or Vuze to proxy their traffic via Tor and end up inviting trouble. Many clients ignore your manual proxy settings as they use UDP for talking to the servers, but Tor socks proxy only supports TCP.
There are other ways as well, using which a peer might learn your real IP address. Moreover, if your BitTorrent communication isn’t encrypted, the Tor exit relay can observe your traffic as well. Even Tor Project advises against using Tor for BitTorrenting due to these security concerns.
Apart from that another reason to not use Tor for torrenting is that it won’t give you good download speeds given how the tor network works.
Did you find this article on the benefits of anonymizing torrent downloads helpful? Don’t forget to share your views.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my VPN or torrent proxy is hiding my IP-address?
When using a VPN or a proxy you are assigned a torrent IP which you can check to see if your IP address is hidden or not. To confirm your privacy, you can check your torrent IP by going to sites like iPleak.net, DNSLeak, or ipMagnet.
Can I get caught Torrenting without VPN?
Your activity can be detected by copyright holders when you are using a torrent without a VPN. They do so by participating in the torrent and seeing who else is also there. These copyright holders can then contact your ISP, who in turn send you a warning.
Can ISP block Torrenting?
Yes, most Internet service providers can block you from torrenting. They do this to protect themselves from DMCA notices, copyright lawyers and respect laws against torrenting. That is why it is highly recommended to use a VPN.
Can my ISP block my VPN?
Yes, your Internet service provider can block access to a VPN by blocking IP addresses associated with it or by disabling communication ports. You can solve this by simply switching to a different server, port, or protocol.
Fossbytes co-founder and an aspiring entrepreneur who keeps a close eye on open source, tech giants, and security.
Get in touch with him by sending an email — [email protected]