Best uTorrent VPN in 2024
When you use uTorrent or any other torrent client to download copyrighted material, you need to protect yourself, preferably by using a VPN. In this article, we’ll break down the best uTorrent VPNs, as well as going over the why and how of using them.
What is uTorrent?
Let’s start at the beginning, namely uTorrent itself: it’s a relatively lightweight torrenting client, a program that you install on your computer which can download torrent files for you. Unlike regular files, files that use the BitTorrent protocol need a special program to be downloaded. uTorrent is just one example, others include the BitTorrent client itself, as well as Transmission or Deluge.
uTorrent is probably one of the best known, though. It’s been around for a long time, with several of our writers and editors having used it even as teens, and is known for being fast and easy to use. Though it’s far from the only option out there, if you’re new to torrenting you may want to check out uTorrent to get started.
Why do uTorrent users need a VPN?
However, a torrent client isn’t the only software you need to download torrents. While uTorrent may download files, it doesn’t protect them in transit, meaning anybody tracking a particular torrent can see who is downloading it.
For torrenters, tracking is a fact of life. Since most of the files you’ll find on torrent sites are of copyrighted material, the watchdogs working in the interest of the rights holders are keeping a close watch on who is downloading them. They then trace a downloaded file to users’ IP addresses, the set of numbers that show where you are in the real world.
As a result, if you’re caught downloading a file, you can expect a fine, lawsuit, or even prison time. Whether you’ll be tracked and the consequences when you are, though, are heavily dependent on where you live. Most readers in the United States or Canada, as well as those in a number of European countries are most at risk, while people in most of Asia, Africa and Latin America should be fine.
How VPNs protect you
The only real way to prevent being tracked in this manner is by using a virtual private network, better known as a VPN. These handy tools do a number of things, but two of them are the most important for torrenters.
First, they reroute your connection through a server owned by the VPN provider. This lets you assume the IP address of that server, effectively replacing it with your own. This makes you much harder to trace.
Secondly, the best VPN providers for torrenting will also encrypt your connection, meaning your internet provider won’t be able to see what you’re doing, preventing them from sharing any information with watchdogs if they were so inclined. In short, a VPN protects you at both ends of the web connection, making it impossible for anybody to track you.
Can I use a free VPN with uTorrent?
VPN services are, as you can see, cool as all hell and have many uses besides torrenting. However, they come with a serious downside, namely that they cost money, usually in the form of a monthly or annual subscription. Thankfully, however, there are some fantastic free torrenting VPNs you can use, though they come with some restrictions.
The most important of these is that the best free VPNs all come with limits on their use. This is usually expressed in the form of a bandwidth cap, which is how much data you can run through the VPN in a month before you need to purchase a subscription (or switch to another free VPN).
A decent free VPN will cap you at 1GB or 2GB, a great one will let you use as much as 10GB per month. That should be enough for most people, though most films are roughly 1GB in size, while a short-ish Netflix season will be 5GB or so. If you’re a modest consumer of entertainment, using a free VPN is a pretty good option. Anybody else will need to pay for a provider with unlimited bandwidth
That said, under no circumstance whatsoever should you ever use free VPNs that we don’t recommend or that you found on the Google Play Store. These are usually scams that do nothing but harvest your data, often not even bothering to encrypt your data. These VPNs are pretty much the antithesis of a real VPN.
How to use a VPN with uTorrent
Finally, before we get to our roundup, let’s go over how you use a VPN with uTorrent. Since tracking starts at the moment you download the torrent file, you need to make sure your VPN is switched on and connected before clicking anything on The Pirate Bay. To be safe, you may just want to turn on the VPN before even starting your browser.
To do so, all you need to do is pick a VPN server, the location doesn’t really matter, though connecting somewhere close by is smart as it minimizes the speed loss associated with using a VPN. You may also want to avoid using U.S.-based server locations as there have been some lawsuits in recent years targeting them. With your server selected, just switch the VPN on and that should be it.
The best uTorrent VPNs
Now that we have an idea of the what and why of uTorrent VPNs, let’s go over our picks, which we’ve selected on the basis of a few criteria. The most important for any kind of torrenter is security, all our picks offer advanced encryption to keep you safe. Your VPN connection won’t be cracked.
On top of that, you need a kill switch, a feature that “kills” your internet protection if the VPN fails, for whatever reason. As you can imagine, if you’re downloading files and the VPN stops working, yet you continue downloading as if nothing happened, you’re inviting trouble. A kill switch prevents this scenario, and all our picks have ones that are proven to work.
Next up is server network, which needs to be spread out well and offer plenty of servers so you can be sure there’s always a one nearby. If a VPN has special servers for torrenters, that’s a bonus, but it’s not an absolute necessity.
Finally, we’ll discuss price. The best VPNs generally aren’t the cheapest ones, but we’ve gone through our list to make sure that none of our picks will break the bank. That said, there are some large differences between our picks, so keep a close eye if budget is an important consideration for you.
NordVPN
Our first pick for the best VPN for uTorrent is NordVPN, our favorite VPN overall and a powerhouse of security. It offers top-of-the-line VPN protocols – programs that determine how two machines “talk” to each other – and excellent security, defaulting to the powerful AES-256, a cipher that will take billions of years to crack using brute force methods.
On top of that, it offers a great its interface which depicts a map of the world, making it easy to find nearby servers without too much hassle. Speaking of which, NordVPN offers special P2P servers for uTorrent users which have been optimized for BitTorrent traffic, guaranteeing steady performance even when torrenting large amounts.
Finally, NordVPN offers great deals for people signing up for the first time, with massive discounts on two and three-year plans – read all about it in our full NordVPN review. All this combined makes for a great VPN for uTorrent fans as well as anybody else, and we recommend just about anybody take it for a spin to see how they like it.
ExpressVPN
Next up is ExpressVPN, a service that has taken a different tack in many ways compared to NordVPN. For example, instead of a graphical interface it offers a mobile-style app with just three buttons: one that switches the VPN on or off, and two for server selection. If you like things simple, ExpressVPN is a solid choice.
Under the hood, though, ExpressVPN is anything but simple, offering excellent protocols, including one it developed itself, as well as top-notch encryption. It also boasts some interesting gimmicks when it comes to keeping your data private, like a server architecture that wipes data regularly. On top of that, ExpressVPN is also ridiculously fast.
All this comes at a price, though, which in ExpressVPN’s case can be taken literally. A subscription is just south of $100 a year, and there’s no real first-time discount to speak of except a bonus three months of use. Still, you get what you pay for, as you can read in our full ExpressVPN review.
Surfshark
Surfshark is another VPN you should look at as a uTorrent user. Owned by the same company as NordVPN, it sets itself apart from its sibling with a different approach to user experience, with an interface which combines some minor graphical elements with the straightforward approach. It also has some nifty and unique features, like Nexus, which regularly cycles through IP addresses for extra security.
Other than that, though, Surfshark is as dependable as NordVPN, offering excellent security and speeds, though it misses out on the dedicated torrenting servers. It also has pricing comparable to NordVPN, with great multi-year plans aimed at first time users.
Overall, as you can read in our full Surfshark review, the service has plenty to recommend it. Like all our other entries, it comes with a solid 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk free for a month before making a final decision.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is another great torrenting VPN, offering an easy-to-understand interface that gets even those unfamiliar with tech up and running within minutes. Its also a powerful provider, with strong encryption and excellent protocols, meaning you won’t have to worry for even a second while using uTorrent. Check out our full CyberGhost review for more details.
Like NordVPN and Surfshark, it has great introductory offers for new users, with massive discounts on its two-year plans. Included are special torrenting servers, which, along with its special streaming servers, mean you’ll never be lacking for entertainment.
Between its security, low pricing and great app, we recommend CyberGhost to just about anybody looking to use uTorrent safely. It comes with a very generous 45-day money-back guarantee, giving you plenty of time to see for yourself if you like it.
IPVanish
We finish up our list with IPVanish, which like our other entries has good security, with tough encryption and a hair-trigger kill switch. What we like most, however, is that it’s the only provider on this list that has decent one-year plans, making it great for people that don’t want to commit for too long.
Its interface is a little disappointing, though, it has to be said. It’s heavy on the frills and less on the substance, with lots of unnecessary buttons. However, it may be the fastest VPN around, so that makes up for a lot in our book.
If you’re interested in the service, check out our full IPVanish review to see if it’s something you’d like. It comes with a reliable refund policy, so there’s no harm in trying it out.
If you need a VPN for a short while when traveling for example, you can get our top ranked VPN free of charge. NordVPN includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. You will need to pay for the subscription, that’s a fact, but it allows full access for 30 days and then you cancel for a full refund. Their no-questions-asked cancellation policy lives up to its name.
