Sep 20, 2008. Aug 31, 2020. Jun 05, 2020.
Torrents are simply awesome! BitTorrent file sharing protocol allows easy file sharing amongst its countless users, making the torrent sharing process seamless.
However, you cannot download files as you would normally do, but instead, you would require a special computer program. These programs are called torrent clients, software that requires a link to the torrent file that you wish to download.
There are many torrent clients available, but not all of them are reliable. Moreover, there are high chances of downloading viruses and malicious contents with your torrent download. For this reason, it is always advised to use a VPN for torrent to securely download torrent and mask you IP at the same time.
Note: Our top VPN pick for downloading torrents is Ivacy, enabling you to download torrent anonymously, including features that will notify you if the file is infected with viruses like Trojans.
Fortunately, there are a few reliable, paid as well as free, torrent clients. In the list below, we are noting down our top picks of the best torrent clients that you can use for downloading torrents in 2019.
Best Torrent Clients 2019
1. Bitport
Bitport.io is a simple to use a cloud-based torrent downloader that has excellent support for popular media devices like Apple TV and Chromecast. The good thing is that they offer limited time trial in which they offer a 1GB of storage space, so you can try out their service to see if it fits your needs.
However, as expected, you don't get all the fancy features in the trial version and you are limited to just downloading one torrent a day without virus protection over an unencrypted connection. You would also be bargaining on downloading speeds, as you wouldn't be on the priority list unless you purchase their subscriptions.
The least expensive monthly plan begins at just 5$ and you get 30 GB of cloud storage with boundless downloading limit and all the files are downloaded through Bitports secure servers with uncompromised downloading speeds.
2. qBittorrent
qbittorrent is a very a popular torrent software for both Mac and Windows. The reason is that it's totally free and doesn't have annoying ads you see on most torrent clients. The user interface seems a bit outdated, but despite that, everything works the way it should.
Now don't think you'll be missing out on the features, as there a plenty of it available, like download prioritization, torrent creation along with a built-in media player. The software is open sourced, meaning that anyone can create plugins, remove bugs and contribute to the overall betterment of the client.
3. uTorrent
uTorrent was one of the best torrent clients of its time offering some of the best features. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very popular client. It's just that lately the software has become a bit heavy because of the advertisements being displayed. We get that you need ads to support the software, but there other torrent clients that at least offer more features.
- Read to get a better picture of this famous client.
This software offers nothing fancy. It's just a regular, well-built torrent software, which is compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and offers all the basic features like priority download and automatic bandwidth management.
They do offer a few more features, but you will have to pay a premium to avail features like add free user experience, virus protection, CyberGhost VPN connection, and the ability to watch torrents without having to wait for them to download.
And all this for a hefty price of 69.95 a year. However, if you really hate ads, we would recommend getting just the stand-alone advertisement free subscription for 4.95 a year.
4. Deluge
Deluge is another great open source torrent software with a minimalistic user interface. This simplicity of the design also contributes to the overall functionality of the tool, as it is very lightweight and doesn't hog up your memory.
This software is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is also one of the most ideal torrent clients for users that don't want to deal with annoying advertisements all the time, while still enjoying basic torrent software features like prioritizing and scheduled downloads.
Also, read our .
5. Transmission
Transmission is great for Apple users as it was originally developed as a torrent software for Mac operating system, but since then it has been made available for Windows as well. Being an open sourced software means there are no ads and they certainly don't bundle any third party toolbars and software.
Just like other popular torrent clients, Transmission is not very power hungry. It's designed to be light on the memory while offering all the features like web seed support, individual torrent speed throttling and many more, that any avid torrent user would appreciate. We must recommend you to use Transmission VPN and torrent safely.
6. Boxopus
Boxopus is an online cloud-based torrent client just like Bitport.io, offering similar features. If you want to try out the service then you're out of luck as they don't offer a free trial.
However, if you're really tempted then you can give the service a go for $1.49 a week, which is really not that bad. However, if you are satisfied with their service then you definitely want to go with their 3-month plan or yearly plan that goes for $14.49 and $49.99 respectively.
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One thing that Boxopus offers better than Bitport.io is its ability to save torrents on to Google and box drive, which is somewhat convenient if you don't have a lot of storage space to spare. Boxopus is also supported on multiple devices including a supported Android application so you're not only bound to using a computer.
7. Vuze
With all the overwhelming amount of features, is definitely not for casual users as the interface is quite complicated. However, an experienced user might find it very useful as it provides a slew of downloading statistics.
Along with having broad downloading information, some of the most notable features include the ability to connect Vuze to your VPN adapter, Metasearch for content discovery, remote management and much more.
See also:
8. Bittorrent
Bittorrent was one of the first clients created for file sharing over the Bittorrent protocol. It is similar to the uTorrent protocol that is because it is owned by BitTorrent. The client itself is a revamped version of uTorrent that will run on all major operating system like Mac, Windows, Linux, as well as Android.
Like other commercial torrent clients, Bittorrent is free to use. However, again the caveat is that there are going to be advertisements popping up from time to time, which does get annoying.
Unless you buy their advertisement free version for $4.95 a year or the pro version, which offers extra features like virus and malware protection, media format conversion, customer support, and streaming content instantly without having to wait, but this will cost you 19.99 a year. Other than that, it's a fairly functional and standard client that gets the job done.
9. Bitlord
Bitlord is a client you don't really hear a lot about and frankly, you should, considering that you don't mind advertisements. The client has some cool features and one of them is really worth mentioning as you can stream torrents on your Chromecast device so you can watch it on your TV.
The client is pretty straightforward and comes with a built-in player with subtitle integration so you can watch movies right from the application. You can also look up various torrent files like games and movies through the given search bar and read or leave comments for other users. The latter is extremely convenient and you don't have to gamble between which ones to download and which ones to avoid.
10. Bitcomet
BitComet is in no way a lightweight client and is only available for Windows operating systems. The interface is very complicated and cluttered, which does put off new users as they tend to prefer a much simpler user interface like qbittorrent or uTorrent.
But if you're comfortable with a complicated UI, then BitComet does offer few nifty features like a built-in web browser. You can look up torrents without leaving the application and the ability to download the starting and ending of torrent files is very convenient for on the fly previewing. Get to know more about this client in our .
11. Halite
Halite is a really minimalistic and back to the basic kind of torrent client. Its interface is really simple and ideal for casual or new torrent users. Being an open source client it has all the basic features you would expect from your average runs of the mill client like magnet support, torrent creation, and queue management.
Despite being a functional client that gets the job done, the fate of this client is uncertain as we haven't seen any updates since late 2015, which is probably why the software isn't compatible on Mac. But for now, it works great with Windows and gets the job done.
12. Webtorrent
There is also a desktop version available for Mac, Windows, and Linux operating system. But you must be wondering why I would get the desktop version when I can use it on any web browser regardless of the device. Well, the reason is that the client is even easier to use and allows fast streaming, which means you can skip to your favorite part of the movie without having to wait indefinitely.
13. FrostWire
FrostWire is an awesome little free torrent client that is supported on all major operating systems like Windows, Android, Linux, and Mac. Despite being free, there are no advertisements which are really nice.
The client has a conveniently built-in search feature that allows you to search for torrent files from various torrent websites. Another cool feature lets users listen to free music through internet radio.
Along with such features, FrostWire also has basic features like bandwidth throttling, preview while downloading an individual file downloading. This allows you to select files that you want to download instead of the entire torrent package.
Why use a Torrent Client?
Torrents files are a bit different from your normal files and require a special program to download. These files have a TORRENT file extension and can be downloaded through a torrent client. These clients also enable users to monitor, prioritize and create their own torrent files to be shared with countless users all around the world.
How to use a torrent client?
All torrent clients work pretty much the same way, some may have a bit more bells and whistles than the other. Torrent clients require a link to the file that you want to download, while the client itself manages all the rest. Users can tweak around with settings like bandwidth throttling and managing queues to their liking.
Reddit Reviews
Now there's not one torrent client that we could rely on, partially because there's no guarantee that your favorite torrent clients are going to be available forever. However, Reddit users seem to favor qbittorent over other popular torrent clients like uTorrent.
Conclusion
The existence of torrent clients is definitely uncertain, but fortunately, there is an abundance of torrents software available. The only thing that users look for when choosing a torrent client, is how lightweight and easy to use it is. No one wants to compromise on the performance of their computers with clunky and unreliable software.
We mentioned some of the best torrent clients that we thought deserved a chance on our list based on what their performance, price and what others thought of it. We know that we have not covered all the torrent clients and we might have not mentioned your favorites.
What are some of your favorites? We'll absolutely love to know and share them in our future articles.
NordVPN is our #1 rated VPN for torrenting. Their combination of price, security and p2p-frienly features is unmatched in the VPN industry.
In this guide you'll learn:
- Why NordVPN is our top choice for torrenting securely
- Detailed Torrent setup guides for NordVPN
- Basic VPN configuration for P2P
- Using NordVPNs SOCKS5 proxy for torrents
- Torrent Client setup guides for NordVPN
- uTorrent/BitTorrent
- Vuze
- QBittorrent
How (and why) to use this guide
This is an comprehensive guide that will show you how to set up NordVPN for secure torrent downloads. Whether you're using the VPN, the included SOCKS5 proxy (or both together), we've got you covered.
We also included proxy settings for multiple torrent clients including:
- uTorrent/BitTorrent
- Vuze
- QBittorrent
- Flud
Using NordVPN for Torrents: Do's & Don'ts
NordVPN is an excellent torrent privacy tool, but it needs to be configured and used properly. Don't just assume you can click a button and your torrents instantly become invisible. We've laid out some best-practices to help keep maintain a high level of privacy.
Do
- Use the kill-switch. Sooner or later a VPN connection will fail.
- Choose a p2p-friendly server: Stick to Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, Mexico and avoid servers in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany and Canada when using bittorrent. More info?
- Consider the VPN the most secure option: The VPN is more stable and secure than NordVPNs proxy servers and has incredibly strong encryption (the proxy doesn't). Unless you're sure you don't need encryption, a VPN is usually better than a proxy.
- Verify your setup: It's important to check your torrent IP address and make sure peers aren't seeing your real location.
Don't
- Don't Use HTTP Proxies: Only SOCKS proxies can handle p2p connections. If you use a HTTP(S) proxy it will only work for tracker communications (not peers) and your real IP address will still be visible in torrent swarms.
- Don't forget to turn on the VPN before torrenting: (Obviously)
- Don't force in-client encryption when using a VPN: Most torrent clients have an option for weak encryption of peer connections. But requiring encryption just limits your peers and a VPNs encryption is much stronger. Just set in-client encryption to ‘Enabled' and let your VPN handle the security.
How to use NordVPN for Torrenting
In this section we'll cover the recommended settings and steps to download torrents using NordVPN's desktop (or mobile) application.
Topics discussed:
- The Basics (app overview)
- Recommended Settings
- Security, Encryption & Leaks
- Optimizing Speed
Using the VPN for Torrents: Basics
Once properly configured, it's incredibly easy to use NordVPN's app with your favorite torrent client. This is literally all you have to do:
- Open the VPN software
- Choose a server location (we recommend their p2p-optimized servers)
- Click ‘Connect'
- Start torrenting
That's it. Just make sure you never open your torrent client until the VPN connection is already active (or you risk exposing your real IP address).
Recommended App Settings
These are the settings we recommend in order to maximize your privacy on p2p networks:
Kill Switch: You should turn on either the App kill-switch (add your torrent client to the kill list) or Internet-level kill switch (stops all internet activity).
Cyber-Sec (Optional): We recommend activating the Cybersec option in Settings > General. It is a threat-filtering tool that can block ads, phishing redirects and malware (something sketchier torrent sites are littered with).
Protocol: Use UDP for the fastest speeds when torrenting. TCP is much slower because it requires packets to be sent and validated sequentially. You can change this setting in Settings > Advanced > Protocol.
Security, Encryption & Leaks
NordVPN's software comes with built-in leak protection to prevent the most common ways identifying information can be leaked while using a vpn. Nordvpn has:
- DNS leak protection (Automatic)
- IPv6 leak protection (Automatic)
- IPv4 leak protection (Optional via kill-switch)
Encryption: All connections from the desktop app use OpenVPN with 256-bit AES encryption (considered unbreakable, even by security agencies).
Recommended Torrent Client Settings
In order to optimize your speeds and peer availability while using a VPN, you may need to adjust a few options inside your torrent client.
1: Set protocol encryption to ‘Enabled' – Most major torrent software has a built-in encryption option for peer-to-peer transmissions. There are usually 3 settings: disabled, enabled, or forced. You want to choose ‘Enabled' which will give you more available peers than the other two options. Let the VPN handle your encryption. More info…
More Info: Torrent encryption guide
2: Disable uTP protocol: uTorrent/BitTorrent client has a bandwidth-management option built in called uTP. We recommend you disable this (it's basically self-throttling).
Using the SOCKS5 proxy for torrents
NordVPN has more SOCKS proxy locations than any other VPN provider, and many of those include p2p-optimized servers. SOCKS proxy access is included with every NordVPN plan.
Why use SOCKS? – NordVPN's SOCKS proxy changes your public torrent ip address without using any encryption, so speeds may be faster than using a VPN. It also allows your torrent activity to be routed separately from the rest of your internet traffic. VPN or Proxy: which to choose?
Who shouldn't use SOCKS: If you suspect your ISP is blocking/throttling/monitoring torrents are you live in a country where all torrenting is illegal, you should use a VPN because you need the 256-bit encryption that keeps your ISP from seeing your torrent activity.
Be Aware: proxies are tricky and sometimes unreliable as your sole torrent privacy method. If you're confident you know how to configure and test your setup, go ahead. Most users will be better off using the VPN.
Get your SOCKS credentials
Before you can setup the proxy in your torrent client, you'll need 4 pieces of information:
- Server Address: (variable, see below)
- Port Number: 1080
- Username: same as VPN
- Password: same as VPN
The proxy login credentials are the same as your VPN account and all of NordVPN's SOCKS proxy servers use port 1080. But you'll need to choose a specific server location using their tool.
For this tutorial, we'll use the server shown above (nl383.nordvpn.com).
Configure your torrent client
We recommend you only use NordVPN's SOCKS proxy with the following torrent clients:
- uTorrent/BitTorrent
- Vuze
- Deluge
- QBittorrent
This is because other torrent clients have proxy leaks and may route peer communications insecurely (exposing your real IP address).
Here are the optimal settings for each torrent client:
Note: Match your settings to those shown here but make sure you insert your own username/password and server address.
To access the proxy settings in uTorrent go to: Menu > Preferences > Connection
To access proxy settings in Vuze, go to: Menu > Tools > Options > Connection > Proxy
To access proxy settings in Deluge, go to: Menu > Edit > Preferences > Proxy
Note: in Deluge you have to (get to?) configure each connection type individually, so in theory you could use the proxy for only certain things. At a bare minimum you want to use the SOCKS proxy for Peer and DHT connections. You could use an HTTP proxy for Tracker connections if you want.
To access qBittorrent's proxy settings, go to: Tools > Options > Connection > Proxy
Important Settings:
- Use proxy for peer connections: Enabled
- Use Proxy only for torrents: disabled
- Authentication: Enabled
Check your VPN/Proxy setup (important!)
Once you've got your VPN and/or proxy set up, it's important to check that everything is working as excepted. After all, mistakes happen and VPN apps can be glitchy on occasion (like showing a false-positive ‘connected' status!!).
You'll do this using an IP-address tracking torrent.
How to do it: Follow our step by step guide on how to check your torrent IP address.
Summary
If you've made it this far, you should have a good understanding of how to setup NordVPN for torrenting using the VPN or included SOCKS proxy.
Here are the key points to remember:
- Using the VPN is the best option for most people. The NordVPN's proxy may deliver slightly faster speeds but it has no encryption and can easily be misconfigured. Worse, some torrent clients occasionally ignore the proxy settings.
- If using the VPN, make sure to turn on the kill-switch.
- Always connect to the VPN before starting a torrent
- Set in-client encryption to ‘enabled' but not ‘forced' to get highest peer availability (and speeds).
- Test your setup using a tracking torrent!
Best Torrenting Client
David Barnes
Best Bittorrent Client For Mac
David started torrenting before it was cool. He enjoys hiking, strategy games and eats watermelon year round. He still rocks his Napster t-shirt once a month.
