Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ @lemmy.dbzer0.com

10mo ago

What VPN would you recommend for torrenting?

Cost, ease of use, speed, other good features, etc.

137 comments

Mullvad or Proton. IVPN is also good.
- Another user already said this, but just in case, Mullvad got rid of their port forwarding.
  
  I forget about port forwarding because I never get to seed because of my abysmal upload speed.
  
  Can still seed with upnp forwarding
  
  Mullvad got rid of their port forwarding.
  So did IVPN. Use Proton VPN now.

Mullvad or Proton
- Note that Mullvad no longer allows port forwarding, which can make it harder to torrent effectively
  
  Is it really that bad? I haven't had any issues torrenting stuff with Mullvad, although I usually don't torrent files above like 20GB
  
  Then, Proton it is

Mullvad
- I'll keep saying it.
  When I browse with mullvad I constantly have to verify that I'm not a bot.
  That's a good sign
  Your account data is about is tangible as a fart in the wind, especially after 30 days. You can pay cash if you want.
  
  When I browse with mullvad I constantly have to verify that I’m not a bot.
  That’s a good sign
  Isn't that standard for most VPNs?
- They got rid of port forwarding unfortunately, so good luck seeding.
  
  Do you need port forwarding for seeding?
- /thread
  
  If you’re looking for a VPN and to de-google proton is the way to go

I use ProtonVPN whenever I download a lot of Linux ISOs.
- Several times a week I too download all the Linux ISOs, and I will have a look at ProtonVPN 👍
  
  Just curious, why do you download so many ISOs?

ProtonVPN for port forwarding, Mullvad for easy usage (Wireguard on Linux).
I use vopono on Linux too.
- ProtonVPN works great via Wiregurd on Linux as well just not through the GUI; you can download the configs and connect through terminal or other Wireguard client
- ProtonVPN also provides Wireguard config files if you don't want to use their shitty python based GUI. Supports port forwarding aswell, althought it sucks to set up and requires to manually disable ipv6 support
  
  I created a simple script to automatically request a port to ProtonVPN servers and assign it to qbittorrent:
  https://github.com/giu176/ProtonVPN-auto-NATPMP
  
  Another benefit of using network namespaces is that I can just disable IPv6 in the network namespace itself.
- I'll admit, I have no idea what the benefit of port forwarding is. I use Mullvad in a Gluten container.
  
  It's when you open a publicly facing port and map (forward) it to a local port your machine. In this case, it's opened at the vpn provider's public gateway. Otherwise, it would typically be opened in your router instead.
  You can then configure your torrent client to listen on that local port that the public port is forwarded to. I think generally the public and the local port are the same number when using VPN.
  If you do that, then others have the ability to initiate a connection to you instead of only you being able to initiate the connection to somebody else.
  When seeding/leeching to/from someone else, at least one of you needs a port open. So, if you always have one open, you allow yourself to connect to anyone on the network regardless if they have one open or not.
  Sorry if I confused you more, I'm not that great at explaining.
  
  Faster downloads (sometimes significantly), easier to connect to seeders.

I’ve been happy with AirVPN for the last year or so
- The way they handle port forwarding is particulalry good, as compared with pia, that assigns a random port every time you bring up a connection, so you have to have a script to update your port in your client.
- Seconded.

Something cheap with port forwarding. I personally use Proton VPN but that's because I use my VPN for more than just torrenting.

I use proton myself
- Yeah proton!

I'm using Private Internet Access. It's fast and pretty lightweight compared to the other choices. Snagged a 2 year plan on sale for like 50 bucks.
- I was on PIA, but they were bought by Kape a few years ago. Kape, previously known as Crossrider. Crossrider, known primarily for developing adware and PUPs.
  
  I also dropped them after the acquisition
  
  thanks for this info, I was wondering why PIA isn't recommended anymore
  
  well shit, guess the recommendation I saw was outdated. that sucks
- In addition to getting acquired by a shady group, Mark Karpeles also works at PIA. I'm all for edemption arc, but that doesn't mean I'm ok with him in charge of some security product. I dropped them for mullvad.
- I use PIA as well but I have never seen good upload speeds through them, which is a shame.

Proton VPN has been working pretty well for me. Includes port forwarding and a lot of servers.
- I’m all in on proton. VPN, email, calendar, and cloud storage. Unlimited is $10/mo and while it’s a little deceptive as a name it’s still great. The simple login alias feature if fantastic.
- Same.

It isnt the best one, but its cheap, allows port forwarding and its not sketchy as far as we know
Air vpn
- You may want to take a look at Italy's recent changes in legislation around VPNs tl;dr Italy's government has an anti-piracy measure called Piracy Shield which is a list that needs to be blocked by ISPs, VPN providers etc but is entirely arbitrary with no governance.
  Air has stopped onboarding Italian customers but you may want to consider given they're based in Italy, if this compromises your use case/opsec
- +1 for airvpn. I've never had any issues, port forwarding works flawlessly, and you can get some incredible deals if you buy 3 years at a time during a sale.
- I've been using it for probably 5+ years and it's been great. I wish I could port forward to incoming 80 in my server so I could run a site while it's up, but at the end of the day I can always run a site elsewhere.
  That aside, it's never gone down on me, the speeds are fast, it auto-connects to the best server available, and they run lots of promos.
  
  You can port forward to another port without issue, then just route through to it from your server. Domain name lookups support explicit port lists. Although I'd suggest just buying a domain name, setting up dynamic dns through a raspberry pi and forward from your router to port 80. I use porkbun for the latter.
  
  I'm wondering, is there any anonymous VPN that supports port forwarding to port 80? I'm thinking about self-hosting a website from my server at home under a VPN.
- It's based in the EU, and they'd have to comply with legislations accordingly. I'd never use anything not domiciled in sketchy islands.

Whatever you do, maybe sure you network bind the vpn interface
https://protonvpn.com/support/bittorrent-vpn/
- On Linux you can use network namespaces for the same effect (and then a firewall) - this way it doesn't affect other applications running.
  I do it with vopono.

I pay for Proton Unlimited so I use Proton VPN. Getting port forwarding to work on Linux is a bit of a hassle but they have steps on their website. It's hardly any slower than my internet connection, but that's because I'm on the paid servers. The free servers are rather slow. They have a graphical client for Windows and Linux.
Proton Unlimited is €12.99/month. The VPN has a good number of features and you get the whole Proton suite with it and 500GB of storage. You can pay for just the VPN which is cheaper if you don't want the rest of Proton.
- I created a script exactly for that, I'm using it for months now and it's working fine: https://github.com/giu176/ProtonVPN-auto-NATPMP
  
  Yo!! Thanks for sharing. The qbittorrent-nox integration is just what I need!

I went the seed box route and I'll never go back. It's faster and I don't even need a stable connection. Start the download from my phone and it's waiting for me when I get home.

ProtonVPN/Mullvad. This is the post number 288471 talking about this. Can we put it somewhere un wiki?

I'm using selfhosted wireguard server. Speed about 250 mbps and this VPS costs me about 3$ per month. Super easy to deploy wireguard server using this script
- What VPS service?
  
  Yeah, same question. I thought most of them would be super strict about torrreting.
- What VPS?
  
  vds6.net

No VPN, just qBittorrent and I2P = anoymous torrents
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- If I turn off mixed mode in qbittorrent i2p settings, it should only use i2p, right?
  
  If "mixed mode" is enabled I2P torrents are allowed to also get peers from other sources than the tracker, and connect to regular IPs, not providing any anonymization. This may be useful if the user is not interested in the anonymization of I2P, but still wants to be able to connect to I2P peers
  That's what the description says.
  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- I2P?
  
  An alternative to TOR that's better for P2P.
  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- does it still require port forwarding for seeding ? (yeah, I know port forwarding isn't required for torrenting)
  
  As in I2P itself or bittorrent? In order for I2P to access the network it needs to be able to access the internet. If you're behind a router, that does mean either enabling universal plug and play (UPnP) or manually opening a port for it that forwards traffic to the port on the I2P machine. UPnP is obviously the easiest (if you're behind a router).
  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

I've been using airvpn for the last 4 or 5 years with no issue.

I use Mullvad through Tailscale. If you already use Tailscale it’s a no-brainer
- No port forwarding though.
  I really really wish I could use mullvad but I had to switch to air vpn for port forwarding and then later to proton to get higher speeds (Airvpn maxes at roughly 600Mbit/s while proton can handle 2Gbit/s+) and port forwarding.

Do you really need a VPN? What's your country / context?
Are you aware that if you use a good private tracker (one that keeps their torrents private and has a good reputation) and configure your client to require encryption for all connections you may not need a VPN?
- I wasn't. I haven't torrented in almost a decade and even back then was fairly naive.
  Would you mind lending me a hand understanding how to do that and remain safe?
  
  Whenever you torrent from public torrent trackers it's easy for anyone to see what torrents your IP is currently downloading / seeding. There's even a website for that https://iknowwhatyoudownload.com/
  ISPs and govts may track your torrent downloads on the same way that website does. It essentially boils down to indexing the torrents from those public trackers by listening to the DHT network / PEX exchanges. When you're on a decent private tracker (and there are some free) they will disable DHT/PEX for their torrents making it so nobody can't index and they won't show up on websites like the one above.
  Setting your torrent client to require encryption to all connections it will create an extra protection layer because then the ISP / govt won't be able to peek into your bittorrent traffic, they'll only see an encrypted TLS connection like the ones made to any SSL capable website. You may also add a blacklist of known entities that go after pirates so your torrent client won't ever connect to those.
  If you live outside the US/Canada/AUS you most likely don't even need those measures, let alone a VPN. That entire thing about sending letters to people saying they're downloading torrents is mostly a US thing because in other countries ISPs can't even legally do it.

I use Mullvad and have a qbit go through gluetun. I don't mind the lack of port forwarding, as I leave the Pi on 24/7 and I'm not under ratio constraints. Also, my system isn't secure enough for me to be messing with that stuff, next build I'll get everything off root, set proper permissions, route everything through a single port etc, then think about port forwarding. For now I'll hide behind my ISP and Mullvad's security while I learn and make mistakes.
Down is quick enough for me and Up is slow but constant.

while I do not know anything about torrenting. "mullvad" is a highly recommended vpn providers with a strong emphasis on privacy.
- Mullvad recently removed port forwarding from their service, which is sub-optimal for torrenting.

I have a lifetime subscription for Windscribe, so I've just been using that with no issues for years. I've recommended it to some other friends and they've been fine.
I also pay for Proton services, so I have ProtonVPN, but I've yet to try it for torrenting.

This will be an unpopular answer but I use Nordvpn mainly because during Black Friday sales you can get it essentially for free using a cash back portal. The start of the sale last year, which I missed, was offering over 100% cash back. They’d pay you to use it!
Others are better but if the level of protection you’re looking for is “Comcast stop sending me piracy warnings” this’ll work.
- I'm also a Nord user since it's super simple and effective. Paid less than $100 CAD for 2 years which I think is decent. I'm open to alternatives for a noob though.
  
  Count me in that group too. Nord just works for everything I want. Geoblocks, doubleVPN, etc. And it's super affordable. Yes, O hope they had a more user friendly way to use it on Linux, but I guess we can't have it all after all.

RealDebrid and/or Proton VPN

Google Fiber.
They don't give a fuck.
- This is a thing that story rpeats :
  "Until they do.".
  
  I leave this here:
  https://www.techradar.com/vpn/five-eyes-nine-eyes-and-fourteen-eyes-explained-how-these-alliances-affect-you

Astrill. It's not cheap, but it's excellent. And works in China and other countries with strong internet blocking capabilities.

Mullvad or IVPN. Some VPNs like Perfect Privacy do leak your IP via DHT and other torrent features, even when full lockdown mode is on. You can search 'torrent leak test' to verify yours doesn't. I found out with a 2nd DMCA warning from my ISP.

Private Internet Access. Been using it for probably 10 years at this point, never had a single issue. Their "no logging" claim has been tested successfully in court.
- Just FYI, they got acquired a few years back and the new parent company is a bit shady.

Is a VPN even worth it for that use case? A seedbox won't cost that much more, esp. if you factor in electricity costs from keeping your machine running. And getting to 1.0 seed ratio is also much easier.
- Do you have an off prem seed box then? Mine is in my home lab but still needs to be routed through a vpn

You could self-host wireguard on a cheap VPS using something like YUNOhost. You would be limited to the one IP address but you could also host other useful stuff on the same server like email, website, Nextcloud etc for no additional cost. On a slight tangent, you could also check out seedboxes or even TorBox.
- Thats good but you need to blend with othet people.

Proton

I would go for IPVanish, Surfshark or Windscribe.. Mullvad it's a good option too, I would bypass NordVPN.
I believe Surfshark it's the cheapest of these options.
- What's the issue with Nord? A buddy just recommended it to me, but I rarely see it mentioned, so I've had a hard time understanding why not to use it.
  
  Their reputation took a hit after a server breach in 2018.
  https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/21/20925065/nordvpn-server-breach-vpn-traffic-exposed-encryption