VPN · Torrenting guide

Best VPN for Torrenting 2026

For torrenting, the two criteria that separate providers are port forwarding and a published no-logs audit, and on both Proton VPN is the pick: port forwarding on every paid plan and a fifth consecutive Securitum audit with the report public. NordVPN, which pays us a commission, allows P2P on every standard server but offers no port forwarding. Seeders: Proton VPN. Downloaders who want P2P on any server: NordVPN.

Proton VPN, our pick for torrenting (no affiliate link) → NordVPN offer page, the runner-up →

Affiliate link: the NordVPN button is an affiliate link and NordVPN pays us a commission if you buy through it; the price you pay is the same either way. The Proton VPN link is a plain link, we have no partnership with Proton.

Written and checked by , Promo Code Network, Switzerland

What a VPN for torrenting has to offer

Torrent traffic exposes your address to every peer in the swarm, so the criteria are about exposure: P2P-allowed servers, whether the provider permits BitTorrent and where; a kill switch that blocks traffic if the tunnel drops mid-download; a no-logs audit the provider states with a date; port forwarding, which seeding and some private trackers need and most VPNs cannot provide because many users share one address; and the 2-year price. Every provider here offers a WireGuard-class protocol, and no throughput figures appear on this page.

Best VPN for torrenting: five providers on five criteria

ProviderP2P-allowed serversKill switchNo-logs audit, as stated by the providerPort forwardingCHF: first term, then a year
NordVPNAll standard servers (separate P2P category removed)YesPwC Switzerland (2018, 2020), then Deloitte, latest 2025; NordVPN’s own pages give different totals, so no count is statedNo: “we do not offer port forwarding, as multiple customers are using the same servers”3.29 a month Basic; 88.83 for 27 months, then 133.08
ExpressVPNNo P2P policy on its pagesYesKPMG, third audit of its privacy commitments, June 2025Routers running ExpressVPN only2.90 a month Basic; 81.20 for 28 months, then 90.00
SurfsharkP2P-tagged locations in its server listYesDeloitte, 2023 and 2025 (trust centre)Not documented2.49 a month Starter; 67.23 for 27 months, then 64.89 (before VAT)
Proton VPNDedicated P2P servers, paid plansYesSecuritum, fifth consecutive annual audit, full report published (June 2026)Yes, all paid plans: Windows and Linux; macOS in early access3.49 a month VPN Plus; 83.76 for 24 months, then 83.88
CyberGhostP2P-optimised servers (Windows, macOS)YesDeloitte Audit Romania, first 2022, third report 2025Not documented2.11 a month; 54.86 for 26 months, then 54.86

Swiss pricing pages and the providers’ audit pages, read 23 September 2026; feature, P2P and port-forwarding pages read 22 and 23 September 2026. Surfshark’s prices are before VAT and its renewal is from its renewal-prices page. “Not documented” means the provider’s own pages say nothing on it.

Port forwarding and audits: why Proton VPN leads, and where NordVPN fits

Port forwarding is the criterion most VPNs fail, for a structural reason: when many users share one exit address, no single user can own an inbound port. NordVPN says exactly that. ExpressVPN documents port forwarding only for a router running its firmware; Surfshark and CyberGhost publish nothing on it. Proton VPN includes it on every paid plan, for any BitTorrent client, enabled in the app on Windows and Linux; macOS in early access (Proton support page, read 23 September 2026). If you seed, or your tracker penalises unconnectable peers, that settles the choice.

Audits. Proton VPN gives the most recent public record: a fifth consecutive annual no-logs audit by Securitum, June 2026, full report linked from its blog. NordVPN’s no-logs reviews were carried out by PwC Switzerland in 2018 and 2020 and by Deloitte since, the latest in 2025; its servers page and its no-logs page give different totals, so this page states no count. ExpressVPN lists a third KPMG audit dated June 2025. Surfshark’s trust centre lists Deloitte reports from 2023 and 2025, and CyberGhost published its third Deloitte Audit Romania report in 2025, after the first in 2022.

NordVPN’s case. All standard servers support P2P, so you connect to any nearby server and start the client; it has an Internet Kill Switch, proxy guides for qBittorrent, uTorrent and BitTorrent, and 10 devices. What it lacks is the inbound port: irrelevant if you only download, decisive if you seed on a private tracker.

Legal note. The BitTorrent protocol is legal; distributing copyrighted files without permission is not, and CyberGhost’s support page reminds users that P2P file-sharing laws vary by country. A VPN hides your address from other peers; it does not change what you may share.

How to torrent safely with a VPN, whichever you choose

  1. Turn the kill switch on before the first download All five have one; without it, a dropped tunnel hands your address to the swarm.
  2. Connect to a server the provider allows for P2P Any standard NordVPN server; a P2P server in Proton VPN’s Countries list; a P2P-tagged location at Surfshark; the P2P-optimised category at CyberGhost.
  3. Bind the client to the VPN adapter, and enable port forwarding if you seed Proton VPN documents both; NordVPN has proxy guides for the main clients and no port forwarding.
  4. Decide inside the refund window 30 days at NordVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN; 45 at CyberGhost on plans of six months or longer.

Verdict: which VPN to buy for torrenting

Proton VPN is our pick for torrenting, and we have no affiliate relationship with Proton; NordVPN, the runner-up, pays us a commission if you buy through this page. Proton wins the two criteria that separate the five, port forwarding on paid plans and the most recent published no-logs audit; VPN Plus costs CHF 3.49 a month for the first 24 months, then CHF 83.88 a year. NordVPN is the right choice if you never seed: P2P on every server, a kill switch, 10 devices and CHF 3.29 a month (CHF 88.83 for 27 months, then CHF 133.08 a year), backed by no-logs reviews by PwC and Deloitte, the latest in 2025. CyberGhost is cheaper at CHF 2.11 a month but documents no port forwarding. ExpressVPN publishes no P2P policy on the pages we read.

Best VPN for torrenting: common questions

Which VPN offers port forwarding for torrenting?
Of the five, only Proton VPN: all paid plans, while connected to a P2P server, from the app on Windows and Linux; macOS in early access (Proton support page, read 23 September 2026). NordVPN says it does not offer it; ExpressVPN documents it for routers only; Surfshark and CyberGhost publish nothing.
Does NordVPN allow torrenting on all servers?
Yes. Its support page says all standard servers now support P2P activities and that the separate P2P category was removed from the apps. Use a standard server, not a specialty server such as Onion Over VPN.
Which VPNs publish an independent no-logs audit?
All five. Proton VPN: Securitum, fifth annual audit, report public. ExpressVPN: third KPMG audit, June 2025. Surfshark: Deloitte, 2023 and 2025. CyberGhost: Deloitte Audit Romania, third report 2025. NordVPN: PwC Switzerland, then Deloitte, latest 2025; its own pages give different totals, so we state no count.
Is a kill switch enough to torrent safely?
It closes the main gap, a dropped tunnel. It does not cover a client that starts before the VPN connects, which is what binding the client to the VPN adapter is for, and it does not change the legality of what you share.
Is torrenting through a VPN legal?
The protocol is legal. Distributing copyrighted content without permission is illegal in many countries, as CyberGhost’s support page notes. A VPN hides your address from other peers; it does not make an unlawful download lawful.

Sources

  1. NordVPN: pricing (Switzerland); P2P on all standard servers; port forwarding; Kill Switch; no-logs page (PwC Switzerland 2018 and 2020, then Deloitte, latest 2025); servers page (a different audit total). Read 22 September 2026; pricing, no-logs and servers pages read 23 September 2026.
  2. ExpressVPN: pricing (Switzerland); Internet Kill Switch; trust page with audit list; router port forwarding. Read 22 September 2026.
  3. Surfshark: pricing (Switzerland); server list; Kill Switch; transparency report; trust centre (Deloitte reports 2023 and 2025, read 23 September 2026); renewal prices (read 23 September 2026). Read 22 September 2026 unless stated.
  4. Proton VPN: port forwarding; P2P servers; kill switch; fifth no-logs audit; pricing (VPN Plus price and renewal in CHF). Read 22 September 2026; port forwarding and pricing pages read 23 September 2026.
  5. CyberGhost: order page (Switzerland); P2P-optimised servers (legal note); Kill Switch; no-logs page (Deloitte); third Deloitte Audit Romania audit (first in 2022, read 23 September 2026); refund policy. Read 22 September 2026 unless stated; order page read 23 September 2026.