It took a lot of research, but I dug through 55+ torrent sites (including dangerous ones) to find out which ones are the best for safe, reliable downloads. But to maintain your right to privacy and hide your connection from hackers, you should never torrent without a VPN. ExpressVPN is the best VPN for software torrenting, with ultra-fast downloads along with top-notch security and privacy features to hide your torrenting data. You can even subscribe to ExpressVPN with no risk because of its 30-day money-back guarantee. Torrent safely with ExpressVPN
Quick Guide: Best Software Torrenting Sites
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Best Software Torrenting Sites
1. The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay gives you one of the biggest collections of safe, working software torrents anywhere. With millions of listings, sites in 30+ languages, and the most active community of peers, it’s my top recommendation for software torrenting. You can find software torrents for PC, Mac, game consoles, and even APKs for Android. You can organize results by the number of peers, making it easy to find which software torrents will give you the fastest possible downloads. The huge user community is passionate about seeding files and frequently posts comments on each torrent download page, so you can see helpful questions about the safety and quality of your search results. This makes it easier to avoid unsafe or non-working files. As an added bonus, a colored grading system lets you check the reputation of each torrent instantly. This gives me huge peace of mind while looking for safe options since so many software torrents are embedded with viruses. The design is straightforward — your Pirate Bay searches can be filtered by trustworthiness, the number of seeds, the number of leeches, the upload date, or even by uploader. When you’re searching, you can also narrow it down by general software applications or games for PC, Mac, or consoles. Multiple attempts to shut down the Pirate Bay have failed, leading to an impressive lifespan spanning multiple decades despite ongoing attacks. Just make sure you only download software that you have the full legal right to and use one of the top VPNs to protect your privacy and hide your P2P connections from hackers and eavesdroppers.
2. Torrentz2
Searching on Torrentz2 grabs results from multiple major torrent sites to give you more software options for PC, macOS, and Android. A reboot of Torrentz (a torrent search engine that was shut down), the new version has indexed tens of millions of torrents, including a large collection of ROMs for game console emulators. There aren’t any options to sort your results on Torrentz2, but it automatically displays them in order from most to least seeds. This makes it easy to find the healthiest available torrents for the software you want. While authorities in the EU tried to ban the site by blocking its main domain, multiple alternative domains are still active. This demonstrates the site is robust and can’t be shut down easily. The main downside is its slightly annoying pop-ups, which you can significantly reduce with a solid ad blocker.
3. 1337X
133X has fewer ads and trackers than almost any torrent site I tested, along with a massive selection of software for multiple platforms. While it used to be known for hosting especially sleazy ads that would interfere with the experience, a revamp of the site removed most of its issues. The site is easy to navigate, and torrents are neatly organized in your search results. Its intuitive displays software torrents with important information, including the device compatibility, number of comments, the number of seeds and leeches, its file size, and the uploader’s name. A dropdown menu lets you conveniently sort results to find the software you need easily.
4. TorrentDownloads.pro
TorrentDownloads.pro has a handy directory system that lets you find files by platform or subcategories like security, operating systems, video apps, and others to help you narrow down your search. While it doesn’t have as many torrents indexed as PirateBay or 133X, it makes the software easy to find with its category index. A health bar next to each search result makes it easy to see which torrent is going to give you the fastest downloads. While you can’t rearrange your search results according to different metrics, TorrentDownloads automatically places results with the most seeds on top. This makes it easy to find the best torrent for the software you’re looking for.
5. LimeTorrents
LimeTorrents.cc’s wide selection of PC software makes it a solid choice if you use Windows, but it also has apps for Mac and Android apps as well as popular video game consoles. There are buttons to sort search results by the number of seeds, the number of leeches, file size, and upload date — but the sorting buttons didn’t always change the order when I clicked them. I also occasionally got non-software search results despite choosing the “Applications” category before searching. I found many active mirror links for the site, allowing global access to its software torrent libraries in case one URL gets shut down.
How to Choose A Good Software Torrenting Site
Strong security and privacy — The longer a torrent site has existed, the more reliable it is. Find your software on sites that have survived attacks from copyright claimants and governments to determine which have the strongest security and privacy measures. Active community — You want your torrent site to have a large community of engaged users so you can find options with lots of seeds and get faster downloads. An active community also means more comments from users about safety concerns, making it easier for you to assess a software torrent’s reputation. Minimal ads — In addition to the danger of malware embedded in torrents, lots of P2P sites host malicious ads and run data collection bots on your devices. I looked for sites that didn’t overwhelm me with offensive pop-ups or load suspicious trackers. Mirror sites — Domains and hosting servers for torrent sites are often attacked and shut down, so having alternate URLs is important. The more mirror sites there are, the more likely it is that your favorite software torrenting site will be accessible. Large software library — To help you find the software you need, I tested torrent sites to find out which had the largest libraries of torrents for software for most platforms.
How to Stay Safe While Using a Software Torrenting Site
Look for 100+ seeds — While it isn’t necessarily unsafe to download a software torrent with only a few seeds, torrents with 100 or more seeds tend to be more trustworthy. The more seeders a file has, the more users believe it’s safe. Plus, having more seeds means you get faster downloads. Inspect zipped files — It’s easy to hide viruses in zipped archives, so make sure to inspect the contents of any compressed file and check it for malware. Virus scan EXE files — To make sure they aren’t malicious, run a virus scan on all EXE and ISO torrents before you open them. Avoid outdated formats — The more out-of-date a file’s format is, the more likely it is to be a virus. Unless a torrent has thousands of seeds, stick to torrenting only up-to-date software versions and formats. Look out for decoy torrent sites — Hackers can create fake mirrors of torrent sites to trick you into downloading a virus. Always verify that you’re not using a copycat version.
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How to Spot Fake Software Torrenting Sites
Before torrenting any software, copy the unique info hash from its listing into an online tool to verify it’s genuine. While a fake torrent site could still link to real torrents simultaneously, this is a good step to make sure that any given download isn’t a malware-containing imitator. You can also avoid fake torrenting sites if you use the mirror URLs I personally tested and verified as of January 2023. Using a VPN helps protect you from fake torrenting sites by ensuring that whoever is running the fake site can’t see your real identity or execute a bot script.
Watch Out for These Fake Software Torrenting Sites
SumoTorrent: This site suspiciously asks you to download special software in order to view its library. The vague descriptions and simplistic design of the website don’t give you much information, and being forced to download an app to view the torrent selection is suspicious. I would stay away from this one. Kickass Torrents: Once one of the world’s largest torrent sites, Kickass Torrents was eventually shut down and its founder arrested. A version of the site still exists — but given all the scrutiny it has received, I wouldn’t recommend using it. AioSearch.com: This fake torrenting site hijacks your browser and installs rogue software onto your devices to record your data and sell it for profit. AioSearch’s Chrome add-on does the same and is extremely hard to remove, despite having lots of 4 and 5-star ratings in Chrome’s extension library.
Quick Guide: How to Safely Use a Software Torrent Site in 3 Easy Steps
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Always Use a VPN for Safe Software Torrenting
It’s common for torrent files to contain viruses, malware, and other nasty side effects, so it’s important that you’re only using reputable sites and are always vigilant when torrenting. Aside from being careful, you should protect yourself with a VPN. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and reroutes it through its own encrypted servers, hiding your IP address while torrenting. This keeps your personal data safe from hackers, eavesdroppers, and other dangers. Be aware that some torrent content is copyrighted and therefore illegal to download and seed. I don’t condone illegal torrenting, but it’s important to know how to torrent safely. Make sure the torrents you download are copyright-free and use a quality VPN like ExpressVPN to protect your identity and hide your personal data from malicious third parties on torrent sites.
Best VPNs for Software Torrenting Sites
1. ExpressVPN — #1 VPN for Torrenting Software With the Fastest Download Speeds
ExpressVPN is the top VPN for torrenting software because it has the top download speeds for getting the software you need fast. During my tests, I connected to servers in the US, Germany, Australia, France, Japan, and others and downloaded a 1.5GB zipped collection of freeware, shareware, and public domain apps. No matter which server I used, I never had to wait more than 15 minutes for my torrent to finish. That was due to ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol — it’s ideal for downloading big torrents because it gives you top-shelf security without sacrificing speeds. Performance tests showed that my ExpressVPN connection topped 300Mbps on a server in my city and never dropped below 90Mbps, even when I used distant server locations. This is really impressive, as most VPNs slow down a lot when you use servers that are located across the world. To keep my P2P connection hidden from hackers and anonymous from third parties, ExpressVPN pairs military-grade 256-bit encryption with a zero-logs policy. It also has an automatic kill switch that shuts off all networks in case your connection becomes unsteady. I trust that ExpressVPN really keeps my torrent activities hidden — its procedures, security, and servers have been audited by independent firms like PwC. The one con to using ExpressVPN for software torrenting is that it only supports port forwarding at the router level, so it isn’t as good for seeding files. But you can do a router installation if you really need this feature, and in my opinion, being able to download software at blazing-fast speeds is more important. This VPN has plans starting at $6.67/month, but even short-term subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. That way, it’s risk-free to subscribe to ExpressVPN for torrenting and see if you get great download speeds as I did. If it isn’t what you expected, you can ask for your money back. I made my refund request via 24/7 live chat, and the support agent approved it in a minute. I had my money 4 days later. Get ExpressVPN for torrenting
2. CyberGhost — P2P-Optimized Servers for Reliable and Anonymous Software Sharing
CyberGhost has torrenting-optimized servers designed to keep your P2P connections reliable and anonymous. With server options on most continents including North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, sorting by distance allows you to easily find the one with the fastest speeds. When I tested several optimized servers to torrent a 1.4GB ISO of the Ubuntu operating system, it took under 12 minutes every time. These torrenting-optimized servers gave me 15% faster uploads than when I used CyberGhost’s standard servers in nearby New York. With military-grade 256-bit encryption, CyberGhost protects your data with the same encryption level used by the US government. The VPN also makes it impossible for third parties to see your torrents by recording nothing to its servers, and a kill switch ensures your privacy will remain intact even if you lose your network connection. Plus, CyberGhost is based in privacy-friendly Romania. This country isn’t part of any surveillance-sharing alliances and hasn’t passed data retention laws, so it’s an ideal place for a VPN provider to be headquartered. This gives me further assurance that my software downloads aren’t going to be monitored. The main downside to CyberGhost is that it has a slightly more expensive 1-month subscription that has a shorter refund window compared to other VPNs. However, its 2-year + 4 months plan is only $2.03/month and comes with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee. That gives you plenty of time to try CyberGhost’s torrenting-optimized servers for free. If you aren’t happy with the results, you can get a refund easily within 45 days of making your order. I asked for my money back via 24/7 live chat, and the agent approved the request in under 2 minutes. The money was back in my bank account in 5 days. Get Cyberghost for torrenting
3. Private Internet Access — MACE Ad and Malware Blocker Protects Your Privacy on Software Torrent Sites
PIA has an integrated ad and malware blocker called MACE which gives you a safer torrenting experience by stopping malicious scripts and intrusive ads. This is important since even some of the top torrent sites have advertisements that install bots onto your devices or lead to scammy websites. With MACE enabled, I can click magnet links without worrying if marketers are stealing my data. Other third parties won’t be able to find out about my torrenting activities either — PIA’s zero-logs policy means that my data is never recorded. Best of all, hackers won’t be able to see my connection because of PIA’s military-grade 256-bit encryption. I got decent torrenting speeds with PIA but made them faster by enabling port forwarding. This sped up my uploads and allowed me to share files with other users faster. My top download speeds were over 150Mbps, allowing me to torrent a 2GB movie file with only 3 seeds in less than 14 minutes. With port forwarding turned on, my uploads reached 90Mbps — the fastest of any VPN on this list. The only downside to PIA is that none of its servers in the US are torrent-enabled, so you have to connect to a different location. On the upside, it has one of the best monthly VPN plans if you only need a VPN for a short period. However, the 2-year + 4 months subscription is the best deal at just $2.03/month, making PIA one of the most budget-friendly VPNs for software torrenting I found. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so its plans are risk-free. You can torrent software with PIA and get a refund if you aren’t satisfied. I tested the policy myself by reaching out to support via 24/7 live chat. The agent approved my refund request in a few minutes, and I had my money back the following week. Get PIA for torrenting
What are the best torrenting sites?
The best sites I found for torrenting software are excellent for finding movies, music, TV shows, and other media as well. Just remember that you should only use torrent sites legally — I don’t condone breaking copyright agreements or other laws. Keep in mind that even media you have access to elsewhere (like Netflix) is not licensed for you to torrent your own copies of.
How does torrenting work?
Torrenting sites connect you to a network of people, or “peers,” who are all sharing different parts of files. When you search a P2P network and download a torrent, it arrives on your device in individual pieces that are all shared by different users. Once you start downloading the file, you can help “seed” pieces of it on the network as well. This way, torrents allow you to share files together with other people. Even better, this design makes it so that the best torrents will download the fastest because as they become popular, they can have more seeds on the network. It also makes P2P networks hard to shut down since users are sharing pieces of files directly with one another rather than downloading them from a centralized server.
How do I use a torrent site?
Choose one from this list and use the site’s search function to find the software you’re looking for. To open torrent links and start downloading, you’ll need to get a free torrent client like BitTorrent or uTorrent. Just be sure to connect to a VPN first to protect your connection from hackers and prevent third parties from seeing your downloads.
Is it legal to use a torrent download site?
Yes — in most countries, it’s perfectly legal to use torrenting sites. Just remember that you’re not allowed to download anything copyrighted, even with the protection of a top VPN. I don’t condone using a VPN to get paid software, games, or media for free, and doing so leaves you criminally liable.
Can I torrent in India?
Yes, as long as you’re not violating copyright, licensing agreements, or any other laws, you can download torrents in India. Just make sure to familiarize yourself with the local regulations when it comes to torrenting and VPN usage.
Are torrenting sites safe to use?
Legitimate torrenting sites are safe to visit if you use a VPN, but there are fake torrenting sites that are scams. They install bots onto your devices or post malware that steals your data. Plus, even the best torrent sites can host fake torrents that appear to be popular software but secretly contain viruses. That’s why you still have to be careful and run virus scans on everything you download, even if you’re not using inherently dangerous sites.
Do I need to use a VPN for torrenting sites?
Yes. You need a VPN to protect your privacy from sleazy ad bots and protect your P2P connections from hackers. These dangers exist even on the most popular sites. Since they have to make money to pay for web hosting, software torrent sites are known for hosting ads that contain explicit content and intrusive pop-ups.
Why are some torrenting sites blocked?
Torrent sites are frequently blocked without notice in various countries due to copyright claims, their URLs being shut down by web hosting companies, and other issues. Fake torrent sites also sometimes appear after a real one goes down. These spoofed versions look like the real thing but are built by hackers or government authorities to trick you into revealing your private data.
How can I access the best private torrent sites?
Private torrenting sites require an invitation from a current user to access, unlike when you choose a software torrenting site that’s open to everyone. Once you’re confirmed as a new member of a private torrenting community, you’ll be required to seed and share files with others. This ensures that everyone contributes, and your activities can’t be limited to only downloading.
Can I use a free VPN with a torrenting site?
Yes, but because of restrictions on even the solid free VPN providers, I wouldn’t recommend it. You have to deal with tight limits on server selection, speeds, data, and other features that make torrenting impractical. Most free VPNs also don’t have as powerful security and privacy features that you need to torrent software safely and keep your activities anonymous. The worst free VPNs are actual scams — despite high ratings in app stores, they contain malware. Some once-respected free VPNs have even been caught collecting and sharing user data. It isn’t worth the risk when you can just use a top VPN like CyberGhost for free by using its 45-day money-back guarantee policy. I used 24/7 live chat to ask for a refund after testing CyberGhost to torrent software for a couple of weeks. A customer support agent approved my request quickly, and I was able to get a CyberGhost refund in less than a week.
Conclusion
Even the best software torrent sites come with dangers and frustrations. However, a top VPN can keep you safe from hackers and hide your connection from eavesdroppers. I found the safest sites that host the most software, then tried out all the top VPNs to find out which actually keep you safe and anonymous while you torrent apps and games. After extensive testing, I found that ExpressVPN is the best for software torrenting, with the fastest speeds and top-shelf security and privacy features. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you decide you don’t like it, you can get a refund quickly and easily.
