4 Best VPNs for qBittorrent: Enhanced Privacy in 2024

Do you use qBittorrent for your torrenting? Have you heard horror stories about people getting harassed, or even sued because they downloaded the “wrong” file? Then you've come to the right place! A VPN (Virtual Private Network), can help you stay anonymous while torrenting.

That a VPN can protect you from problems like this is great, but there are more VPNs out there than you can shake a stick at. The real problem is not finding a VPN. The real problem is figuring out which VPN is right for you.

That's where we come in. We've tested all the leading VPNs to find out which ones are best for torrenting with qBittorrent. We've tested all the leading VPNs for speeds, security, and their torrenting capability to narrow it down to the best options.

Key takeaways

• The top VPNs for qBittorrent use advanced VPN protocols that deliver better encryption and faster connection speeds than the previous generation.

• Free VPNs that work with qBittorrent exist, but they don't deliver the performance you want and they carry significant risks.

• Based on our test results, the best VPN for qBittorrent is NordVPN, and it comes with a 74% off coupon here.

• Setting up the most secure connection takes several steps, but no worries. We show you exactly what you need to do in this article.
  

Top VPN Picks for qBittorrent Users

We test all the major characteristics of VPNs to find the best options for our readers. When it comes to torrenting, the most important characteristics are security and speed, followed by more general characteristics like ease of use, availability of VPN servers in important locations, and the ability to unblock and stream video content from around the world. Based on these criteria, we narrowed down the best VPNs for qBittorrent in 2024.

Let's dive in!

NordVPN: Double Protection with Specialized Servers and Much More

NordVPN has established itself as a leading VPN for torrenting due to a combination of features that cater specifically to the needs of torrenters like you. Here is the NordVPN app for Windows, configured for torrenting through its P2P servers in Iceland.

NordVPN is extremely fast for torrenting thanks to its P2P-optimized servers and the high-speed interconnections between them. In addition, NordVPN uses the NordLynx protocol. NordLynx takes advantage of the high speed and security of the WireGuard VPN protocol, while adding another layer of privacy protection, making NordVPN ideal for torrenting safely. It is one of the best VPNs with WireGuard support.

NordVPN has a huge network, with over 6,300 VPN servers spread across 110 countries. Those servers are super secure since they are diskless, and the connections between them are fast, with 10 Gbps lines between the highest-traffic locations. The odds are excellent that you will be able to find P2P servers wherever you need them.

NordVPN offers many security features that make it ideal for torrenting. One of the most important is its no-logs policy. This policy has been audited several times by outside security firms and ensures that NordVPN keeps no records of our online activities. Based on these audits and our testing, we rate NordVPN as one of the best no-logs VPN services.

Here are some more of NordVPN's security and privacy features:

• VPN kill switch that ensures your internet traffic is not exposed by a problem with the connection between your devices and VPN servers.
• Built-in tracker, malware, and ad blocking through the NordVPN Threat Protection system. As of today, this is the best VPN with ad blocking on the market.
• Double VPN servers provide additional security by passing your internet traffic through two VPN servers.
• Obfuscated servers that can hide your VPN traffic from internet censors.
• NordVPN offers dedicated IP connections. You can learn more about the pros and cons of dedicated IP in this guide to the best VPNs with dedicated IP.
• Excellent streaming performance when configured as shown in our NordVPN Netflix guide. NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for streaming any type of content.

Given all of the above, would you be surprised to learn that we consider NordVPN to be one of the best VPN services in the world? We didn't think so.

Note: Speaking of the world, NordVPN also appears in our guides to the Best VPNs for Canada and the Best VPNs for China.

You can learn more about NordVPN in our updated NordVPN Review, and more about NordVPN as a general torrenting VPN in our guide to the best VPNs for torrenting.

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Surfshark: Fast Torrenting and Unlimited Simultaneous Connections

Surfshark is another strong option for qBittorrent users. It delivers a strong mix of features, performance, and price while supporting an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. This makes it a fine VPN for qBittorrent while also being perhaps the best VPN for multiple devices.

Surfshark, like NordVPN, is an audited no-logs VPN so you can be confident that your data is secure from snoops of all sorts. It also includes a kill switch, a variety of advanced server types, and WireGuard support for fast, secure torrenting. It is also an excellent VPN for streaming, making its way onto our list of the best VPNs for Netflix. See our guide to using Surfshark for Netflix for more details.

Thanks to WireGuard support, high-performance RAM-only servers, and high-speed connections in crucial areas, our testing shows that Surfshark is one of the fastest VPNs you can find today. It can keep up with NordVPN and IPVanish and also turned in superior results in our ExpressVPN vs Surfshark tests.

While NordVPN and Surfshark are now owned by the same parent company, Surfshark continues to go its own way, with innovations like Dynamic MultiHop, which allows you to create custom double-VPN configurations. The image below shows a Dynamic MultiHop configuration that passes through Panama and Romania, two of the safest countries for torrenting.

With long-term subscriptions running below $3.00 per month, Surfshark demonstrates that a top-quality VPN can be found for a cheap VPN price. Add in the unlimited simultaneous connections, 24/7 live chat support, and WireGuard support and Surfshark is surely worth checking out.

Check out other uses for this versatile VPN in our recently revised Surfshark VPN review. You may also want to check out our guide to using Surfshark for torrenting.

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ExpressVPN: A History of Security and Reliability

ExpressVPN has long been one of the top VPN services. It is known for its security and reliability. A comparison of ExpressVPN vs NordVPN features shows that ExpressVPN is a simpler service. This makes it a great option for people who simply want a VPN that gets the job done, without a lot of fuss or the need to understand fancy features.

As with the other VPNs in this comparison, ExpressVPN has a kill switch (called Network Lock) that ensures your data is not exposed during a service disruption. ExpressVPN runs a large number of audits of all aspects of its service, including its no-logs policy to ensure that your data is always safe with it.

ExpressVPN is pretty fast, just not as fast as IPVanish, Surfshark, or NordVPN. It is still much faster than most VPN services, so torrenting and streaming are quick and smooth. Despite being slower than services like NordVPN, ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer and other geo-blocked services.

So if you are looking for a secure and reliable VPN for torrenting with qBittorrent that you can just set and go, ExpressVPN could be the right option for you. Click the button below to give it a try. The company gives you a 30-day money-back guarantee and excellent 24/7 live chat support, meaning you will have plenty of time to check out this service and all the help you need.

Get all the latest info on this veteran VPN service in our full ExpressVPN review or keep your focus on torrenting with our guide to ExpressVPN for torrenting.

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IPVanish: Wide Server Selection for Global Access

IPVanish made this list of the best VPNs for qBittorrent because it offers high speeds, strong security, ease of use, and unlimited simultaneous connections. It combines the ease of use that ExpressVPN offers, with the unlimited simultaneous connections found in Surfshark, and WireGuard-based speed even greater than that of NordVPN. Check it out:

And of course, IPVanish has all the other key features of a qBittorrent VPN. We're talking about a dependable kill switch, leak protection, and an audited no-log policy. It also supports VPN split tunneling, which lets you segregate your qBittorrent activity from anything else you might be doing on your computer.

IPVanish is one of the few VPNs with support for Apple TV, so if you are using one of those, IPVanish may be exactly what you are looking for. And thanks to its high speed and its ease of use, IPVanish could even be a good VPN for gaming.

With a network of more than 2,000 servers across 75+ global locations, IPVanish provides worldwide access and consistent connections for qBittorrent users.

Want more information about this VPN service? Check out our IPVanish VPN review. We also have a general guide to using IPVanish for torrenting which you might find useful.

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All of these VPNs are secure and provide fast downloads. They also are easy to use, have VPN servers located in important locations around the world, and you can use them to stream video content when you aren't busy torrenting.

At the same time, each of these qBittorrent VPNs offers distinct features and benefits, catering to a variety of needs. Here are some examples:

• NordVPN offers very fast downloads, a huge server network, and specialized servers for peer-to-peer connections.

• Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections, making it a great VPN for multiple devices.

• ExpressVPN is very easy to use and has a well-earned reputation for reliability and excellent customer support.

• IPVanish is one of the few VPNs that supports Apple TV, and like Surfshark it allows unlimited simultaneous connections.

Now let's discuss free VPNs vs paid VPNs when it comes to torrenting.

Free vs Paid VPNs: Why Free VPNs Don't Cut It

We've just seen what the leading qBittorrent VPNs can do. But there are lots of free VPNs that sound good too. Can't you just use one of them? You could use one of those free VPN services, but we think it would be a big mistake. Here's why:

Free VPNs come with many limitations and risks. Limitations like:

• Limited bandwidth can result in slower downloads or limitations on the amount of data you can download. Imagine getting halfway through a download and hitting your data limit for the week!

• Slow servers can make torrenting large files into a torturous waiting game.

• Old technology such as obsolete VPN protocols or servers that aren't as secure as those used by paid VPN services. A free VPN that leaks your IP address or other data to the world is useless, even dangerous.

Even if a free VPN doesn't have any of these limitations, there are some risks you need to be aware of. Some free VPNs pay for their expenses by logging your activities and selling that data. Others have been found installing malware with their VPN apps, infecting user devices with who knows what. Saving a few bucks a month by using a VPN that is “free” could cost you a lot in the long run.

Note: If you are still interested in finding the best free VPN, you might want to check out our guide to the best free-trial VPNs.

Choosing the Right Server Location for Torrenting

When it comes to torrenting with a VPN, server location plays a critical role. Servers that are situated near your location tend to provide higher speeds due to lower latency. Moreover, the server location can also influence the availability and number of seeders for a particular torrent, which can further affect the download speed.

We recommend you choose VPN servers in countries with strong privacy laws such as:

• Switzerland

• Iceland

• Malaysia

• Panama

• Romania

You will generally get the best performance by connecting to a VPN server location in the closest of the countries listed above.

Summary

For the safest torrenting experience with qBittorrent (or any other torrent app), you need to use a VPN. A quality VPN will increase your security and privacy while torrenting, while still supporting fast file transfers.

Each of the four VPNs profiled in this article has its own unique benefits. But all of them can protect you while using qBittorrent. From that perspective, any one of them is an ideal choice.

However, when it comes to torrenting as well as general VPN activities, we recommend you go with NordVPN. It is the best VPN for qBittorrent and the best overall VPN we have tested to date.

Related Torrenting Articles:

• How to Use a VPN for Torrenting
• Best VPNs for uTorrent
• NordVPN for uTorrent
• ExpressVPN for uTorrent
• Surfshark for uTorrent
• NordVPN for qBittorrent
• Surfshark VPN for qBittorrent

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions related to using a VPN with qBittorrent:

Should I use a VPN when using qBittorrent?

We strongly recommend that you use a VPN with qBittorrent to increase your security and privacy. NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and IPVanish are the best options for secure torrenting. Of these, NordVPN is our top pick due to its overall superiority in speed, privacy, security, and features.

Is it safe to use a VPN for qBittorrent?

Using a VPN to torrent is a safe and effective way to protect your privacy. The VPN will encrypt your internet traffic and hide your IP address, making it virtually impossible for anyone to know what you are torrenting.

Is it OK to use qBittorrent without a VPN?

We do not recommend using qBittorrent without a VPN. A VPN is the most reliable way to prevent others from learning your true IP address when torrenting. Even a proxy service cannot provide the protection that a quality VPN can.

What is a kill switch and how does it benefit torrenting?

A kill switch is a VPN feature that prevents IP leaks by automatically disconnecting your internet connection if the VPN fails. This is a vital feature to ensure that your IP address is never exposed due to a problem with your connection to a VPN server.

What is split tunneling in a VPN and how does it benefit qBittorrent power users?

Split tunneling in a VPN allows qBittorrent power users to route their torrent traffic through the VPN for maximum security and privacy. Meanwhile, you can handle other traffic outside the VPN for higher speeds and isolation from the torrenting activity.

This guide to the best VPNs for qBittorrent was last updated on April 28, 2024.