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What VPN would you recommend for torrenting? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 8 months ago by open_door@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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

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[-] Linguist@lemmy.world 71 points 8 months ago

Mullvad or Proton. IVPN is also good.

[-] EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone 51 points 8 months ago

Another user already said this, but just in case, Mullvad got rid of their port forwarding.

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[-] cmbabul@lemmy.world 35 points 8 months ago

Mullvad

[-] foggy@lemmy.world 49 points 8 months ago

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.

[-] Ilandar@aussie.zone 22 points 8 months ago

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?

[-] micka190@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Only if you have the appropriate level of privacy settings enabled (and extensions installed) in your browser. Your IP address actually has very little to do with ID-ing you, since most trackers will use hundreds of different fingerprinting methods to create "shadow accounts" of you using things like your system information, screen resolution, installed locales, etc.

This doesn't mean a VPN doesn't help, though. Just pointing-out that you probably won't be asked if you're a bot if you go on Google while logged-in to a Google account, regardless of whether your VPN is on or not.

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[-] Cosmocrat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 8 months ago

They got rid of port forwarding unfortunately, so good luck seeding.

[-] RogueBanana@lemmy.zip 15 points 8 months ago

Do you need port forwarding for seeding?

[-] EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone 34 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Not strictly speaking, but it definitely speeds up seeding because without it a lot of potential connections would be closed to you.

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[-] idkman@lemmy.dbzer0.com 34 points 8 months ago

Mullvad or Proton

[-] dana@lemmy.world 20 points 8 months ago

Note that Mullvad no longer allows port forwarding, which can make it harder to torrent effectively

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[-] hperrin@lemmy.world 32 points 8 months ago

I use ProtonVPN whenever I download a lot of Linux ISOs.

[-] halm@leminal.space 12 points 8 months ago

Several times a week I too download all the Linux ISOs, and I will have a look at ProtonVPN 👍

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[-] nivenkos@lemmy.world 30 points 8 months ago

ProtonVPN for port forwarding, Mullvad for easy usage (Wireguard on Linux).

I use vopono on Linux too.

[-] s3rvant@lemmy.ml 11 points 8 months ago

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

[-] AceSLS@ani.social 8 points 8 months ago

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

[-] Giu176@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

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

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[-] Ilandar@aussie.zone 24 points 8 months ago

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

[-] NateSwift@beehaw.org 24 points 8 months ago

I’ve been happy with AirVPN for the last year or so

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[-] Outtatime@sh.itjust.works 22 points 8 months ago

I use proton myself

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[-] msmc101@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 8 months ago

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.

[-] DemBoSain@midwest.social 38 points 8 months ago

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.

[-] phoneymouse@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago

I also dropped them after the acquisition

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[-] redcalcium@lemmy.institute 12 points 8 months ago

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.

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[-] Pilgrim@beehaw.org 20 points 8 months ago

Proton VPN has been working pretty well for me. Includes port forwarding and a lot of servers.

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[-] shaytan@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 8 months ago

It isnt the best one, but its cheap, allows port forwarding and its not sketchy as far as we know

Air vpn

[-] Syakaizin@lemm.ee 11 points 8 months ago

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

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[-] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 19 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Whatever you do, maybe sure you network bind the vpn interface

https://protonvpn.com/support/bittorrent-vpn/

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[-] UmbraTemporis@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

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.

[-] Giu176@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago

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

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[-] art@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago

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.

[-] thantik@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I use Windscribe because it's $1/mo and I don't care. I don't use their software, I use the vanilla Wireguard client, and have my qBittorrent connect through that interface only.

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[-] DivisionResult@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 8 months ago

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

[-] michael_palmer@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 8 months ago

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

[-] Catsrules@lemmy.ml 9 points 8 months ago

What VPS service?

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[-] onlinepersona@programming.dev 10 points 8 months ago

No VPN, just qBittorrent and I2P = anoymous torrents

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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[-] UntouchedWagons@lemmy.ca 10 points 8 months ago

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

[-] solberg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 8 months ago

I use Mullvad through Tailscale. If you already use Tailscale it’s a no-brainer

[-] lud@lemm.ee 16 points 8 months ago

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.

[-] Fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

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.

[-] TCB13@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

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?

[-] FeatherConstrictor@sh.itjust.works 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

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?

[-] TCB13@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

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.

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