Peer to peer download technology, like that used in torrents, remains one of the most efficient ways for users to download content without putting too much strain on a hosting site. By downloading small chunks of a file from other users while they are downloading too, the torrent system allows for very fast file transfers which users love.
Unfortunately, as torrents are often used to share content illegally, the sites which aggregate torrent links are frequently shut down or have to move to a new name or URL. It can be hard to keep track of where to find torrents due to the constant changes! To help you with this, we’re sharing a list of the best torrenting sites for 2017, so you can find the content you’re looking for with these top torrenting options.
REMINDER! Torrent Users Must Have A VPN
You’ve surely heard plenty about the anti-piracy measures which are being deployed against both torrent hosting sites and torrent users. As torrents became more popular over the last few years, ISPs, law enforcement agencies, and copyright holders all began monitoring and investigating torrent use. As well as shutting down popular torrent indexing sites like the ones we’re going to list below, these organisations also target private users.
If you download torrents over an unsecured internet connection, it is highly likely that your internet use will be investigated. If your ISP can prove that you have downloaded copyrighted content illegally, you can get in serious trouble. The reason that torrenting is treated more seriously than other types of downloading is to do with how the technology works: when you are downloading a file using a torrent, you are simultaneously hosting the parts of the file that you have already downloaded for other users to access. This means that technically you are not only downloading copyrighted content, but you are also hosting it, which is a more serious legal offence.
There are even cases of copyright holders deliberately letting their material be torrented but hiding a tracker inside the file, so the copyright holders can see everyone who has torrented the file and slap every single one of them with a fine or a threat of prosecution. And you’ve probably heard of copyright trolls: legal firms who send out threatening letters to torrent users which demand outrageous sums of money as a fine or threaten to take the user to court. Obviously you want to protect yourself from this predatory behaviour. So if you’re going to use torrents, you absolutely must protect yourself by encrypting your internet activity. Using a VPN service will encrypt the data that you send from your machine over the internet, which means that your ISP or any other observers can’t see what content you’re accessing or what files you are sharing. This is vital for keeping you safe when you use torrents.
Now you know that you need a VPN, how do you go about choosing one from the many VPN providers who are out there? Well, we’ll recommend some VPN providers who we think do the best job at protecting torrenters. When we select VPNs to recommend to you, we consider some of the following issues:
- Security. Does the company have a no logging policy? Do they use strong encryption?
- Torrent friendliness. Does the company allow the use of torrents and other P2P downloads over their network?
- Connection speed. How fast are the connections? Are they quick enough to download large files?
- Availability of servers. How many servers does the company have, and based in how many different countries?
- No limitations. Are there no bandwidth caps, no throttling, and no other restrictions on downloading?
Looking at all of these factors, we have two recommendations for VPN providers for torrent users:
IPVanish
We highly recommend IPVanish as a torrent-friendly VPN. They have a no-logging policy and strong 256-bit encryption, they allow torrents on their network, they have lightning-fast connections, and they have more than 850 servers in 61 countries. With no restrictions on file types or traffic, they’re perfect for torrenters.
If you’re interested in IPVanish, then you’ll want to look into the special offer they have which is exclusive to Addictive Tips readers! They’re offering a huge 60% discount on the yearly plan, which works out to only $4.87 per month. There’s even a 7-day money-back guarantee so you can buy in confidence.
NordVPN
Another highly recommended service is NordVPN, who have strong privacy with double encryption and 2048-bit SSL protection. They also have a no logging policy, no restrictions on file types, fast connections, and over 1000 servers in 59 different countries.
You can try NordVPN for yourself and take advantage of the special offer available. You can get a 72% discount on their 2-year plan, which works out to just $3.29 per month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Now that you have a VPN to keep you safe, we’ll get to the list of top torrent sites.
Top Options for Torrent Sites
KickassTorrents
KickassTorrents was one of the biggest names in torrents, but the site was shut down last year. After it shut down, there were a load of clone sites which pretended to be official recreations of the original site, but these sites were not officially supported by the development team.
Fortunately, the original KAT team got back together to recreate the beloved site at a new URL. The new site has the same content and features as the original, like the community links which encouraged users to discuss and recommend different content and file sharing methods.
With its huge selection of content, neatly organised categories, and engaged community section, the new KAT is a resource every torrenter should know. Find it at https://katcr.co/
isoHunt
Another very well-established name in the torrents game is isoHunt, who have hopped around over several domains in the last few years to avoid being shut down. isoHunt has the big selection of content you’re looking for, like TV show episodes, movies, and music, and it also has some less frequently seen categories like eBooks and anime.
The best thing about isoHunt is the speed at which new files go up. New episodes of TV shows are often available as soon as the episode airs, so it’s ideal if you’re trying to keep up with a show.
You can find the current version of isoHunt at https://isohunt2.org/
LimeTorrents
Users in the know love LimeTorrents for its ease of use, wide range of content, and helpful layout which shows the top torrents in various categories. It has some specialist categories like foreign films as well as the usual TV shows, movies, and music. And it has great bonus features like a verification system where torrents that have been confirmed to be safe, accurately labelled, and high quality are marked with a star so you know you can trust them. It also has RSS feeds for different categories which you can plug into your torrent client to automatically download the newest additions to the category.
LimeTorrents isn’t indexed by search engines though, so there’s no way to search for the site unless you know the URL. Fortunately, we can share that URL with you now! You’ll find the site at http://ift.tt/1NjtQr0
Torrentz2
The original Torrentz site was shut down recently, but fortunately the site is back under the new name Torrentz2. Like the original site, Torrentz2 has a large selection of content in the usual categories, and from the site you can see lists of fresh popular torrents and the week’s top torrents, which are both a great source of new recommendations.
One feature that makes Torrentz2 stand out from other torrent sites is its quality index. It has systems for both verifying that torrents contain the files that they claim to, and ratings for the quality of the torrents. By pulling data from a large number of other torrent sites, Torrentz2 is one of the most powerful torrent search sites.
Check out Torrentz2 for yourself at http://torrentz2.eu/
1337x
Another site which isn’t indexed but is often used by serious torrenters is 1337x. It has an exceptionally well-designed user interface, making it more smooth and professional-looking than other torrent sites. And of course it hosts all the torrents you could want, from TV shows, movies, and music, to specialist categories like anime and documentaries.
The 1337x site includes plenty of information on its torrents such as the number of seeders and leechers, the date it was uploaded, the size of the file, and who the uploader is so that you can follow your favourite and most trusted uploaders. The comment function is helpful for commenting on the quality of individual torrent links.
To try the 1337x site, go to https://www.1337x.to/
The Pirate Bay
The biggest and best name in torrenting for many years was The Pirate Bay. Unfortunately, TPB has become famous in the last few years as one of the sites most criticised and hampered by law enforcement. The reason that this site isn’t at the top of this list is that it has had to change URLs so many times that many users have switched to other sites instead.
However, for as long as it is available, TPB still continues to have the finest selection of torrents in a broad range of categories. You can use the site to find software, eBooks, comics, and games, as well as movies, TV shows, and music.
The current URL for The Pirate Bay is http://ift.tt/2wNU9ph
iDope.se
A more recent torrent site that we’re really enjoying is iDope. This site is more focused on security than other sites, with a principle of not tracking the IP address of visitors and a commitment to not using annoying pop-up adverts. If you’ve been concerned about the level of security offered by other torrent sites, then you will appreciate Idope’s more careful approach.
The iDope website also differentiates itself from other torrent sites with a clean, minimalist interface. One distinctive feature is the highlighted collection torrents which are featured on the front page, which allow you to download a whole set of files using just one torrent. For example, currently there’s a collection of the top 250 movies on IMDB, and you can download all of them from just one file. Of course, you’ll find the usual most popular lists and categories like TV shows, movies, and music too.
For the privacy minded torrent user, try Idope at https://idope.se/
RARBG
Finally, one of the oldest torrent sites on the internet that’s still going is RARBG. The design of the site might look rather outdated now, and it isn’t as frequently updated and maintained by its developers as other, newer torrent sites. However, there is still a ton of great content that’s available on RARBG and it still has some devoted fans.
If you’re looking for a simple torrent site with just the essentials and no frills, then you might like RARBG. There aren’t a lot of extra features on the site. But one feature which is distinctive is the recommended torrents section, which has a really interesting selection of movies which are more art house than blockbuster. If you’re a big cinema fan who is looking for recommendations for less well known movies, then definitely have a look here.
You can access the RARBG website at http://ift.tt/1ndnMZb
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many great torrent sites out there which have all sorts of content for you to download. Even though torrent sites tend to shut down or move frequently, these 8 sites are still working in 2017 and are some of the best places on the internet to find torrent files.
Which of these torrent sites do you think is the best? Or is there a different torrent source which we didn’t mention but you love? Then let us know in the comments below!
Read Best Torrenting Sites of 2017; What Are Your Top Torrenting Options by Diego Villena on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter
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