Best Free VPN for Torrenting: Which Free Plans Actually Allow P2P
Torrenting on a free VPN works only when the free tier itself permits P2P and its data allowance survives an actual download. Out of 37 services offering a free plan that allow file sharing on some tier, several keep P2P behind the paywall. The highest-scoring three are CitadelVPN (8.37), Proton VPN (5.89) and LightningX VPN (5.30), and they treat free users differently. Read more
Part of VPNs for torrenting.
Sorted by this page’s weighting: Price and fair terms weighs 40% on this page. Each row also shows the overall score.
Ready-made lists
- Works under heavy blocking
- Anonymous
- Honest free
- Trial without a card
- No price rise at renewal
- Netflix and streaming
- Gaming
- For business
All filters by topic: Price and payment · Anonymity and privacy · VPN security · VPN protocols · VPNs by platform · VPNs by use case · Travel and restrictions · VPN jurisdictions · VPN servers by country · VPN customer support · VPN segments
| # | Service | Page score | Data limit | Speed | Locations | Ads | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CitadelVPN | 8.37overall 8.74 | Yes | — | — | No | Data limit: yes; Ads: no | €1.38per month |
| 2 | Proton VPN | 5.89overall 6.12 | unlimited (no data limits) | medium speed, no artificial limits | 10 randomly selected countries | no ads | Data limit: unlimited (no data limits); Speed: medium speed, no artificial limits; Locations: 10 randomly selected countries; Ads: no ads | €3.00per month |
| 3 | LightningX VPN | 5.30overall 4.96 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €4.30per month |
| 4 | BelkaVPN | 5.16overall 4.25 | — | — | US; Canada (browser extension… | — | Locations: US; Canada (browser extension… | €2.36per month |
| 5 | ZoogVPN | 4.59overall 4.36 | 10 GB/month | limited (possible congestion) | 5 locations | Yes in Android app (Google AdMob) | Data limit: 10 GB/month; Speed: limited (possible congestion); Locations: 5 locations; Ads: yes in Android app (Google AdMob) | €2.14per month |
| 6 | Canada VPN | 4.54overall 4.11 | — | — | 6 servers in 5 countries (US, UK,… | — | Locations: 6 servers in 5 countries (US, UK,… | €1.99per month |
| 7 | Turbo VPN | 4.52overall 4.05 | — | — | a handful of servers | Yes mobile | Locations: a handful of servers; Ads: yes (mobile) | €2.86per month |
| 8 | VMP VPN (VPN Master Pro) | 4.48overall 4.48 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €5.01per month |
| 9 | CactusVPN | 4.44overall 4.17 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €3.41per month |
| 10 | VPN Hero (Appwise) | 4.41overall 3.31 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | €0.79per month |
| 11 | iTop VPN | 4.26overall 3.58 | unlimited (VIP lists unlimited… | slower (VIP 10x faster) | 10+ free servers (US, UK, JP, DE,… | — | Data limit: unlimited (VIP lists unlimited…; Speed: slower (VIP 10x faster); Locations: 10+ free servers (US, UK, JP, DE,… | €2.15per month |
| 12 | VPN Proxy Master | 4.25overall 3.68 | 500 MB (review | — | — | likely (AdMob, Liftoff, InMobi,… | Data limit: 500 MB (review; Ads: likely (AdMob, Liftoff, InMobi,… | €3.18per month |
| 13 | VPN Proxy Master - Safer Vpn (SecureGuard) | 4.08overall 3.62 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | €3.18per month |
| 14 | PrivadoVPN | 3.98overall 3.43 | 10 GB / 30 days (then free… | — | 13 (a handful) | — | Data limit: 10 GB / 30 days (then free…; Locations: 13 (a handful) | €0.95per month |
| 15 | TunnelBear | 3.96overall 3.59 | 2GB/month | — | — | — | Data limit: 2GB/month | €2.86per month |
| 16 | Hotspot Shield | 3.87overall 3.94 | 500 MB/day (watch ads on mobile… | up to 2 Mbps | 1 (US, virtual) | Yes ads on mobile | Data limit: 500 MB/day (watch ads on mobile…; Speed: up to 2 Mbps; Locations: 1 (US, virtual); Ads: yes (ads on mobile) | €2.08per month |
| 17 | V3VPN | 3.64overall 3.38 | — | — | — | claims ad-free | Ads: claims ad-free | €2.57per month |
| 18 | TipTop VPN | 3.47overall 2.77 | — | limited | limited | — | Speed: limited; Locations: limited | €2.49per month |
| 19 | Speedy Quark VPN | 3.43overall 2.56 | — | — | — | Yes AdMob, Unity Ads | Ads: yes (AdMob, Unity Ads) | €4.29per month |
| 20 | FlyVPN | 3.40overall 2.28 | — | — | HK (7); JP (3); KR (5); KZ (1); … | — | Locations: HK (7); JP (3); KR (5); KZ (1); … | €4.27per month |
| 21 | 1VPN | 3.31overall 2.57 | unlimited (claim) | — | — | — | Data limit: unlimited (claim) | €1.71per month |
| 22 | VPN UAE: Unlimited VPN in UAE (Local networks) | 3.11overall 2.26 | unlimited (claimed) | — | — | Yes | Data limit: unlimited (claimed); Ads: yes | €1.57per month |
| 23 | OneVPN | 3.01overall 2.53 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €3.44per month |
| 24 | CloudVPN Pro | 2.61overall 2.30 | — | — | Android: LT, NL; iOS: NL, LT, PT | Yes | Locations: Android: LT, NL; iOS: NL, LT, PT; Ads: yes | €3.58per month |
| 25 | Avira | 2.55overall 1.84 | 500 MB/month | — | — | — | Data limit: 500 MB/month | — |
| 26 | VuzeVPN | 2.47overall 2.22 | 50 MB/day (vpnMentor) | — | fewer servers | — | Data limit: 50 MB/day (vpnMentor); Locations: fewer servers | €7.10per month |
| 27 | VPN Nederland | 2.43overall 2.51 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €3.99per month |
| 28 | Avira Phantom VPN | 2.31overall 1.70 | 500 MB/month (1 GB/month with… | — | — | — | Data limit: 500 MB/month (1 GB/month with… | — |
| 29 | Lokinet (Oxen/Session) | 2.14overall 2.16 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 30 | DroidVPN | 2.12overall 1.45 | 100 MB/day, resets at midnight… | — | free servers only | — | Data limit: 100 MB/day, resets at midnight…; Locations: free servers only | €2.57per month |
| 31 | FalconLink VPN | 2.04overall 2.37 | — | — | — | No claim: app without ads | Ads: no (claim: app without ads) | — |
| 32 | VPN Private | 1.77overall 1.92 | unlimited (claim) | — | 20+ locations free (claim) | Yes AdMob | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Locations: 20+ locations free (claim); Ads: yes (AdMob) | — |
| 33 | Panda VPN | 1.74overall 1.25 | 150 MB/day | — | 1 default virtual location | — | Data limit: 150 MB/day; Locations: 1 default virtual location | — |
| 34 | Gear VPN | 1.47overall 1.57 | — | — | — | No | Ads: no (claim) | — |
| 35 | FreeVPN.me | 1.44overall 1.52 | unlimited | — | 1 (Amsterdam) | site ads (Google DART); no app | Data limit: unlimited; Locations: 1 (Amsterdam); Ads: site ads (Google DART); no app | — |
| 36 | iNinja VPN | 1.10overall 0.68 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 37 | Fastzilla VPN | 0.98overall 0.87 | unlimited (claim) | — | — | Yes | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Ads: yes | — |
Top 3 by page score
| Service | Score | Jurisdiction | Free access | P2P rule | Kill switch | Paid from | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CitadelVPN | 8.37 | Panama, no alliance | free plan without ads; 5-day trial, 5 GB, 2 devices | dedicated P2P servers, port forwarding included | yes | €1.38/mo | 14 days |
| Proton VPN | 5.89 | Switzerland, no alliance | unlimited data, medium speed, 1 device, 10 random countries | paid plans only | yes | €3.00/mo | 30 days |
| LightningX VPN | 5.30 | USA, 5 Eyes | free server section, 30-minute trial, no card | via the app's BT Proxy Download option | yes | €4.30/mo | 30 days |
All three ship a kill switch. The catches differ: CitadelVPN's trial stops at 5 GB and its audit does not name the auditor, Proton's free plan has no P2P, and LightningX sits under US jurisdiction in the 5 Eyes with no written P2P policy and no independent audit.
Where the free account stops and P2P begins
A listing here means the brand tolerates torrents somewhere, not that the free tier does. Of the whole list, 22 services put P2P permission in writing, 3 attach conditions, and 12 publish nothing at all.
| P2P handling | Examples | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated P2P servers | CitadelVPN, ZoogVPN, CactusVPN (7 servers), DroidVPN | switch to a P2P location before opening the client |
| Paid plans only | Proton VPN, ZoogVPN, V3VPN, Fastzilla VPN, both VPN Proxy Master apps | the free tier will not move a single piece |
| No written policy | LightningX VPN and 11 others | ask support and keep the answer |
On Lokinet, BitTorrent works only through exit nodes, not inside the Lokinet network.
How far a free data cap goes on a torrent
A daily cap refills every day, so a large file crawls in slices over several sessions. A monthly cap empties in one go and locks you out until the reset.
| Service | Free cap | Resets |
|---|---|---|
| ZoogVPN | 10 GB | monthly |
| PrivadoVPN | 10 GB | every 30 days |
| TunnelBear | 2 GB | monthly |
| Hotspot Shield | 500 MB at up to 2 Mbps | daily |
| Avira | 500 MB | monthly |
| Panda VPN | 150 MB | daily |
| DroidVPN | 100 MB | daily |
| VuzeVPN | 50 MB | daily |
Megabyte-scale allowances barely cover documents, and Hotspot Shield's 2 Mbps limit slows the whole swarm. Only 7 services claim unlimited free data, and Proton pairs that with a P2P ban on the free tier.
Kill switch and leaks on a stripped-down free tier
Twenty-four services ship a kill switch, but free plans sometimes lose it. Avira leaves it out entirely on the free version, and on Avira Phantom VPN the switch is a Pro perk. The moment the tunnel drops, your client keeps seeding over the bare connection and your real IP reaches every peer. Workaround: bind qBittorrent to the VPN network interface (Tools, Options, Advanced, Network interface) as the qBittorrent wiki describes, or use the free VPNs with a kill switch ranking instead.
How the ranking works
Price and fair terms carry 40% of the score, privacy 21%, security 14%, censorship bypass 11%, network and apps 7% each. Scores rest on published material only: audits, policies, apps and prices, with no speed tests or affiliate links. Four of the 37 services publish too little for the main ranking, and only 6 have an independent no-logs audit behind their claims.
Free VPN for torrenting FAQ
Is there a free VPN that allows torrenting?
All 37 services on the page offer a free plan and permit torrents on at least one plan. Confirm the free tier itself is not one of those keeping P2P for paying users.
Can I torrent on Proton VPN's free plan?
No. P2P servers, port forwarding and streaming require a paid Proton plan.
Is a trial better than a free plan for one download?
Often. A trial or a money-back window (14 or 30 days among the top three) gives paid features for a limited time, without the caps a permanent free tier imposes.
Is torrenting with a free VPN legal?
The tools are legal; unauthorized sharing of copyrighted files is not, and the terms of CitadelVPN, Proton VPN, ZoogVPN and TunnelBear say so explicitly.
Short answer: which free VPN to use for torrents
Check three things: whether the free tier's terms allow P2P, the size of the data cap, and something that stops traffic when the tunnel drops. A paid plan from €0.79 a month (median €2.86) removes the free caps and the P2P locks for good; a trial is a short way to test those paid features before committing. The full torrenting ranking covers the paid side.
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