Downloading torrents is often frowned upon by content rights holders and Governments around the world. So disguise your internet traffic and hide behind a VPN. Today we'll be looking at the best VPNs for torrenting in New Zealand.
Short On Time? Here's the Best VPNs for Torrenting
- PureVPN - Best all round VPN for torrenting
- ExpressVPN - Feature-packed fast torrents guaranteed
- Surfshark - Cheapeast VPN for torrenting.
- NordVPN - Highest grade security while torrenting
Is Torrenting Illegal?
Torrenting itself is perfectly legal in New Zealand, it's a simple peer-to-peer file sharing technique. However, it's what you torrent that makes it illegal or not. When downloading copyrighted material, this is usually what makes you vulnerable to exposing your IP address and getting caught.
Using a VPN will ensure your real IP address remains hidden when torrenting. For complete privacy a better approach is secure Usenet with a VPN.
What is Torrenting?
Torrenting is the process of downloading files using peer to peer file sharing or P2P protocol for those in the know.
Users connect and share their files rather than being reliant on a single website such as file locker. An example is Megaupload. When the site was taken offline by the FBI, the files were gone forever. With P2P it's not.
A user cannot download the file direct from the source, but rather from other users who also have the files. These are called peers and they act as mini servers and you'll download files from each of them in sequence, to reduce network load.
Best VPNs For Torrenting
1. PureVPN
Best all-round VPN for Torrenting
Number of servers: 2,000+ | Server locations: 140+ | IP addresses: 300,000+ | Devices supported: 5 | Lowest Price: $2.88/mo
The Best VPN for torrents - Get 2 years for only $2.88/mo
Make no mistake, PureVPN is one of the very few providers that actually have offer P2P enabled servers that support torrenting.
Currently they offer servers in over 50 countries that offer torrenting support. Additionally they offer 1Gbit, ultra fast connection speed.
You can use PureVPN on 5 simultaneous devices at the same time and for torrenting you can take advantage of split tunneling, allowing you to split torrents via your VPN and use normal internet usage via your ISP.
PureVPN has a global network of unlimited bandwidth servers, lightning-fast connectivity and the highest grade 256-bit AES encryption which conceals and hides your IP address, data and personal information from prying eyes.
PureVPN keeps no logs of activity so you're free to do what you like without worrying about them collecting any data on your website browsing or activity. No connection logs also keep your devices safe and secure too.
One of the great reasons to choose PureVPN is they offer dedicated IP addresses for only $0.99 per month extra. This means you won't have to share resources with others and can guarantee faster connections. They also offer port forwarding.
They offer apps for a wide variety of apps including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Kodi, Roku, Firestick, Apple TV, Xbox, PS4 and routers.
If you need help, they offer friendly 24/7 live chat and email support.
They don't offer a free trial, but they do offer a 31 day money back guarantee so you can get a full refund if you're not 100% satisfied.
Learn more: Read our full PureVPN review.
2. ExpressVPN
Most popular VPN for torrents
Number of servers: 3,000+ | Server Locations: 160+ | IP addresses: 30,000+ | Devices supported: 5 | Lowest Price: $6.67/mo
Most Popular VPN - Get 15 Months For $6.67/mo
ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPN providers around the world, and is a great choice for China, due to it's super-fast speeds and reliability.
They offer an expansive server network consisting of over 3,000 servers in 148+ locations around the world, including many servers in mainland China.
ExpressVPN costs more than traditional VPN providers, and this allows them to offer lightning-fast speeds anywhere you choose to connect from.
ExpressVPN offers users advanced security with 256-bit AES encryption, ensuring your data and traffic use is secure when using their platform.
They offer some of the best DNS and IP leak protection, to stop your location or traffic being given away when using their service.
ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands which means they have a strict no logs policy and no data is stored. They also use TrustedServer Technology which wipes everything at the end of your session, as if nothing had happened.
They offer the ability to consecutively use 5 devices at the same time plus they offer 24/7 live chat if you need any help or guidance.
Similarly to other providers they offer a no questions asked 30 day refund policy.
Learn more: Read our full ExpressVPN review.
3. Surfshark
Cheapest torrenting VPN
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Server locations: 60+ | IP addresses: 10,000+ | Devices supported: Unlimited | Lowest Price: $1.99/mo
Surfshark is a newcomer that's prepared to shake up the VPN industry by providing the cheapest prices for long term subscribers.
They offer 1000+ servers in 61 countries around the world, including high-speed servers near China in places such as Vietnam, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Their platform works great with uTorrent and other P2P clients such as BitTorrent, qBittorent, Vuze, Deluge plus they offer a kill switch, along with blazing fast torrenting speeds.
They offer VPN splitting so you can route your normal internet traffic via your ISP and your torrenting traffic via their VPN service.
Surfshark offer a camouflage mode which actually hides the fact you're using a VPN, which is great for using with apps such as Netflix or Hulu.
They offer maximum security with AES 256-bit encryption as well as an automatic kill switch. They also offer DNS leak protection.
Surfshark is based offshore, meaning they keep no access or data logs under their no-logging policy. All data is wiped after you end your session.
You can make full use of their MultiHop feature, which allows you to automatically change your location at random intervals to make it harder to track.
Surfshark allows unlimited users per account so you can make full use of your account with your family and get more value for money.
Like other providers they offer a 30-day money back guarantee.
4. NordVPN
Military grade encryption VPN
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Server locations: 59+ | IP addresses: N/A | Devices supported: 6| Lowest Price: $3.49/mo
NordVPN offers over 5,000 servers worldwide, making them one of the largest providers by server count, however they don't have as many countries as PureVPN.
All their servers are torrent friendly, making them perfect for all your P2P activities as well as using Newsgroups or Usenet services.
They openly support P2P traffic with no bandwidth or speed limits. Advanced BitTorrent users will also benefit from included SOCKS5 proxies that provide an additional layer of security while also boosting your speeds.
They offer a high number of Netflix servers, allowing you to change region fast. Additionally they offer good support for other geo-blocked services such as iPlayer.
They offer a high level of 2048-bit AES encryption on all connections which is much higher than the usual 256-bit encryption.
They also offer DNS leak protection and two different kill switches.
They are based outside the 5-eyes and hold a strict no-logging policy so you can do whatever you want without compromising your privacy.
They offer apps for all major devices and you can simultaneously use 6 devices at the same time on one connection.
How To Torrent In 2023
Step 1: Download a Torrent Client:
The first requirement is to download a torrenting client. There's many out there but the most common ones are BitTorrent and uTorrent.
These are free software programs, maintained by community developers. You can find downloads for Mac, Windows and Linux.
This acts as a client and helps you to connect to peers and upload/download files.
Step 2: Search for a Torrent to Download:
You now need to find the files you want to download on Indexing sites. These sites are basically search engines for torrents, similar to Google or Yahoo.
When you find the file you want, be sure to check that is has a good number of seeders and has been downloaded by many users.
This will ensure the torrent is working, hasn't been corrupted and doesn't have viruses.
Step 3: Download the Torrent File:
The file can be downloaded by clicking the magnet icon. If this doesn't work you can download the .torrent file and upload this into your torrent client.
This is where your IP address is exposed and if the torrent is a bait from a copyright holder they can see you attempted to download their file, that's why you should be using a torrenting supported VPN and hiding your identity.
Step 4: Add the Torrent File to Client:
If you were unable to download he magnet file then you can open the torrent file in your client. You'll select your chosen destination folder.
Your device will attempt to connect to other peers and seeders and start the download. Once complete you'll be able to delete the torrent files.
Keep Safe When Torrenting
It's essential when torrenting to use a private network where you'll avoid copyright trolls who send you letters seeking money, as well as dangerous files such as viruses.
1. Use a VPN
You'd have to be a fool to torrent any type of questionable file using your own IP address. Not only can your ISP see what you're doing, so can copyright holders, copyright trolls and law enforcement.
A VPN conceals your metadata, personal data and IP address, in effect making you completely anonymous on the internet. VPN providers encrypt your data so you cannot be tracked down or hacked by hackers.
If you're going to be torrenting you should stay behind the best VPN providers and protect your identity online, it's definitely worth the $3 per month fees.
2. Use Private Trackers
Use only trackers that are private. Public trackers are often renowned for bringing risks such as virus files, hackers and copyright trolls designed to interfere or disrupt your downloads, seeking your personal information.
Private trackers are much safer and you'll have a better experience.
3. Avoid Illegal Content
To avoid legal issues you should only download files you're entitled too or that are copyright-free. Files which are protected can bring legal issues if your real IP is ever exposed. If you're going to download such files, you must get a VPN.
Final Verdict
There's many ways to torrent in New Zealand but you shouldn't expose your real IP address, metadata and personal information. There's far too many copyright trolls, hackers and scammers out there, especially on public trackers.
Use the best VPN provider we recommend, get a secure encrypted connection and then you can start torrenting without any issues.
