Is ExpressVPN Good for Torrenting in 2021 (+ Speed Tests)?

ExpressVPN is frequently ranked as one of the top VPNs available. How good is ExpressVPN for torrenting, you ask?

Reddit was checked, we ran ExpressVPN torrenting tests and analyzed their features in depth. We also asked multiple questions of their support representatives to get an objective answer.

Does ExpressVPN Allow torrenting?

Yes. ExpressVPN allows you to download torrents from all of their servers, unlike most VPNs. ExpressVPN has over 3,000+ servers for P2P in 94 countries.

ExpressVPN is good for torrenting?

Yes. We love these things:

Extreme P2P Support – ExpressVPN allows torrenting across their entire network (more than 3,000 servers). They also support seeding.
High download speeds – This is possible thanks to the Lightway protocol (ExpressVPN’s proprietary protocol that is extremely lightweight) and the large network of servers (it’s easy for you to locate nearby servers that aren’t overcrowded).
Kill switch You can disable the kill switch to prevent traffic leaks that could expose P2P traffic. Your VPN app will automatically shut down your Internet access if your VPN connection drops.
No logs – ExpressVPN does not log your activities. They don’t have access to your downloads or the sites you visit. To prove that it does not keep logs, the VPN was subject to an audit. Turkish authorities also seized one provider’s server, but they were unable to recover any data. This proves that the VPN is a zero-log VPN.
No leaks You get the whole package: IPv6, DNS and WebRTC leak protection. Your torrenting traffic will not be exposed by data leaks.
High security – ExpressVPN uses AES256 encryption to protect your data (the same cipher used in military and banks). Their TrustedServer technology makes sure that all servers are only run on RAM memory (all data is erased with each reboot).
Split tunnelling – The VPN can only route traffic to your torrent client. This allows you to get faster speeds as there is less data to encrypt or decrypt.
User-friendly The apps are intuitive and available on all platforms (Windows, macOS iOS, Android, Linux, and routers).
Excellent compatibility – ExpressVPN supports almost all torrent clients (uTorrent and qBittorrent as well as Deluge, Vuze. Transmission, BitTorrent, BitTorrent, etc. You can.
Port forwarding You can enable port forwarding on the router if you are running the ExpressVPN router firmware v1 or 2. This will ensure that all torrenting devices use a VPN connection with port foregoing. Port forwarding can only be used if it is manually configured on your router. ExpressVPN apps do not offer port forwarding.

ExpressVPN Speed Tests for Torrenting

We used qBittorrent, uTorrent, a 10.2GB file, the Lightway protocol and three servers locations (the US and Australia) to determine the average torrenting speed. Our tester is from Romania. These are their original torrenting speeds (uTorrent: 7-8 MB/s, qBittorrent: 54-55 MiB/s). These are their average ETAs of 30-35 minutes for uTorrent and 10-15 minutes for qBittorrent.

First time we tested a US server. The distance between Romania (9,000+ km/5,600+ miles) and the US caused our speeds to slow down. These were our speeds: 1-2MB/s with a 3–4 hour ETA with torrent, and 13-14 Mbit/s with a 10-minute ETA using qBittorrent.

Next, we tested servers from Australia and South Korea. These are the results.

Australia: 19-20 MiB/s with a 5–10 minute ETA for qBittorrent, and 1-2MB/s with a 2-hour ETA for uTorrent.
South Korea: 1-2 MiB/s with a 1h 30 minutes ETA, (qBittorrent), or 280-300kB/s with a 12-hour time ETA (uTorrent).

The Smart Location ExpressVPN recommended (Romania) was also tested. The server was very close to the tester’s location so speeds were faster: 20-25 Mbit/s with a 10-minute ETA (qBittorrent) and 3-4 Mbit/s with a 1-hour ETA (uTorrent).

OpenVPN was also tested while connecting to the Smart Location (Romania), as it is very popular. Our ExpressVPN uTorrent download speeds were slower than expected. Average download speeds were between 500-600 KiB/s with a 4-5 hour wait with qBittorrent and 200-250 KB/s with uTorrent. We had a 17-hour wait with uTorrent. Lightway is better than OpenVPN.

ExpressVPN provided us with good speeds for downloading. We found this service to be noticeably slower than uTorrent so we recommend qBittorrent. You can also try NordVPN if you want a faster VPN to torrent.

Reminder: You need to have a torrent that has many seeders in order to get fast downloads. You’ll have slow download speeds regardless of how fast your VPN is. Our ExpressVPN download speeds for qBittorrent, uTorrent and torrents with few seeders were very slow.

What’s ExpressVPN for torrenting according to Reddit?

We found that ExpressVPN is popular for torrenting. They love the speed, the fact that no DMCA notices are sent to them, and the fact that all servers allow P2P traffic.

What are the drawbacks of using ExpressVPN to torrent?

ExpressVPN is great for torrenting, and offers high speeds. It does have its faults.

1. Port Forwarding Is Limited

Port forwarding is essential for torrent users as it allows them to connect to more peers. They can then get faster speeds.

ExpressVPN supports port forwarding but it is not possible to enable it within its apps. It can only be used on your router. It must be running ExpressVPN version 1 or 2. ExpressVPN offers step-by-step tutorials to help you upgrade your firmware.

ExpressVPN v1 and v2 are not compatible with routers. ExpressVPN routers can be expensive, at $100 to $200.

2. Linux is not 100% reliable for the KIll Switch

Reddit users mentioned that the kill switch does not always work with Linux. It might not recognize torrenting traffic, as it doesn’t require DNS resolutions. The Linux kill switch points your traffic to ExpressVPN DNS servers.

This claim cannot be verified as we don’t use Linux. ExpressVPN’s kill switch is not working properly if you use it. The kill switch worked flawlessly on all platforms we tested it on. The kill switch is activated when the VPN connection drops accidentally, and not when it is manually turned off. This is a great feature. It’s much more convenient this way.

3. ExpressVPN is Expensive

ExpressVPN has a common complaint: It’s too costly. The 12-month subscription is still more expensive than Surfshark’s long term plans.

ExpressVPN may not be the best choice if you have a tight budget. Surfshark is a better choice than ExpressVPN. It’s cheaper and runs as fast as ExpressVPN.

How to Use ExpressVPN For Torrenting

Register for ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN’s App can be downloaded and installed.
Connect to a server. Pro tip: connect to the Smart Location and use Lightway to get the fastest speeds.
Download anything using your favorite torrent client

FAQ

Here are the answers to some of the most common questions regarding ExpressVPN and P2P traffic. You can leave more questions in the comments.

Does ExpressVPN hide torrenting?

Yes. ExpressVPN uses AES2-56 encryption to hide torrenting. Your traffic is unreadable and your ISP will not know that you are browsing torrent sites or using torrent clients.

For example, instead of seeing a connection request heading to www.pirateproxy-bay.com, your ISP will only see gibberish like HG56SHFghtRTgfj54FD.

ExpressVPN offers full leak protection (WebRTC DNS, IPv6). You can also use the kill switch to protect yourself against traffic leaks. This ensures that your torrent traffic is not accidentally exposed. ExpressVPN does not keep logs so authorities and copyright agencies cannot force it to turn over torrent users’ data.

Can you Bind Torrent Clients To ExpressVPN?

You can, but it’s not necessary. Network lock shuts down your internet access in the event that your VPN connection drops. Your torrent download will stop automatically if that happens. The VPN server will then reconnect you.

How can you increase ExpressVPN torrent download speeds?

ExpressVPN is very fast. However, you may experience slowdowns if you are using slower speeds. This is what to do if this happens:

Connect to another server. Servers near your location have faster speeds as it takes less time for data to be exchanged. ExpressVPN offers over 3,000 servers, so it is easy to locate one near you. The Smart Location is the one closest to you.
Use Lightway – This protocol is exclusive to ExpressVPN. It is optimized to provide very fast speeds and should be used instead of OpenVPN. L2TP/IPSec and IKEv2 are good options but slower than Lightway.
Use wired connections. Download speeds over WiFi will be slower if there isn’t enough signal strength (it’s enough to leave the room without the router for the signal loss to occur). Use a wired connection if possible. An ethernet connection was always more efficient for torrenting.
Use a different torrent client – We always get faster download speeds using qBittorrent rather than uTorrent.
Split-tunneling You can choose which apps use VPN tunnels and which ones don’t. You can get faster speeds by limiting the VPN app to route traffic from the torrent client that you are using. If the VPN doesn’t need to encrypt or decrypt traffic from other apps like Steam, Chrome, Skype, and so on, data packets will take less time to move. .

**How can you unblock Pirate Bay with ExpressVPN?**

Yes. ExpressVPN can help unblock your ISP’s The Pirate Bay. ExpressVPN will route your traffic via a VPN server to accomplish this. You will communicate with the Pirate Bay via a new IP address that does not have firewall rules.

Use a server located in a country that does not block this site. We tried many locations, but we were always able to access Pirate Bay.

Where is ExpressVPN’s best location for torrenting?

ExpressVPN servers are available for torrenting. Connect to the closest ExpressVPN server to torrent. It takes less time for your device and the VPN server to exchange data.

ExpressVPN support representatives confirmed that you should use the closest server.

How many ExpressVPN P2P servers are there?

They have over 3,000 servers for P2P in 160 countries.

160+ Locations and 3000+ Servers
Strict No-Log policy
Unlimited streaming (Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer)
Strong military-grade AES256-bit key encryption
Split tunneling, Kill Switch and RAM-disk Servers
30-day money-back guarantee
Support for Windows, MacOS and Linux
Reliable connections and fast speeds