Best VPN for Torrenting: Surfshark vs NordVPN vs Proton
Torrenting puts your VPN under a different kind of pressure than everyday browsing. You are connected to potentially hundreds of strangers at once. Your speed matters more than usual, and if your VPN drops mid-download, your real IP address is exposed directly to everyone in that swarm, not just to one website.
We tested Surfshark, NordVPN, and Proton VPN specifically for torrenting: real download speeds across three regions, and what actually happens if the VPN connection fails mid-download.
How we tested torrenting
We used qBittorrent with the official Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS Desktop torrent (6.03 GiB) as our test file, a large, legal, well-seeded download that works as a fair comparison across VPNs. For each provider, we tested three regions: Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States.
For every region, we removed and re-added the torrent fresh after connecting, so each speed reading reflects that specific VPN and server, not a blended result from an earlier connection or region. We also ran one kill switch test per VPN: force-disconnecting the VPN mid-download to see whether traffic stops immediately or keeps flowing on our real IP.
Best VPN for Torrenting: Speed Results
| VPN | Netherlands | United Kingdom | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | 94.8 MiB/s | 85.9 MiB/s | 86.0 MiB/s |
| Proton VPN | 52.8 MiB/s | 52.6 MiB/s | 71.1 MiB/s |
| NordVPN | 57.8 MiB/s | 37.7 MiB/s | Unstable, see below |
Our unprotected baseline speed on this connection was 96.8 MiB/s, so Surfshark held onto nearly all of its raw speed across every region we tested.
Surfshark was the fastest option everywhere we tested, staying close to our baseline in all three regions with no unusual behavior.
Proton VPN was the standout second option, and its US result specifically was the most stable and reliable of the three, actually outperforming NordVPN’s US connection by a wide margin.
NordVPN was noticeably slower in the Netherlands and UK compared to Surfshark and Proton, and its US server gave us real trouble, detailed below.
NordVPN’s US torrenting problem
We tested NordVPN’s New York server for torrenting twice, on separate attempts. Both times, the download speed fluctuated repeatedly between a few KB/s and 0, never settling into a stable rate. This was not a one-time fluke: disconnecting the VPN entirely and torrenting on our unprotected connection worked immediately and normally. This points to the problem sitting specifically with NordVPN’s US server handling of peer-to-peer traffic, not our setup.
If torrenting from a US server matters to you, this is a real limitation worth knowing about NordVPN specifically, even though NordVPN performs well in our full review for other use cases.
Kill switch: what happens if your VPN drops
Because torrenting connects you to many peers at once, a kill switch failure here is more exposing than it would be while just browsing. If your VPN drops without a kill switch, your real IP is broadcast directly to everyone in that torrent’s swarm.
We force-disconnected each VPN mid-download and checked whether our internet cut off immediately, and ran a DNS leak test afterward to confirm no leak occurred.
| VPN | Kill switch result | In-app warning |
|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | Blocked internet immediately | Yes, explicit warning shown |
| Proton VPN | Blocked internet immediately | Yes, “Advanced kill switch activated” |
| NordVPN | Blocked internet immediately | No warning message shown |
All three VPNs passed the actual test that matters: none of them leaked our real IP when disconnected mid-download. Surfshark and Proton both show a clear in-app message telling you the kill switch is active, so you immediately understand why your connection stopped. NordVPN’s kill switch worked just as effectively, but it cuts your internet silently, with no explanation in the app itself. This can be confusing if you don’t already know what a kill switch is or that yours is configured correctly.
Best VPN for Torrenting Verdict
If raw speed is your priority, Surfshark is the clear winner here, fastest in every region we tested with no stability issues.
If you want a strong alternative with excellent US performance specifically, Proton VPN is the one to pick, especially since it held a clean, stable connection throughout every test.
NordVPN is a solid VPN overall, but based on our testing, we would not recommend it specifically for US-based torrenting right now.