Last updated May 15, 2023 at 9am ET
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Private Internet Access (PIA) is among the oldest and most popular VPN providers. It offers a broad set of essential security features, an impressive number of servers globally, and a reliable & independently-audited no-logs policy. And while it sounds great, how does PIA’s torrenting performance compare to its rivals in 2024?
While it’s fast, it’s not as swift as other best VPNs on the market. Moreover, it’s based in the USA, a not-so-privacy-friendly country, which raises many concerns. Nevertheless, PIA has some torrenting-oriented features that might pique your interest.
So, let’s analyze this VPN and see whether you can safely use Private Internet Access for torrenting.
While torrenting is legal in most countries, downloading copyrighted content is not. Don’t get caught doing it – use a reliable VPN that’s based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction – NordVPN! Additionally, it offers loads of servers globally, phenomenal speeds, and fantastic features that will boost your torrenting efforts.
Does PIA allow torrenting?
Yes, Private Internet Access is a torrenting VPN that allows P2P file sharing. However, you won’t find this information on their official website. We had to ask customer support to find that out.
As with other best VPNs, you can torrent with PIA on all servers. Additionally, for the best speeds, you should choose the ones nearby. Furthermore, you’ll get SOCKS5 proxy and port forwarding that can improve your download speeds.
Private Internet Access torrenting features
You’ll need torrenting-oriented VPN features to download your files securely, privately, and swiftly.
Here’s what Private Internet Access has to offer for your P2P file-sharing needs:
- Best tunneling protocols. PIA supports industry-leading protocols like WireGuard and OpenVPN. They ensure fast and stable connectivity.
- Robust security. PIA offers a choice between 128 and 256-bit AES encryption. Moreover, the provider includes an advanced kill switch that prevents leaks even when the VPN is turned off.
- Plenty of servers. The last time we checked, PIA had 29300+ servers in 90+ countries. So, finding a fast connection nearby will be a walkover. Not to mention, all servers are RAM-only. They instantly wipe any traces of your past online activities and boost your privacy.
- No-logs policy. PIA has an independently-audited no-logs policy. That means your information is not stored and won’t be used against you.
- Split tunneling. This handy feature can help you choose which apps go through VPN servers and which don’t. That can potentially boost your torrenting speeds.
- Port forwarding. Unlike many other providers, PIA offers this feature. It allows incoming connections to be made to a specific device, which can result in better torrenting speed and reliability.
- SOCKS5 proxy. This feature doesn’t encrypt your data but may boost your download speeds.
Nevertheless, there is one major drawback. The VPN is based in the United States. This Five Eyes country has a very hostile approach toward copyright violations. The PIA privacy policy states that the company will “comply with all valid subpoena requests.” Still, they also assure users that they will challenge any invalid requests.
In any case, torrenters may want to be better safe than sorry and choose our #1 P2P option – NordVPN. Based in a privacy-friendly Panama, this independently audited service guarantees privacy while torrenting.
How to set up PIA for torrenting safely?
If you want to set up Private Internet Access as your torrenting VPN, here’s a quick guide on how to install it:
- Get a PIA subscription and install the application. You can also take advantage of the 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee if something goes awry
- Open up the software, log in, and select a server nearby for best speeds
- Download the most secure torrenting client and launch it
- Check if there are no IP or DNS leaks. If you get any, restart the VPN app and try a different server
- Now you can torrent trouble-free with PIA!
How to set up SOCKS5 with PIA?
To use the SOCKS5 proxy, you’ll need to generate separate login and password credentials for your SOCKS5 proxy. You can do that by visiting the Client Control Panel on the PIA website, going to the Downloads menu, and scrolling to the bottom.
Setting up a Private Interest Access SOCKS5 configuration is simple. In this example, we’ll use the qBittorrent client. Just follow these steps:
- Load up the qBittorrent
- Head to the Tools menu, then choose “Options” and “Connection”
- Write SOCKS5 under the “Type” field
- Type: proxy-nl.privateinternetaccess.com under the “Host”
- Specify the Port as 1080
- Enter your generated SOCKS5 proxy username and password from the PIA Client Control Panel
- Before pressing “Apply,” make sure these options are selected: “Disable connections not supported by proxies” and “Use proxy for peer-to-peer connections”
- Now you can torrent with SOCKS5 proxy!
PIA disconnects when torrenting: how to fix it
If Private Internet Access keeps disconnecting while torrenting, here are a few quick fixes you can try:
- Try a different server. There might be some problems with the hardware, or the servers are congested. So, try a different one nearby.
- Check if your app is up to date. You might get performance issues if you haven’t updated your application in a while. Thus, get the latest version of PIA.
- Switch tunneling protocols. PIA offers WireGuard and OpenVPN tunneling protocol. Try switching between them and playing around with the settings.
- Check your antivirus. In many cases, your antimalware software might interfere with your VPN connection. Try disabling it to see if it messes with PIA.
If none of these work, you can contact customer support. But if even they can’t help, we recommend getting a more reliable service, such as NordVPN. With it, you shouldn’t have disconnection issues, so you can get your files via torrents trouble-free.
PIA for torrenting: Reddit’s opinion
Reddit has some mixed emotions about PIA’s torrenting capabilities. Some people praise it for its remarkable speed and security. However, others have a bone to pick with PIA due to their owners – Kape Technology. They have a bit of a shady history when it comes to privacy and malware. Additionally, some people complain about broken SOCKS5 proxy.
Overall, you should read the comments about the VPN you are getting, but you should also try PIA yourself. You can easily do it with a 7-day free trial (available on Android and iOS devices) and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you want more opinions, check out Reddit’s favorite torrenting VPN article.
Conclusion
Overall, Private Internet Access is a pretty reliable VPN for torrenting. It offers plenty of servers, adequate speeds, and excellent security. Not to mention, with PIA, you’ll get a bunch of valuable features for P2P file sharing, such as split tunneling, SOCKS5 proxy, and port forwarding, to name a few.
Nevertheless, PIA is based in the US, which is not the most anonymity-friendly country. Additionally, it’s a part of Kape Technology, a company with a troubled past. So, if you don’t want to risk it, we suggest getting a reliable VPN, such as NordVPN.
Do you use PIA for torrenting? What’s your experience with this VPN? Let us know by leaving a comment!
You may also like to read:
Private Internet Access review
PIA vs. NordVPN
PIA vs. CyberGhost
PIA vs. ExpressVPN
FAQ
Does PIA allow torrenting?
Yes, Private Internet Access allows torrenting. You can share and download files on all servers. However, you should not use the VPN for downloading copyrighted material, as it’s illegal in most countries.
Is PIA the best VPN for torrenting?
Private Internet Access is a good VPN for torrenting, but not the best. The ultimate P2P VPN is NordVPN. Because it’s more private, secure, and offers better speeds & features.
Why does PIA disconnect while torrenting?
Private Internet Access can disconnect while torrenting due to server issues. To avoid that, you should connect to a different one nearby. If that doesn’t fix the problem, check out our troubleshooting guide or get in touch with customer support.
The article is out of date. Says to go to advanced under settings, doesn’t exist.
Mikaela, very good article. I have been using PIA for about 10 years now. One correction is your setup for the SOCKS5 option. Your PIA username and password will NOT work here. You must go the the Client Control Panel, then Downloads and scroll to the bottom. There will be the section to generate a specific SOCKS5 username and password. Thanks.
Hi, BR Neal. Thank you for pointing that out! I’ve updated the article!
I don’t know if this is peculiar to me but it slows down my internet trying to connect to US regions, how do I add other regions?
Also, Chrome crashes sometimes when changing PIA settings in the top right. What should I do to stop this?
I think it’s harder and harder to find a really good VPN nowadays. And I do mean really good, without any security issues, no 5, 9, etc eyes and so on. Good for torrenting, Netflix, Kodi, and so on and so forth. If PIA is among the best then that just proves my point. Not saying PIA is bad but I’m pretty sure it’s not among the best either. Right now, from what I can tell, there are about 5-6 VPNs that I trust: ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Astrill VPN, TorGuard, Ivacy, CyberGhost.
I’m quit hesitant about this VPN, on one hand I’m hearing that it’s a real bad VPN and the other I’m hearing that it’s not that bad and it’s worth trying. I’m not sure I’ll try it as I’ve heard some VPNs are better. Thanks for the review though.
Is PIA a paid VPN or is it free? I couldn’t find the cost mentioned anywhere in the article.
Hi MarcLy,
It’s a paid service, you can find the pricing on the PIA website or our PIA review.
These are some pretty awesome features listed above, offered by PIA. The usual day to day user is usually concerned about these features. I’ll give the Free version a try and see how things work out.
Yup, you definitely should see how it works for you and your needs!