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6 Most Popular Torrent Websites
First things first, if you plan to torrent please take note of our precautions below and always use a VPN when downloading – both for speed and for protection.
Here are my top 3 VPN recommendations for torrenting:
- NordVPN – Best combination of speed, price and security
- Surfshark – Best for users on a budget
- ExpressVPN – Best for robust security and privacy
Whether you’re a computer hobbyist, a gamer or an avid web user you’ve probably heard of torrent websites. These are websites where you can download movies, TV shows, music, and video games for free. While there are many torrent websites available, the six most popular torrent sites for 2023 are listed below. So if you’re looking for some new entertainment to keep you busy as 2022 draws to a close, check out these websites!
Movies and music are typically the most popular reasons that people use torrent websites. It is essentially an alternative way to consuming your favorite content instead of DVDs, online streaming and any other format.
To torrent movies and music, you first need a torrent client like uTorrent or BitTorrent. Then, you need to find the torrent file for the movie you want to watch and open it in your torrent client. The torrent will start downloading and you can watch the movie while it is downloading.
Here’s our shortlist of the most popular torrent sites around the world:
- YTS.mx – Known as the leading torrent site globally
- The Pirate Bay – A notorious torrenting site (not currently accepting registrations)
- 1337X Torrents – A popular torrenting search engine
- RARBG – Specializing in high quality movies
- NYAA.si – A popular anime torrenting site
- LimeTorrents – An online indexing site with a wide array of options
Whether you’re a computer hobbyist, a gamer or an avid web user you’ve probably heard of torrent websites. These are websites where you can download movies, TV shows, music, and video games for free. While there are many torrent websites available, the six most popular torrent sites for 2023 are listed below. So if you’re looking for some new entertainment to keep you busy as 2022 draws to a close, check out these websites!
Movies and music are typically the most popular reasons that people use torrent websites. It is essentially an alternative way to consuming your favorite content instead of DVDs, online streaming and any other format.
To torrent movies and music, you first need a torrent client like uTorrent or BitTorrent. Then, you need to find the torrent file for the movie you want to watch and open it in your torrent client. The torrent will start downloading and you can watch the movie while it is downloading.
VPNReactor only condones the downloading and sharing of content legally from torrent websites. We are strongly against any copyright infringement, hacking or illegal file sharing.
6 Most Popular Torrent Websites for Movies, Music and More
1. YTS.mx
YTS has been crowned (by TorrentFreak) as the leading torrent website currently, and we can’t disagree.
Originally a movie streaming website that was founded in 2014 by an individual who goes by the alias “ET”, YTS offers a wide variety of movies that can be streamed or downloaded for free with no registration required.
Fans of the site typically comment on how YTS has a notably better and more varied collection of movies than some of the other leading torrent sites.
The group known as YTS/YIFY originally shutdown and YTS became the unofficial successor in this regard. In its library you’ll find a treasure trove of movies that are available in 720p or 1080p HD quality plus plenty of other media that is typical of almost all torrent sites.
Importantly for US users, YTS signed an agreement to hand over user data in the United States data which has led to settlements and users being sued. This growing lawsuit trend has seen some users navigate away however there is only concern here if illegal activity is being pursued.
You can find the site on the domain YTS [dot] mx.
2. The Pirate Bay
| Torrent Website | Average Download Speed | Monthly Traffic Volume | Number of Torrents |
| The Pirate Bay | 6.2 MB/s | 12.06 million | 3.2+ million |
| YTS.mx | 3.2 MB/s | 82.05 million | 7.2+ thousand |
| 1337x | 4.2 MB/s | 66.11 million | 2.3+ million |
| RARBG | 6.1 MB/s | 55.12 million | 800+ thousand |
| Limetorrents | 3.7 MB/s | 17.43 million | 9+ million |
Registrations for Pirate Bay are currently closed and rumors of its demise continue to grow. Being the most high profile torrent site will naturally draw attention from the powers that be. We’ll keep an eye on this situation and update the article if/when something changes.
3. 1337x Torrents
1337x Torrents is an online indexing website that allows users to search for BitTorrent files from different websites. It gained a huge boost in popularity after another torrent website (Kickass Torrents) shutdown in 2016. Much of the traffic and users that Kickass retained migrated over to 1337x.
There are regular content updates and a partisan following that keeps 1337x as one of the top torrenting sites out there.
An important note is that 1337x has been blocked from Google search engine, so any results that you see for the search term are imitations. The 1337x official site runs on a .to domain (belonging to Tonga) however is accessible globally. You just won’t be able to navigate to it from a Google search.
Additionally 1337x closes and opens its user registration from time to time. There’s no consistentcy to it and you can still use the site regardless of having an account or not, just be aware that if you do want an account with them, you may have to wait until registrations open again. And there’s no telling when that will be.
4. RARBG
RARBG specializes in high quality movie downloads. If you’re a movie buff then RARBG could be the torrent site for you.
Essentially RARBG is an online indexing site which facilitates searches for BitTorrent files and magnet links from different websites. A bit like a search engine for torrent files.
RARBG is currently closed to new registrations but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the site and its functionality, you simply won’t be able to use the account features.
5. NYAA.si
An anime specialist torrent site that is highly recommended by fans of the genre. Anime has seen an explosion in popularity and along with it NYAA. It is now considered one of the top alternative torrent and streaming sites thanks to its consistent uptime and huge niche fanbase.
One thing to keep in mind is that Japan is hot on piracy and copyright infringement. In fact in March 2022, their government launched a free legal service which is aiming to figure out “how to respond to cross-border piracy”, in other words how they are going to tackle foreign torrent and pirate sites.
Some Reddit users claim it is not worth the risk anymore and that MangaPlus, an official and free way to discover Manga is the currently the best option for fans of the niche.
6. Limetorrents
Limetorrents is an online indexing website that allows users to search for BitTorrent files from different websites with the usual offering of content that can be expected from most other top torrent sites.
The main complaint about Limetorrents is that their servers are often overloaded meaning a less than optimal torrenting experience.
There are other issues too, with some users voicing on Reddit that the ads are too invasive and spammy. You know the ones that tell you that you have a virus or infection on your device. Not a great look for a site that expects users to upload and download files to.
Torrent Site Risks: Pirated Content Warning
With so much content available online, it’s no wonder that people are looking for ways to get it for free. After all, why would you pay for something when you can just get it for free, right? Well not quite. There are many instances where popular torrent sites are cloned and this is where you may be left open to malware and virus downloads to your machine.
Pirated Content is Illegal
In addition to that, pirated content is illegal and if you download illegal content you are open to the legal ramifications both locally and overseas. If you’re caught downloading or sharing pirated content, you could be liable. In some countries, the penalties for downloading or sharing pirated content are extremely harsh.
Our tip is to read the comments on the torrent file before downloading the file itself. If the file is legitimate, users typically leave a comment and/or a rating to let others know about the quality of the file and its authenticity.
Torrenting legality is a hot topic, we explain where torrenting is and isn’t legal:
How to safely download torrents and use a VPN
If you are frequently looking to download torrents, it’s important to take measures to protect your identity and online activity from prying eyes. In this blog post, we’ll explain how to safely download torrents and use a VPN to maximize your privacy.
How to safely download torrents
There are a few steps you can take to ensure that your identity remains cloaked when downloading torrents. The first is to use a VPN. The VPN will encrypt all of the data that is sent between your computer and the internet, making it virtually impossible for anyone to intercept and see what you’re doing.
The second step is to use one of the reputable torrenting websites that we have listed earlier in this article. There are many websites that host torrent files, but some of these sites include malicious software that can harm your computer, while others may sell your personal information to third-party advertisers. Do some research before downloading anything from a new site – a quick Google search should reveal any red flags.
Finally, make sure that you have a good antivirus program installed on your computer. This will protect you from any malware that manages to sneak its way onto your system via a malicious torrent file.
Using a VPN to download torrents
Now that we’ve explained how to safely download torrents, let’s talk about using a VPN. As we mentioned before, a VPN encrypts all of the data that is sent between your device and the internet. This has several benefits – most importantly, it prevents your ISP (Internet Service Provider) from being able to see what you’re doing online.
In addition, it also prevents anyone else on your local network (for example, if you’re using public Wi-Fi) from being able to snoop on your activity. Using a VPN also allows you to get around any geographic restrictions that may be in place – for example, if you want to access Netflix US while you’re traveling abroad.
There are many different VPN providers out there, so it’s important to do some research before settling on one. Some factors you may want to consider include price, speed, security features, and whether or not the provider keeps logs of user activity. We recommend NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN, but we also have a list of other VPNs that we consider to be the best VPNs on the market.
If you frequently download torrents, it’s important to take measures to protect your identity and online activity from prying eyes. In this blog post, we’ve explained how to safely download torrents and use a VPN to maximize your privacy.
The Pros of Using a Torrent Website
Despite the risks, there are a lot of positives when you use one of the best torrent websites. Here’s a few things that make the experience worthwhile if you know what you’re doing.
You Can Find Almost Anything You're Looking for
One of the best things about torrent websites is that they have such a wide range of content. Whether you’re looking for the latest episode of your favorite TV show or an obscure indie movie from the 90s, chances are you’ll be able to find it on a torrent website.
It's Fast and Easy to Use
Another great thing about using a torrent website is that it’s often much faster and easier than other methods of downloading files. For example, if you were to download a movie from iTunes, you would have to go through the iTunes store and pay for it. On a torrent website, you can just search for the movie you want and start downloading it right away.
It's Free
As we all know, money doesn’t grow on trees. So why would you want to spend your hard-earned cash on something when you can get it for free? Torrent websites allow users to download copyrighted material without having to pay a penny.
You Can Help Support Independent Artists
While the majority of content on torrent websites is copyrighted material, there is also a growing selection of independent artists who are making their work available for free. If you’re looking for some new music to listen to or an interesting indie movie to watch, be sure to check out what’s available on a torrent website before you buy anything from iTunes or Amazon.
Anonymity
Using a torrent website in conjunction with proxies is probably your best bet to stay anonymous while downloading content. When you use a torrent website, your IP address is hidden from view, which makes it notably difficult to be tracked.
To Torrent or Not to Torrent
Whether you’re looking for entertainment or to support independent artists, there are many reasons why using a torrent website might be right for you. Just remember our key pieces of advice:
- Ensure you’re using the official torrent website and not a fake site
- Always use a VPN when downloading anything from a torrent website
- Know what you’re doing – watch some YouTube tutorials and read content from the web
- Read the comments on a file before you download it
- Never download illegal or pirated material, it could land you in hot water
We hope the content of this article has helped you to choose the best torrent site for you and given you everything you need to stay safe online.
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