With their no-log policy now verified by audit, VyprVPN becomes a great VPN for torrenting.
Do a search for “torrenting VPN” and VyprVPN is one of the names that’s sure to pop up. But VPN reviews can be so all over the place that it’s hard to tell what’s what. Especially since most of them don’t address torrenting directly.
But don’t worry. In this review, we’ll take a detailed look at VyprVPN specifically from a torrenting perspective, looking at its safety, speed, ease of use, and price. We’ll even include some handy tips to help you get the most out of the service.
So, without further ado, let’s see how VyprVPN ranks among the top torrenting VPNs.
[+] 'VyprVPN Torrenting' contents (select to expand)
Is VyprVPN Good for Torrenting?
Checklist
Is VyprVPN Safe for Torrenting?
The biggest reason for using a VPN for torrenting is safety. It’s a straight up bad idea to torrent without a VPN.
With that in mind, it’s only right that we start our review by seeing if VyprVPN has what it takes to keep your P2P traffic secure. Let’s take a look at their best safety features.
Audited Zero-Logs Provider
Want to stay safe when torrenting? Then you need a VPN that doesn’t keep logs. Period.
Because while encryption will keep your traffic secure in the moment, it could still come back to bite you if it can be connected to your IP address – and thus your identity – through logs.
Fortunately, VyprVPN has a strong “zero-logs” policy, and it’s even been verified by a third-party audit.
"VyprVPN is the world’s first publicly audited no-log VPN service."
Detailed Privacy Policy
VyprVPN explains their zero-logs policy in detail under the Privacy Policy section of their website. While many VPN providers choose to remain rather vague or evasive about exactly what information they do or don’t log/collect, VyprVPN’s policy outline is one of the most clear and transparent that we’ve seen. So, kudos to them.
Strong Encryption
VyprVPN uses both OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols, each with 256-bit encryption, the strongest you can get. And of course, good encryption is one of the most important factors for anonymous torrenting.
No Restrictions on P2P or Torrenting
A VPN provider that doesn’t allow torrenting obviously won’t make a very good torrenting VPN. So, it’s a good thing VyprVPN doesn’t place any restrictions on torrenting traffic, eh?
Happy downloading, friends!
Based in Switzerland
Another thing to consider when choosing a torrentting VPN – or a VPN in general, really – is the jurisdiction it’s based in. Because they’re not all created equal.
Some governments, particularly those within the “Fourteen Eyes”, are either big fans of spying on their (and other country’s) citizens – or are in cahoots with governments that do. And different countries also have much different laws for protecting you from this kind of surveillance.
The good news? Switzerland, where VyprVPN is based, has some of the best privacy protection laws in the world.
First-Party Servers
Renting servers is pretty much the norm for the VPN industry. After all, it’s simply not feasible for most VPN provides to own thousands upon thousands of servers across dozens of different countries. And so they rent servers, allowing them to more easily maintain the huge networks offered by providers like NordVPN.
In many ways, this is good news, as the more server locations there are, the more likely there’s one close to you. And everyone else can benefit from the decreased load per server that comes with a bigger network.
However, while rented servers are not a huge security risk, they’re not exactly ideal from a security perspective either, since the VPN provider doesn’t have full control over them.
That’s why VyprVPN’s commitment to owning all of the servers it uses is such a big plus. That’s right: all of ‘em.
First-Party DNS
Another common security vulnerability is DNS leaks. Most VPNs deal with these by simply using forms of leak protection. But VyprVPN took things a step further and implemented their own DNS too.
Doesn’t Support IPv6
Unfortunately, while VyprVPN is secured against DNS leaks, it doesn’t support IPv6, meaning you’ll either need to disable it – or possibly put yourself at risk of IPv6 leaks.
No Bitcoin Payments
With VyprVPN’s seeming commitment to privacy, it’s pretty disappointing that they still don’t accept Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency payments.
Is VyprVPN Fast for Torrenting?
Who doesn’t love fast torrent downloads? We know we do.
That being said, if you also want safe torrent downloads, you’ll have to sacrifice at least a little of that speed. That’s simply the price we pay for having our traffic routed through a VPN server to protect our IP address and encrypt our traffic.
Fortunately, the top torrenting VPNs manage to keep that speed loss to a minimum. Is VyprVPN one of them?
Well, we performed a series of tests, comparing our downloads speeds with no VPN and when connected to a few different VyprVPN servers.
As you can probably see, we did lose a decent amount of speed; but the results weren’t too bad. However, we also tried another top torrenting VPN at the same time, and it seemed to perform a bit better than VyprVPN.
In short, you could call VyprVPN’s speeds average. It’s not terribly slow, but it’s certainly not the fastest torrenting VPN either.
They have a solid server network as well, with first-party servers in over 70+ locations, and there were plenty of nearby servers to choose from with great ping. VyprVPN doesn’t seem to provide details on exactly how many total servers they have though, but they do boast over 200,000+ IP addresses.
Is VyprVPN Easy to Use?
Whether you’re new to torrenting VPNs or a long-time veteran, it’s always nice to find a VPN that’s user friendly. Let’s see if VyprVPN fits the bill.
One-Click Connect
By default, VyprVPN is set to match you with the fastest server based on your location and the current server load.
Just hit ‘Connect’ and within a few seconds, you’ll be good to go. Or you can use their dropdown menu to pick a server in a specific country.
The servers can be sorted by name, region, or ping, allowing you to easily find the server you’re looking for, whether it’s the one closest to you, for the fastest torrent downloads, or one in the US or UK, for some Netflix streaming.
Easy Sign Up
Whether you’re a VPN vet or a total noob, you should have no problems signing up for VyprVPN. The process is quick, straightforward, and will have you up and running in minutes.
Sleek, Modern App
The sleek, streamlined VyprVPN app is definitely nice to look at – and very easy to navigate.
But Golden Frog, if you’re reading this… can we get a dark mode? Your logo is black, after all. And PIA, NordVPN, ProtonVPN, etc. all have one!
Billing Issues?
While our experience with VyprVPN was pretty good, we should point out that their rating on TrustPilot is pretty poor, at just 2.8 out of 5 stars. The most common complaint seemed to focus not on the service itself, but on support or billing issues. We mention this because we also had a billing issue, though it was relatively minor.
Fast, Knowledgeable Support
Fortunately, VyprVPN does have 24/7 live chat support. When we contacted them, responses – and solutions – were very fast. This is especially nice when you consider that some VPNs are still using an email-based ticket support system.
VyprVPN Torrenting Tips
VyprVPN is already pretty user-friendly, but here are some pointers on getting the most out of the service.
1. Configure the kill switch before you start a torrenting session
Make sure you turn on the kill switch before you start downloading, since it’s not enabled by default. Turning it on is as simple as flipping the switch under the ‘Kill Switch’ section of the ‘Customize’ menu of the app.
But there are also a few extra options to choose from if you click ‘Configure Kill Switch’ underneath. We personally like the ‘App’ setting, which will stop the app from disabling your internet connection when you close it completely.
2. Try the Wireguard protocol
VyprVPN's recently added Wireguard protocol can improve your torrenting speed and security.
Plus, it's super easy to use.
1. Go to the 'Customize' menu.
2. Click on the 'Protocol' option.
3. Select 'Wireguard'.
And boom, you're ready to go!
3. Use these tips to find the best torrents
Now that you’ve got your VPN all set up, it’s time to start downloading! If you need some tips on finding the best torrents, check this guide out.
VyprVPN Plans & Prices
VyprVPN used to offer a tiered pricing system, with normal and premium versions available, but they’ve since switched to a more straightforward pricing structure.
All plans are essentially the same, but you get some extremely good discounts on long-term subscriptions of one to two years. In fact, VyprVPN’s two-year subscription for $2.50 per month is one of the cheapest you’ll find.
However, their normal monthly pricing is actually higher than some of the other top torrenting VPNs on the market, like Private Internet Access VPN.
VyprVPN Apps
VyprVPN supports all your favorite operating systems, including:
- Windows
- MacOS
- Android
- iOS
- Linux
And even a few others, like Blackphone. It’s also compatible with many routers and smart TVs.
Bonus: “Chameleon” Obfuscation Protocol
Not everyone likes it when you use a VPN.
Whether you’re trying to access blocked content in China or use Netflix in another region, it’s better if the people on the other side of your connection can’t tell you’re using a VPN. And that’s where VyprVPN’s exclusive Chameleon protocol comes in.
It’s based on the OpenVPN protocol, which means it’s very secure, but it’s also able to scramble your traffic’s metadata to avoid something called deep packet inspection.
This makes it much harder for third-parties to determine you’re using a VPN – and thus block your traffic. In fact, it can even help you avoid bandwidth throttling by your own internet service provider.
Did we mention that VyprVPN is one of the only VPNs with this kind of feature?
Just one heads up: the Chameleon protocol is not enabled by default so you’ll have to switch to it. Not only will this protocol help you avoid deep packet inspection and possibly throttling, it doesn’t really have any drawbacks over the base OpenVPN protocol, since it uses the same encryption.
More VyprVPN Uses
Many P2P users might balk at the idea of spending money on a VPN just to torrent. But a good VPN can do so much more than that. Here are some of our other favorite uses for VyprVPN.
1. Stream content from other regions
Between its Chameleon protocol and its overall commitment to bypassing VPN blocks, VyprVPN is one of the better VPNs for streaming content from the major streaming services, whether it’s Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. Access Netflix’s UK catalog or Hulu US, all with a single click.
2. Bypass content blocks and other forms of censorship
As we pointed out above, VyprVPN’s Chameleon protocol also makes it somewhat uniquely suited for bypassing the content restrictions in place in countries like China. While it's not the only VPN to make this claim, VyprVPN is particularly good at it, since it’s able to bypass deep packet inspection.
3. Protect yourself on public Wi-Fi
Most VPNs will protect you on public Wi-Fi connections, which are often far from secure. But VyprVPN has a somewhat unique feature that helps here too, which is its ‘Public Wi-fi Protection’ setting in the app.
With this enabled, VyprVPN will automatically connect any time you’re on an untrusted Wi-Fi network.
VyprVPN Alternatives
Want to see how VyprVPN stacks up to the competition? Here’s a direct comparison of it with some of the other top torrenting VPNs.
What Private Internet Access does better than VyprVPN: Faster, more devices, split tunneling, Bitcoin payments
What VyprVPN does better than PIA: Cheaper, Chameleon protocol, better for streaming
Conclusion: VyprVPN is slightly cheaper than PIA, but PIA allows twice as many devices, plus it’s faster.
What NordVPN does better than VyprVPN: Faster, more servers, more devices, advanced security features
What VyprVPN does better than NordVPN: Cheaper, Chameleon protocol
Conclusion: VyprVPN is also a little cheaper than NordVPN, but it can’t compete with Nord’s server network or advanced security features, unless you want to use a VPN in a heavily censored region like China.
What ExpressVPN does better than VyprVPN: Faster, more servers, split tunneling
What VyprVPN does better than ExpressVPN: Cheaper, Chameleon protocol
Conclusion: While both VPNs bring a lot to the table, VyprVPN is a lot cheaper. ExpressVPN may be even better for streaming though, and it’s definitely faster.
What PureVPN does better than VyprVPN: Cryptocurrency payments, split tunneling
What VyprVPN does better than PureVPN: Cheaper, Chameleon protocol
Conclusion: VyprVPN and PureVPN are neck and neck in terms of features, with VyprVPN benefitting from its Chameleon protocol and PureVPN from split tunneling. VyprVPN is a lot cheaper, but PureVPN accepts cryptocurrency payments.
What IPVanish does better than VyprVPN: More devices, split tunneling
What VyprVPN does better than IPVanish: Cheaper, Chameleon protocol
Conclusion: VyprVPN is cheaper, but IPVanish allows twice as many connections. Overall, we’d give VyprVPN the nod on security though because of its much better reputation.
Final Thoughts
Checklist
So, let’s sum it all up, shall we? Here’s what VyprVPN does best as a premier torrenting VPN.
