10 Best Torrent Sites: Safe and Still Working in 2025

Finding a working torrent site is not only challenging but also potentially dangerous. It’s super frustrating to find a good site, only for it to be taken down. Results on Google are also often packed with fake P2P sites containing dodgy links and ads. We researched 50+ torrent sites and shortlisted the best ones with long-standing reputations, reliable uptime, and huge amounts of safe content.

What are the best torrenting sites in 2025? It’s tough to beat 1337x, but YTS receives the highest volume of traffic, with millions of visitors per day, and is followed closely by The Pirate Bay and NYAA (Torrent Freak, 2025)¹. While I agree with the popular opinion that these are solid P2P sites, there are several others in our list that shine in their own way.

Short on Time? Here Are the Best Torrent Sites in 2025

The Best Torrent Sites That Still Work in 2025

1. YTS — Best Torrent Site for High-Quality Movies in Small File Sizes

Note: You should not use YTS to download pirated or illegal content.

YTS (formerly YIFY) is one of the best torrent websites for high-quality movies and TV shows. It offers thousands of movie titles, many of which are available in various resolutions, usually up to 1080p but with quite a lot of 4K titles, too. YTS’s efficient encoding means that files are small for the quality — I found 4K titles that were under 3GB (they can be up to 20GB!).

The content tags and "Similar Movies" suggestions make it easy to find stuff you like

On most other torrent sites, it can sometimes be tricky to see whether a title has subtitles or not, but YTS puts all this key information upfront. You can choose to download any of the available quality levels or the subtitles separately. If you scroll down, you can see all the subtitle languages, with up to 30 for some of the more popular shows.

Since YTS specializes in movies, you won't find other types of content like music, games, or software clogging up your searches. That being said, it easily had the best selection of older and brand new movies of all the P2P sites on this list. You also get IMDb and RottenTomatoes user data, so you can see if you’re likely to enjoy a movie before you download it.

However, it has some annoying affiliate sites that open in new tabs. If you want to avoid ads altogether, I recommend using a reliable ad blocker. Thanks to some internal moderation, YTS’s torrents are generally safer and more reliable than other “open” torrent sites, though. And the active community provides an extra level of assurance before downloading files.

Check out YTS

2. 1337x — Huge Torrent Library With Excellent Search and Variety

Note: You should not use 1337x to download pirated or illegal content.

1337x is a highly popular torrent website with movies, TV shows, and music, but it has a good collection of games as well. What's great is that 1337x has been around for a while, and its community is active, which means its torrents are updated every few hours.

Each torrent lists helpful information, including how many people are seeding/leeching the torrent, when it was last updated, and even when a moderator last checked it. This gave me a bit more assurance that what I was downloading was safe and wouldn’t waste my time.

1337x doesn't have annoying banner ads like some torrent sites

1337x URLs are often blocked by ISPs, which can be a bit frustrating. However, there were many active mirror sites at the time of writing, increasing the chances of finding one that works. 1337x also regularly provides status updates on its domains to let the community know which ones can be trusted. You can even use the Tor Onion domain for added privacy.

The website is ad-free since it is monetized by Bitcoin donations. Registering an account is also totally free and optional (but is required to upload torrents). Luckily, the only personal info they ask for is an email, as they don’t verify the country you input.

Check out 1337x

3. NYAA — Best Torrent Site for Anime and Asian Media

Note: You should not use NYAA to download pirated or illegal content.

NYAA is a specialist site that focuses on content from Asia, especially from Japan, China, and South Korea. It's perfect if you're into anime series and manga, but you’ll also find fan-subbed dramas, K-pop and J-pop music, software, and niche JRPGs. As a fan of Asian pop culture myself, I couldn’t believe the range of cool stuff to explore.

You can display your results via 5 variables

The category icons are a little small and fiddly to use. That said, once you navigate the searches, NYAA is a treasure trove of public domain content. I didn’t see any flashy or awkwardly placed ads to distract you and try to leech clicks. Plus, there weren’t any redirects to dodgy sites, which nearly all other sites on this list have.

I appreciated that NYAA keeps most NSFW content on the dedicated “Fap” and “Sukebai” sites, so it’s less stressful to browse torrents in public spaces. The public upload feature also makes it easy to upload fan-made content without registering an account or having to pay anything.

Check out NYAA

4. The Pirate Bay — Most Resilient and Well-Established Torrent Site

Note: You should not use The Pirate Bay to download pirated or illegal content.

The Pirate Bay is one of the best-known torrent sites used by millions of people every month. Although it has gone offline sporadically and is blocked by dozens of ISPs across the world, it’s still thriving and has managed to avoid several takedown attempts. There are literally millions of torrents, so you can find almost anything, but you also have to take more care with what you download.

The Pirate Bay gives you a search engine results page, a bit like Google

The Pirate Bay is generally safe, but to minimize risk, I only download torrents with purple (trusted user) or green skull (VIP) and crossbones beside them. It’s not a 100% guarantee of safety against malware, but it does mean that a verified user has uploaded the torrent. There are also usually a bunch of comments by users giving feedback on torrents.

The Pirate Bay has one of the largest communities, so listings typically have healthy seeder and leecher ratios. My P2P downloads started fast and kept going at a consistent pace. I downloaded a 3GB version of Casablanca in under 10 minutes.

Check out The Pirate Bay

5. BT4G — Best Torrent Aggregator Site for Hard-To-Find Content

BT4G is not a normal torrent site — it indexes torrents directly from the BitTorrent Distributed Hash Table (DHT). This is a decentralized database used by torrent clients to find peers and magnet links without a central tracker. You can thus find tons of content not hosted on mainstream torrent sites, with BT4G claiming to provide over 91 million results. I find myself often going back to it if I can’t find something on my usual go-to sites, like The Pirate Bay or 1337x.

BT4G even offers different languages and dark mode

The downside is that there’s no central moderation, which means you can frequently come across broken links, duplicates, or misleading torrents. That being said, the interface is clean and simple to use, and I didn’t come across any ads, pop-ups, or click-through redirects on its main domain. I highly recommend scanning downloaded files with an antivirus, though, just to be safe.

Having only recently gained popularity, BT4G is still under the radar of many ISPs. While it’s often blocked in some strict countries, I could freely access it from Malaysia, where ISPs block most other popular sites.

Check out BT4G

6. EZTV — Best Torrent Site for TV Shows

Note: You should not use EZTV to download pirated or illegal content.

Despite specializing in TV shows, EZTV still attracts hundreds of thousands to millions of visitors per month. Although it might not have as extensive a library as some of the bigger P2P sites like The Pirate Bay or 1337x, it's a great choice if you're specifically looking for TV shows. It focuses primarily on US and British TV as well as more modern content.

You can register a free account for an ad-free browsing experience as well

It's pretty unique if you’re mostly into TV content. For one, it offers entire “TV Packs” that package whole shows or series together for convenience. EZTV even tracks the release dates and broadcasting schedules of shows, so that you know when they’ll likely get uploaded.

My one complaint is that the user interface is a little clunky, though, and looks like a forum from circa 2005. But it’s a great resource for TV lovers to plan what to watch and find new shows.

Check out EZTV

7. LimeTorrents — Fresh Releases With Seeder Health Indicators

Note: You should not use LimeTorrents to download pirated or illegal content.

LimeTorrents boasts a massive library with over 10 million torrents across all media types. I always get plenty of results, even when searching for rarer titles. Its library is even larger than The Pirate Bay’s, which is very impressive. Thankfully, its quick navigation links make it easy to find the latest or most popular torrents.

I recommend displaying torrents by health since it shows the most reliable files

As well as searching for torrents, you can list them by category. It’s also possible to sort by seeder count, which is great as LimeTorrents has some of the largest seeder numbers I’ve ever seen. For safety, it helps that the owners keep a bulletin board with updates on new or updated proxy sites.

Unfortunately, the site also has plenty of junk in the form of low-quality CAM recordings and shows without subtitles. I also noticed that there are not as many user comments as on sites like The Pirate Bay. However, it’s only a matter of time until you find what you need as its library is almost endless.

Check out LimeTorrents

8. IPTorrents — Best Private, Invites-Only Torrent Tracker

Note: You should not use IPTorrents to download pirated or illegal content.

Unlike the other sites on this list, IPTorrents is a fully private torrent download site. This means you can only use it if you get invited by another member or make a donation. But once you’re in, you’ll get access to an extensive library and an active community without any pop-up ads. It’s also safer because it’s much harder for people to spread spyware or malware.

Many torrent sites offer user accounts but with IPTorrent, it's essential to gain entry

Another benefit of IPTorrents is that its download speeds tend to be faster because members need to comply with seeding quotas. However, this also means you’ll need to be an active community member to maintain access to its high-quality torrents. It’s also a balancing act, as a smaller community means less variety.

It can be slightly nerve-wracking to provide payment details to a torrent site. However, IPTorrent hasn’t been implicated in any major hacks or breaches so far. Plus, there are very few instances of people not getting access immediately after paying.

Check out IPTorrents

9. Torlock — Best for Verified Torrents With Zero Fakes Policy

Note: You should not use Torlock to download pirated or illegal content.

If you’re concerned about downloading unsafe torrents, then consider using Torlock. The P2P site bills itself as “The No Fakes Torrent Site” and is one of the few that still uses its “.com” domain name, meaning it’s well-established. In particular, it has a lot of music, ebooks, and anime series in its library with decent seeder numbers, despite its strict vetting.

I found lots of public domain content with subtitles in various languages

Its homepage displays the most recent and popular torrents for each category. However, new releases are usually copyrighted, which means downloading them is illegal — so beware. It also displays multiple pop-ups on many pages, but you can stop them with a reliable ad blocker.

Check out Torlock

10. Torrends.io — Best Torrent Meta-Search Engine and Tracker Aggregator

Note: You should not use Torrends to download pirated or illegal content.

If you quickly want to find a torrent but don’t know where to start, Torrends is a convenient solution. Unlike BT4G, it indexes and pulls search results from popular torrenting sites, like 1337x, The Pirate Bay, and Nyaa. So, you only have to search for a torrent once instead of hopping between different sites.

I was impressed with how fast Torrends' search was

Torrends doesn’t host any files itself, though, so you’ll still need to navigate to an actual torrent site to start the download. However, it’s a great resource for anyone who torrents frequently. It provides updates on the status of many torrent sites and categorizes them by content type, so you can discover new gems for future use.

Check out Torrends

How To Stay Safe and Avoid Fake Torrent Sites

Staying safe while torrenting is more than just choosing a reputable site. When you visit torrent sites, your IP address is exposed, which can reveal your location and personal data to anyone who's seeding or leeching the same file. That's why it's important to take steps to protect your privacy. Here are some of the best ways to stay safe when file sharing:

• Use a VPN. A VPN encrypts your torrenting traffic and hides your IP address from other users in the torrent swarm. Plus, you can avoid bandwidth throttling, which ISPs often use if they detect file sharing (especially during peak hours). The best VPNs for torrenting also have ad, tracker, and malware blockers, which can protect you from malicious ads and hidden viruses.
• Inspect every torrent. Unverified torrents can contain malware, hidden copyrighted content, and other threats. I recommend looking at its seeder-to-leecher ratio, user comments, verification status, and the uploader’s history. Also, check if anything about its size and files doesn’t make sense. For example, an HD movie torrent that’s only a few megabytes or contains unrelated.txt or.exe files is suspicious.
• Scan every file you download for viruses. Hackers can hide malware in torrent files. Use high-quality antivirus software (some even have a built-in VPN) to scan anything you download. Pay particular attention to EXE, RAR, TAR, and ZIP files, and avoid WMA, WMV, and password-protected files because they’re outdated and can be dangerous.
• Use a private search engine. Mainstream search engines like Google hide the URLs of many torrent sites due to the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) and display dangerous fork sites instead. A private search engine like DuckDuckGo won’t hide URLs and will keep your searches private.
• Use a safe torrent client. A trustworthy torrent client can’t protect you from malicious downloads. However, some come with ads or may try to trick you into installing malicious adware or browser extensions. Open-source options like qBittorrent and Deluge are considered safer because they can be scrutinized by the community.
• Look out for copycat sites. Strange-looking URLs, numerous pop-up windows, and registration demands are all signs of dangerous copycats. Opportunists typically run these to make a quick buck by leeching off the name of well-known sites. Look for the smallest inconsistency in the URL and try to verify new ones on forums like Reddit.

Tips on How To Choose the Best Torrenting Site for You

Even some of the most well-known torrenting sites can be dangerous, so it’s good to know what to look for when choosing one. Since most P2P sites are unregulated (or difficult to regulate), they may contain fake links with viruses, malware, or tracking software. So it’s best to take precautions before you download anything.

That’s why my team and I put each torrenting site through extensive testing and only listed those with long-standing, trustworthy reputations. When selecting a torrent website, take into account the following crucial elements:

• Safety indicators. There are plenty of clues as to whether a torrent site is reputable and, therefore, trustworthy. For instance, it’s best if a site has been up for 5 years minimum, and has a high volume of monthly traffic (look for engaged users and recent comments). A high ratio of seeders to leechers is a good indication of a high level of sharing, resulting in faster downloads.
• Library size. A torrenting site with a large library will make it much easier for you to find the content you want without having to bounce to another site. That’s why YTS and 1337x ranks so well in our list — they have some of the largest libraries around.
• Media types. Make sure your site’s library has a wide mix of different content types. If you’re after a particular type of content, then consider specialist sites, like NYAA for anime or EZTV for TV shows.
• As few ads as possible. Intrusive pop-up ads are an inevitable feature of many torrent sites. Some less reputable torrent sites may also have malicious ads that, if you click them, direct you to a phishing scam or infect your device with malware. Avoid sites that bombard you with ads, and use a reputable ad blocker.
• Availability in your region. Some regions block torrent sites more than others, so make sure you can access the site in your area. Most reputable torrent sites also provide mirror links in case the main site gets blocked.

Beware of These Torrent Sites — Some Are Fake

Certain torrenting sites may be well-liked, but they risk exposing your data and infecting your devices. Unfortunately, the more popular a site becomes, the more likely it is that fake, unsafe copycats will appear.

These torrenting sites are potentially unsafe fakes:

• KickAssTorrents. KickAssTorrents (KAT) was once the most popular torrent site globally, only to be taken down for good. Its founder, Artem Vaulin, has been on the run from US authorities due to numerous charges of copyright infringement. Several copycat sites look similar but require you to install browser extensions to use them, which is a huge red flag.
• Torrentz2. Since the original Torrentz was shut down in 2016, various attempts have been made at a sequel or reboot site. Like the original, they have all been stopped. All that remains now are fake placeholder sites and aggregator sites that return zero results.
• TorrentGalaxy. Until very recently, TorrentGalaxy was one of the most used sites. However, it started experiencing significant downtime and other issues after being sold to an undisclosed party in 2024. This culminated in two weeks of downtime for the main URL in March 2025(torrentgalaxy.to)¹², and it has only been available intermittently since.
• SUMOTorrent. While its popularity has gone down in recent years, it used to have a massive community. However, a 2014 data breach leaked sensitive user information online, leading to aggressive attempts to take it down. While some URLs are up, they are now notorious among the torrenting community for spammy practices.
• iDope. While never as popular as some of the others on this list, iDope was known for a small yet dedicated community and high-quality torrents. However, since the official site’s shutdown, it’s been replaced by unverified clones that can’t match the original’s quality.

Can torrenting be dangerous? A July 2025 study by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment found that consumers are up to 65 times more likely to get infected by malware on piracy sites (including torrenting platforms) compared to legitimate web sources¹³. So, it’s best to be cautious, even on established sites with verification and good track records.

What Torrent Sites Does Reddit Recommend?

Recently, YTS, 1337x, and BT4G are some of the most widely recommended sites on Reddit. The popularity of torrenting sites and the opinions of the community can change quickly, so you should always read the most recent comments and posts.

I usually only pay attention to posts less than one year old

The community is currently somewhat divided over formerly popular sites like The Pirate Bay and TorrentGalaxy. All these sites have faced heavy targeting by the authorities in recent years, leading to them being less reliable than they were. Still, many rely on some of The Pirate Bay’s proxies or mirror sites for most of their torrents.

I also found many mentions of RARBG, Torrentz, Torrentz2, and other sites that are now fake, dangerous, or shut down. If you’re looking for a specialized site for anime, many Redditors recommend AnimeK. We found this to be a reliable torrent site, but preferred NYAA because it had more seeders, which let us download shows faster.

Redditors also warn against using new-looking copycats with few torrents

Are Torrent Download Sites Legal?

Torrenting itself is legal in most countries, but it becomes illegal when the file being shared or downloaded is protected by copyright. One poll found that 63% of Americans have pirated movies, being too tempted by the free content (The High Court, 2021)¹⁴. Some say that almost 24% of total bandwidth in the US, Asia, and Europe is spent on piracy (DataProt, 2024)¹⁵.

Due to many sites' inability (or unwillingness) to prevent piracy, some countries have completely outlawed torrenting sites. In others, they either operate in a legal grey area or ISPs have been instructed to prevent access to them. Many EU countries used to be pretty lenient on end-user torrenting, but have stepped up enforcement under the CJEU ACI Adam (2014) ruling.

However, there are many creators who share their content and software freely and legally in the public domain. And because there are legitimate use cases for P2P file sharing, the technology itself is usually not illegal. It all depends on how you use it and what content you access.

Here’s a table briefly outlining the legal standing of torrenting in different countries:

Is torrenting completely legal in the US? While torrenting protocols are not outright illegal, using them to abuse copyright laws can lead to prosecution. Under the No Electronic Theft (NET) Act and DMCA, even downloading copyrighted content can lead to imprisonment or fines. For example, in 2009, a college student was ordered to pay record labels $675,000 for illegally downloading and distributing music¹⁶.

Do I Need a VPN for Torrent Sites?

Considering that torrent sites can be dangerous, a VPN can come in handy to protect your devices from malware. It’s not completely necessary since you can technically use torrent sites without a VPN, but having one can boost your security and data privacy. Many VPNs now have malware protection and no-log policies, among other robust features, that can help you use torrent sites with less fear and worry overall.

FAQs on the Best Torrent Sites

Is torrenting safe?

It depends — torrenting can be safe, but it can be dangerous. Your safety largely comes down to where you get your torrents, the files you download, and the steps you take to protect yourself.

Why are some torrenting sites blocked?

Global governments typically enforce torrent site blocks due to copyright concerns, preventing unlawful sharing and downloading. As well as blocking, they can also order torrent sites to be taken down altogether, like when the US shut down KickAssTorrents.

Searching for torrent sites is difficult because search engines like Google omit them due to copyright issues. Extensions like Chrome's AdBlock further obstruct access. To safely explore torrent sites, consider using a reliable VPN. However, you should research your local regulations to determine if torrenting sites are blocked in your location.

Which is the best torrent site for movie downloads?

YTS is currently the best torrent site for downloading movies. It specializes in this area, with thousands of titles. Its files also carry a unique balance that keeps movie fans coming back. Unfortunately, it no longer supports streaming torrents via the site.

What are private torrent sites, and how can I access them?

Private torrent sites are invite-only communities that require users to register and maintain a good sharing ratio to gain access. If you’re looking for a good private torrent site, I recommend IPTorrents. These sites often have stricter rules and guidelines and offer several advantages, including higher quality control and enhanced security. They also usually offer specialized content, such as movies, TV shows, music, ebooks, or software.

You can typically access private torrent sites by making a donation or receiving an invite (depending on the site). To receive invitations, visit sites like Reddit and 8kun, which have anonymous messaging boards for torrenting. Here, invitations are either given out randomly or by request, so it pays to be persuasive.

How do I check that my torrent downloads are verified?

Different sites use different ways to indicate which torrents are verified. With skull icon user badges on search result pages, The Pirate Bay’s verification method is the most convenient for me. Others will simply label safe torrents as “verified” or provide a “health” indicator.

However, sites like Torlock moderate all content to check that it’s safe. Private torrent sites rely on having a smaller community of committed users who can get kicked out for breaking the rules.

Are there any fully legal torrenting alternatives?

Yes, there are sites dedicated to preserving public domain content for free access. These sites don’t host any copyrighted content without permission, so there are no legal issues with using them. They also typically don’t have ads, sneaky redirects, or virus-laden content. However, they usually don’t have the same variety or community features as the top torrenting sites.

Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Internet Archive: A simple and easy-to-use resource with a wide variety of public domain books, movies, old websites, images, and software.
• Project Gutenberg: A vast online repository of free ebooks, many of which are of cultural or historical value.
• Public Domain Torrent: Mainly dedicated to old or B-rated movies, with some support for antiquated formats, like iPod, PSP, and more.
• Wikimedia Commons: Hosts over 125 million free media, such as images, videos, and 3D models that are useful for professional or educational projects.
• SourceForge: Has a sizable library of open-source software projects, including developer tools and video games.

What is the best and safest torrent client?

The best and safest torrent clients are qBittorrent, Deluge, and Transmission, known for being lightweight, open-source, and free from bundled adware. A good client doesn’t come with hidden installs, respects privacy, and provides frequent security updates. Still, the most important factor is using a safe torrenting site.

uTorrent is a very popular client, but it's increasingly being warned against. Since 2015, it’s been caught bundling adware, bloatware, and even a hidden cryptocurrency miner in its software. BitLord, BitComet, and Vuze are others I’d rather avoid.

Should I use a VPN when torrenting?

You don’t have to, but, due to the many risks, I don’t advise using torrenting sites without protection. VPNs are the most effective safety tool for this because they are designed to secure your data, hide your IP, and block online threats (if they have a built-in ad blocker). They also help you avoid connection throttling by keeping your online activities private from your ISP (as well as other third parties).

Conclusion

Finding a good torrent site with a helpful search engine is tricky but not impossible. The search results are often cluttered with annoying ads and potentially dangerous links. To save you time, we have tested and researched popular sites, shortlisting our favorites that are still active.

Despite our best efforts, you’ll still find numerous ads and a few dangerous links on the sites listed above. However, those are some of the most used sites currently, and we’ve pointed out the pros and cons of each. Plus, there are multiple ways to help you be safe when using torrent sites, so we made sure to detail everything important above.

References

1. https://torrentfreak.com/top-torrent-sites/
2. https://www.similarweb.com/website/yts.mx/#overview
3. https://www.semrush.com/website/1337x.to/overview/
4. https://bt4gprx.com/
5. https://www.semrush.com/website/eztvx.to/overview/
6. https://cooltechzone.com/torrent-sites/eztv-proxy
7. https://www.semrush.com/website/limetorrents.lol/overview/
8. https://www.semrush.com/website/iptorrents.me/overview/
9. https://www.similarweb.com/website/torlock.com/
10. https://www.semrush.com/website/torlock.com/overview/
11. https://www.semrush.com/website/torrends.to/overview/
12. https://torrentfreak.com/torrentgalaxy-staff-fear-the-worst-as-site-stays-dark-and-upload-bots-fail-250314/
13. https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2025/07/23/consumers-65-times-more-likely-to-be-infected-by-malware-through-piracy-sites/
14. https://thehighcourt.co/piracy-statistics/
15. https://dataprot.net/statistics/piracy-statistics/
16. https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/nov/09/joel-tenenbaum-a-year-on