The Kickass torrent website was shut down a few years ago. And with different governments around the world cracking down on torrenting, it’s getting harder and harder to find a good torrent site. The Pirate Bay itself continues to move from mirror to mirror, so you can be forgiven for thinking torrents are impossible to find.
But they are not, and we are going to show you the 12 best websites that are still active in 2021, and also how to stay safe while downloading torrents and the risks to which you expose yourself if you directly download the first torrent you come across.
Important Notice: Your Internet Service Provider may restrict access to some of your favorite torrent sites, or track your torrenting behavior. A VPN is your best friend in dealing with these problems. How? A VPN will allow you to unblock every torrent website, and it keeps you safe and anonymous when downloading torrents and also keeps you safe and anonymous, encrypting your data traffic and hiding your IP address and identity. In this way, you remain anonymous. One of our favorites is NordVPN. It’s a great VPN, and you can try it risk-free thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 12 best torrent websites today .
Table of Contents
Best torrent websites
- The Pirate Bay – The best torrent website
- RARBG – A great torrent website with an active community
- 1337X – Fantastic website for movies, series, and music torrents
- Torrentz2 – The best choice for music torrents
- YTS – Our recommendation for downloading HD movies
- EZTV – torrent website that focuses on TV shows
- Zooqle – Torrent paradise for gamers
- LimeTorrents – Superb torrent website for new releases
- Torrents.io – A unique torrent site that combines the best of each site
- TorrentDownloads – A good torrent site for rare and forgotten titles
- IPTorrents – Fantastic private torrent website that requires a donation to enter
- Bibliotik – A torrent website for e-book lovers
These are the best torrent websites that are still standing, and you can access any of them to find your favorite files. However, each of them has different advantages (and in some cases disadvantages), so we will delve into their options to see which website you should use and when.
Before that, let’s take a look at our criteria for choosing the best torrent sites.
How to choose the best torrent website
Download speed is the average speed when downloading torrents from a specific website, through a client. Although this information is reliable as an approximation for reference, keep in mind that this will vary greatly based on the torrent and your internet connection.
Monthly traffic was an important aspect of determining how popular a website was, implicitly tying it to a bunch of metrics like library size or seeder/leecher ratio. While we also considered including some data on popular torrent seeders and leechers at the time of writing this, we realized that that is time-dependent and will probably not be relevant in a month or two, so we focus on other metrics.
The size of the library will be included whenever possible. Although it is difficult to get an exact number in all cases, we have done our best to investigate and find an answer.
Torrent types and variety are also important when choosing a torrent site. Websites like The Pirate Bay or RARBG have large libraries, with torrents of any kind, while websites like Bibliotik or YTS have a considerable amount of torrents of books and movies, respectively. That’s why we’ll talk later about which platforms are good for specific types of torrents, where applicable.
The level of intrusion of the ads is also important when deciding which torrent site to use. Pop-ups that “click themselves” or fake “contests” in which without participating you have already won are annoying. If you have to deal with eight ads just to find one file, it may be time to find a new torrent site. There are about 3-4 popular websites that we decided not to include due to the level of intrusion of the ads.
Security is very important when downloading torrents. After all, the internet is littered with shady torrent platforms that could compromise your online security. That’s why our list of the best torrent sites also takes security into account, and we’ll talk about some concerns regarding it.
With that said, let’s move on to see our list in more detail.
1 – The Pirate Bay – The best torrent website
Web: Visit a working mirror of The Pirate Bay
Attention: The Pirate Bay is blocked in many countries, so you may need a VPN to change your virtual location to unblock The Pirate Bay.
The Pirate Bay was the favorite website for the vast majority for many years. They managed to repel blocking or shutdown attempts, and it continues to be very important with around 6.3 million users per month on its main website. However, considering the number of mirrors and blocking attempts, that number could be distorted, and 20-60 million visits per month would perhaps be more accurate figures.
We couldn’t get an exact number for the size of your library, but it’s millions of files, and you can expect a download speed of 5-6MB / s, all other things being at the same level.
The Pirate Bay is popular for its huge community, which secures at least one seeder on almost any torrent on the web, regardless of age. We tried to download unknown titles from over a decade ago and found that there were still seeders to help us.
In addition, it has a clean interface, and labels that help you know which torrents come from a trusted source, and which ones can put the security of your PC at risk.
Pirate Bay is undoubtedly the king of all torrent sites, and with almost no ad intrusion and an active community, it has basically no drawbacks.
Mirrors : thepiratebay.vip, thepirate-bay.org, thepiratebay.rocks.
PS: If these mirrors don’t work, Google “the pirate bay mirrors” and you will find other options, especially on the second page of results. You can also look at our list of alternatives to The Pirate Bay for more options.
2 – RARBG – A great torrent site with an active community
Also Read: Best Alternatives to EliteTorrent
RARBG is a huge torrent directory, famous for its very active community of seeders and the high quality of its torrents. It was created in 2008 and attracts around 40 million visitors every month.
It competes with The Pirate Bay offering a more “personalized” experience, complete with “top tens” in different categories and showing news on its home page. The size of its library is respectable, and it is updated often, which means that you have a high probability of finding new torrents on this website.
RARBG has a speed very similar to that of The Pirate Bay. The only difference is that ad intrusion is higher in RARBG, so keep that in mind when choosing one of the two.
Oh, and if you are from Denmark, Portugal or the UK, you will need a VPN to access as it is blocked in those countries.
Mirrors : rarbg.is, rarbgunlock.com, rarbgmirror.com.
PS: If none of these mirrors work, don’t try to find another one unless you take some security precautions. There are a lot of phishing scams using RARBG-looking websites, so learn to navigate safely.
3 – 1337X – Fantastic website for movies, series and music torrents
Web: 1337X Web
1337X is good for movies, TV shows, and music. Some also use it to find game torrents, but from our research it appears that both RARBG and The Pirate Bay have more torrents in that category, especially older titles.
A few years ago, 1337X was a poor choice for any download, as it was difficult to get around, and it posed a lot of safety hazards. Since then, a complete redesign has been done, making it easier to navigate and also safer. For TV shows and movies, you also have improved navigation features, such as searching for award nominations.
All these changes managed to increase their visits to 53 million visits per month, and it makes sense. It has an average download speed of 3-4MB / s and has virtually no ad intrusion, creators only make money through bitcoin donations from what we could see.
Mirrors: 1337x.st (active since October 2017), x1337x.ws (active since December 2017), x1337x.eu (active since March 2018), x1337x.se (active since May 2018), 1337x.is ( active since January 2019), 1337x.gd (active since October 2019).
We have included “active since” so you can check the age of the domain to make sure you don’t fall for phishing campaigns.
4 – Torrentz2 – The best choice for music torrents
Web: Torrentz2 Web
At the time of writing, the main torrentz2 website is down, but we accessed it through one of its mirrors that you will find below.
While this is not a very big site, it only has about 10-20 million users a month, and they may not have a general torrent library, Torrentz2 is a good place to find music. And by good place we mean that it has the largest music library on the public torrent websites. Apart from this, Torrentz2 doesn’t have much else to offer. The download speed is not that good (we would speak of between 1 and 3 MB / s, with an average of 2) and the intrusion of ads is quite annoying.
Not to mention that any kind of navigation options, like searching by album, artist or song would be really appreciated. So keep that in mind for when you can’t find the music you’re looking for anywhere else.
Mirrors: torrentz2eu.org (the one we use), torrentz.eu
5 – YTS – Our recommendation for downloading HD movies
Web: https://yts.mx/
If you are looking for a movie, go straight to YTS.
While its average metrics are not very good, it does not have a large library compared to The Pirate Bay, and an average download speed of 3-4 MB / s, YTS has around 75 million monthly visits, and that’s because to positioning.
First, it only focuses on movies, and they do their best to track torrents with HD quality and small size, optimizing for any device or bandwidth. Second, the ad intrusion is minimal and the interface is beautiful.
Finally, the classics are available on the platform. In fact, it is the only torrent site where you can find movies like “Twelve Merciless Men” in 1080p.
Mirrors: yts.am, yts.pm, yts.gm (but for now the web has never been closed)
6 – EZTV – torrent website that focuses on TV shows
Web: https://eztv.re/
If you want to watch the episodes of your favorite series in HD, EZTV is the place to go. It doesn’t have a huge library when compared to behemoths like RARBG, but it does focus on TV shows, and it’s the place to find any of the newest releases in HD.
The seeder/leecher ratio is quite respectable, as it has an active community, with around 20 million visitors a month. We’re looking for old titles like “Two and a Half Men,” and you have a respectable number of options.
We even tried to find much less well-known titles, like the English series “The Midsomer Murders.” EZTV has a large variety of new release torrents for that series, and old episode packs. While ad intrusion is a bit annoying at times, the size of the library and a decent download speed of 2-3MB / s is enough to keep your series marathons going.
Mirrors: eztv.unblocked.llc, eztv1.unblocked.is, eztv1.unblocked.si
7 – Zooqle – Torrent paradise for gamers
Web: https://zooqle.com/
Zooqle has a good reputation for being the best video game torrent library, and that’s justified. We tried looking for old titles, and it has a good library, either for PC or consoles. We even found some torrents that we were unable to find anywhere else, such as a working version of Uncharted 2 for PS3.
With a little over 5 million visitors a month, an active community, and a download speed of around 1-2 MB / s, it’s a good option for when you can’t find a working torrent for a video game.
It is even an easy-to-use platform. You can subscribe to different categories or titles and get a feed of new torrents from them. The interface is not bad, and while ad intrusion becomes annoying at times, it can be tolerated in most cases.
Mirrors: zooqle.g2g.casa, zooqle.nocensor.club, zooqle.u4m.pw
8 – LimeTorrents – Superb torrent website for new releases
LimeTorrents is great for new releases. With a seamless interface and a very good seeder/leecher ratio in the new torrents, it can be a good option.
The average download speed is 3-4 MB / s, it has a little less than 20 million users per month across all its mirrors and a lot of search options.
However, it is at the bottom of our list of best torrent sites because you will not find many seeders for old torrents, and the intrusion of ads can be annoying at times.
Mirrors: limetorrents.asia, limetorrents.zone, limetorrents.co, limetor.com, limetor.pro.
9 – Torrends.to – A unique torrent website that combines the best of each website
Web: https://torrends.to/
Attention: Since recently, this website seems to go down often.
Not a torrent site per se, Torrents.io only tracks all torrents from popular sites like The Pirate Bay and RARBG.
However, considering the amount of data that goes with it, you’re bound to find a much larger library of what you’re looking for, all in one place.
The download speed and other relevant metrics are the same that you will find on the websites from which Torrents.io gets its data, but we want to commend its continuous design and minimal ad intrusion. With just under 5 million visits per month and quirky data sets to show what’s hot, using Torrents.io can be a good option if you’re looking for complicated titles and want all the results in one site.
Mirrors: None since they have not suffered, at the moment, any closure.
10 – TorrentDownloads – A good torrent site for rare and forgotten titles
Web: https://torrentdownloads.info/
TorrentDownloads is a classic on the scene, but its traffic has been gradually decreasing over time (it now has around 5 million users per month), due to the considerably larger libraries of The Pirate Bay and RARBG. Furthermore, since it is the target of government investigations, it is not available in many regions, it only reaches an average download speed of 2-3 MB / s and the intrusion of ads can be irritating at times.
However, it is a good option for little-known titles in all categories, so if you are looking for an old video game or a rare book, you can try a quick search on TorrentDownloads. Specifically, Asian titles seem to be an important part of their servers.
Mirrors: torrentdownloads.unblockproject.uno, torrentdownloads.123unblock.cyou, torrentdownloads.mrunblock.cyou, torrentdownloads.nocensor.club
11 – IPTorrents – Fantastic private torrent website that requires a donation to enter
Now for the private sites: IPTorrents is one of the largest private torrent sites (which means you will need an invite to enter) boasting a large library, an active community and virtually no ad intrusion.
Also, private torrent sites are generally more secure because it is more difficult for users with malicious intent, such as spreading malware, to get in. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly for many, private torrent websites generally have higher speeds than public ones, since members have seating quotas that they must comply with.
IPTorrents is currently accepting new members based on a donation (of $ 20), which is more than can be said for normal private torrent sites. With about 5 million visits per month, it is a good alternative if you can afford to enter.
12 – Bibliotik – A torrent website for e-book lovers
Last but not least, Bibliotik is the largest private torrent site for downloading e-books. Whether you’re a college student, or just looking for a rare franchise like the Nick Stone series, Bibliotik is the site for you.
With a library size and traffic in the hundreds of thousands it is a respectable option, but unfortunately it does not accept new members, at least officially.
How to use torrent websites
If you are a beginner in the world of torrents , let us start by explaining what torrents are.
A torrent is a small file with metadata about files that you are trying to get. A special software, called a client, reads this metadata and matches your computer with other users who already have the file, so you basically “download” it from them.
It is a way of sharing data with other computers.
So the first thing you need is a client. We recommend Utorrent , but Bittorrent will work fine too.
Once you have it, download the torrent from one of the best torrent sites in the list above and open it using the client. If you already have the client installed, the torrent file will automatically open this screen:
However, a couple of precautions.
First, download torrents and surf torrent sites always using a VPN .
Internet service providers and governments can track your Internet activity if you don’t use a VPN, and in some cases, you are exposed to a complaint for downloading specific files. Read our list of the best VPNs and use one of them before downloading torrents.
Second, beware of fake download links.
In an attempt to make money from your clicks, torrent sites will more prominently display a button that will not download the torrent file, but rather different and unrelated software.
Avoid the big buttons and click only on the URL that will actually download the torrent file you want.
In addition to these precautions, let’s talk a little more about safety.
How to use torrents safely
The risks of browsing torrent websites are not just about privacy. You risk downloading malware, viruses, and even losing your information due to phishing campaigns, which are very common on torrent websites.
The first thing you should want to do is install a VPN. Again, take a look at our best VPNs section for the best options out there, security tips, and news. Installing a VPN is important as it will route your connection through a secure server, allow you to access blocked torrent sites, and help you stay anonymous.
Next, enable as many VPN security settings as possible. Make sure you enable connection encryption, leak protection, and an emergency button for when your network is at risk of infection. Most VPNs will have these options (perhaps under other names).
The emergency button is important, as it prevents your identity from being exposed if your VPN connection suddenly drops.
Third, install an ad blocker and other security-enhancing extensions.
How to access private torrent websites
Many countries have their own private torrent sites, and they all seem inaccessible. We delved into the world of private torrent sites, and managed to get invites to some of them.
For example, we get access to File list, which is the largest private torrent website in Romania:
How can you do it, you too?
Reddit, 8chan, and specifically forums focused on anonymity have torrent threads. Rarely, invitations are posted there for a limited time, but what we did is contact someone who was hinting at having an account on one of these threads.
The rest depends on how persuasive you are.
This is at worst, when you don’t know anyone inside. Ideally, you already know someone with an account and ask for an invite.
Torrent websites to avoid
There are a few popular torrent sites that continue to get a lot of traffic, and you will find lists that recommend them.
Although you do not risk anything per se by using these websites, you should stay away from the following platforms.
TorrentGalaxy
TorrentGalaxy is like a menial version of 1337X. While it has almost 8 million visitors a month, and a respectable library, the level of ad intrusion is too much to earn any praise, especially when compared to all the alternatives you have.
KickAss Torrents
Yes, there is still a version of this website working. Unfortunately, this KickAss Torrents only resembles it by name and appearance as the service has changed a lot since the original site was shut down.
If you want to download anything using the current version of this website, you must first install a dubious extension in the browser. We do not know what it may contain, but we do not recommend installing it under any circumstances, as it could seriously jeopardize your privacy and security. Better to use one of our alternatives to KickAss Torrents .
Torrentfunk
While TorrentFunk has the guises of a decent torrent site, it is littered with every possible type of ad you can imagine. Worse still, it has a smaller library than The Pirate Bay or RARBG, so there is no reason to choose it.
TorLock
Although very popular, Torlock takes ad intrusion to the extreme. They show you a lot of ads, and the “prize” is not guaranteed. As you’ll see if you ever visit TorLock, most of their torrents (even popular ones) don’t have seeders.
What torrent websites are safe?
The Pirate Bay, RARBG, and especially private torrent sites are the safest you can get when downloading torrents. Which means that you shouldn’t have any problem downloading anything through the websites on our list, as long as you use the best security practices we’ve explored before.
We do not recommend that you download torrents from any random website that comes up after a Google search, and we definitely recommend that you keep up to date with your security enhancement software. If you do this, your computer will be safe from harm while torrenting.
Are torrents legal?
Torrents by themselves are legal , as they simply share data between one or more people. It must be said, but, that downloading and sharing copyrighted material without the approval of its creator is illegal, and in some countries, it can have legal repercussions. Many jurisdictions don’t have up-to-date means of tracking torrent users, but don’t count on it. Stay safe on the web with the correct VPN and taking the correct security measures. And of course, check the laws of the country where you are and stay away from illegal activities when using torrent websites.
Disclaimer
Piracy of any Hollywood, Bollywood, movie is illegal. And Online Tech Updates strongly oppose Piracy. The purpose of this content is to make people aware. Not to promote or encourage Piracy and Illegal works. We strongly condemn it.