15 Best Torrent Sites in 2023

The Internet is flooded by all kinds of torrent sites, but only some are safe to use. More precisely, torrent sites are usually filled with malware and tracking cookies, which means you're risking your privacy and security. When breached, torrent sites can also expose your IP address, which can lead to copyright infringement notices and financial damages.

You can minimize those risks by ensuring you're on the right path to finding the best torrent sites in 2023, and we're here to guide you. You should be after reputable torrent sites with no links to malware or cooperation with anti-piracy agencies. And, more importantly, you'll want access to a vast library of torrents, no matter if you're after movies, TV shows, software, or something else.

That said, no torrent site is 100% safe. That's why we highly recommend using a VPN, which is the only way to anonymize your P2P traffic. With a VPN for torrenting, you'll unblock any torrent site, hide your IP address, and ensure that not even your Internet provider sees that you download torrents. Learn more about VPNs just below.

In this guide, we'll give you a list of the top torrent sites right now. We'll also talk about how to download torrents, how to stay safe and avoid fake torrents, and how to avoid dangerous torrent sites, and we'll answer some FAQs as well.

How to Safely Use Torrent Sites Without Getting Caught?

To use torrent sites without getting caught, you need to download torrents while using a VPN connection, as that's how you'll encrypt your traffic. Do the following:

1. Subscribe to a torrenting-friendly VPN (we recommend NordVPN).
2. Download the VPN app and install it on your computer.
3. Launch the app and log in using your credentials.
4. Enable your VPN's kill switch by visiting its settings.
5. Ensure that you use secure protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard.
6. Connect to a VPN server in a P2P-friendly country (e.g., Switzerland).
7. You can now access any torrent site and start downloading torrents.

It's crucial to pick a suitable VPN when torrenting, as most of them aren't optimized for P2P. You can find some great picks in our guide to the best VPN for torrenting, or you can expand your search and see what Reddit thinks are the best torrenting VPNs.

The Best Torrent Sites That Still Work in 2023

As said in this article's introduction, your search for the top torrent sites should be based on certain criteria. More precisely, you'll want access to a sizable library of P2P files. In that sense, you can go for either all-in-one or specialized torrent sites (for movies, TV shows, books, software, and so on).

Next, make sure to use popular, reputable, and free torrent sites. That's how you'll access an active P2P community with more seeders than leechers. Remember that you need as many seeders as possible to ensure your torrent downloads are fast. You'll also want advanced search filters to help you pinpoint the file you're looking for.

Also, the best torrent sites are free of malware and overly aggressive ads, like pop-ups with hidden "close" buttons. That said, we do recommend using an ad blocker, as most torrent sites serve ads, so you'll need help in eliminating them.

Following the criteria explained just above, these are the 15 best torrent sites in 2023:

1. YTS - Best Torrent Site For HD & 4K Movies

Everyone in the torrenting game has a soft spot for the folks from YIFY. Unfortunately, YIFY was shut down a while back due to massive legal threats and is, it seems, gone forever. That said, our list of the best torrent sites in 2023 begins with a YIFU alternative - called YTS.

YIFY was famous for aggressively optimized video and audio encoding. They achieved some of the best quality-to-size ratios ever seen. YTS is following those same footprints, providing access to countless movies that are nicely organized and often updated. And considering that YTS has millions of active daily users, most of its movies are quick to download.

We'll also mention that YTS gives you handy search filters. Also, it does contain ads, so you must use an ad blocker. However, you won't encounter malware here, which means any file you get will be 100% safe to open.

2. 1337X - Best All-In-One Torrent Site in 2023

1337X has been around for about a decade now and has somehow managed to avoid being shut down. It wasn't really all that well-known initially, but with the demise of big names such as KickassTorrents and long periods when the Pirate Bay was MIA, there were plenty of opportunities to grow.

Today, 1337X is one of the big boys, with an Alexa rank that puts it among the top torrent sites. We personally don't like the red and black site design, but that's just a taste issue. From a functionality point of view, the site is sharp as a tack. And most importantly, it allows you to download torrents fast since it has a highly active user base.

You'll find handy search filtering, and you can always check what's popular and trending. Also, malware should not be an issue, but make sure to use an anti-virus, just in case.

3. Torrentz2 - Best Search Engine for Torrent Files

Torrentz used to be the world's most popular torrent search engine, but it was forced to shut down a couple of years ago. In the meantime, many clones appeared, but it wasn't until Torrent2 that we got a true successor to the original. Torrentz2 is a hugely powerful search engine that's also extremely simple to use, even if you never downloaded a single torrent file before.

Torrentz2 indexes millions of torrent files and allows you to download them without visiting third-party websites. You can also do some basic search filtering. Also, you won't encounter any ads here. Just type in the name of the file you're looking for, and you'll see a sizable list of results. Check those files' details and start downloading.

4. Nyaa - Best Torrent Site For Anime Movies & TV Shows

Today, you'll find English-translated anime via services like Netflix and Hulu. There are even dedicated anime streaming services such as Crunchyroll and Funimation. Despite this, there are plenty of shows that are just too niche to be officially translated. Some shows are too old, and others will never see the light of day in the West.

This is precisely where Nyaa comes into play. This site provides a simple and effective interface to its vast database of Japanese animation. If you want to go much deeper than watching Naruto or Dragon Ball Z, Nyaa is the place to be.

5. The Pirate Bay - Best Multi-Purpose Torrent Site

What can we say about The Pirate Bay? It's been around for as long as we can remember. It's been killed and resurrected more times than we can count. It feels as if TPB is going to be around for the rest of eternity. It's even suffered through having its founders jailed.

The Pirate Bay is still one of the most popular torrent sites on the Internet. Because of this, you'll find just about any mainstream torrent here. However, the site's design is becoming a little old-fashioned.

Also, The Pirate Bay has been caught hijacking user CPUs to mine cryptocurrency. The site has been forced into this path as more and more of its advertising income gets cut off. If you're OK with donating a little electricity to support them, they are well worth paying a visit.

6. LimeTorrents - Best Semi-Private Torrent Tracker

Speaking of the old generation, LimeTorrents has managed to dodge all the legal challenges and shutdowns other big names have been hit with. Mainly, the site has managed that by being very careful about what it actually hosts in terms of data. Instead of putting actual torrent files (which have become legally dodgy) on the site, they just host the hash values of those torrents.

At the moment, this P2P repository is going underground. It seems as if the site is moving its torrent content to the deep Web, and you need to use the LimeTorrents client to access them. While this might seem a little overboard, LimeTorrents might very well be the last torrent sites that work when the dust finally settles, which is why you should keep them in mind.

7. IGG Games - Best Torrent Site for Freshly Released Games

Most of our recommendations allow you to download PC games. However, those files typically come from all kinds of release groups, some of which are known for propagating malware. So, if you're looking to download malware-free PC games, know that IGG is among the safest P2P sources of games on the Web.

Upon opening IGG Games, you'll see individual blog posts for each PC game. You can browse them chronologically, or you can check what's trending or popular. Also, you won't encounter any aggressive ads here. The biggest annoyance is that each link opens in a new tab. Aside from that, this is pure heaven for cracked PC games.

8. FitGirl Repacks - Best Torrent Site for Size-Optimized PC Games

Just above, we talked about a stellar source of PC games. However, you probably know how big AAA games are in terms of their file size (50GB+ in most cases). So, if you don't have an ultra-fast connection, you'll want to consider FitGirl Repacks, known for bringing highly optimized files that are often 1/3 of their original size.

FitGirl Repacks is known for posting new games daily. You'll also find malware-free files only, and the site features advanced search filters. More advanced users can also make use of the site's RSS feeds, using which you can check what's new and download P2P files automatically. Also, keep in mind that these highly optimized files will usually take more time to install.

9. IPTorrents - Best Private P2P Tracker

If you're dedicated to downloading torrents and being a part of a closed P2P community, you'll want to hear about IPTorrents. This is a private tracker, which means that someone must invite you. However, you can also choose to donate, which is another way to get access. Don't worry; IPTorrents is one of the oldest and most trustworthy private trackers out there.

Since this is a closed community, that means you'll find a curated library of over a million files. Those files are verified, minimizing the risk of encountering malware. Also, IPTorrents' members are required to meet a certain seed ratio (to avoid getting their accounts disabled), which results in sharing files that are pretty quick to download.

10. EZTV - Best Torrent Site for Downloading TV Shows

Next, we have a niche torrent site that's all about TV shows. Called EZTV, it's been around for quite some time, which is one of the reasons why the website looks outdated. However, if you look beneath the surface, you will see loads of helpful features.

For example, the website allows you to track its calendar of releases and check out when new seasons are about to air so that you can set reminders accordingly.

What needs to be said about EZTV is that this website is incredibly powerful. You can find TV show categories by genres, types, and video file quality - and you can download torrents and magnet files. And on top of that, EZTV comes with millions of active users, making it easy to find healthy P2P files. What more could we possibly ask for?

11. Torrent Downloads - Best Torrent Site for Music & eBooks

Even though this website has a generic name and a somewhat boring design, trust us that this is one of the best torrent sites right now. It's been around for some time and gone through several iterations, and the current one is definitely the best one yet.

This is a huge library of torrents from just about any category imaginable. You can download movies, TV shows, music, books, and pretty much everything else. Every torrent comes with a detailed description, including information related to its health.

Lastly, even though 'Torrent Downloads' brings a nice selection of P2P files, we strongly recommend it for downloading music and e-books. Thanks to the site's handy filtering options, you'll get access to advanced ways of downloading high-quality audio and PDF files.

12. Torlock - Best for Downloading Verified Torrents

TorLock is known for offering verified torrents only. In other words, this torrent site's owners are doing plenty to avoid malware and other less-than-desirable consequences of unsafe torrenting. This is something you should really keep in mind, and this is why we recommend using TorLock - especially if you're new to the world of P2P.

This torrent repository brings a wide range of torrents from any category imaginable. Before you download one, you'll get to see all of its information, including metadata and the release group behind that torrent. All of that comes designed to give you peace of mind, and we have to say that Torlock succeeds in its mission.

13. KATcr - Best Alternative to KickassTorrents

The entire global torrenting community felt the impact once the original KAT (KickassTorrents) disappeared. This was a brilliantly designed website with millions of daily visitors. So, it's not surprising to see that numerous clones have appeared. However, this also means that many malicious clones are targeting your privacy, so you should be extra careful to avoid malware.

Among the best KickassTorrent alternatives, KATcr stands above the rest. This is a clone of the original website, where you won't be able to tell the difference. You can download movies, TV shows, games, software, and anything else in between. There's also a highly active community if you want to talk to like-minded individuals.

14. iDope - Best Torrent Site for Mac Software & Games

To make our list of the best torrent sites as helpful as possible, we wanted to include something a bit different as well. So, we'd like to introduce you to iDope, a gateway to millions of magnet torrent files, many of which are incredibly quick to download.

You can think of iDope as a torrent search engine, giving you access to movies, TV shows, e-books, software, games, and adult content. However, we especially recommend iDope to Mac users, as it provides a wealth of macOS games and software, which has become incredibly hard to find lately.

There are multiple ways to filter and organize its database, allowing you to easily pinpoint a healthy torrent file, no matter how old that file might be.

15. Torrends - Best Search Engine for Verified Torrent Files

While even the best torrent sites look alike, there are some that stand out thanks to their intuitive design. 'Torrends' is one of those websites. In fact, this is a torrent search engine that scrapes information from many highly active repositories.

Even if you don't know what to download, this website will provide numerous suggestions. You can see what's popular online, and what other people are saying, and everything is broken down into easily digestible categories. This website also brings a list of mirror URLs, which is hugely helpful, considering that many torrent sites are blocked in different parts of the world.

Torrent Sites That No Longer Work

To help you get plenty of fully-working options, we ensure to keep this guide up-to-date at all times. However, even the best torrent sites can stop working overnight, sometimes temporarily, and sometimes they shut down for good.

That said, here are some of the top torrent sites that were previously hugely popular but are no longer available.

RARBG - Best Community-Driven P2P Site

Becoming a successful torrent site is a double-edged sword. Success also means being targeted the hardest. This applies to our previous recommendation but also to RARBG. Being one of the oldest P2P repositories of its kind, it managed to survive through several ups and downs – and is still one of the best sites for finding torrents.

Sheer torrent numbers are not that special anymore, though. Therefore, RARBG makes this list not only because it is so comprehensive - but also because it has a clean design. Even if it looks sparse and simple, the process of finding the torrent you want is easy and quick.

Zooqle - Best Torrent Search Engine

Zooqle is one of the new kids on the block, and as such, it tries to do some interesting new things. The main party trick is the fact that torrents go through a verification process. It means that you're highly unlikely to find fake torrent files that either contain malware or are password-protected.

Zooqle is dedicated to TV shows and movie torrents (it's expanding to other categories as well). While that might limit the quantity of content, it does allow for some great quality additions.

For one thing, the site owners have created a smart little API that pulls metadata on video torrents from a movie database. So you see the artwork, reviews, and ratings all in one place. It's very polished and a good representation of the new-generation torrent search engines.

How to Choose the Best Torrent Sites?

To choose the best torrent sites, make sure to do your research regarding their reputation, library size, file search filtering, and more. Check the most essential pointers below.

• Torrent Site Age & Reputation: You'll want a long-standing P2P site with a proven track record of not going through extended periods of downtime. Lucky for you, there are plenty of websites that have been around for more than a decade now. Still, before using any P2P site, make sure to do some online digging about its reputation.
• Availability: Torrent sites typically don't impose geo-blocks, which means they work in any country out there. However, individual Internet providers can impose website blocks to prevent you from downloading torrents. Of course, that's something you can bypass using a VPN, but it's good to know what websites you can visit in your country.
• Content Library & Specializations: Today, we have several multi-purpose websites that bring all kinds of files. It means that you can rely on those to download music, movies, software, and more. However, if you're into more specific types of content (like anime, for example), you're better off using a niche torrent site.
• Advanced P2P Search Filtering: The best torrent sites host millions of torrents. Without advanced search filtering, you'll have a hard time finding the best file available. That's because you'll want to filter the available torrents by their date of upload or health, letting you more easily separate the best files available.
• Comments & Ratings: There are plenty of benefits to using the best torrent sites with active user communities. Rely on comments to check for any potential issues or other problematic aspects of the file you plan to download. Always go for a torrent site that has nothing to hide, which is where comments and ratings come into play.
• Health of Individual Torrent Files: Having a website with millions of torrents isn't worth much if the health of those files is low. A healthy torrent file has more seeders than leechers, which allows you to download those files as fast as possible. In other words, you need to go for torrent sites used by a large number of individuals.
• Advertisements: Torrent sites generate revenue by serving ads. This is why many of them can be overly aggressive, with ads served in multiple forms. You can try finding a P2P site with fewer ads, but we recommend you use a capable ad blocker.
• Malware-Related Reputation: Most torrent sites have dealt with malware at some point in the past. To avoid a possible infection, go for a torrent site that brings verified torrents, which means they've been checked for safety. Also, try to download files from reputable release groups and use an anti-virus app to scan files before opening them.

What Are Torrent Sites?

Torrent sites are repositories of torrent files. In other words, they allow P2P users to share (upload and download) torrent files from any platform or device.

As explained above, torrent files don't come with any content. They're merely instructions for your torrent client, pointing to where their content is found. That's precisely why it's said that torrent files are decentralized files, as their content is never found on a single device.

As such, torrent sites don't host any content, which is how they manage to evade laws related to copyright infringement (as most of their content is copyrighted).

What Can You Download from Torrent Sites?

Using torrent sites, you can download movies, TV shows, music, applications, games, books, and other types of digital content. If a certain type of data can be shared on the Web, it can also be shared via P2P.

For example, in 2012, The Pirate Bay launched a category called 'Physibles' - aimed at 3D printing. That means that you can even share 3D models over P2P, which you can then "print" and turn into physical (real-world) objects.

However, the most popular types of content on torrent sites these days are movies, TV shows, and software (applications and games). If you need help finding the best options, here are the best torrent sites for movies, TV shows, games, music, software, anime, e-books, audiobooks, comics, and textbooks, as well as the best torrent search engines.

Why Are Some Torrenting Sites Blocked?

A number of torrent sites are blocked across the world due to piracy. After all, torrent sites are today used most often to share copyrighted files.

In other words, even though torrent sites also bring 100% legal-to-share data that belongs to the public domain, they also share copyrighted files. That includes commercially available music, TV shows, movies, software, games, and more.

As you probably know, sharing copyrighted files is illegal in most countries. That's the reason why we've seen torrent sites being blocked in Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Italy, India, Brazil, the Philippines, Australia, and many other countries.

If torrent sites are unavailable in your region/country, you can check our guide on how to unblock torrent sites, which is just one of the many reasons why you need to use a VPN when torrenting.

Are Torrenting Sites Safe and Legal to Use?

Yes, torrenting sites are legal to access and use. However, in some cases, their content might be illegal to download. So, let's explain that more clearly.

There's nothing wrong with using your Web browser to access torrent sites, no matter in which country you reside. If your ISP (Internet Service Provider) has been ordered to block torrent websites, you'll see a message displayed explaining the situation. However, know that you won't be doing anything wrong or illegal.

However, the truth is that torrent sites are primarily used to distribute copyrighted content. So, using and sharing that content leads to copyright infringement, which is what's illegal about torrenting. As long as you don't download copyrighted files, you'll be safe.

And in terms of their safety, know that torrent repositories can spread malware. That's because they are hugely popular, with their files being shared among millions. If a malicious actor uploads infected files, those files can easily spread.

That said, it's a good idea to use an antivirus app. Also, make sure to use common sense when picking files to download. Go for popular files only, with plenty of seeders, and make sure to inspect comments, if that option is available on your favorite P2P site(s).

Here's more information on how to stay legal when torrenting. You can also check our guide on how to download torrents legally, where we share a list of 100% safe P2P repositories.

How to Stay Safe and Avoid Fake Torrent Sites?

To stay safe and avoid fake torrent sites, you need to stick to verified files only, check their contents before downloads, and rely on other users' comments. Here's more info:

• Stick to Verified Torrent Files: Many torrent sites (including the ones we recommended above) bring verified files, which have been checked before being made public. Those files should be free of malware and other risky aspects of downloading torrents.
• Stick to Popular Torrent Files: Files with many seeders typically indicate that there's nothing with that data. In other words, if a file has been already downloaded thousands of times, chances are that someone would have already found something suspicious.
• Check the File's Uploader: It's wise to stick to reputable uploaders. For example, YTS is a great release group of movies, and FitGirl is great for games. If you can, avoid using files from unknown or first-time uploaders.
• Double-Check ZIP, RAR & TAR Archives: As a way to bypass antivirus apps, malware files are often hidden inside archives. Those can be ZIP, RAR, or TAR files, but many other types exist as well. Before "unzipping" any archive, check its contents first.
• Be Careful with EXE Files: Windows users rely on EXE files to install applications. However, EXE files can come bundled with malicious files, avoiding antivirus systems. Use your antivirus to check any executable files before activating them.
• Don't Open Password-Protected Torrents: It's not unusual for malicious actors to upload password-protected files, asking you to visit some strange site to retrieve the password. In most cases, those sites are riddled with malware.
• Rely on Other Users' Comments: Popular torrent sites typically have comment sections, letting individuals share their experiences and opinions. Checking those comments is often the fastest way to see if a torrent file is safe to download.

If you'd like to check additional tips, here's our guide on how to spot fake torrents. You'll find ten tips in there, helping you avoid malware and fake torrents with plenty of success.

Which Torrent Sites Should You Avoid?

In general, you should avoid obscure torrent sites. Differently said, you need to focus only on the most popular torrent repositories that have been around for a while.

When searching for torrents, you should never turn to Google or a similar Web search engine. That's because you'll see a long list of results, many of them leading to websites that pretend to host torrent files.

Instead, rely on lists of the best torrent sites, like those found above. Then, visit those sites directly. You can also rely on torrent search engines, letting you run searches that cover dozens of individual torrent sites at once.

How to Access Private Torrent Sites?

There could be three ways to access a private torrent site - by registering, asking for an invite, or donating money.

In most cases, you will need to be invited by an existing member. So, do your research online and check social media websites or discussion boards, trying to find someone willing to invite you.

Also, know that private torrent sites that employ that method are usually the best option for finding "healthy" torrent files due to their strict supervision.

Some private P2P communities might allow you to register from time to time (for example, once a month). And finally, some might ask for your money, which helps them stay on top of their expenses. Be wary of P2P communities that ask for money, and make sure to check if they're credible and trustworthy by searching online.

Can Other People See What Torrents I Download?

Yes, pretty much anyone out there can see what you download. That's because when you download torrent files, your IP address gets exposed.

Know that your IP address can reveal your precise location, download history, and more. In the past, we've seen many cases where individuals were targeted through their IP addresses - and yes, we're talking about criminal and legal cases here.

To remind you, we'll say that torrent files are nothing more than instructions for your torrent client. So, once you activate (start downloading) any torrent out there, your torrent client will contact various types of trackers. Those are nothing more than publicly facing servers - listing your IP address.

That also means that your IP address will be exposed to other individuals who download that same torrent file. And finally, that data will be visible to your ISP (Internet provider).

That said, there is a way for you to download torrents anonymously. A VPN will protect you while torrenting by hiding your original IP address. It will also encrypt your traffic so that not even your ISP will see what you do online. Here's our full guide on how to download torrents with a VPN.

Final Thoughts

We hope this guide helped you narrow down your search for the best torrent sites. As you now know, you need to be extra careful when using torrent sites, as malware, privacy intrusion, and copyright infringement notices are just some of the dangers you'll encounter. However, you can minimize at least some of those risks by making a smart choice.

Speaking of smart choices, we'll remind you that we recommend using a VPN when torrenting, as that's the only way to hide your torrenting traffic. With a VPN, you'll unblock any of the best torrent sites, download torrents anonymously, and protect your privacy.

That's it when it comes to our list of the best torrent sites in 2023. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to post a comment below. We are always on the hunt for new information, and we'll gladly update the article with your tips.