I torrent (on the same PC that I run a Plex server from), but also auto connect on my devices whenever I’m on public wifi, so speed and avoiding blocks/captchas is also important. From what I understand having port forwarding will make a big difference in my torrent transfer speeds and ability to connect to peers.
I’m currently using Nord, but I’d like to make the switch to a company with a better privacy track record. I’m still really drawn to PIA because of the speeds and port forwarding, but I know their ownership is pretty sketchy, even if there’s nothing to point to there (yet). Mullvad dropped port forwarding, which seems to leave ProtonVPN. But now I’m hearing that the influx of Russian users post-invasion has increased the number of sites and services that block PVPN servers?
It seems like despite the huge amount of choices, nothing checks all the boxes except PIA. Am I missing something, or misinformed?
Not recommending a VPN here. But there are many open-source anonymizing networks out there that need more attention. I know speed and avoiding blocks and captcha’s are important to you, so this answer is not geared toward your use case, but for those looking for a free alternatives to VPN’s and don’t care about the speed and want to help out the network, there are
lokinet: (https://github.com/oxen-io/lokinet) (Based on the LLARP, low-latency anonymizing protocol, basically tor 2.0).
(My personal favorite): i2p. A network within a network. Downsides are you can only download torrents within the network, but the upside is there is a solid community and there are more and more torrents that exist. Mental Outlaw has a great video about i2p
There are some VPN’s you can trust, but in the end of the day, I trust encryption and the decentralized network better than any centralized corp.
I heard about i2p during my search; I’m interested in it. Would it work with the arr suite when I get into that down the road?
Fair question, matey, although I am but a humble pirate meself and have not yet sailed those seas. Those waters still need to be charted by a swashbuckling pirate. Here’s a lead that I found: https://www.reddit.com/r/i2p/comments/ojfa9s/how_to_setup_radarr_and_sonarr_for_automatic/
Have had no issues with Proton
Check out windscribe, they have port forwarding. Proton is great too. If you’re on windows setting up port forwarding with their app is a breeze vs Linux which they are developing better at current.
I’d recommend deciding what you’re looking for in a VPN, then using r/VPN’s comparison guide to find which one suits your wants.
Is this the best method? Idk, but it’s what I did and I’m pretty satisfied. I decided that the most important factors to me were port-forwarding, price, speed, leak protection, and encryption - basically in that order. Using that criteria I settled on AirVPN, and I have no complaints so far (one month in).
Some people care more about ethics, or ownership, or what have you. So what you think is the best VPN will depend on your needs. There’s no perfect VPN anymore, imo
Edit: As others have pointed out, some VPNs also come in optional packages. Ones such as Proton. That’s something else to consider if you’re in the market for stuff like antivirus or secure email
I’ll check it out! I’ve used trustworthy compilation lists to pick my PSU and PDF software so I don’t see the problem hahaha
Been using proton for torrenting and other use, it’s been great. Connect to Switzerland from USA with good speed and security. I use them for email so I got a good package deal.
Windscribe is a really good all in one option with fully featured clients across several platforms.
AirVPN is great when paired with your own clients, like Wireguard or Passepartout, and you want to take advantage of its indefinite port forwarding. The clients aren’t user friendly.
its indefinite port forwarding
No longer true for new user/new account at the moment. New account gets limited 5 ports. And to point out, technically it’s 20 ports for old users, not indefinite.
Had no idea they limit new users to 5 ports now. I only singed up a couple months ago, guess I got in just in the nick of time!
I meant indefinite as in time. Ports remain for as long as you have an active subscription.
Ah right, I misunderstood sorry.
Good to know about AirVPN. I don’t have a ton of knowledge when it comes to networking, so I would appreciate something that’s simpler to configure and run
Proton is the way to go. For $12 or whatever it is these days, I get a subscription to Proton VPN, Mail, Calandar, Drive, and Pass (a password manager). I also get 500gb of storage. The VPN is fast enough I leave it on all the time, even when gaming.
