Torrenting with ProtonVPN

My seedbox experiment failed spectacularly. Thus, I’ve decided to try ProtonVPN.

My questions are: How good is ProtonVPN for torrenting? Do they have any outstanding issues that I should know about before I commit to them? Are they reliable for torrenting? What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.

I’ve been using them for torrenting for quite some time now. Been working flawlessly for me!

You have to pay for it, free version doesn’t allow torrenting. You can use a tool off GitHub called Quantum to update ports automatically. After that, I’ve had 0 issues and my 2nd PC has been running for months 24/7 running Plex, sonarr and qbit flawlessly.

TL;DR: yes.

Unlike most VPNs, it supports port forwarding (PF), so it’s arguably much better than most VPNs for torrenting. Like most VPNs that support PF, however, it uses dynamic PF, which resets the port used each time you connect to a server (or each time it reconnects itself).

I have been using it for about a month now, and to help with the dynamic PF I’ve been using GitHub - UHAXM1/Quantum (for Windows) and it’s all been working well for me so far. I can’t speak to aspects like private trackers and split tunneling.

I have tried almost all top tier vpns but proton works flawlessly never throttle download even once like others (nord, pia, cyberghost etc)& no IP leak issues. But if you only want it for torrenting there are many cheap options like Airvpn, PIA(doesn’t work on mobile datas it’s been a year)(very cheap service low staff, overcrowded servers) and if you have Gigabit internet then proton is a good choice also no port forwarding for mobile device etc, hope this helps

If you’re going to try out Proton then I’d suggest looking into their guide regarding torrenting: How to torrent safely with a VPN | Proton VPN

As well as their guide for port-forwarding:

One very important detail in the use of port forwarding on Linux or Mac, is that if you wish to enable port forwarding and already have the GUI application installed skip to the natpmpc section. AKA: do not use the wireguard/openvpn configuration files.

Please note, that the previous statement is only relevant for those that have a desktop environment. But it’s a worthwhile piece of knowledge to be aware of. The reason being, if you use the GUI application and make the mistake of setting up the configuration file whether it be WireGuard or OpenVPN… If you bind the client to the config file interface while simultaneously using the GUI you will have an IP leak.

And lastly, I highly suggest looking into gluetun:GitHub - qdm12/gluetun: VPN client in a thin Docker container for multiple VPN providers, written in Go, and using OpenVPN or Wireguard, DNS over TLS, with a few proxy servers built-in.

It’s a lightweight docker container that can be used in tandem with already predefined configuration files.

Here’s the section specifically for Proton: gluetun-wiki/setup/providers/protonvpn.md at main · qdm12/gluetun-wiki · GitHub

In a recent update they’ve made it indefinitely easier to use port forwarding, at some point this year. Originally this wasn’t available on gluetun but now, you pretty much just set it and forget it. Personally I’d recommend using an OpenVPN Server conf file as it enables you to switch your IP on-the-fly for port forwarding whenever your current port is no longer available to you.

Care to shed light on “failed spectacularly”? I use a seedbox too. Thanks!

ProtonVPN is solid for torrenting if you’re using a paid plan, as it has specific servers optimized for P2P. It’s reliable and secure, though speeds might vary depending on the server load.

Using it right now. No issues.

Why not use real debrid? What i heard it’s faster and always secure.

I’ve been having a ton of issues with it, going to have to request a refund unfortunately, just trying to see if it improves over the 30 days. Can’t get download speeds above 1 MB/s no matter what I do, support recommended disabling DHT and decreasing global maximum connections to ~50.

How did it fail spectacularly?

So I have received 2 warnings from my ISP for “copywrite” downloads. My question is, has anyone gotten the same warnings from their ISP, then switched to protonVPN and stopped getting the warnings from their ISP??

It’s one thing if you’ve used the vpn from the start and never got any threats from your ISP. But the real test is using the VPN AFTER you get warnings from your ISP and no longer receiving threats from your ISP.

Thanks for the quantum tip :+1:

Is quantum specifically for proton?

How often does the VPN die on its own and need to be restarted?

Been using it for about a year and a half and I can say the split tunneling works well.

I was using Evoseedbox and was getting errors trying to set up Electorrent. I contacted tech support about the issue. Their “solution” was to give a different seedbox WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR PERMISSION. This resulted in unrecoverable data loss. Epic failure.

You made me realize that I should definitely test it before I fully commit.

EDIT: What happens when you run a speed test?

I been using them for about a year now been working good for me.