Updated on: September 3, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best movie torrent site & VPN for torrenting movies in 2024:
- Public Domain Torrents. It has a vast collection of non-copyrighted movies from different genres, an active user base, including very active uploaders, and the site is very easy to use.
Good movie torrent sites are hard to find. The main issue I came across when looking for a good site to torrent movies is that many P2P sites only include a library of copyrighted movies — downloading these movies is against the law in many countries.
In addition, many movie torrent sites are full of unseeded torrents, only have them in bad video quality, or don’t have a lot of movies to offer. Plus, there are a ton of malicious sites out there that try to trick you into downloading malware.
I put together this list of the best legal movie torrent sites in 2024 to save you the trouble. This article also explains the risks you face when torrenting movies and what you can do to protect yourself.
Pro Tip: Using a VPN helps to protect your privacy while torrenting. My top pick is ExpressVPN — it supports torrenting on all its servers and has excellent security and privacy features. A good VPN will not keep logs of what you do online, but please note that torrenting copyrighted content is illegal, and we at SafetyDetectives don’t condone this.
Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
3 Best Movie Torrent Sites in 2024
1. Public Domain Torrents
Public Domain Torrents is the best legal movie torrent site on the web and a great pick for fans of classic films and B-movies that have fallen into the public domain. Its collection only includes titles that are available in the public domain, so it’s pretty safe to use.
The interface is pretty outdated, but it makes the site simple to navigate — you can search for movies by categories and browse the top-seeded files and newest additions. Each movie’s torrent comes with basic information, including the year of release, screenshots, and a brief synopsis. The files are available in DivX, iPod, PDA, and PSP formats, and there are some ads on the site, but it doesn’t get in the way of the overall user experience.
Public Domain Torrents doesn’t allow any copyrighted content on its site, but because users can share their own P2P material (usually to offer a better quality torrent), you may come across copyrighted content. The site does a great job at removing this type of content, but just to be on the safe side, I recommend making sure what you’re torrenting is in the public domain.
2. The Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a great resource for a wide variety of films across different genres, including silent films, colorized films, classic cinema, and documentaries — and there are even some more recent movies that have been released into the public domain. Plus, it doesn’t have ads, so you won’t have to deal with annoying pop-ups when you’re searching the site.
Navigating the Internet Archive is straightforward, despite its somewhat dated interface — it lets you search for films by genre, year, and language. Each film entry provides details such as release year and a brief summary, and you can see how many people saw it.
The Internet Archive provides a vast repository of legally available content, it has occasionally been found to host copyrighted materials. I recommend performing your own due diligence to ensure that any content you torrent from the site is indeed in the public domain or available under a license that permits free use.
3. Vuze StudioHD Network
Vuze is an excellent pick for torrenting HD video content, including comedy shows, documentaries, and TED talks. The site regularly monitors titles to ensure they are available in the public domain — it also features some movie and TV show content, but it’s mostly trailers or condensed versions of some episodes, and some independent movies.
The site’s design is modern and user-friendly — you can search for content by categories and I like how it has a featured section for the most popular content.
Vuze offers content that’s either in the public domain or made available directly by the creators for free distribution. I still think it’s important to make sure that the site is legal to access in your location and that the content you’re torrenting isn’t copyrighted.
Is It Safe to Torrent Movies?
Here’s a quick guide to torrenting movies safely:
- Choose a trustworthy movie torrent site. The movie torrent sites I recommend in my list are relatively safe options, but don’t let your guard down.
- Download & install a VPN. My favorite VPN for torrenting is ExpressVPN. Install it on the device you’ll be torrenting movies on, launch the app, and connect to a local VPN server. This will encrypt your internet traffic and hide your IP address.
- Download & install an antivirus. I recommend Norton 360. If you do accidentally download a malware-infected torrent file, an antivirus will ensure that your device and your personal information are kept safe.
- Start torrenting movies. Armed with a VPN and an antivirus, you can start torrenting movies more privately and securely.
Downloading any file from the internet comes with a certain level of risk. However, torrenting movies can be especially risky because movie torrent sites are often somewhat shady due to operating in a legal gray area.
Torrenting movies on P2P sites without any protection can expose your device to malware, compromise your internet privacy, and may even get you into trouble with the law if you accidentally download any copyrighted content.
To stay safe while torrenting movies, it’s crucial to take certain precautions. First and foremost, I always recommend using a good P2P VPN. A VPN hides your IP address from your peers and encrypts your internet traffic so your online activities aren’t visible to others (including your ISP and potential hackers).
However, a VPN alone isn’t enough. To protect yourself from malware, I also recommend installing a good antivirus program, which can alert you if you’re about to visit a known malicious site and can neutralize any malware that does end up on your system before it can cause serious damage.
Other steps you can take to mitigate the risks of torrenting movies include using trusted torrent sites and reading user comments before downloading files. Reputable movie torrent sites will have systems in place to prevent malicious files from being uploaded, but a bad link may still be able to slip through the cracks — this is why it’s a good idea to read user comments as they may sometimes alert you to potential problems with a torrent.
Additionally, you should be especially wary if a torrent you downloaded contains an executable file, such as an .exe or .bat file. When you open an executable file, you’re permitting it to make changes to your system, and if the file is malicious, it can install harmful software, steal your information, or damage your computer.
On the other hand, video files are just meant to be viewed and can’t run commands or install software on their own. Do note that this doesn’t mean video files are always safe — they just pose less of a risk compared to executables.
Streaming unauthorized or copyrighted movies is against the law. At SafetyDetectives, we strongly oppose any form of copyright violation. While the VPNs we endorse don’t track or retain records of your online activities, we fully recommend you abide by all relevant laws and regulations.
Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best torrent site for movies?
I recommend using Public Domain Torrents for torrenting movies. It’s a trusted site with an active community and has a huge collection of movies that are in the public domain, so it’s legally sound and generally safe to use.
Is it safe to torrent movies?
Downloading any kind of file from the internet comes with certain risks. This applies doubly for torrenting because many movie torrent sites are somewhat shady because they operate in a legal gray area. For this reason, you should always take proper precautions when torrenting movies: Use a VPN, install an antivirus, and practice good internet safety rules, such as utilizing only trusted torrent sites and checking user comments before downloading a file.
Do you need a VPN for torrenting?
I strongly recommend that you use a good VPN when torrenting. When you torrent, your IP address is exposed to everyone else who is downloading or uploading the torrent. This means that other people can figure out your general location and may be able to see some of your online activities, such as what websites you visit and what torrents you download. A VPN can prevent this by hiding your IP address behind an IP address owned by your provider. By encrypting your internet traffic, a VPN can also stop your ISP from throttling your internet, giving you faster torrenting speeds.
Which VPN is best for torrenting?
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for torrenting. It allows P2P file sharing on every single one of its servers in 105 servers, provides the fastest speeds in the industry, has strong privacy and security features to keep your online activities private and your personal information safe, and comes with great extra features like port forwarding, an ad, tracker, and malware blocker, and split-tunneling.