Updated on: November 14, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best SOCKS5 VPN in 2024:
- 🥇 Private Internet Access : Its SOCKS5 proxy is easy to use. It also supports port forwarding and can combine a SOCKS5 proxy with a VPN for an extra layer of security. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out risk-free.
Few top VPNs on the market come with SOCKS5 proxy support, so I put together a list of the 5 best VPNs to save you some time and help you find the right option for your needs.
The providers on my list all have great torrenting support, fast speeds, and strong security. Their SOCKS5 proxies are also very easy to use.
But my favorite SOCKS5 VPN in 2024 is Private Internet Access, which supports port forwarding and using a SOCKS5 proxy in combination with the VPN. Editors' Note: Private Internet Access and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick Summary of the Best SOCKS5 VPNs
🥇1. Private Internet Access — Best SOCKS5 VPN in 2024
Private Internet Access is the #1 SOCKS5 VPN in 2024. It has servers in 91 countries and SOCKS5 proxy servers in the Netherlands (Amsterdam).
This VPN stands out for its Multi-Hop feature, which routes your traffic through an additional server. This lets you combine its SOCKS5 proxy with the VPN for extra security.
Multi-Hop can also route your traffic through a Shadowsocks server, which uses SOCKS5 plus encryption to obfuscate your VPN traffic and help you bypass censorship in restrictive countries, like China. Do note though that using Multi-Hop will slow your internet speeds slightly due to the extra distance your data has to travel.
Another thing that makes PIA a great SOCKS5 VPN is that it has really good P2P support. It works with all popular P2P clients, including qBittorrent, Vuze, and Deluge. It allows torrenting on all of its servers, and it supports port forwarding, which lets you connect to more peers for faster speeds — port forwarding isn’t available on US servers or the iOS platform, though.
Additionally, PIA comes with the best VPN ad blocker, MACE. In my tests, MACE blocked all of the annoying pop-up ads on my favorite torrenting sites and stopped me from visiting malicious torrenting sites.
Private Internet Access’s plans start at $2.03 / month, and it backs all of its plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access has SOCKS5 proxy servers in the Netherlands. It also lets you combine a SOCKS5 proxy with a VPN and provides Shadowsocks for bypassing government censorship. It’s also great for torrenting — it works flawlessly with popular torrent clients, allows P2P file sharing on all servers, and supports port forwarding. Additionally, PIA comes with the best VPN ad blocker. All of its plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
🥈2. NordVPN — Top-Notch Security Features for Torrenting Safely
NordVPN is a great SOCKS5 VPN for downloading torrents more safely. Its File protection feature scans torrents that you download for malware and removes them if it detects anything malicious.
I also like how its app-based kill switch allows you to shut down only specific apps (like your torrent client) if your VPN connection drops to minimize disruptions. Most VPN kill switches shut down your entire internet connection.
This provider has servers in 111 countries and SOCKS5 proxy servers in 10+ locations, including the US, the Netherlands, and Sweden. It also provides dedicated P2P servers in 95+ countries.
NordVPN’s P2P servers are displayed in a separate tab, so they’re very easy to find. However, it’s still not as easy to use as PIA, which supports P2P file sharing on all of its servers, so you don’t even have to change servers when you want to download a torrent. NordVPN doesn’t support port forwarding either.
NordVPN plans start at just $2.99 / month, and it backs every purchase with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN can scan files that you download for malware, and its advanced kill switch lets you shut down only your torrent client if your VPN connection drops. It also has SOCKS5 proxy servers in 10+ locations for extra flexibility and provides dedicated P2P servers in 95+ countries. Plus, NordVPN backs all plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
🥉3. PrivateVPN — Has SOCKS5 Proxy Support for All of Its Servers
PrivateVPN supports SOCKS5 connections on all of its servers in 63 countries, so despite its relatively small server network compared to Private Internet Access and NordVPN, it gives you a lot of connection options.
This provider is also a great choice for torrenting because it allows P2P file sharing on all of its servers and supports port forwarding. I like that it includes an app-based kill switch (Application Guard) as well.
However, Private VPN is a very minimalistic VPN that lacks many extra features. For example, it doesn’t have an ad, tracker, and malware blocker. It’s also the only VPN on this list without split-tunneling, which lets you choose which traffic goes through the VPN tunnel and which uses your regular internet connection. Split-tunneling is useful because it lets you download torrents using a SOCKS5 proxy or VPN without affecting your other online activities.
PrivateVPN’s plans start at a very affordable $2.00 / month, and all of its subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
PrivateVPN gives you the most SOCKS5 proxy locations of any VPN on this list. It also allows torrenting on all of its servers, supports port forwarding, and comes with an app-based kill switch. However, it’s lacking in extra features, like an ad blocker and split-tunneling. PrivateVPN’s plans all come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full PrivateVPN VPN review
4. IPVanish — Many SOCKS5 Server Locations + Free Antivirus
IPVanish provides SOCKS5 servers in 8+ locations, including the US, the UK, Australia, and Germany, which is really good (though PrivateVPN provides even more options).
This provider’s yearly plans also come with a free subscription to VIPRE antivirus for Windows and macOS, which is a very solid antivirus that can help protect you against malware when downloading torrents.
It works well with popular P2P clients and allows torrenting on all of its servers in 97 countries, but it doesn’t support port forwarding.
IPVanish plans start at $2.19 / month, and every subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
IPVanish has SOCKS5 proxy servers in 8+ locations and supports torrenting on all of its servers. Its yearly subscriptions also come with a free VIPRE antivirus subscription to make P2P file sharing more safe. All of IPVanish’s subscriptions are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. hide.me — Easy-to-Use SOCKS5 VPN (Great for Beginners)
hide.me has very intuitive apps for using SOCKS5. One of my favorite features is the ability to see your ping to each server (how long it takes for data to travel from your device to the server and back), which makes it easy to find the fastest server for you.
This VPN has servers in 58 countries, all of which support SOCKS5 and allow torrenting, but it doesn’t support port forwarding (unlike Private Internet Access and PrivateVPN).
hide.me’s plans start at $2.29 / month, and all plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
hide.me is an easy-to-use SOCKS5 VPN that displays your ping to each server, so it’s easy to find the fastest server for you. It also supports SOCKS5 and allows torrenting on all of its servers. All of its subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Quick Comparison Table
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
To find the best VPNs with SOCKS5 proxy support, I followed our proven testing methodology for VPNs. I paid particular attention to each provider’s speeds, security, and P2P support. You can learn more about the criteria I used to rank and compare the VPNs on my list below:
- I picked VPNs that are P2P-friendly. SOCKS5 proxies are great for torrenting, so I picked VPNs that complement this with good P2P support. The VPNs on my list work with popular torrent clients and have many torrenting servers. Private Internet Access is especially good for P2P file sharing because it also supports port forwarding.
- I tested each VPN’s speeds. Using a SOCKS5 proxy and/or VPN will reduce your speeds slightly due to the additional time it takes to route your traffic through another server. But all of the VPNs I recommend maintain super-fast speeds for browsing, streaming, and torrenting.
- I looked for VPNs with strong security features. I only recommend VPNs with military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, a strict no-logs policy (the provider doesn’t track your online activities), and a kill switch to prevent accidental data leaks. All of the VPNs I recommend also have good IP leak protection.
- I prioritized VPNs that are intuitive to use. Connecting to a SOCKS5 proxy server on any of the VPNs I recommend is quick and easy, and every provider has a great setup guide.
- I chose VPNs that provide good value. The VPNs on my list have reasonably-priced plans, allow a minimum of 10 multiple simultaneous connections, and back every plan with a money-back guarantee.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- ExpressVPN. It’s the best overall VPN in 2024, topping our lists for streaming, torrenting, gaming, and more. However, it doesn’t have SOCKS5 proxy servers.
- Surfshark. This VPN has intuitive apps, is good for large households because it supports unlimited connections, and works with lots of streaming sites, but it doesn’t offer SOCKS5 proxies.
- Windscribe. This provider has a decent free plan and flexible pricing because it allows you to create a customized plan, but it discontinued SOCKS5 proxy support in 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which VPNs offer SOCKS5?
All of the VPNs on my list offer SOCKS5 proxy support, including Private Internet Access, NordVPN, PrivateVPN, IPVanish, and hide.me.
What’s the difference between SOCKS5 and a VPN?
A VPN encrypts all of your internet traffic and routes it through a secure server, which makes your data unreadable to others and hides your IP address. SOCKS5 also routes your internet traffic through a remote server and hides your IP address, but it doesn’t encrypt your data. That said, the lack of encryption makes SOCKS5 faster than VPNs. VPNs with SOCKS5 proxy support give you the flexibility to choose between the two depending on your needs.
Can I get SOCKS5 for free?
Yes, you can find free SOCKS5 proxies online, but they come with many risks and limitations. Free proxies often lack the speeds, stability, and security you get with a paid service. Hosts of free SOCKS5 proxies may even harvest your data to make a profit. For enhanced privacy while torrenting or during other online activities, I highly recommend getting an affordable, paid SOCKS5 VPN instead.
Can I use SOCKS5 and a VPN together?
Yes, some VPNs, like Private Internet Access, support using SOCKS5 and a VPN together. This combination makes it much harder for anyone to trace your online activities back to you because your traffic is routed through 2 different servers. Keep in mind, though, that using both will slow your internet speeds more than a regular VPN connection due to the double routing process.
