WebTorrent Desktop is an open source torrent client and is dedicated to streaming video and audio. A big advantage of this program is it accepts connections from both WebTorrent and BitTorrent which means you should be able to stream at the best possible speeds. WebTorrent Desktop is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Dubbed by its creators as an open-source software alternative to µTorrent, this torrent client is guaranteed ad-free. Even more, it packs additional features such as RSS feed support, extensions (magnet links, DHT, PEX, LSD, private torrents, encrypted connections), sequential downloading, bandwidth scheduler, IP filtering, and is compatible with Windows, Linus, macOS, FreeBSD.
BitTorrent has been around for so many years and it’s still widely being used today. You can find a lot of things including the latest movies and TV series to download on a popular Torrent tracker websites like “The Pirate Bay” which the authorities can’t seem to permanently shut down. Downloading files using BitTorrent is usually done with client software such as uTorrent, Vuze, qBitTorrent or Tixati.
Every torrent client has its own distinct advantages and one very useful feature that is not commonly found is the ability to “stream” which is to start the playback without waiting for the whole file to complete downloading. Just like viewing online videos on YouTube, you get to start watching right away and that saves you a lot of time.
If you’d like to stream a video or movie file from a torrent without waiting for it to download first, here we have 10 options that allow you to do that for free.
1. WebTorrent DesktopWebTorrent has fast become one of the best ways to stream torrents and especially videos online. Because it uses WebRTC to exchange data, you will connect with other WebTorrent enabled torrent services or clients and not standard Bittorrent. WebTorrent should still provide good video streaming.
WebTorrent Desktop is an open source torrent client and is dedicated to streaming video and audio. A big advantage of this program is it accepts connections from both WebTorrent and BitTorrent which means you should be able to stream at the best possible speeds. WebTorrent Desktop is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.
After launching WebTorrent Desktop all you have to do is drop a torrent file onto the window, press Ctrl+V or go to Edit > “Paste Torrent Address” to add a magnet link. Some free videos are already in the main window for you to test. Press the Play button to open the video window and wait for the video to start. A red bar at the bottom will show the buffer status. If the torrent has multiple video files you can click on it and select to play a specific video.
WebTorrent Desktop won’t directly play all content (such as H265) and if it tries to stream an unsupported video you will be given the option to use an external player. VLC is the default option but something else can be chosen in preferences. Popular players like MPC-HC/BE and Daum PotPlayer will also work. Streaming to AirPlay, Chromecast and DLNA is also supported.
Download WebTorrent Desktop | WebTorrent Desktop Portable
2. Soda Player
Soda Player is a torrent video streaming player that claims to be able to handle all video formats, including the likes of H265 and DTS. Theoretically, you shouldn’t find a video it can’t play. It also has a built in proxy to help with privacy and ISP torrent throttling. This feature is free at the time of writing but is planned to be a paid option going forward.
On launch, Soda Player will accept dropping a torrent file or magnet link onto the window, browsing for a torrent file manually or pasting in a magnet/torrent URL. If there’s a link in the clipboard it will be automatically added. The video will start once enough of it has been downloaded, a marker on the play progress line will show how much has been buffered.
In addition to playing subtitles that are already included with the torrent or video file, Soda Player can automatically download extra subtitles from Opensubtitles.org. There’s support for multiple audio streams as well as the ability to cast the video to Chromecast or Apple TV.
Download Soda Player
An alternative player we tried was Powder Player. It works and looks good but it did seem to stop and buffer the same torrents far more than Soda Player did. There are settings to control things like buffer length but it didn’t help. It may work better for you and is worth keeping in mind as a streaming player.
3. Instant.io / Magnet Player
These two websites are grouped together because they both stream video online from a webpage using WebTorrent instead of BitTorrent. They are very easy to use and require no external tools, however, there are a few drawbacks as opposed to using the WebTorrent Desktop client.
The online services that use WebTorrent do not have the ability to accept both WebTorrent and BitTorrent connections like the desktop client, which potentially means fewer available peers. All you have to do is paste a magnet link/info hash into the box or add a .torrent file, a video window will open on the page and begin playing once enough data has been buffered.
Instant.io and Magnet Player cannot play formats like MKV, AVI or H265 and if you try to play a video with an unsupported format, nothing will happen. They’re fine with H264, AAC and MP4 though so something like YIFY (YTS.am) releases should play quite well.
Visit Instant.io | Magnet Player
4. Webtor
Webtor is different from the online WebTorrent services above because it uses standard BitTorrent. It also has an advantage in what can be played and what can’t. In addition to H264 and MP4, major formats like MKV and AVI are supported along with the increasingly popular H265. If the video format in the torrent is not natively supported by your browser it will be automatically transcoded for playback.
All you have to do is click “Open torrent online” to browse for a torrent file or click the arrow and paste a magnet link into the box. Once the torrent has been parsed, hover over the video file and press the play button. Pressing the download button instead will start the file downloading in your browser like a normal file. After a short wait, it will begin playing.
There are some very useful features available in the web player options menu (cog wheel) such as allowing you to select audio and subtitle streams, although we couldn’t get that to work. The copy stream URL button can be used to copy and then paste the link into video playing software like MPC-HC, PotPlayer or VLC. There’s also a Cast button to send the stream to a Chromecast device.
A Webtor Chrome extension is available that will open a clicked torrent/magnet link directly in Webtor.
Visit Webtor
5. qBitTorrent
Some standard torrent clients have the ability to download torrent videos in such a way that they can be played while being downloaded. The required feature is being able to download torrent data in sequential order. Some clients can do this like Tixati and uTorrent, but the tool we will look at here is qBitTorrent.
Apart from the sequential download option, qBitTorrent has an option to download the start and end pieces of the file first (to help with compatibility) and also to launch the video in an external player from its UI. All you have to do is add a torrent to qBitTorrent in the normal way and check the “Download in sequential order” and “Download first and last pieces first” boxes before starting the torrent.
You can also select those options later by right clicking on the torrent in the list. Watch the progress bar of the torrent and when a sizeable continuous chunk of the start has been downloaded (10%+), right click and select Preview File. This will launch the video in the system default video player. Make sure there are no gaps in the first block of the video in the progress bar or it won’t play properly because there’s missing data.
Another way of launching the video which will work on qBitTorrent, uTorrent, Tixati and other compatible torrent clients is to simply open the downloading video file in your favorite video player.
Download qBitTorrent
12Next › View All You might also like:
9 Ways to Download Torrents if You Can’t Install and Run a Torrent ClientDownload and Stream Online Videos Faster Without Buffering Problems6 Free Ways to Download Clips from Video SitesHow to Manually Preview Video or Audio from Rapidgator Links4 Ways to Bypasses ISP Torrent Throttling Allowing Faster Download SpeedWatch without installing the program on lightproxy.net
ReplyDude, this works and is much faster than any other torrent streaming sites, tysm, i hope they never shut this project.
ReplyYes it is one of the best
ReplyTake a look at miniget, you will not regret it.
ReplyThanks man
ReplyYes. It is strange that streamdrive.net is not on the list
Replythank you for your good advice,
ReplyThank you for the Info. I use streamdrive.net . They say that are still in beta but never the less work very nice.
ReplyDon’t forget about stremio!
ReplyStremio is awesome. It is like the Netflix of torrents! Everything is so organised and well catalogued.
Replythanks
ReplyYeah, stremio is a great option!
Replythanks raymond you rock
ReplySuper Coolllll Ray. Tnx =3
ReplyRay, you are undescribably good. keep up the good work
ReplyBest Torrent Downloader Reddit 2019
Actually, he rocks! Thank you so much for all the tips! :)
Replythanks raymond you are rock
ReplyNice share Ray.Now it’s your time to find out some bugs ;).
ReplyThanks Raymond for such a fine share
ReplyIt very modern and it make me more easy for watching. I hope you will try to help us more. Good luck reymond.
Replyvery usefull tool ray, thank you for sharing it,
ReplyThank you Raymond.
ReplyLeave a Reply
Back in the days, when torrents used to be the next big thing, new sites were “popping up” on every corner, offering more privacy, faster download speeds, and a wider range of available torrents. The situation is a bit different today. Even though we still have numerous torrent sites on the Internet, there is a relatively small group of websites that stand out and provide the best service.
Torrenting in 2020 is all about reliability and privacy. In this article, we’ll take a look at the greatest websites and let you decide which ones suit you best. Our list of the best torrent websites – 21 in total – was compiled based on the Alexa ratings, customer reviews, and our own experiences.
While the most popular torrenting sites are equally great for downloading movies, TV shows, books, video games, and everything else in between, most torrent websites are usually good for one of two categories of content, and we’ll make sure to point that out in these reviews. Along with the not-so-accurate Alexa ratings, it’s also important to check the number of daily/monthly visitors. That will help you create a more accurate picture in your head.
Alright, without further ado, let us take a look at the best websites for torrenting. One last thing: to keep your privacy in 2020, use a solid VPN.
The Best VPNs For Torrent Fans
Private torrent websites are hard to “crack”, that’s true. But to be 100% secure, we’ll need a VPN. Let us take a look at the best VPN for torrenting right now.
ExpressVPN
The huge number of servers, top-notch security protocols, and strong performance make it the best torrent VPN. It might be a bit too expensive for comfort, though ($12, 95 for the monthly plan).
NordVPN
Affordable and reliable, NordVPN is the best VPN for torrents if you put security first. For $11, 95 a month, you’ll get access to 4K servers, top-notch clients/apps for all major platforms, and industry-leading customer support.
PureVPN
In many regards, PureVPN is like the golden middle between the fast ExpressVPN and the secure NordVPN. And, it is more affordable than both ($10, 95 a month). Multi logins, P2P support, 300K IPs, and ~2200 servers – that’s what you’ll get with this service.
Why would one need a VPN to torrent?
The majority of torrent websites tend to recommend the users to download torrent files (or any other big files) using a Virtual Private Network. And it would be wise to listen to their advice. Depending on a country and its laws, torrenting can be illegal and considered to be a crime. If you don’t protect yourself from the all-seeing eyes, that can lead to a lot of trouble.
The list of potential outcomes includes copyright infringement notices in your mail all the way up to huge fines. Sometimes, the police arrest people that use torrents and even put them behind the bars. Even if there aren’t any laws against torrenting in your country, that doesn’t mean you’re 100% safe. Most likely, your ISP will use the throttling technique to slow down your connection. They usually do that in case of heavy data usage (AKA heavy downloading).
The decrease in speed can be quite extreme and leave you with only 20-30% of the original speed, if not less. Thankfully, with a solid VPN, you’ll be able to not only protect yourself from the government but also eliminate the possibility of throttling.
So let’s sum up all the benefits of using torrent sites paired with a VPN:
- Every once in a while, we come across torrent sites that are blocked in certain countries (or even by certain ISPs). With a VPN, the users can switch to a different server with one single click and start using those otherwise restricted sites. It doesn’t really matter where you are: pick the right server, and that’s it!
- VPN services encrypt your connection (using the unbreakable AES 256-bit encryption) and route it through their own servers. That makes it almost impossible for anyone to track your online activity. Watching movies, playing games, and, of course, downloading torrents with a VPN can be done without worrying about possible consequences.
- No throttling. As mentioned, ISPs don’t favor torrent fans and bottleneck their connection speed quite often. Again, a Network will help you to “outsmart” the provider and keep enjoying high speeds. When your traffic is untraceable, they simply can’t know that you’re downloading massive chunks of data.
Best Torrent Sites in 2020
1 The Pirate Bay – The King Of The Kings
When it comes to torrent sites, the number of seeders is one of the most important things: the more seeders, the higher the download speed of a certain torrent will be. The Pirate Bay is the best pick from this point of view.
On average, +/-50 million users visit it monthly! It is equally good for shows, movies, games, software, books, and more. It has been around for decades and is currently the obvious leader.
Despite the long list of restrictions for users from many countries and the legal charges that the owners had to face, PB is still the king. The range of available torrents is very impressive, and for most people, The Pirate Bay is more than enough to cover their torrenting needs.
After the officials brought the website with the original domain down, PB fell off the list of the “hottest” torrent sites. However, it didn’t take it a long time to climb back to the top. The incredibly friendly and simple interface, the impressive collection of links, and the tolerable ads contribute to its popularity.
2RarBG – The Most Popular Site For Movies
This is another big name among torrent sites. It started out as just another tracker from Bulgaria but has turned into one of the best torrent sites of 2020.
For the fans of movies and TV shows, it doesn’t get better than RarBG. The catalog is being updated 24/7, and you can always count on it to check out the latest films/episodes. TV shows are, once again, incredibly popular, and that is exactly what made it the best torrent for movies. The current Alexa Rank is 37,700, but last year, it managed to make it into the top-5! With an average of 1, 7 million visitors per month, RarBG is the king of movie torrents.
As already mentioned, the selection is quite impressive, and the users will find movies and TV shows of various resolutions/image qualities. Quality and quantity are the words that describe RarBG best.
3YTS.ag – One Of The Best Choices For Movies
Famous for its high-quality files that take very little space on the hard drive, YTS.ag is another great option if you love movies and shows.
Important note: this website doesn’t have anything to do with the original YTS. In fact, it practically “stole” its name and is constantly being banned for that. Still, for fast and easy torrenting, it is a solid pick.
41337X – Great For Video Games And Software
The gamers love this torrent site; same goes for the folks looking for some high-quality software. In 2017, 1337X had privacy/security problems, but now it’s back on the top. As far as the finest torrent sites go, this one is a solid pick. However, it’s getting more recognition for the selection of movies rather than games/soft these days.
Important note: while the users might not find the latest stuff here, they will surely appreciate the collection of some old-yet-useful programs and games.
The greatest downside – compared to the bigger competitors, the seeder count can be low at times. Nevertheless, ~1.6 million users visit 1337X per month.
5 – Zoogle – Impressive Database, Frequent Updates
Make sure to add this one to your bookmarks. As an alternative for The Pirate Bay and RarBG, it is perfect.
Throughout the years, Zoogle has been under the radar. But, again, for downloading things that you can’t find elsewhere, it is quite alright. The database includes 30K movies and 1,3K shows, and the list keeps getting bigger. Today, Zoogle is among the most reliable torrent sites out there.
6Tor Lock – Another Great Alternative For PB and RarBG
Tor Lock is kind of a perfect choice: website looks amazing, everything is very user-friendly, and the database is huge. It looks a lot like 1337X, by the way. With 3+ million torrents and its own magnet links, TL is here to stay. No modern-day user wants to waste time scrolling through the links.
Fact: all the indexed torrents are verified, which means you won’t have to worry about anything while searching for a movie/show/game.
7Torrentz2 – A Comprehensive Torrent Search Engine
No, this isn’t a torrent site, but rather a place where you can find links to other sites with torrents. With approximately 5, 5 million torrents from 70+ domains, Torrentz2 is a worthy successor to the original Torrentz that currebtly prevails as a search engine for torrents.
8Torrentdownloads – User-Friendly And Straightforward
The main page is very simple yet informative. You’ll see a list of the latest torrents with quick access. TV shows come first; movie torrents follow. Music, games, and the rest of the categories can be found at the bottom.
While Torrentdownloads isn’t the most popular torrent site of our time, it does offer an up-to-date catalog.
Important note: this is one of those torrent sites that are constantly being blocked around the world. Use a free torrent VPN like Betternet to access it or switch to something more stable and durable.
9LimeTorrents – One Of The Obvious Leaders
With 270K visitors per day, LimeTorrents is one of the greatest options for average users. Today, it’s sitting high up on the list among the best. You’ll be able to find pretty much anything you’re looking for, including the latest movies, shows, games, etc.
Best Torrent Client Android Reddit
At the same time, it is not as great as the Pirate Bay and the catalog is just not that big. For some brand-new stuff like the latest TV show episodes or cracks for video games, LM is not the best choice.
On the other hand, LM is good for older torrents, and its collection is even bigger and better than that of The Pirate Bay.
10EZTV.AG – Movies, TV Shows, Entertainment
To get all the latest reality shows, TV shows, and films, EZTV.AG is a solid pick. It used to be a distributor of TV torrents but was taken down in 2015. However, right now, it is one of the best sites for torrenting 2020 has to offer. EZTV.AG is focused on movie/TV torrents, which allows it to be an obvious leader in that field.
The bottom line is – if you’re looking for a reliable source of the latest episodes of your favorite shows, put this website on the list. There aren’t that many great torrent sites for downloading the latest movies/shows; EZTV.AG provides the best torrent database.
11NYAA.SI – A God-Sent For The Fans Of Anime
Last year, the original NYAA was the leader of the anime torrent sites. After they shut it down, NYAA.SI came around.
Users looking for anime movies, TV shows, games, and everything in between will find the best selection here. It might not look as “cozy” as the other sites on our list, but it definitely does have an impressive catalog.
12Torrents.me – A Reliable Meta-Search Engine
If you’re used to torrenting not from one, but all the popular torrent sites, make sure to check this resource.
First of all, it gives quick access to the best torrent sites.
Secondly, you can search for whatever you want and get links to torrents and magnet links from dozens of sources.
13IDOPE – One Of The Best Newcomers
IDOPE is among the most popular fresh torrent websites. It has been around for only two years but is already a torrenting choice for millions of users, which puts it ahead of the competition. It’s on par with Zoogle and is steadily making its way into the list of the greatest torrent sites of 2020. IDOPE is best for music torrents and has a huge database with all the recent releases and some classics.
14ExtraTorrent – Fast And Limitless
Despite the constant blocks, ExtraTorrent is still one of the best torrent sites out there. Anonymous, fast, and hassle-free, it claims to have the largest database for international users. You might experience some problems with torrenting every now and then, though. Regardless, for trouble-free torrent downloading, it doesn’t get better than ExtraTorrent.
Important note: we’re talking about ExtraTorrent.si. The mirror website, ExtraTorrent.cd, is full of lags and will make your CPU work at 99%. Apart from that weird “feature,” it’s just as good as the original and might come in handy when ET.si goes down.
15KAT – A Huge Database, Constant Updates
The fans of torrents definitely know about this one. As far as the legendary torrent sites go, KAT is right there among the leaders. It went through numerous ups and downs but is still a good choice.
Note: currently, the new torrent database is very old, meaning you won’t be able to find the latest torrents there. The experienced users will tell you that Kickasstorrents used to be huge a couple of years ago when The Pirate Bay was closed.
16Demonoid – One Of The Oldest Private Websites
Demonoid has been the #1 choice for torrent downloading for years – since 2003, to be exact. Please keep in mind that this is a private website, meaning you’ll need an official invite to join. We’ll talk about private sites in more details later.
The biggest downside of Demonoid: it’s got one of the most aggressive ads among torrenting websites. Plus, navigation is complicated and the average users won’t appreciate it.
17BTScene – A Friendly Interface, Almost No Ads
Looking for the friendliest torrent site? Make sure to take a look at BTScene. For fast and easy torrenting, it will be just what you need. Ads these days are annoying; thankfully, that’s not the case here. While BTScene doesn’t have the best database, the list of available torrents is impressive. It is best known for the vast music catalog but is also great for movies, games, and more.
However, it isn’t private, meaning the owners follow the DMCA rules. Yes, VPN for torrenting is a must here unless you want people to know exactly where you are and what kinds of files you like to download.
18Monova – A Clean Dashboard
Even though the list of torrents isn’t nearly as impressive as on the more popular torrent sites, Monova is a keeper. It features a clean and straightforward interface. Sadly, torrenting will always be “complemented” by ads – lots of ads.
If that’s not a big issue for you, then Monova can be added to bookmarks along with the most frequently used torrenting websites. You can’t really escape the ads: they are a bit part of the industry and keep the sites going.
19Toorgle – Quick Access To 450 Sites
This search engine offers hassle-free access to the best databases of torrents. Toorgle comes with a minimalist design. All you need to do to is type the title of what you’re looking for and hit “search.” Toorgle is an amazing tool for users looking for the best torrent databases. No need to scroll through Google: let this engine do the job for you.
20Seedpeer – A Great Database, An Average Interface
Seedpeer comes with an impressive database makes, but somewhat unattractive interface and the constant flow of ads is its biggest downside. Seedpeer is largely known among the gamers. The owners put security first; furthermore, torrenting is always fast and easy.
21SkyTorrents – An Impressive Collection Of Music
When it comes to the best torrents for music, SkyTorrents is always on top. According to several sources, SkyTorrents offers the best range in this category.
The search engine is fast and on par with the leaders of the industry. The dashboard is friendly and easy-to-use. There are numerous torrent sites dedicated to music out there; yet, ST is better.
The Best Private Sites
BitMe
As mentioned earlier, private torrent sites can be accessed through invites (or donations). With 14K users and a great collection of books and tutorials, this is one of the favorite picks of the privacy fans. BitMe is a bright example of a private site that has been around for almost 15 years.
GazelleGames
If you love video games, this GazelleGames collection is just what you need. Operating since 2010, GG provides 65K torrents to 14K users, which makes it equal to BitMe.
BroadcastTheNet
BTN is focused on high-quality television shows, both contemporary and vintage. The new torrent database is huge; overall, there are 200K torrents available.