Almost everybody is familiar with torrents and torrent sites and must have used them at least a few times in their life to download their favorite movies or shows that they couldn’t find anywhere else or didn’t want to watch on paid OTT platforms.
So, are they legal? Except for the content under copyright and in countries where these sites have been banned, yes, they are. But what makes a particular torrent site better than others?
How do certain sites become the crowd favorite in a short period? What criteria do they follow? There are several reasons, and we will get into them one by one.
So, if you want to know the most popular and user-friendly torrent websites of the year, go through the list below, read the descriptions, and find out what makes them the best of all torrent sites in existence.
The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay is a comprehensive space where we can safely download movies, books, music, TV shows, anime, and software.
The website was launched in 2003 and is still running successfully, surviving countless attempts to shut down it. It is one of the largest torrent libraries that exist today, with a clean interface and minimal ad intrusion.
The website has an average of 18 million monthly users and has been staying at the top in terms of popularity for quite a few years.
The website has numerous mirrors that make sure of uninterrupted accessibility. The interface shows the file size as well as the number of seeders and leechers.
With a good VPN, one can access the site from anywhere in the world and download their favorite content.
- Mirrors: proxybay.xyz, thepiratebay10.org, thepirate-bay.org, thepiratebay.org, tpbpirateproxy.org, pirateproxy.space, thepiratebay7.com, thepiratebay0.org
YTS.mx
With limited ad intrusion, the site not only lets the user download files but even includes a feature for streaming on-site.
YTS.mx, created in 2011, specializes in HD movies and shows. which makes it the go-to site for movie buffs.
The only issue with the website is the pop-up ads that intrude on your privacy and might interrupt the movie-watching experience especially if you are streaming on the site.
YTS has no other kind of files except for movies and TV shows. The files included are available in 720 to 1080p and the majority of them come with subtitles.
Download speed stays between 2 to 3 MB per second and even though the P2P files are small in size, they maintain good quality.
The website has been subjected to several lawsuits in the past but has never once been taken down.
- Mirrors: yts.mx, yts.homes, yts.lt, yts.rs, yts.am.
FitGirl Repacks
Developed specifically for downloading games, FitGirl Repacks is not a torrent site in the conventional sense.
The site was created in 2012 as a space for serious gamers to download compressed, cracked versions of gaming torrents.
With the repack releases, the download time is comparatively shorter and the games are almost the same as the original ones, also as per the creator, they are almost 100% lossless.
The site also gives out details like the features and requirements of the game you download. It includes installation time, the HDD space as well as the RAM space needed, along with a small description of the game.
The ‘Monthly Archive’ section featured on the site makes your search easier, by giving directions to the particular game you are searching for.
- Mirrors:https://fitgirlrepacks.co/,https://fitgirl-repacks.site/, https://fitgirl-repack.com/, https://fitgirl-repacks.website/
1337x
Another one of the best overall torrent sites like The Pirate Baty, 1337x is an excellent source to download all kinds of files including movies, ebooks, shows, music, games, and so on.
The site stands out with daily updated fresh content, supported by its active group of uploaders and bots. The site was founded in 2007 and is known for its comparatively lower ad content, prioritizing the user’s privacy.
1337x is one of the few torrent sites that provide useful information about the movie or show we download.
It will help the user find out whether the file they are downloading is worth a watch by giving the list of awards it has been nominated for or won, and the number of downloads indicating the popularity of the movie.
- Mirror: 1337x.st, 1337x.unblockninja.com, x1337x.se, 1337x.to, x1337x.eu, x1337x.ws.
Limetorrents
Founded in 2009, Limetorrents is a site where users search for recently released movies. Like YTS.mx, Limetorrents also features on-site streaming.
The website which is banned in several countries like Australia, UK, France, and Denmark, avails access with a VPN app for users in the said countries.
The download speed is good, stays between 3 to 4MB per second, and the site features a good seeder/leecher ratio, making it one of the top choices for torrent users around the world.
The site has a torrent library as vast as that of The Pirate Bay, containing over 10 million files. It also has filters with which the user can find what they need easily.
The fresh content, however, raises an issue of copyright and legality since most of it would be pirated.
- Mirrors: limetor.com, limetorrents.co, limetorrents.info, limetorrents.asia, limetorrent.ws, limetorrents.lol
EZTV
EZTV, founded in 2015, mainly features TV shows torrent files in HD. The website also has movie files but focuses mostly on shows with a fairly good library (not as vast as The Pirate Bay or Limetorrents) in its focus area.
The website is banned in countries like Indonesia, India, Argentina, Sweden, and the US.
The website has a collection of both new shows and old shows, making it a favorite destination for a large number of TV show followers.
The drop-down search bar on the website aids the navigation, making it easy for the users to find what they need.
Sure, there is the issue of ad intrusion, but the collection of files featured attracts more users every day, bringing the average number of visitors per month to 20 million.
- Mirrors: eztv.yt, eztv.wf, eztv.tf
Gazelle Games
Gamers-centered torrent site Gazelle Games is a website exclusively for downloading game torrent files. The major attraction of Gazelle Games is the security it offers.
The website is members only and that significantly reduces the number of scammers and hackers. The active community of seeders the website has helps speed up the downloads.
The website only features verified and authentic game torrents and has over 60,000 of them.
There are only two ways by which you can acquire a membership card from the website. The first method is getting an invitation from a pre-existing member of the community.
With the limited number of members the site has, it is a challenge to find someone, who is willing to send you an invite.
If lucky, you might find someone on a Reddit forum, but it’s not a sure thing. Gazelle Games sometimes opens up membership without an invite, and this is the second way to get a membership to access the website.
This is even more difficult than the former since such opportunities are extremely rare and even when they do, it is not easy to grab them on time.
- Mirrors: No alternative URLs
NYAA.si
NYAA.si is a torrent site for anime sites where they can download the best-quality anime series and movies, often as good as paid anime streaming sites.
Since most of the anime content has its origin in East Asian countries including South Korea, China, and Japan, this is the special focus site of NYAA, delivering torrent files ranging from raw, undubbed anime to those dubbed in English.
The dubbed ones are synchronized well and give a seamless experience while watching.
The balanced seeder-leecher ratio ensures fast downloads, maintaining and increasing the user base of the website.
The website has a feature to arrange torrent files based on their download speed, in descending order. Apart from anime, the website has a bunch of music and software files as well.
Although attractive with a simplified interface, the pop-up ads are a bit annoying.
- Mirrors: nyaa.iss.one, nyaa.ink
Torlok
Torlok was founded in 2010 and has a comparatively good library with torrent files for movies, shows, music, software, games, and ebooks.
The website is all about safety and has features that show their commitment to this cause. They even pay the users who report fake torrents at a rate of $1 per file.
The website features both new and old content, which demands caution when downloading those under copyright.
It is easy to search for a file since it displays all the torrents containing the term you searched even if you don’t know the exact name of the file.
Each torrent comes with specifications including the file size, seeders, and upload date mentioned, giving out the necessary information to the users.
The website still uses ‘.com’, making it one of the few torrent sites that use it, and adding to its authenticity.
The website is banned in Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, and a few other countries, but can be accessed with a good VPN connection.
- Mirrors: torlock.unblockit.ist/, www.torlock2.com/
Torrent Galaxy
Torrent Galaxy is a fairly new torrent site that launched in 2018, a little over five years ago. Compared to the rest of the popular torrent sites, the frequency of ad intrusion is higher, which sometimes reflects negatively on the number of monthly visitors to the site.
The website has a comprehensive library that contains torrents of almost all types, be it movies, music, software, or ebooks.
This is the first torrent site with an online streaming option for TV shows and arcade games. Torrent Galaxy aids the judgment of the users by displaying user ratings as well as detailed descriptions of torrents, ensuring access to reliable and high-quality content.
The website also verifies the authenticity of torrents, getting rid of malware detected, and prioritizing the safety of users.
- Mirrors: torrentgalaxy.mx, tgx.rs, tgx.sb
Torentz2
Torrentz2, unlike the rest, is not a torrent website, but a torrent search engine. This is a comprehensive platform created to help navigate torrents from different torrent websites, rather than searching for files on separate websites, increasing the chances of finding what the user wants.
Torrentz2 is the successor of Torrentz, the original website that was shit down a few years ago in 2016 and has gained as much popularity as the former in such a short time, if not more.
However, it is important to be cautious and concerned about your safety, since the search engine redirects you to random sites that could compromise your personal data.
The website helps you find movies and titles that are not well-known, but make sure to use it with a VPN for security.
- Mirrors: https://idope.skin/, https://idope-official.site/, idope.se/
IPTorrents
Hosting a wide range of content, IPTorrents is one of the biggest private torrent sites that exist today. Bring an exclusive community of active users, the website comes with certain perks like no ad intrusion, which in turn ensures high security.
It also has higher streaming and downloading speeds compared to those in the public domain as the members are required to compulsorily follow the seeding quota. The only catch is that you will require an invitation to access the site.
Having said that, an invitation is not the only thing you need to get a pass to access it, a donation in Bitcoin is needed along with that.
Once you comply with both the requirements, the invitation and a donation of $20, you will get a membership to the site with the majority of legitimate torrents, also which has almost no malicious users.
- Mirrors: iptorrents.eu, iptorrents.me, ipt.lol, iptorrents.us, nemo.iptorrents.com
Torrent Funk
Torrent Funk is known for providing magnet links that can be used for direct torrent downloads. Although it is helpful in finding links for files of different sizes from which the user can pick one as per their requirement, it’s not all positive.
These magnet links, if fake, could redirect you to random sites and potentially malicious downloads. So, a VPN is a must if you choose to go with a website like Torrent Funk.
Another peculiar feature of the website is how it has categorized torrents into different groups, based on various criteria, one of them being recency. This will give you access to the popular as well as recent torrents from the homepage itself.
However, it is important to be careful with downloading new releases to not get trapped in legality issues associated with piracy.
- Mirrors: torrentfunk2.com
iDope
Founded in 2016, iDope is a torrent website that allows users to download an array of content belonging to different categories like movies, ebooks, music, software, games, and TV shows.
The site is banned in countries like Denmark, the UK, Australia, and India, but is accessible with a VPN connection.
The website offers ultimate security and privacy with a feature that allows users to download torrents on the go with an integrated system of their mobile app and website.
The site, unlike a lot of other torrent sites, does not contain ads. It also assures protection from viruses, making it a safe choice for users who are hesitant to use torrent sites, being concerned about their safety.
The most interesting thing about the website is its database of about 20 million torrents gets updated almost every hour, keeping the content fresh.
- Mirrors: idope.pw, idope.buzz
Torrent Downloads
We have seen plenty of websites that feature fresh content. But unlike them, Torrent Downloads mainly feature old movies and gaming titles, with a special focus on content from the Asian continent.
The website has an extensive collection of movies, games, and TV shows specifically belonging to this category. It doesn’t disappoint on the download speed either, maintaining it at 2 to 3MB per second even on older titles.
The major problem the users of Torrent Downloads encounter is ad intrusion. There are pop-up ads that open up new advertisement tabs and interfere with the downloading process.
The website has been even more popular in the past, losing it to The Pirate Bay and 1337x in recent years.
The website has dealt with copyright issues in the past and has been under the surveillance of a few law enforcement agencies, which makes it still unavailable in certain regions.
- Mirrors: torrentdownloads.net, torrentdownloads.me
The reasons behind the popularity of these fifteen websites are not one, but many.
The number of torrent files in each of their libraries, the variety of content they offer, the user’s individual interest in different niches, download speed, peculiar features like online streaming, and most importantly, safety and security are some of the reasons that resulted in it.
It doesn’t mean that the one ranked first is the best based on every single one of these categories, but rather all fifteen of them have something that makes them attractive to the users.
Conclusion
Although mostly they are, torrent websites are not exclusively used for downloading movies and TV shows.
The ones mentioned in the above list have all types of content, among which some of them have a multitude of focus areas while the rest focus on a particular niche.
No matter the type, every website has a base of visitors who regularly use those to download the content they want.
This keeps these websites relevant among countless similar ones that failed to meet the expectations of these torrent users.
