Transmission is a great torrent client available for all operating systems, however, it is mainly favored by Mac and Linux users. As with any Torrent client, there can be dangers. One way you can combat these issues is by using a VPN for Transmission.
VPN services ensure your activity is kept private by encrypting all the data going to and from your device. A VPN bypasses network or government blocks which enables you to unblock websites currently blocked in your location.
Keep reading for the five best Transmission VPNs and some top tips for staying secure when torrenting on Transmission.
Warning:
Please be aware, ProPrivacy neither condones nor encourage torrenting of any kind of copyrighted material. The torrenting of copyrighted material is illegal in most, if not all, countries and could result in both civil and criminal charges.
What are the best VPNs for Transmission?
We have listed the five best Transmission VPN services below. Scroll below the list to find out more information about any of the services in the list.
- Private Internet Access - The best VPN for Transmission. It lives up to its name as being private and it also has a Linux GUI and Mac apps.
- NordVPN - A large brand offering great value at a cheap price
- ExpressVPN - The fastest VPN for Transmission. It has lightning fast servers in 90+ countries making it excellent for torrenting.
- Surfshark - The cheapest Transmission VPN. Although it's cheap, it's packed with features and has strong encryption.
- CyberGhost VPN - An easy to use VPN for Transmission. It has excellent apps for all PC and Mac, it's fast and secure.
All the best Transmission VPN services listed above have the following features:
- Fast servers
- A worldwide server network
- Strong encryption
5 Best Transmission VPNs - In-depth Analysis
Below, we take a closer look at the best Transmission VPN services. If you still want more information about any of the services we recommend in the guide, check out our detailed VPN reviews.
Private Internet Access is the best VPN for Transmission. It has proven in court that it doesn't keep logs, has excellent security features, port-forwarding, and great Mac, PC, and Linux apps. Private Internet Access is a comprehensive all-round performer, with a budget price tag (particularly if purchased yearly). PIA has quick servers across 84 countries
worldwide, and unlimited bandwidth is particularly handy for Transmission's P2P functionality and streaming. You'll be able to unblock Netflix with PIA, as well as most other sought after streaming services from around the world. 10 simultaneous connections allow you to secure all of your devices, and PIA employs sturdy OpenVPN encryption to ensure that your browsing sessions are always private. What's more, PIA's audited zero-logs policy goes a long way to making up for the fact that it's based in the US. This combination of security measures and the provider's recent acquisition by cybersec firm Kape Technologies means that PIA is a favorite among Reddit users. VPN newcomers will have no problem installing PIA - the provider packs an instant setup that does the hard work for you. PIA is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux, and help is at hand via live chat if you need support. NordVPN is a no-logs VPN provider based in Panama. This year NordVPN scooped the most coveted prize of them all - our Best Overall VPN award. The ProPrivacy.com Awards have quickly become the industry gold standard, with all the providers battling for a top spot. Keep reading our NordVPN review to find out why NordVPN was crowned the best of the Bunch this year. NordVPN has a no logs policy, fantastic security features and the ability to unblock content. All of which makes it one of the best VPN choices out there. It has features such as double VPN, VPN over Tor, DNS-based malware protection, Smart DNS, and more, all part of the very reasonably priced package. ExpressVPN is the fastest Transmission VPN service. It has all the tools you need for secure browsing, downloading and P2P sharing. It's lightening fast and secure. ExpressVPN has become the industry standard when it comes to attention to detail and professionalism - and though an ExpressVPN subscription is unavoidably more expensive than our other recommendations, you get a premium product that's well worth the premium price tag. Take your pick of servers in 105 countries
, all with unlimited bandwidth and the ability to easily negate ISP throttling. This will improve your torrenting speed and ensure that any streams you tune into will run smoothly and not be stuck buffering. ExpressVPN makes use of military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, which is also used by the United States government to secure sensitive information. You'll also be able to select from sturdy protocols; OpenVPN and IKEv2 included. ExpressVPN is also a no-logs provider. Your connection details won't be stored, and neither will your browsing history. With ExpressVPN, you can make use of up to 5 simultaneous connections. Additionally, the provider is compatible with Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, and routers. For an extra layer of security, ExpressVPN also offers its own browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Ideal for torrenting, ExpressVPN comes with a kill switch and split tunneling functionality. You'll also be able to check out Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, and many more geo-restricted streaming services from all over the world. A 30-day money-back guarantee means you can put ExpressVPN through its paces before you commit to a subscription, and 24/7 customer service is on hand via live chat if you're stuck at any point. SurfShark is the cheapest Transmission VPN service. Use it on an unlimited number of devices with one subscription, has top-of-the-line encryption, and great extras such as an adblocker. Surfshark's expansive network of servers is ideal for traveling - or browsing the web without geo-restrictions. Take your pick of thousands of servers in 100 countries
and enjoy fast speeds with no bandwidth or data caps. Currently, Surfshark can unblock 15 different Netflix libraries (including Netflix US), BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime, and is compatible with most apps. Most impressively (especially when you consider Surfshark's low-cost subscription fee), you'll be able to connect an unlimited number of devices at once. This means the whole family can protect their entire collection of devices with tough AES 256-bit encryption. Surfshark also employs a no-logs policy. A CleanWeb feature banishes ads, trackers, and malware from your browsing sessions, and a kill switch is a vital piece of kit for anyone looking to torrent. Surfshark's obfuscation feature - Camouflage Mode - disguises your online traffic so you ISP can't see exactly what you're doing and potentially throttle your connection. Check Surfshark out for free, with a 30-day money-back guarantee! CyberGhost is a fantastic VPN for Transmission. It has a great app for Mac and PC which offer users strong OpenVPN encryption to keep your data and downloads safe CyberGhost doesn't compromise when it comes to security, using 256-bit AES encryption. You'll also be able to take your pick of protocols, though we'd recommend sticking to OpenVPN whenever possible. All the servers across 100 countries
are quick. Unlimited speeds are ideal for torrenters, and 7 simultaneous connections mean you can secure a wide variety of devices. CyberGhost is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, routers, and game consoles. A kill switch has your back if your VPN connection drops, and CyberGhost also packs DNS leak protection and a no-logs policy for true peace of mind. If you need help, 24/7 customer service is at hand via live chat and email, and CyberGhost has a collection of guides on its website for a more in-depth tutorial. What's more, you can check these features out for yourself with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee. 1. Private Internet Access
Pricing
Available on
Unblocks
Website
Pricing
Available on
Unblocks
Website
Pricing
Available on
Unblocks
Website
Pricing
Available on
Unblocks
Website
Pricing
Available on
Unblocks
Website
What is Transmission?
Transmission is a BitTorrent client.
Though it was originally only compatible with Mac and Linux, Transmission has since built a formidable reputation. Now, Transmission available for Windows, macOS, Linux (many distros), FreeBSD, Gentoo, and more.
Although a competent BitTorrent client, the main draw of Transmission is its beautiful user interface, complete with Growl notifications for Mac users. It is also lightweight, completely free, and open source. Yay for Transmission!
Transmission features webseed support, BitTorrent protocol encryption, watch directories, tracker editing, global and per-torrent speed limits, and more. It also supports optional add-ons that can expand its feature-set. These include RSS subscription tools and an XMBC/Kodi plugin.
As always when peer-to-peer (P2P) downloading, it is vital to protect yourself with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when using Transmission. If you'd like to know more, or why this is necessary, take a look at our guide to the Best VPNs for Torrenting.
Kill Switch
Unlike with Vuze and qBittorrent, it’s not possible to bind Transmission to your VPN interface. It makes it all the more important to use a kill switch.
A kill switch prevents you from accessing the internet when not connected to a VPN service by 'killing' your internet connection should your VPN cut out for any reason. This means that you won’t return to your computer after leaving it unattended, only to find that the VPN connection has gone down and you’ve been downloading illegal torrents for hours for all the world to see!
Many VPN providers have a kill switch of some kind built into their software.
You may need to search for it under a different name, such as "network lock" or "secure IP". Alternatively, you can use a third-party solution such as VPNetMon, VPN Check, or VPN Watcher. You can also build your own using firewall rules.
Note that firewall-based solutions are superior to ones that detect whether your VPN connection has dropped before disconnecting your internet, as a firewall solution should block all internet traffic outside the VPN. Any kill switch solution, however, is better than none!
NAT Firewall and Port Forwarding
Transmission supports NAT Port Mapping Protocol (NAT-PMP) and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) port mapping. These technologies help overcome issues related to NAT firewalls by auto-configuring your port forwarding settings.
NAT Firewall
Many VPN services use a NAT firewall to prevent incoming connections from the internet. It is generally a good thing, as it protects you against attacks. For P2P, however, it can cause problems, as it prevents all unsolicited incoming connections.
Modern BitTorrent clients are very clever. They can overcome many NAT issues by initiating connections with torrents and other trackers. When another BitTorrent user wishes to download a file (or file piece) that you have, their software will alert your BitTorrent client to the fact, and your BitTorrent client will initiate the connection, thereby bypassing the NAT firewall.
When both parties are behind a NAT firewall, however, this isn’t possible, as neither party can initiate a connection!
It makes the P2P process much less efficient for all users. If the only people holding the file/file pieces that you want are also behind a NAT firewall, then tough! As more people use VPNs to protect themselves while downloading, this problem is likely to get worse.
Port Forwarding
The solution is port forwarding, where the VPN provider opens a port through its NAT firewall in order to allow P2P traffic through. Using a provider with this feature (which usually has to be manually activated) improves your P2P performance and is good P2P practice in general.
Some BitTorrent clients require you to specify an open port on which to listen for incoming connections. Others, such as Transmission, make the job easier by using automation technologies such as the NAT Port Mapping Protocol (NAT-PMP) and >UPnP port mapping.
It should be noted, though, that port forwarding issues are largely theoretical. I have downloaded torrents at high speeds for years with a VPN connection and have never needed to use port forwarding.
Because port forwarding is not something that most torrenters need worry about, this feature is not considered important enough to affect the ordering of our list above. I have, however, noted port forwarding as a feature where offered.
How to Use Transmission with VPN
Those of you who have used other BitTorrent clients will be able to jump into Transmission straight away. If you’ve never downloaded using the BitTorrent protocol before, here is a quick rundown of how to use Transmission with a VPN:
-
Download and install Transmission. It’s 100% free!
-
Ensure you have a VPN running.
-
Visit a BitTorrent website. These websites host links to torrent files. You can browse for the content that interests you, or search for something specific. Many websites include user-reviews of torrents, which can help you pick good ones. If your ISP blocks torrent sites, a VPN is also handy for unblocking them.
-
When you’ve found the content you want, click on the torrent link or magnet link. Avoid "Direct download” type links, as these almost always connect to commercial services. The torrent will open in your BitTorrent client and begin downloading.
-
When the download is 100% completed, enjoy!
-
Seed the torrent (optional, but considered polite, as torrenting relies on users seeding in order to work). Just leave Transmission running with the torrent still active. That allows other users to download the torrent from your copy and is why torrenting is also known as file sharing.
How to find out your seed ratio in Transmission
To find out what your seed ratio is in Transmission, simply follow the steps listed below.
- Right-click on a torrent in the main window.
- Click Properties.
- Click Information.
- Unloaded.
Proper netiquette dictates that you should upload to at least 100% (1:1 seed ratio). This means that you have uploaded at least as much of the file as you have downloaded.
Setup VPN for Transmission
To use a VPN with Transmission, you need to have it running at the same time as Transmission. The use of a kill switch will ensure that Transmission doesn’t download anything except when the VPN is connected.
If you want to check that your VPN is protecting your torrenting sessions, visit IPleak.net and activate Torrent Address Detection. It downloads a fake file to your computer via a magnet link, which will then be opened by Transmission and can be tracked by the website.
If everything is working correctly, you should see neither your own IP address nor any IP address belonging to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Transmission Proxy
By default, Transmission doesn't allow proxy settings (SOCKS5 or otherwise). It was available on older versions, but you have to do it in a roundabout way on newer versions. To set up Transmission to use a proxy, read more on this link.
Best VPNs for Transmission: Conclusion
Transmission is a great BitTorrent client.
The perfect partner to any good BitTorrent client is a good VPN service that will keep you safe when downloading, so make sure you get a Transmission VPN today!