Following the shutting down of some of the most popular torrent sites like KickassTorrents and ExtraTorrent, are The Pirate Bay and other torrent sites still standing in 2018 safe? The Pirate Bay, an insanely popular torrent site is having troubles to continue operating. It is not sure as of yet if this is only a temporary error or something more serious, like a potential countrywide ban.
The year 2016 was infamous for torrents and file sharing when the most significant development occurred. The authorities shut down the most popular torrent website database in the world, KickassTorrents. The second blow came when another torrent giant Torrentz unexpectedly stopped operating. Furthermore, in 2017 ExtraTorrent joined the list. These unexpected occurrences left a gap in the file sharing community.
With shutdowns like these and the following arrests, millions are scrambling to find alternatives. Luckily, other great sites emerged as worthy replacements. Let us now look at a short list of torrent websites that still stand strong today.
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1. RarBG
- excellent for beginners looking to download movies and music
Back in 2008, it started as a BitTorrent tracker, but it grew and rose to power and started providing torrent files and magnet links to more than 300,000 users per day. It is well known as a site that is easy to understand for beginners. It is particularly great for those looking to find movies and music.
Originally from Bulgaria, RarBG often switched places in order to evade the authorities. Some countries banned it completely, like Portugal, UK, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, and India. This is nothing a simple VPN can bypass, as it will allow you to use the website and access everything RarBG hast to offer.
2. YTS.ag
- good for HD movies
This is another BitTorrent tracker. With slight differences from RarBG and The Pirate bay, it specializes in movies, and offers a smooth user interface. It has a wide selection of great HD movies in 720p, 1080p, and even 3D formats. This ability to pick the desired movie quality is very important for torrent websites, as it offers a great choice for the users who appreciate this option dearly. Just remember that YTS.ag only provides movie torrents. If you are looking for music, software or video games, try others from this list.
3. 1337X
- perfect choice for video games
Originally founded in 2007, this is another torrent database that rose to prominence after the fall of the aforementioned giants. With a new and clean index page, it offers a wide range of movies, TV shows, and games. It does such a good job, that Google bans it completely from their Google Search.
While 1337X might not have the same user base or a great ad free experience as others, the overall look and feel of the site is classy and elegant. The truly bad side of this torrent site are heavy doses of annoying ads present throughout the site. Ad Blockers might help you here though.
4. Zooqle
- awesome for TV shows
Zooqle is a newcomer to the torrent scene, although it is hard to tell if you consider their magnificent user interface. In order to use it, you will need to create an account on the site, providing an email address, a username, and a password. This serves to manage subscriptions to the TV shows and movies. With some impressive numbers of over 1,300 TV shows and 30,000 movies to offer, Zooqle is perfect for movie buffs and binge watching maniacs who consume TV shows on a daily basis.
One other great feature is the absence of ads and pop ups, which are always annoying, let us be fair. While its database is not as large as the other big names, the quality and feel of the site are more than enough to go with it for your needs.
Difference between Public and Private Torrent Sites
A private torrent site often requires payment, or an invitation from a current member. They usually have faster releases of new TV shows, movies, software, music and E-books. Download speeds are also faster.
Public torrent sites are free and open to the general public. They rely heavily on ads in order to cover their costs. KickassTorrents (KAT) is a great example of a public torrent database, which had around one million daily users.
What Is a VPN?
Mind that some countries like the UK, Australia and others, do not allow access to torrent sites without a VPN because of ISP blocks. To navigate torrent sites, you will need a VPN generator.
By downloading copyrighted content from the Internet, you could get yourself into trouble with the authorities. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts all the data you receive (download) or send (upload). This makes it practically impossible for Internet Service Providers (ISP) or copyright holders to track the activity back to you.
While torrents are great to save money on entertainment, investing a couple of dollars in a good VPN reduces the risk of being fined or doing jail time. An alternative to torrents are streaming sites, but VPNs are equally important on some services like this.
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) can also be a useful tool for online gambling enthusiasts as it provides an extra layer of security and privacy for playing real money slots. By using a VPN, players can mask their IP address and location, making it more difficult for hackers or cybercriminals to intercept their personal information or track their online activity. Additionally, some countries have strict laws and regulations around online gambling, which may limit access to certain websites or services. A VPN can help bypass these restrictions by allowing users to connect to servers in different regions of the world, giving them access to a wider range of options. However, it’s important to note that not all online casinos or gambling sites allow VPN usage, so be sure to check the terms and conditions before using one.
Conclusion
With some turbulent years behind us, 2018 is looking to be another dangerous year for the torrent scene. What if some of the torrents mentioned in this list share the fate or KickassTorrents? Where will the users look for their needs next?
If you want free movies, music and games, downloading them through the use of torrent websites is illegal. Law enforcement everywhere always comes up with new ways of both detecting and punishing people and groups who violate the strict copyright laws. The best way to protect yourselves currently are the VPNs. Getting a warning email is one thing. You need to be and stay safe and careful while navigating these websites, as fines could be astronomical, especially if the authorities decide to punish you for more than you actually did and make an example of you. Jail time is the worst case scenario, but it still possible. Stay safe, and download reasonably and responsibly!
