Port forwarding and torrenting
Most VPNs let you download over P2P. Far fewer let other people connect in to you, which is what port forwarding does. Only two of the VPNs we compare still offer it.
Last updated 8 Oct 2026
The short version
- Port forwarding lets incoming connections reach your device through the VPN. Torrent clients, game servers and home servers need it.
- PIA and Proton VPN offer it. NordVPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost, ExpressVPN and Mullvad don't.
- A VPN doesn't make downloading pirated material legal.
What port forwarding does
A VPN server normally only lets in replies to connections you started. That's good for security, but it means nobody can start a connection to you. Port forwarding opens one port on the VPN server and passes whatever arrives there to your device. You'd want it to:
- Share torrents properly. Without an open port you can only connect to peers that have one, so downloads are slower and you can't seed to most people.
- Host a game server that friends can join.
- Reach your home network from outside: a media server, a security camera or a remote desktop.
Some Australian home and mobile internet connections use carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), which blocks incoming connections even without a VPN. Your ISP can tell you if yours does; some will give you a public IP address on request. A VPN with port forwarding is another way round it.
Who offers it
- PIA offers it on selected servers, including all five of its Australian locations (PIA).
- Proton VPN offers it on paid plans, on its P2P servers, in the Windows, macOS and Linux apps (Proton VPN).
- Mullvad used to, but removed it in 2023, citing abuse (Mullvad).
- NordVPN doesn't, "for security reasons" (NordVPN); it points people wanting remote access to its Meshnet feature instead. ExpressVPN's router app can forward ports, but outside the VPN tunnel.
Torrenting (P2P)
Most VPNs allow P2P, but some only on certain servers. PIA allows it on every server, and NordVPN on all its standard servers. Proton VPN only on its P2P servers, and only on paid plans; other servers block it (Proton VPN). Where it says "Not confirmed", we couldn't find a clear policy on the provider's own site.
| VPN | Port forwarding | Torrenting (P2P) |
|---|---|---|
| CyberGhost | No"CyberGhost VPN doesn't support port forwarding due to security concerns." | Not confirmed |
| ExpressVPN | NoExpressVPN's VPN servers don't support port forwarding. Its router app can forward ports to devices on your network, but outside the VPN. | Not confirmed |
| Mullvad | NoDiscontinued: new ports stopped on 29 May 2023 and existing ones were deleted on 1 July 2023. | Not confirmed |
| NordVPN | NoNordVPN says it does not support port forwarding 'for security reasons'. It points to Meshnet for remote access. | Allowed on every server"All standard NordVPN servers now support P2P", so there's no separate P2P server list any more. |
| Private Internet Access | YesOn selected servers, including all five Australian locations (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney). | Allowed on every server'Full support for torrenting on every PIA VPN server.' |
| Proton VPN | YesPaid plans, in the Windows, macOS and Linux GUI apps, on P2P servers only. Uses NAT-PMP. Not documented for Android or iOS. Manual setup possible with WireGuard or OpenVPN configs. | Allowed on some serversOn paid plans, on Proton's P2P servers only; other servers block torrent traffic. |
| Surfshark | NoSurfshark states: 'Surfshark VPN does not support port forwarding.' | Not confirmed |
The law
Torrenting itself is legal; sharing copyrighted films, shows or music without permission isn't, with or without a VPN. A VPN hides your IP address from other peers, but it doesn't change the law, and providers' terms rule it out too: Surfshark's, for one, forbid distributing copyright-protected material. If you torrent, turn on the kill switch so your real address isn't exposed if the VPN drops.