Best ExtraTorrent Alternatives The ExtraTorrent ceased operations six years ago, but many people are still searching for reliable alternatives to the popular torrenting platform. Consequently, numerous ExtraTorrent proxy sites emerged, with extratorrents.cc being a particularly favored choice. However, these proxy sites were mostly used for malicious activities such as phishing or spreading malware. To help users find the best ExtraTorrent alternatives that aren’t harmful and have been around for a while, we tested several torrent sites. In this article, we present the 12 best ExtraTorrent alternatives that are active and running. It is important to note that when using any torrenting site, you should take measures to protect yourself from inadvertently downloading malicious software. The most effective way to do this is by utilizing NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature which will secure your device against malware.
Are ExtraTorrent Alternatives Safe?
After ExtraTorrent closed, it erased its database and removed its official mirror sites. This led to the emergence of imitation websites and mirror sites. It’s important to be cautious of replicas or imitations claiming to be ExtraTorrent. The original site warned users to steer clear of fakes before shutting down, which is sound advice that we support. Additionally, we suggest a range of precautions for using ExtraTorrent alternatives safely.
- Subscribe to a VPN to encrypt your data. After conducting thorough tests on NordVPN, we found that this service is capable of protecting your sensitive data by providing strong AES 256-bit encryption and a range of other security features.
- Use antivirus software. By installing the best antivirus software, you will be safeguarded from various forms of malware such as viruses and Trojans.
- Go to reputable torrent sites. Using well-known sites to download torrents will make it more likely that you can access clean files.
- Download verified torrents only. These types of files are safe to download as they have been vetted by users.
- Choose torrents with a high number of seeds. If you want to have access to your torrent quickly, opt for a file with many seeders, as this will increase the speed of the download.
- Check comments on the site. It is always a good idea to see what others say about the torrent you want to download.
The 12 Best ExtraTorrent Alternatives
ExtraTorrent gained widespread popularity among torrent users due to its vast and regularly updated library, user-friendly interface, and reliability. However, with the shutdown of ExtraTorrent in 2017, torrent enthusiasts have been seeking alternatives that offer similar features. After thorough research, we have compiled a list of the 12 best alternatives to ExtraTorrent based on essential criteria like extensive collection of torrents, ease of use, and reliability. Some popular substitutes include The Pirate Bay, LimeTorrents, RARBG, 1337x, and Torrentz2. With these options at hand, users can continue to enjoy their favorite content without any disruption.
1. The Pirate Bay: Best overall torrent site
The Pirate Bay is widely recognized as the leading torrent site, offering a vast collection of music, books, movies, TV shows, software, videos, and more. It stands out as one of the top torrent sites for its user-friendly search and filtering features, allowing users to easily find and browse content. The site distinguishes itself from other alternatives by providing color-coded skulls to indicate the safety of torrent downloads, with green and purple skulls signifying trusted and verified torrents. While The Pirate Bay is blocked in numerous countries, a VPN such as NordVPN can be used to access the site by changing the IP address and virtual location.
2. 1337x: Best for software and TV shows
1337x has a significant history of controversy, similar to any peer-to-peer torrent service that has endured over time. Despite facing issues such as being banned by search engines and infected with malware, 1337x has made it to our ExtraTorrent alternatives list. In October 2016, the site underwent a redesign, eliminating all malware and presenting a fresh user-friendly interface without ads. Its extensive library of updated content and reputation for the latest releases make it a standout P2P torrent site. While it lacks a direct identifier for safe torrents like The Pirate Bay, users can still verify genuine uploaders by examining their upload history. By exercising caution when downloading torrent files, using 1337x should pose no problems.
3. TorrentDownloads: Good ExtraTorrent alternative for all entertainment software
TorrentDownloads is a versatile torrenting site, offering filters for TV shows, movies, music, games, and other entertainment content. The layout is well-organized, although the website may seem a bit outdated. On the homepage, there are lists of recent TV shows and movies, such as John Wick 4 and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. While it may not be easy to find exactly what you want, the filters effectively narrow things down. The site has numerous ads, and it’s important to be cautious as ads on unofficial sites can be risky. Using a VPN, like NordVPN with a built-in ad blocker, can help protect against tracking and malicious ads.
4. YTS: Good range of movie torrents
YTS is known for being the most user-friendly torrent website, with a primary focus on movies. The site allows users to easily browse the latest movies, filter by 4K, and access torrent files in various resolutions, including 720p, 1080p, 2160p, and 4K. Its popularity surged due to its ability to provide top releases in smaller file sizes, leading to significantly reduced download times.
We consider it to be among the top torrent websites because it provides a wide range of timeless classics, like Casablanca, available for HD download. Although the website does not directly display ads, it redirects them to a new tab when a movie title is clicked. However, it’s important to note that downloading copyrighted content for free, particularly from platforms like YTS, is unlawful. Depending on your location, this could lead to significant fines or imprisonment. It is strongly recommended to refrain from downloading any unauthorized copyrighted material.
5. LimeTorrents: Best for the latest torrents
We appreciated the user-friendly and easy-to-navigate interface of LimeTorrents. Upon visiting the site, we observed that the homepage includes a large search bar for quick searches. In addition to specific searches, there are categories such as games, movies, anime, and apps below the search bar for browsing. The website boasts a vast database primarily because it does not host its own torrents but instead provides links to torrents on other platforms. It prides itself on being a family-friendly site and refrains from hosting adult content. LimeTorrents is excellent for obtaining the latest torrents. However, it is not reliable for older torrents due to a lack of a sufficient seed/peer ratio.
6. Nyaa.si: Great ExtraTorrent alternative for anime
Hey anime enthusiasts, we’ve got you covered! Nyaa stands as one of the top anime-focused torrent sites online. We had a great time exploring its extensive anime collection, regularly updated for its 46 million monthly visitors. Thanks to a high seeds/peer ratio, our downloads were speedy. Nyaa is also recognized as one of the top alternatives to Kickass Torrents. We particularly appreciated the color-coded categorization for anime episodes.
- Red for English-translated
- Grey for anime-raw
- Brown for live-action, English-translated
- Green for non-English translated episodes
The website is primarily focused on East Asian content, particularly torrents that cater to the region. It’s important to note that a significant amount of the content, particularly anime, is copyright-protected, so caution should be exercised when downloading to ensure compliance with your country’s laws.
7. EZTV: Best for TV shows
Although the Pirate Bay reigns as the top torrent site, EZTV holds the title for TV shows. We observed that its user interface resembles ExtraTorrent’s but is more disorganized. Nevertheless, we appreciated the site’s distinctive and practical content organization. For instance, the homepage categorizes TV shows as the latest additions, full season packs, and the 20 most seeded torrents, facilitating easy discovery of desired or new content.
EZTV stands out as a top-tier torrent platform, known for promptly uploading episodes following their release. It’s worth noting that our download speeds were quite impressive. It’s essential to utilize a VPN, particularly if EZTV is restricted in your area. Additionally, we appreciate the website’s endorsement of VPN usage. Without a VPN, your online activities are visible to your internet service provider, making it crucial to employ a VPN service such as NordVPN for concealing your online presence and evading tracking.
8. Torlock: Large library of different torrents
Torlock takes pride in being a torrent site that does not tolerate fake content. To maintain this standard, the site incentivizes users to report any malware they encounter. With over nine million torrents and new additions daily, the site ensures visibility for new torrents on the first page and offers browsing by categories or top 100 rankings. While the site is relatively fast and user-friendly, recent updates have led to intrusive advertisements. If this issue persists, we may explore alternative options to ExtraTorrent.
9. Torrentz2: Largest torrent search engine alternative for ExtraTorrent
Torrentz2 is a revival of the well-known torrent search engine Torrentz, which was initially launched in 2003. It serves as one of the top ExtraTorrent alternatives, indexing more than 31 million active torrents from over 125 million pages across 50 domains, making it one of the largest torrent search engines. During our evaluation of the site, we observed that it featured a straightforward user interface with a search box akin to Google. The site efficiently retrieved content from various sources and directed us straight to the download page for our desired site. Additionally, we regard Torrentz2 as one of the finest RARBG alternatives. However, it is worth noting that the search results can at times be unreliable and not aligned with the user’s specific query. As a result, individuals often use the site in conjunction with other ExtraTorrent platforms.
10. TorrentFunk: Large database of torrents
TorrentFunk features torrents in a sophisticated, intricate lime-green user interface. It is regarded as one of the top torrent sites due to its labeling of safe torrents as “verified” and its rating system for files as either good or bad, ensuring that users only download safe files. The site offers a wide range of categories including movies, TV shows, books, and video games, all with good health and numerous seeds. Additionally, it provides a reliable search function for quick access to desired content. Furthermore, the torrents are organized by date added, size, seeds, uploader, and health, facilitating the seamless discovery of the best file for direct download or magnet link.
11. BitLord: A torrent client with Chromecast support
BitLord is a torrent client that can be downloaded and used privately on both Windows and macOS operating systems. The installation process was straightforward, although the interface may take some time to get used to. Nonetheless, it functions well, allowing for easy torrent searches using the integrated search bar. We were able to easily locate movies and popular Netflix shows on BitLord for downloading.
The download speeds were also impressive, reaching around 30 Mbps during our testing. All processes and downloads occur within the client itself. Our testing has confirmed that BitLord is a secure and practical torrent client. However, it is important to use a VPN for protection against malware when downloading new programs or files through torrents. We have tested NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature and can verify its effectiveness in blocking malicious software and ads.
12.torrentHound: Downloadable torrent app
TorrentHound serves as an alternative to ExtraTorrent, operating as a reliable downloadable torrent client with filters that are useful for finding content, although it may not always display the latest material. The platform offers a mix of old and new movies and TV shows, but ensures strong download speeds with enough seeders.
What Happened to RARBG?
In the past, RARBG was included on our list of torrent sites, but it ceased operations in mid-2023 due to a range of issues, including the impact of the war in Eastern Europe. The operators decided to take RARBG offline and shared a message with torrenting fans before doing so.
- Some of the people in our team died due to covid complications, others still suffer the side effects of it – not being able to work at all. Some are also fighting the war in Europe – ON BOTH SIDES.
- Also, the power price increase in data centers in Europe hit us pretty hard. Inflation makes our daily expenses impossible to bare. Therefore we can no longer run this site without massive expenses that we can no longer cover out of pocket.
- After an unanimous vote we’ve decided that we can no longer do it.
We are sorry
How We Chose the Best VPN for ExtraTorrent Alternatives
Torrenting is considered a risky online activity, so it’s important to use a VPN for protection against tracking and malware. Our cybersecurity experts considered these factors when selecting the right VPN.
- Anonymity: It is crucial to avoid being tracked and to keep your location hidden from all users in your torrent group. NordVPN’s zero-logs policy, 256-bit encryption, and additional security features safeguard your anonymity.
- Server choice: Torrents may experience decreased speed when a server is used by too many people, a common occurrence with free VPNs. However, NordVPN, our top-performing VPN provider, offers a robust network of over 6000 servers to guarantee the availability of high-speed options.
- Malware protection: NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature actively decreases the chances of encountering malware. Steer clear of suspicious websites and conduct malware scans on files before opening them.
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Final Words
In spite of ExtraTorrent’s permanent shutdown, there are viable options available today. Notable ExtraTorrent alternatives include The Pirate Bay, a comprehensive torrent site, and 1337x, a platform for secure torrent files. These websites are user-friendly and offer extensive collections across various categories with favorable seed/peer ratios. However, caution is advised when dealing with ExtraTorrent mirror sites, as unrestricted free downloads may lead to potential copyright infringement and exposure to malware transmitted by cybercriminals.
FAQs
Are torrents legal?
It depends with what you download as a torrent. Torrents in themselves are legal. They’re just a medium for sharing files with one another. But it is illegal to download copyrighted materials, such as movies, music, and books.
Is ExtraTorrent down?
ExtraTorrent was permanently shut down in 2017. But, there are a number of top ExtraTorrent alternatives that you can choose from.
What are the best alternatives to extratorrent.cc that work in 2024?
Today, there are several excellent torrent sites that serve as viable alternatives to ExtraTorrent. Popular options include The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Torlock.
