If ExpressVPN is the Apple of the VPN world—shiny, expensive, and locked down—then TorGuard is the Linux distribution that requires you to compile your own kernel. It is messy, it is complicated, and it is incredibly powerful in the right hands.
The name itself tells you everything you need to know. A portmanteau of "Torrent" and "Guard," this service was born in the golden age of file sharing, designed specifically to protect BitTorrent users from copyright trolls and ISP throttling. While other VPNs have pivoted to become lifestyle brands selling "digital freedom" to soccer moms, TorGuard has stayed true to its roots. It is a tool for nerds.
But is a tool designed in 2012 still relevant in 2025? Can a torguard vpn subscription actually compete with the modern giants on speed and streaming? And crucially, can we trust a privacy company headquartered in Orlando, Florida? This torguard review is a forensic audit of the service. We are going to tear apart the torguard download clients, stress-test the port forwarding features, and give you the raw data you need to decide if you are ready to join the power users.
The Jurisdiction Problem: Why Florida?
Let's address the elephant in the room immediately. TorGuard is owned by VPNetworks LLC, and they are based in the United States. For many privacy purists, this is a dealbreaker. The US is the primary architect of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. It has legal mechanisms like National Security Letters (NSLs) that can compel companies to hand over data while gagging them from telling the public.
So, why would a privacy company stay there? TorGuard argues that the US actually has no mandatory data retention laws for VPNs. Unlike the EU, where directives often force ISPs to keep logs for months, US companies are legally allowed to delete data the moment it is processed. TorGuard operates on a strict "No Logs" basis. They state that if a server were seized, it would contain nothing but the current operating system, because they write nothing to the disk.
Is this risky? Yes. But in over a decade of operation, there has never been a publicized case of TorGuard handing over user data. For the average user avoiding copyright strikes or ISP tracking, the jurisdiction is likely a non-issue. For a whistleblower leaking state secrets, however, a US-based service is an unnecessary risk.
Torrenting and Port Forwarding: The Crown Jewel
This is why you buy torguard. While competitors like Mullvad and IVPN have removed port forwarding citing security concerns, TorGuard has kept it.
Why does this matter? When you use a standard VPN, you are behind a NAT firewall. You can connect to other peers, but they cannot initiate a connection to you. This limits your pool of available peers, which hurts your download speeds and absolutely destroys your upload speeds. If you are on a private tracker that requires you to maintain a 1:1 ratio, using a VPN without port forwarding is a nightmare. You simply cannot seed effectively.
With TorGuard, you can request a specific port (e.g., 54321) through their dashboard or client. You plug that number into qBittorrent, and suddenly the floodgates open. You become "connectable." In our testing on a high-speed fiber line, enabling port forwarding increased our upload speeds by over 400% compared to a non-forwarded connection. For the BitTorrent community, this feature alone makes torguard downloads superior to almost anything else on the market.
Streaming: The Dedicated IP Solution
If you try to use a standard TorGuard shared server to watch Netflix, you will likely fail. Streaming services have blacklisted most of TorGuard's shared IP ranges years ago. If you read a torguard review that claims it works seamlessly out of the box, they are likely lying or got incredibly lucky.
However, TorGuard has a solution: The Streaming Bundle.
This package includes a "Dedicated Streaming IP." This is an IP address that is assigned only to you. Because no one else is using it, Netflix's algorithms don't see 5,000 people connecting from the same spot. To them, you just look like a regular guy in Chicago or London.
In our tests, the Dedicated Streaming IP (we tested a USA and a UK IP) was flawless. It unblocked Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+ with a 100% success rate. No buffering, no proxy errors. It is the most reliable streaming experience you can get, but it comes with a catch: it costs extra (unless you find a good torguard promo code), and you are tied to that one location. You can't flip from US to Japan instantly; you only have the dedicated IP you paid for.
Speed and Protocols: WireGuard vs. OpenVPN
TorGuard gives you too many choices, which is exactly how its users like it.
WireGuard
This is the modern standard. In our speed tests, TorGuard's WireGuard implementation is blistering. On a 1 Gbps connection, we regularly saw speeds north of 800 Mbps on local servers. It effectively maxes out your connection. If you need raw throughput for downloading massive files, this is the protocol to use.
OpenVPN
Slower than WireGuard, but infinitely more configurable. You can choose your encryption cipher (AES-128-GCM for speed on low-end routers, AES-256-GCM for paranoia). You can choose your handshake. You can even run scripts before and after connection.
Stealth Protocols (OpenConnect & Stunnel)
If you are on a restrictive network—say, a university campus or a corporate office that blocks VPNs—TorGuard shines. They support OpenConnect (a protocol used by enterprise Cisco networks) and Stunnel (which wraps your VPN traffic in SSL encryption to look like HTTPS web traffic). These are powerful tools for bypassing deep packet inspection.
The App Experience: Ugly but Functional
When you perform the torguard download and open the app, do not expect the polished, bubbly aesthetic of Surfshark or ExpressVPN. The TorGuard client looks like it was designed by an engineer in 2015. It is gray, text-heavy, and dense.
But for the target audience, this is a feature, not a bug. Everything is right there. You don't have to click through three sub-menus to find the kill switch. The server list shows you the exact ping and load. You can see the connection logs scrolling in real-time if you want to debug a connection issue.
The "App Kill" feature is particularly robust. Unlike a standard system kill switch that cuts your whole internet if the VPN drops, App Kill allows you to terminate specific applications (like your torrent client) instantly if the tunnel fails, while leaving your browser connected. This granular control is what separates TorGuard from the "lifestyle" VPNs.
Pricing, Coupons, and the "Lifetime" Economy
TorGuard's official pricing page is a lie. Almost nobody pays the full retail price. TorGuard operates on a permanent "sale" economy.
If you search for a torguard coupon or torguard discount code, you will find codes like "TGLifetime50" that slash the price by 50% forever. This means your renewal price never goes up. This brings the torguard price down from "average" to "incredibly cheap."
Torguard black friday deals are even more aggressive, often bundling a free dedicated IP or a 10GB proxy network subscription with the main VPN.
There is also a recurring "Pro" plan that includes the dedicated IP. If you plan to stream, this is the one to get. While there is no free trial in the traditional sense, the 7-day money-back guarantee allows you to test the waters. However, be warned: compared to the 30-day standard of competitors, 7 days is tight. You need to test it immediately upon purchase.
Competitor Comparisons
NordVPN vs TorGuard
This is a battle of philosophies. NordVPN is for the generalist. It has a beautiful app, thousands of servers, and "Meshnet" features that appeal to everyone. It unblocks streaming on shared servers automatically.
TorGuard is for the specialist. It has port forwarding (which Nord lacks). It has better script support. If you torrent, TorGuard wins. If you want to watch Netflix on your iPad without configuring anything, NordVPN wins.
ExpressVPN vs TorGuard
ExpressVPN charges a premium for simplicity and reliability. It works everywhere, on everything, with zero configuration. But it is expensive, and it lacks the advanced tweaking options.
TorGuard is significantly cheaper (with codes) and offers more raw power, but requires more effort to set up. In a torguard vs expressvpn showdown, ExpressVPN takes the crown for the casual user, but TorGuard obliterates it on value and technical flexibility.
TorGuard VPN Review Netherlands and Regional Performance
We specifically tested a torguard vpn review Netherlands scenario because the Netherlands is a global hub for P2P traffic due to its massive internet pipes and lax enforcement history.
Connecting to TorGuard's Amsterdam servers yielded some of the best speeds we have ever recorded on a commercial VPN. We sustained 920 Mbps on a 1 Gbps line. If you are in Europe, using the Dutch servers for your P2P activities is the optimal setup. The latency is low, and the bandwidth is seemingly bottomless.
Support and Community
The torguard reddit community (r/TorGuard) is active but small. It's a place where users swap scripts and config tips. The official support is handled via a ticket system and live chat.
Do not expect "Customer Service Voice." The support agents are technical. If you ask them why your speed is slow, they will ask you for your MTU settings and handshake logs. They solve problems fast, but they expect you to be able to follow technical instructions. For the target demographic, this is perfect. For my grandmother, it would be a nightmare.
Conclusion: The Last Bastion of the Power User
In 2025, TorGuard feels like a relic in the best possible way. It refuses to dumb itself down. It offers features that other companies are too scared or too lazy to maintain.
If your search history includes terms like "port forwarding," "SOCKS5," "scripts," or "dedicated IP," then TorGuard is not just a good choice; it is the only choice. It is the best VPN for torrenting, bar none.
If you want a torguard review that tells you it's perfect for everyone, this isn't it. It's ugly. It's complicated. The US jurisdiction is annoying. But when you are pulling down a 100GB file at max speed while seeding to 50 peers securely, none of that matters. TorGuard is a power tool. If you know how to use it, it will build anything you want.