Download Speed when using VPN Software?

[bihappy]

Hi everyone,

This is my very first post on this forum so will hopefully abide by rules!
My question is quite a simple one but I have not been able to find any clear answer regardless of the Websites and pages I have browsed so far.
I have subscribed to the best FTTH plan I could get from my ISP vendor (500 Mbps download / 200 mbps upload).
I then subscribed to a VPN:
- I initially subscribed for a 1-week trial from IPVanish first but was quite disappointed with download speeds.
- I subscribed a few days ago to the 1-month trial from ExpressVPN
At this stage, download speeds are an average of 40-80 Mbps depending on the time of the day. Which is ok I guess (at least according to ExpressVPN Support guys).
Now when it comes to torrenting, download speeds are down to a max. of 1.2 Mbps (through qBittorrent cause Vuze was an absolute disaster).
I know that I should be able to get much higher speeds if I were to use port forwarding with no VPN. But obviously want to focus on privacy and not using port forwarding.
So my question is: Is there anything I can do to increase this speed or do I need to live with it?

Thanks for your help.

[Peter]

Yes, you can switch to a better provider.

I used: Private Internet Access, AirVPN. They both did 500mbps+ speeds.
Others also endorse "NordVPN" (never used it.)

You can also use SOCKS5 proxies, IIRC all of these providers provide you with one. (PIA does for sure.)

[bihappy]

Thank you, @Peter ! I have checked the Private Internet Access website per your recommendations.

Two quick questions:

* Will I get some increased download speed when torrenting with Private Internet Access?
* A number of websites recommend not to use Port Forwarding when torrenting. Which is ok with IPVanish or ExpressVPN as none of them supports Port Forwarding anyway. However Private Internet Access does support this. Do you think I can safely use Port Forwarding with Private Internet Access to increase my download speed when torrenting - or is it a good recipe for IP address leaks, etc.?

[Switeck]

Port forwarding helps if it forwards the right device.

In the case of the VPN, a distant computer/server needs to be port forwarded so it sends incoming connection traffic on to your computer. There is usually a special procedure needed to be done that's specific to a VPN service to forward ports with them.

But you DON'T want to port forward your router when using a VPN or proxy because then incoming traffic on your regular IPv4 connection will reach your computer and qBT. That can cause in-the-clear internet traffic to totally defeat the purpose of the VPN or proxy.

Mentioned here also...along with other issues:
Warning: If you're using a VPN or proxy...
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