If you landed on this page, you‘re probably wondering: What happened to Torrent9? This super popular torrent site let millions easily find movies, music, games, software, books, and more. But sadly, the Torrent9.nz domain has been suspended and now just shows an error notice.
Not to worry though – we‘ve got you covered with a hand-picked list of the top 5 best Torrent9 alternatives still working today. I‘ll share everything you need to know to find a new home for torrenting.
Let‘s start with a quick recap of Torrent9 for those unfamiliar, then dig into the details on 5 awesome replacement options. I‘ll also answer common questions about the suspension, copyright laws, and how to stay safe while downloading torrents.
A Look Back at Torrent9 – What Made it Popular?
Torrent9 launched back in 2007 as a torrent search engine, indexing millions of torrents aggregated from hundreds of other torrent sites and trackers.
It became massively popular, especially among French speakers across Europe, Africa, and Canada. At its peak before the shutdown in 2018, Torrent9 was getting over 12 million visits per month.
What made it so popular?
Huge Content Library
Torrent9 indexed over 2.5 million torrent files covering movies, TV shows, music, games, software, ebooks, and more. No matter how obscure what you were searching for, Torrent9 likely had it.
Focus on French Content
Over half of the indexed torrents were in French, making Torrent9 a go-to source for French speakers looking for French-language media.
Powerful Search and Discovery
The site worked like a torrent search engine, crawling numerous trackers and indexes to allow searching from one place. This made discovering torrents easy.
Clean and Simple Interface
Torrent9 had a fast, lightweight site. The focus was totally on search and discovery, not cluttered with lots of ads or distractions.
This combination of a massive index, multi-lingual content, powerful search, and simplicity made Torrent9 a favorite among torrenters.
Why Did Torrent9 Get Suspended?
Unfortunately, Torrent9‘s popularity also attracted increased scrutiny from copyright holders and authorities.
Torrent sites are often used to share pirated copyrighted content like movies, TV shows, and software. Even though plenty of legal torrents existed on Torrent9, the prevalence of pirated materials put a target on its back.
After over a decade online, in 2018 the Torrent9.nz domain was suspended following legal complaints. The site is now inaccessible, displaying this notice:
While this was disappointing to the millions of fans who loved Torrent9, several alternatives have stepped up to fill the void.
Next, let‘s explore the top 5 best torrent sites to replace Torrent9 in 2022.
Ranking the Top 5 Torrent9 Alternative Sites
Finding sites like Torrent9 with a vast content selection and great features takes research. My team and I spent hours comparing the top contenders on factors like:
- Content library – How big is their selection across categories?
- Indexing – Do they crawl numerous sources or rely on uploads?
- Monthly traffic – How popular is the site? More traffic means more content.
- Language support – For Torrent9 fans, multi-lingual support is key.
- Impact of ads – Are ads intrusive or more discreet?
- Download speeds – Fast downloads improve the user experience.
- Specialization – Some sites focus on specific types of content.
Based on this criteria, we narrowed it down to the top 5 Torrent9 alternative sites:
1. The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay is the most well-established torrent site, online since 2003. It offers a massive general purpose library with over 6.4 million indexed torrents.
While it does have more ads than some sites, it makes up for that by having the largest selection and most features.
Key Stats:
- 6.4+ million torrents indexed
- 50+ million peers
- 27 million visits/month
- Supported languages: 45+
Pros
👍 Massive content library across all categories
👍 Familiar brand name and community
👍 Multi-lingual support
Cons
👎 More ads than other options
👎 Occasional domain changes
2. RARBG
RARBG takes a selective approach, focusing exclusively on scene releases. All uploads are verified for quality and legitimacy, so no fakes or malware make it through.
It has a smaller selection of just over 1.3 million torrents, but excels at movies, TV shows, and software.
Key Stats:
- 1.3+ million verified torrents
- 15+ million peers
- 4.5 million visits/month
- Supported languages: 50+
Pros
👍 Zero malware or fake torrents
👍 Specializes in scene releases
👍 Light ad footprint
Cons
👎 Smaller selection than some sites
👎 Mostly English content
3. LimeTorrents
LimeTorrents has been around for over 15 years. It indexes a huge library of over 10 million torrents across all categories like games, music, TV, software, and more.
The site is easy to search and navigate, though there are more popups and ads compared to alternatives.
Key Stats:
- 10 million+ indexed torrents
- 17+ million peers
- 7.1 million visits/month
- Supported languages: 20+
Pros
👍 Massive content selection
👍 Established brand since 2006
👍 Multi-lingual support
Cons
👎 More ads/popups than competitors
4. 1337X
1337X takes a targeted approach, excelling in niche categories like ebooks, music, games, anime, and software. It has a curated selection of just over 1 million verified torrents.
The site is praised for its clean interface, active community, and lightning fast downloads.
Key Stats:
- 1.1+ million verified torrents
- 42+ million peers
- 7.1 million visits/month
- Supported languages: 10+
Pros
👍 Specialized content categories
👍 Strict verification for all torrents
👍 Lightweight and fast
Cons
👎 Smaller selection than some sites
5. YTS
YTS (also called YIFY) exclusively offers movie and TV show torrents, with a selection of over 4,000 titles. The uploads are compressed for smaller file sizes great for streaming.
While the library only focuses on movies/TV, the unique rips have a loyal following.
Key Stats:
- 4,000+ movie/TV torrents
- 200,000+ peers
- 1.7 million visits/month
- Supported languages: 20+
Pros
👍 Movie/TV specialty site
👍 Smaller files for streaming
👍 Brand reputation
Cons
👎 Only movies/TV, no other content
For detailed side-by-side comparisons of the key pros and cons, check out the tables below:
Content Libraries
| Site | Total Torrents | Movies | TV Shows | Games | Music | Books | Software |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pirate Bay | 6.4 million | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| RARBG | 1.3 million | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| LimeTorrents | 10+ million | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 1337X | 1.1+ million | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| YTS | 4,000+ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Key Features
| Site | Searches | Comments | Proxy Sites | Download Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pirate Bay | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| RARBG | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| LimeTorrents | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| 1337X | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| YTS | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Traffic and Language Support
| Site | Monthly Visits | Languages |
|---|---|---|
| The Pirate Bay | 27 million | 45+ |
| RARBG | 4.5 million | 50+ |
| LimeTorrents | 7.1 million | 20+ |
| 1337X | 7.1 million | 10+ |
| YTS | 1.7 million | 20+ |
Finding the Right Fit
With millions of users displaced from Torrentz9 looking for a new home, no one site can perfectly replace it.
The Pirate Bay comes closest with its huge library and familiar brand. But niche sites like 1337X and YTS fill gaps by specializing in certain content categories.
We recommend choosing the site that best fits your needs:
- For the most content across all categories, try The Pirate Bay or LimeTorrents
- For guaranteed quality releases, go with RARBG
- For obscure books/music/anime, check out 1337X
- For compressed movies and TV, give YTS a shot
And of course, using a combination of sites will give you the most options.
Key Security Tips for Safe Torrenting
No matter which new torrent site you pick, it‘s extremely important to take steps to protect your privacy and security:
Use a Trusted VPN
A VPN like NordVPN or ExpressVPN should be your first line of defense anytime you use torrents. This will:
- Encrypt your connection so no one can see what you‘re downloading
- Hide your IP address from copyright trolls monitoring swarms
- Keep your ISP from throttling your bandwidth or cutting off service
- Bypass geographic blocks to access torrent sites
Limit Your Seeding
Don‘t keep torrents seeding forever after your download finishes. This exposes your IP longer than necessary.
Scan Downloads for Malware
Use your antivirus to scan any downloaded files before opening to check for viruses or other malware.
Read Comments Before Downloading
Sometimes comments will warn about fake torrents or virus risks. Check first.
Avoid Pirated Content
It‘s best to stick to downloading legal, copyright-free content when possible. Infringing on copyright opens up legal risks.
Use Site Mirrors If Necessary
If your ISP has blocked a torrent site domain, look for proxy and mirror sites that access the same database.
Isn‘t Downloading Torrents Illegal?
This is a common question those new to torrenting often have. The answer isn‘t completely black and white.
Simply downloading and sharing torrent files themselves is not illegal in most countries. Torrents are just small files that point users to sources for downloading the actual content.
However, downloading copyright-protected content like movies, music or software via torrents without the owner‘s permission is usually considered copyright infringement.
Penalties range from warning letters to bandwidth throttling to lawsuits and fines. Your likelihood of getting in trouble depends on factors like your country‘s laws, what you download, and how aggressively copyright holders enforce.
To avoid legal risks:
- Don‘t download newly released movies, albums, ebooks, etc via torrents
- Stick to content in the public domain or offered directly by the creator
- Use a VPN to make it harder for copyright trolls to track your IP
- Limit your torrenting activity to stay off the radar
While some people do torrent without regard for copyright, this guide does not endorse illegal downloading. Please torrent responsibly.
More Great Torrenting Resources
To go deeper on torrenting, be sure to check out these detailed tutorials:
- How to Download Torrents Anonymously
- Is Torrenting without a VPN Dangerous?
- 8 Best Torrent Clients and Downloaders Tested
- Ultimate Guide to Kodi and Plex Streaming
Torrent9 Alternatives – The Bottom Line
While we‘ll miss the legendary Torrent9 site, plenty of worthy alternatives have stepped in to fill the void. By following this guide to the top 5 best Torrent9 replacement options, you can keep discovering great content while protecting your security.
Wherever you land – be sure to use a VPN and torrent responsibly! With so many torrent sites rising and falling, bookmark this page. We‘ll keep it updated with any changes to these Torrent9 alternatives or the emergence of promising new players.
