Kickass Torrents (KAT) was the holy grail for torrenting before the US government shut it down for copyright infringement violations. Since the main site stopped working, everyone has been left searching for alternatives. Many who truly loved the website have fallen prey to its fake mirror or proxy sites.
Fortunately, there are other great options available to continue your torrenting journey. This article lists the 5 best legal KAT alternatives that will let you access millions of TV shows, movies, music, ebooks, apps, games, and more for free.
DISCLAIMER: This guide focuses on providing information. The sites listed here offer free and legal content, and accessing them is safe. However, there are many torrent websites that host pirated content, making them illegal. For this reason, ExtremeVPN doesn’t appreciate using these services. Whatever site you’re accessing, make sure to conceal your IP address with a top-notch VPN and an antivirus. This way, no authorities or even your internet service provider can see your browsing history or trace any of your downloads.
The Best Kickass Torrents Alternatives – Quick List
In a hurry? Here’s a quick rundown of the 5 best alternatives to Kickass Torrents that work right now:
- Academic Torrents: Research-focused website built for sharing academic papers and large datasets.
- Public Domain Torrents: Great for downloading classic, copyright-free movies.
- Jamendo: Offers copyright-free music. Mainly promoted independent artist
- Project Gutenberg: Allows you to download or read ebooks online.
- Internet Archive: A fantastic site that offers free and legal torrent files.
5 Best Sites Like Kickass Torrents – Detailed List
1. Academic Torrents
Free
Best for researchers and students
Limited to academic studies only
Academic Torrent, as its name suggests, is a torrent site created by researchers. It aims to make publications, research papers, courses, and data sets available to everyone. People who like reading books or want to learn a new skill can access this site from anywhere in the world.
The best part? You can also share your research with the world by uploading it to the website. The website can offer a lot, with over 298.05TB of content present in its directory. You can also explore its “View Popular” section, which lists the most viewed or liked content.
2. Public Domain Torrents
Do you like watching movies? Public Domain Torrents is where you can find and download hundreds of movie titles. The site’s content collection is huge; you can select and explore many categories, such as War, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Martial Arts, Horror, etc, making it a great alternative to Kickass Torrents.
The interface looks old, but the good thing is that all of the content available is legal to access. Public Domain Torrents is generally safe, but we can’t say the same for the advertisements it displays. To protect themselves, we recommend users to always stay connected to a VPN, and use an antivirus.
3. Jamendo
Jamendo is a music website where you can download music to use in your videos without getting copyrights. The site is free, and mostly promotes music from independent artists (you won’t find mainstream music here, unfortunately). Jamendo currently has over 600,000 music titles in its catalog.
When you visit the website, you see it’s divided into two parts: Jamendo Music and Jamendo Licensing. One is to discover music from independent artists, the other is to download music for commercial use.
4. Project Gutenberg
Free
Allows free eBooks in different genres
Mostly old or public-domain books
This website is a home to find and download books for free and legally. It has more than 75,000 e-books in its catalog. If you like to read a book from a specific category, just go to the website and select the “Main Categories” tab. It will display a list of niches; just select and download it.
Project Gurenberg also keeps you updated with its “Recent Releases” section. We like the website’s “Frequently Downloaded” section, which displays how many books have been downloaded in the past 7 days or 30 days. You can also explore the “Top 100 Books” and “Top 100 authors.”
5. Internet Archive
Free
Offers many free and legal torrents
Doesn’t always have the latest content
Internet Archive is a popular, non-profit library that hosts millions of free public domain torrent media and links. It offers videos, audio files, software, books, high-quality images, and many other torrents, completely free and legal. While testing the site, we loved how easy it was to retrieve content using keywords and URLs.
Most movies and shows can be streamed on the site or downloaded as torrents. There’s also a section for archived torrents that you can filter by year or media type. This allows you to find the files you want to download quickly.
As awesome as the Internet Archive is, there’s a catch. Because most of the site’s torrents are public, it can be harder to find freshly released movies, TV series, and games.
The site distributes its massive collection using the BitTorrent protocol, so you can initiate downloads using any reliable torrent client. If you want faster downloads, we recommend using a lightweight BitTorrent client when accessing content on the Internet Archive.
Is Kickass Torrents Available Today?
Kickass Torrents was once one of the most popular and widely used torrenting websites worldwide. However, its reign ended in 2016 when the US Justice Department arrested the site’s founder, Artem Vaulin, and charged him with copyright infringement.
As a result, Kickass Torrents went offline and became permanently shut down. After that, anyone visiting the site was greeted with a warning notice from authorities stating the domain had been seized.
Popular Kickass Torrent Proxy Sites (Updated 2025)
Even though the original Kickass Torrents website went down years ago, several copycat sites have emerged that look almost identical to the official domain. They have the same layout and design and even operate under the same name, which may make it tempting to visit.
Here are the top proxy and mirror sites for Kickass that are working right now:
| Sr No. | Proxy/Mirror | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | kkickass.com | Active |
| 2. | kkat.net | Active |
| 3. | kickasshydra.dev | Active |
| 4. | kickasstorrents.to | Active |
| 5. | kick4ss.com | Active |
| 6. | thekickasstorrents.com | Active |
| 7. | kickass-official.blue | Active |
| 8. | kickasstorrents.cr | Active |
| 9. | kat.cc | Active |
| 10. | kickass.torrentbay.st | Active |
| 11. | kickass.cm | Active |
| 12. | kickass.sx | Active |
| 13. | katcr.to | Active |
We recommend caution when using these fake Kickass Torrents, as they have several red flags that should deter you from using them. For one, we noticed that the site promotes questionable third-party apps that may contain malware and malicious links.
Sometimes, it even restricts the download of torrent trackers, making it an unreliable option for downloading content. They also mostly offer copyrighted material that could get you into legal trouble. This is one major reason why most torrent sites are blocked in various parts of the world. We only advise users to access legal torrenting sites, and we advise against Kickass Torrents or its proxies because they violate copyright laws.
Hence, if you visit any of these websites to download media, at least do so cautiously and securely. Get a trusted VPN service like ExtremeVPN and an antivirus to always protect yourself.
Are Private Sites the Best Alternatives to Kickass Torrents?
Private torrenting sites such as Bibliotik and IPTorrents are often considered some of the best platforms like KAT because they offer a more exclusive and secure environment. However, gaining access to these sites takes a lot of work.
Private torrenting platforms often operate on an invitation-only basis, meaning not just anyone can sign up and browse the content. What’s more? Compared to public torrent services, they have their own rules and restrictions. Most of these sites operate on a ratio system that requires users to upload as much (or more) content as they download.
The ratio requirement encourages users to contribute by sharing their own torrents to help keep the site’s library growing. Once you get in, you will also need to follow the same rules and maintain a favorable ratio of the torrent files you download and upload. You risk losing your account if you download too much without sharing enough.
How to Access Private KAT Alternative Sites
It isn’t easy to access private websites that allow you to download trusted torrents. Hence, getting one can be tricky, but there are generally two ways to go about it:
- Direct invite: Do you personally know someone who’s a member? If you do, asking them for an invite is the easiest way. If you don’t, our pro tip is to join online communities and be friends with some members there. Members of Discord server communities or internet freedom forums or Discord servers sometimes share invites with their trusted online friends. Building relationships and trust within these communities can improve your chances of receiving an invite.
- Links on forums: Keep an eye on social media’s torrenting forums. Some private torrent site admins might release a batch of invites on public forums like Reddit for a specific period. While opportunities to join through forum invites are rare because they happen less often these days, if you’re lucky and have a keen eye, you can catch your chance.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the best private torrent sites can vary by region. Some countries have private, local torrenting sites that cater specifically to their people’s content needs and preferences in those areas. So, what might be the best alternative in one region may not be the same in another.
How to Torrent Safely on Kickass Torrents Alternatives
Even if you’re using the best torrent sites, you still have to make an effort to protect your personal information. Simply downloading files off various websites can lead to issues with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It can also expose you to malware or result in legal consequences if you violate copyright laws.
So, what can you do to reduce these risks? Follow these tips to ensure maximum security while torrenting:
Check the Torrenting Laws in Your Country
Before you start torrenting, you should know the laws regarding it in your country. We want to emphasize that we don’t condone illegal streaming or downloading. The rules on copyright and downloading content vary by region, but most countries consider torrenting copyrighted material a criminal offense.
Even in countries where torrenting is legal, this allowance only applies to non-copyrighted materials or content downloaded for personal use. For instance, in countries like Switzerland, Poland, and Spain, it’s legal to download copyrighted content for personal use. However, most governments punish copyright infringement, including sharing or downloading copyrighted files.
Countries like the US, UK, UAE, India, and Japan have stricter enforcement of copyright laws and even issue fines for illegal torrent downloads. If you want to ensure your safety, it’s generally best to avoid torrenting copyrighted materials entirely. However, if you choose to torrent, always stick to legally shared or open-source content.
Get a VPN and an Antivirus Program
Even if you’re not downloading illegal content, maintaining your anonymity and privacy is vital when using torrent sites. Hackers can get a lot of information about you just from your IP address. To keep yourself secure, use a VPN like ExtremeVPN for private torrent downloads. It will ensure no one sees your actual IP address, encrypts your data, and keeps your browsing private from prying eyes, including your ISP or potential hackers.
In addition to a VPN, you should implement some other safety measures. Get an ad blocker to avoid intrusive ads that could carry viruses, and install a reliable antivirus solution to protect against malicious software.
Carefully Examine the Torrents to Download
While a VPN and strong antivirus software usually provide enough protection, you still need to be cautious about the torrents you download. Here are a few extra safety tips for torrenting:
- Be cautious of links: Only open links that directly lead to downloading a torrent tracker file. Avoid clicking on random banner ads, as they can sometimes redirect you to malicious websites.
- Don’t disclose your credentials: Reputable torrent sites never ask for your login details. Be suspicious of anyone who requests your credentials, as this is likely a scam.
- Check comments and reviews: Many torrenting sites allow users to leave reviews or comments on downloaded files. Always read the comments before downloading anything. If the file is corrupted or infected, someone will flag it or point it out to save others the trouble.
How to Choose the Best VPN for Torrent Sites
With millions of people worldwide downloading and uploading torrent files daily, you can’t guarantee your safety and privacy on these sites. Unless you’re using a trustworthy VPN, your ISP, third parties, or even hackers can track your torrenting activities. Here are some tips for choosing the best VPN for websites like KickassTorrents:
Ensure it Conceals Your IP Address
Many free VPNs can help you bypass geo-restrictions, but at the end of the day, your IP address and virtual location aren’t really private. In fact, some of them might sell your personal data and browsing traffic to earn money.
Well, you won’t have to worry about that with ExtremeVPN. It perfectly conceals your real IP address and follows a strict no-logs policy that ensures that your internet service provider (ISP) and other third parties won’t be able to monitor your online activities or track what you’re downloading.
Optimized P2P Servers
Some VPNs offer specialized servers for activities that require heavy bandwidth, like torrenting or peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing. With ExtremeVPN’s ultra-fast P2P servers, you can enjoy stable connections and quicker download speeds when downloading torrent files.
Extensive Server Network
A quality torrenting VPN should have an extensive network of servers so you can change your virtual location easily according to the location you want. ExtremeVPN offers over 6,500 servers in 78+ countries worldwide.
Once you install it, you can connect to any of the servers and hide your real location. It will also change your IP address so you can access platforms that may otherwise be blocked in your country.
Military-grade AES 256-bit Encryption
The best VPNs offer top-notch encryption, so you should choose a service that offers it. ExtremeVPN uses the industry’s best AES encryption to ensure your data stays hidden from anyone attempting to snoop on your activities. With this connection, hackers or malicious actors on torrent sites will not get to you.
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