The Pirate Bay and other free Pirate Bay alternatives are among the most popular torrenting sites that have stood against various government shutdown attempts. They’re popular for their content diversity, which includes movies, music, games, software, and much more.
However, the Pirates Bay is an illegal torrenting site, which we advise against accessing. Doing so may lead to legal consequences, along with privacy and security threats. While all content on the Pirates Bay is pirated and downloading it leads to a breach of copyrights, you might also end up downloading malware.
Since we strongly advise against engaging in content piracy, we found the 11 best Pirate Bay alternatives in 2025 that offer similar downloadable, but legal content. Before accessing any of these alternatives, ensure you connect to Surfshark for safe and speedy downloads. Keep reading to find out the best VPNs for torrenting, the best Pirate Bay alternatives, and our criteria for finding these alternatives as the best.
Is Pirate Bay Still Good?
The Pirate Bay is one of the most well-known torrent sites. However, its reliability, safety, and legality are highly questionable. It consists of major risks, such as malware and virus installations. Downloading torrent files won’t only infringe copyrights but also lead to unintended malware installations.
Following that, accessing illegal torrenting sites like The Pirate Bay might lead to DMCA notices, fines, and in extreme cases, lawsuits. Since we do not recommend infringing content copyrights, we will be covering a list of the 11 best Pirate Bay alternatives in 2025 that are not safe and legal to access but offer an extensive content variety like the Pirate Bay.
Why Go for the Pirates Bay Alternatives?
You need to opt for a Pirate Bay alternatives to mainly avoid the legal risks of accessing and downloading pirated content from The Pirates Bay. Similar to various other illegal torrenting sites, The Pirates Bay mainly features copyrighted content. Meaning, all files are uploaded and distributed without the content owner’s consent.
By opting for the Pirate Bay alternatives covered in this guide, you will be safe from the legal consequences of engaging in content piracy. Additionally, when you can obtain the same content for free and legally, why choose the riskier method?
The Best Pirates Bay Alternatives
The Pirates Bay is home to millions of torrents. Despite that, it is still an illegal torrenting site and accessing it might lead to DMCA notices along with a privacy and security breach. However, you can always head to the legal Pirates Bay alternatives that offer a similar, but legal torrenting experience. Here are the 11 best Pirates Bay alternatives:
1. The Internet Archive
The Internet Archive doesn’t feature the exact same content as the Pirates Bay, but you’ll still find the basic categories of movies, software, games, books, music, and a Wayback Machine. This Pirate Bay alternative is an all-in-one digital library. Unlike the Pirates Bay site, the Internet Archive only features copyright-free content.
Features
- Non-profit legal site
- Safe and secure
- Efficient download speed
- Diverse content
2. Project Gutenberg
This Pirate Bay alternative site offers an extensive catalog of books available to be downloaded. It features classic novels, essays, academic books, and various other works for free. Project Gutenberg features an intuitive interface, ensuring simple content navigation. And, it allows you to download eBooks in multiple formats, such as ePub, HTML or Kindle.
Features
- No subscription required
- 70,000+ titles
- Multiple eBook formats
- No digital rights management (DRM)
- Easy search and browsing
- Offline reading
- Volunteer driver
3. Public Domain Torrents (PDT)
This is a legal alternative to The Pirate Bay restricted only for public domain content. It features old movies, books, software, and music. Unlike the Pirate Bay, it doesn’t feature any malware in its downloads. It doesn’t require user registration and enables you to directly download any content. However, the content is more limited than the Pirates Bay.
Features
- Classic films and books
- Zero legal risks
- No registration needed
- Direct content downloads
4. Jamendo
If you’ve used the Pirate Bay for music downloads, then Jamendo is the perfect legal alternative for you. Being one of the best the Pirates Bay alternatives, it offers free, legal music by independent artists to help artists share their music for free. Donations and licensing are optional.
You can also use the downloaded music from Jamendo in your YouTube video, podcasts and others without legal risks. Jamendo ensures that all music files are safe to download, unlike the Pirate Bay.
Features
- Free music downloads
- Royalty-free for creators
- No piracy risks
- Supports independent artists
- Curated playlists
5. Frostclick
Unlike the previous Pirate Bay alternatives, Frostclick features ads, but these won’t lead to unintended malware installations on your device. This is a 100% legal torrenting site that offers free music, movies, and games.
It features a curated selection of its content, with a focus on indie creators and niche content. It doesn’t require you to have a torrent to support the downloads, since all downloads are in HTTP format.
Features
- Indie music and films
- Zero piracy risks
- Royalty-free assets
6. etree.org
etree.org is a legal, community-driven platform for sharing live concert recordings. You can allow people in your live-concert session, and only those who are allowed will have access to tape. Instead of MP3, etree.org offers a FLAC/SHN format of downloads, ensuring a lossless audio quality.
You can use BitTorrent, but only for authorized recordings. Since it’s a community-driven platform, fans can upload and seed shows.
Features
- Community-driven platform
- Torrent-based sharing
- Legal bootlegs
- Lossless audio quality
7. The Internet Archive Software Library
If you’re looking for software and programs that are no longer sold or updated to new versions, then the Internet Archive Software Library is the best Pirate Bay alternative for you. From SimCity to Doom, you can find all classic PC and Mac games.
Meanwhile, old operating systems, such as Mac OS 7 and Windows 3.1, are all legally available for download. The Internet Archive software library only offers software that is out of copyright, donated, or explicitly allowed by creators.
Features
- Emulator friendly
- Digital museum for tech history
- Free instant downloads
- No registration required
8. Free Music Archive
The Free Music Archive (FMA) is a legal platform for free music downloads. It is a 100% legal site that hosts Creative Commons and royalty-free music. It features music from all independent artists, i.e, you won’t find many major-label hits. But, if you’re looking for classic and diverse jazz, electronic, and hip-hop music releases, this is the best Pirate Bay alternative.
Being one of the best the Pirates Bay alternatives, this music torrenting site partners with radio stations and indie labels to ensure high-quality music in its library. Unlike Pirates Bay, the Free Music Archive is safe to access. Meaning, you never have to worry about malware.
Features
- Diverse content catalog
- No malware risks
- New artists
- Themed playlists
- Curated quality
9. Media History Digital Library
This Pirates Bay alternative offers free access to rare media documents, such as vintage Hollywood magazines, technical manuals, and others. Same as the previous alternatives, Media History Digital Library is also a 100% compliant, legal alternative that hosts public domains and archived historical media.
Instead of movies, software, or music, it only offers textual archives. Being one of the best the Pirates Bay alternatives, it enables you to download high-quality PDFs or read online. All content is public domain or permission-cleared already. Meaning, there are no malware or safety risks.
Features
- High-quality PDFs
- Free access to rare documents
- No copyright risks
- Advanced search tools
10. Linux Tracker
Linux Tracker is a community-driven, ad-free platform that primarily features Linux distributions. It offers various operating system software, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian. It features an easy-to-use interface that ensures simplified navigation. And, it mostly looks like other torrent platforms.
Features
- Ad-free site
- Speedy downloads
- Easy to navigate
11. F-Droid
F-Droid is a legal, open-source app store for Android. It only hosts free software rather than pirated or proprietary apps. All apps are vetted for privacy and security. Unlike the Google Play Store, it doesn’t feature ads or track your activities. It’s globally accessible and offers various geo-restricted apps as well. And, all are legally accessible and safe to download.
Features
- Open-source apps
- No activity tracking
- Anti-censorship
How We Selected the Best Pirates Bay Alternatives
The Pirates Bay is popular for its diverse content catalog. Whether it’s movies or games, you can find it all there. However, the site features pirated content and keeps getting shut down due to content piracy. Despite various attempts, it keeps moving to mirror sites, and the library remains.
The site is flooded with ads, which can indirectly lead to malware installations. We strongly advise against using the Pirates Bay for torrenting. It not only violates copyrights, but might lead to virus installations.
Instead of Pirates Bay, you’ve various options for a similar experience. To ensure you have a similar experience, we made a list of 11 Pirates Bay alternatives. And, here’s how we selected the best alternatives to Pirates Bay:
1. Ease of Use
While most torrent sites look straight from the 90s, we ensured that all Pirate Bay alternatives featured an easy-to-use and straightforward interface. Moreover, the search bar and categorization are a plus.
2. Speedy Downloads
The Pirate Bay is best known for its download speeds, and its alternatives must have that too. All alternatives mentioned above ensure high-speed downloads with a good seeder/leecher ratio.
3. Extensive Content Library
All torrenting sites mentioned offer extensive catalogs of the type of content they offer. All offer content related to a specific niche, and the extensiveness of their catalogs make them among the best Pirates Bay alternatives.
Best VPN for the Pirate Bay Alternatives
Strictly speaking, a VPN isn’t always necessary, but it’s a smart precaution for safer browsing. Free streaming sites often come with hidden malware risks, and a VPN helps shield you from potential cyber threats. If you’re new to VPNs, here are the top choices for seamless soccer streaming:
1. Surfshark
Surfshark ensures smooth, buffer-free streaming with 3,000+ servers across 100+ locations,. Its premium features, such as:
- Kill Switch
- Split Tunneling
- Ad-blocking
These help keep your connection secure. Unsure? Test it risk-free with its trial period before committing.
2. NordVPN
NordVPN boasts 5,000+ servers in 60+ countries, along with Threat Protection to block ads and malware. It’s a a top pick for sports streaming. Its CyberSec feature enhances security, and like Surfshark, it offers a free trial to explore its capabilities.
3. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN minimizes lag during live streams. It’s best known for blazing-fast speeds and servers in 105 countries It also prevents intrusive ads and malicious redirects common on free sports sites. Try it out with its 30-day trial to experience premium performance.
Using a VPN adds a layer of security, especially on sketchy streaming platforms. These options balance speed, privacy, and reliability.
Wrapping Up: Are the Pirate Bay Alternatives Good?
The Pirate Bay is a popular torrenting site that mostly features pirated content that violates copyrights. Along with that, the malware risks make it worse. Instead, it’s best to opt for legal the Pirates Bay alternatives that offer extensive catalogs of the specific niche they’re popular for, such as movies, books, music, and others.
FAQs – The Pirate Bay Alternatives
What is the most popular pirate site?
The Pirates Bay is among the most popular pirated torrenting site. However, we do not recommend accessing this popular torrenting site due to copyright infringements and malware risks. Instead, try the Pirates Bay alternatives:
- The Internet Archive
- Project Gutenberg
- Public Domain Torrents
- Jamendo
- Frostclick
- etree.org
- Internet Archive Software Library
- Free Music Archive
- Media History Digital Library
- Linux Tracker
- F-Droid
Is Pirate Bay banned?
The original Pirate Bay site was shut down due to copyright violations. Currently, it’s only the mirror sites that exist. Accessing the available Pirate Bay sites can lead to legal consequences, such as fines and penalties. Meanwhile, you might also unintentionally install malware on your device. To avoid both consequences, we recommend using the Pirates Bay alternatives:
- The Internet Archive
- Project Gutenberg
- Public Domain Torrents
- Jamendo
- Frostclick
- etree.org
- Internet Archive Software Library
- Free Music Archive
- Media History Digital Library
- Linux Tracker
- F-Droid
Why has Pirate Bay changed?
The original Pirate Bay site was shut down, and it has changed because the available sites are only the mirror sites. The original site was shut down due to copyright violations.
What are the best Pirate Bay alternative 2025?
Here’s a list of the best Pirate Bay alternatives in 2025:
- The Internet Archive
- Project Gutenberg
- Public Domain Torrents
- Jamendo
- Frostclick
- etree.org
- Internet Archive Software Library
- Free Music Archive
- Media History Digital Library
- Linux Tracker
- F-Droid
