I’m in a couple good PTs and noticed I can get better content there then on public trackers usually, been PT only for almost half a year.
So to primarily PT users, what are your favorite PTs and why?
I have only been use public (for about 20 years), but I have been curious about private trackers for a while. I have a good grasp of the concept, seeding requirements, etc. What would be one or two recommended private trackers to start with? (for TV, movie, music)
That’s the hard part, getting in. You basically have to beg and jump through hoops to get an invite. I’d rather just pay for Usenet, lol.
I joined PHD recently since it’s one I could get into without an invite. There is a lot of content, but almost no one is downloading. As a result, I can’t build up my ratio so I can download anything. Imo, these places go against the spirit of torrenting and it seems like they can’t even function properly when people only download brand new content.
Yeah to get a good ratio you basically need to get a seedbox which cost money anyway. Might as well just use Usenet. I have one private tracker I use I found the best thing to do is seed large obscure tvpacks. Also porn.
I have a server so I’d be happy to long seed, but I can’t even get started unfortunately. Too bad.
if you have a seedbox, the easy way to get a good ratio is just to follow whatever release group is popular on the site, and just literally start seeding every single thing they release. Often times on PHD you’ll get a free or half download if it’s an internal group, and if it’s a popular movie or show it’ll get loads of downloads. I did this exact thing, and after a little while I had basically infinite ratio and have been using the site for years without even worrying about ratio.
You got a link to a good guide for understanding the ins and outs of Usenet? I torrented a lot in the mid to late 2000s but then stopped. Working on building up my collection again. Was looking into Usenet. Found a couple free indexers and got NZBGet. But nothing would download. Figured out the other day I needed a provider in addition to the indexer.
So like basics… you pay for a provider. Then you get/paid for indexers and link those to the provider, then you can download stuff with NZBGet?
Normally I would have searched for guides like that in Reddit, but yeah….
Red (music) and MAM (audiobooks) have open interviews and have good invite forums that can get you into other trackers. Both are best in class for their categories. Starting with RED truly is a trial by fire with the hardest ratio economy around but it is definitely the most rewarding. MAM is super friendly and easygoing but it can take a few jumps and some time to make it to the bigger trackers. Getting in a good general tracker like FileList, Torrentleech, or IPT really opens up the amount of content available to you starting out if you can find an invite, just know you generally can’t make it to other trackers from them. That being said general trackers own their own can be enough to satisfy many peoples needs. Good luck with your journey, I’d be happy to help if you have any more questions.
After joining TL, I really only use it and Nyaa for torrents, and Soulseek for music.
The "why"is just that there’s rarely anything I can’t find on TL.
May also want to check out the Tracker communities for tracker specific discussion
Death everywhere
I only torrent TV shows which are quite well covered by public trackers so I don’t have to bother with private trackers. I also feel like private trackers go against the spirit of bittorrent. I also use a seedbox and sftp for privacy from my ISP and so I can seed all the time without using my own bandwidth.
Interested in this topic, as having difficulty locating certain scene releases lately. Outside of public torrents (through the arrs), my usual fallback of xdcc and usenet trials for older stuff is failing me atm.
Now I’m wondering is it worth the extra effort and upkeep once again? Had TL back in '09 but let it get inactive, and darn missed the recent open signups fml.
I would suggest it, you can find scene stuff on trackers like TorrentSeeds which is pretty easy to join. TL is also a good general tracker, I also use it for some content.
Don’t worry it opens up pretty frequently.
Anime: Nyaa TV/movie: Depending on my preferred quality public or private. If a usually private torrent is on public I will download it there first and then cross-seed
I use nyaa occasionally, but otherwise 100% pt
At this point I’m almost exclusively Private only, apart from some anime releases that can be harder to find.
I’d say I’m about 85% private, 15% public. I’m not in any of the top-tier trackers so there are times when I’m looking for something obscure and won’t find it on my few PTs, so off to the publics I go. Last night I found a DVDRip of an 80s show on TPB that I liked better (slightly better color quality) than the single WEBDL on TL. That doesn’t happen often, but it happens.
My favorite tracker is CRT. Cozy, and I love older media.
I use BTN and RED as backups for Usenet, otherwise I don’t use torrents
I’ve been after a BTN invite for a long time. Is there any chance you could help me out? I have great ratios on other private trackers. I know BTN doesn’t track that, but I always seed well beyond 1:1 for moral reasons.
Seeding 1 for 1 isn’t what they’re looking for in users as a general rule, they’re looking for people who will seed forever.
You’re probably more likely to meet people who have access to those sites in self hosting communities where they can share with friends who they know have the infrastructure to benefit those communities.
I tried out TorrentLeech a few years back, but at the time their faq said to use uTorrent and specifically mentioned banning users of QBittorrent, so I fucked off real quick and haven’t really tried again since.
They allow QBittorrent. https://wiki.torrentleech.org/doku.php/about_clients?s[]=clients
The following clients are banned from Torrentleech
Thunderbolt (a.k.a Xunlei) FOLX download manager Freebox BitTorrent BiglyBT Some versions of μTorrent (mainly older than the 2.2.0 version for Windows) Bitcomet
We also do not permit beta clients, or clients which have been forked from major clients and/or altered in some way.
This was back in 2020. I distinctly remember a direct mention of QBT and some vague threats of “use it at your own risk, if we see something we don’t like we’ll ban you immediately.” Left real bad taste in my mouth.
For movies, the best is PTP. It takes time and effort to join. Some more accessible alternatives would be BHD, BLU, and FL.
For TV, the best is BTN. They are currently closed outside of personal invites, so virtually impossible to join at the moment. Some more accessible alternatives would be MTV, BLU, and FL.
For music, the best is RED. They have a hard economy, so if you want any easier economy and overall experience the best alternative is OPS. Soulseek is also a must if you are looking for music.
For games, the best is GGn. Nothing really comes close in the private tracker ecosystem. There is PxC, but they are light-years behind in terms of breadth and depth of content. More accessible alternatives would be in the public tracker space like 1337x and Rutracker.
For audiobooks, the best is MAM, which is also the easiest private tracker to join for someone who is not on any private trackers yet. Start here, even if you’re not looking for audiobooks. Seriously, this is the best private tracker to learn the ropes on.
For ebooks, the best is BIb. I may be wrong, but I don’t think they are recruiting at the moment. A far more accessible alternative would be MAM.
For literally every single person who has asked, is currently asking, or will ask in the future some iteration of “how do I join these trackers/where do I start/can you invite me to tracker x,” the answer stays the same: join MAM or RED via irc interview, increase your user class with time and a little effort, and then you will unlock a subsection of forums where other trackers offer recruitment threads. Read the recruitment requirements, make sure you meet them, message the recruiter asking for an invite, wait patiently, and you’ll receive an invite link to join said tracker. Congratulations, you are now a member of your second private tracker! Repeat this process on tracker #2 until you have accounts everywhere your little heart desires. You are now “climbing the ladder.”
What’s at the top of the ladder? The cream of the crop trackers, those best in class communities that everyone wants but very few put in the work to actually join: the “cabal” sites. They are called cabal because the staff from cabal trackers will reach out to each other if you get caught breaking the rules, and you’re likely to be banned across the board on all cabal trackers you are a member of if your rule violation is bad enough. There is very little slack given at this level, so you best know what you’re doing.
And once you’ve climbed to the top, diversify. There are best in class usent indexers like the ones that prefer to not be discussed publicly, there are ddl sites like SIG, wdma sites that live on like unicorns as the piracy landscape shifts with gains and losses, forums specifically for piracy and tracker discussion, and of course…magic sites (good luck, better pack a lunch).
It’s a fun ride, being a part of all this. But it isn’t for everyone. Just find whatever works best for you and enjoy it for as long as you can.
I’m a primary TV/Anime person and I totally agree with this. I’m working on BTN and I joined BHD recently.
I highly suggest BHD for anime alongside AB because of the ZR releases.
For those trying to get into trackers, make friends and chat everywhere. You get invites by being a good community member and having a stick up your ass.
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I’ve been after a BTN invite for a long time. Is there any chance you could help me out? I have great ratios on other private trackers. I know BTN doesn’t track that, but I always seed well beyond 1:1 for moral reasons.
You’ve posted this twice in the same thread. Nobody likes an invite beggar.
What is the typical procedure to get an invite, though?
In general the procedure is to go through recruitment forums on trackers you are already in or occasionally interviews and open signups when starting out. For BTN specifically they have not opened recruitment in a long time and invites are few and far between. So right now you have to be get lucky and befriend someone with a very high ranking and is stacked with bp that can get you an invite.
I haven’t used a public tracker since 2005.
I mostly use Usenet, but a few private trackers with niche interests like cathode-ray.tube too. I try my best to avoid public trackers though.
