Best VPN for arr stack in 2026: Port forwarding, Gluetun and top picks

The arr stack is one of the most popular home lab projects around. It is a set of open source apps, usually Sonarr for TV, Radarr for movies, Lidarr for music, Prowlarr for indexer management and a download client such as qBittorrent, all running in Docker on a NAS, mini PC or old laptop. Pair it with a media server and you get a tidy, automated library that you control yourself.

The part that makes people search for the best VPN for arr stack is the download client. A torrent client shows your public IP address to every peer in a swarm, and your internet provider can see the traffic too. A VPN hides that IP and encrypts the connection. But not every VPN suits a self hosted setup. You want port forwarding for healthy connectivity, clean support in Gluetun (the Docker VPN client almost every arr guide uses) and a kill switch that never lets traffic slip out unprotected.

In this guide we compare the providers that actually work well in 2026, explain which popular VPNs quietly dropped port forwarding, and walk through a safe network layout. If you are new to VPNs in general, start with our explainer on what a VPN is and how it works.

A quick note on legal use

The arr apps themselves are legal, and so is BitTorrent. Plenty of people use them to grab Linux distributions, public domain films, Creative Commons music and podcasts, or to organise media they already own. Downloading or sharing copyrighted material without permission is illegal in many countries, and a VPN does not make it legal. VPN providers also forbid illegal use in their terms. This guide is about privacy and network setup, so we do not cover indexers or content sources.

Best VPN for arr stack: Quick answer

• Proton VPN: Best overall. Native port forwarding on P2P servers, first class Gluetun support, WireGuard speed and an audited no logs policy.
• Private Internet Access (PIA): Best for port forwarding on a budget. Gluetun handles its port forwarding natively on most servers outside the US.
• AirVPN: Best for power users. Up to five reserved, static ports per account that never change between reconnects.
• NordVPN: Fastest if you do not need port forwarding. Excellent NordLynx speeds and Gluetun support, but no inbound ports.
• Surfshark: Best value for whole homes. Unlimited devices and Gluetun support, but no port forwarding either.

Why port forwarding matters for an arr stack

When you connect through a VPN, you sit behind the provider's firewall and NAT. Other peers can no longer start a connection to you, so your client becomes "passive" and can only talk to peers that accept incoming connections. Downloads still work, but they are often slower and less reliable, especially on smaller or older swarms. Seeding a Linux ISO back to the community also becomes much harder.

VPN port forwarding fixes that. The provider opens one port on its server and passes incoming connections through the tunnel to your client. qBittorrent then shows a green "connectable" status, finds more peers and usually reaches far higher speeds. We explain the concept in more depth in our guide to VPN port forwarding, and the general networking idea is covered well on Wikipedia's port forwarding article.

The catch is that many big brands removed the feature. Mullvad ended port forwarding in July 2023, IVPN dropped it the same year, and NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN do not offer it at all. That is why the usual "best VPN" rankings do not translate directly to a home lab.

Arr stack VPN comparison table

1. Proton VPN: Best VPN for arr stack overall

Proton VPN ticks every box a home lab needs. On paid plans, every server marked P2P supports port forwarding through NAT PMP. Gluetun understands this natively: set VPN_PORT_FORWARDING=on and Gluetun requests a port, keeps the lease alive and writes the number to a file you can feed into qBittorrent. Recent Gluetun versions can even update qBittorrent's listening port automatically through its Web UI API.

Speeds over WireGuard are strong, Proton is based in Switzerland, the code is open source and its no logs policy has been independently audited. The one thing to remember is that ports are dynamic. You get a new one whenever the tunnel reconnects, so automation matters. Proton's own port forwarding support page explains the limits.

The free plan does not allow P2P traffic, so you need a paid plan for an arr stack. Read our full Proton VPN review for speed tests and pricing, or see how the free tier stacks up in free Proton VPN vs NordVPN.

• Pros: Automatic port forwarding in Gluetun, audited no logs, open source apps, fast WireGuard.
• Cons: Port changes after reconnects, P2P only on paid plans.

2. Private Internet Access: Best budget port forwarding

PIA has been a home lab favourite for years. It supports port forwarding on most of its locations, with the exception of US servers, and Gluetun handles the whole process natively for both OpenVPN and WireGuard. Use PORT_FORWARD_ONLY=true so Gluetun only picks servers that support it. Long term plans are among the cheapest in the industry, and PIA's no logs claims have been tested in court cases where it could not hand over user data.

Downsides are modest. Ports are dynamic, like Proton's, and the US exclusion means you should choose a nearby location such as Canada, Mexico or a European country. Pick the closest one to keep latency down.

3. AirVPN: Best for static ports

AirVPN is less polished but loved by advanced users. Instead of random ports, you reserve up to five ports in your account dashboard and they stay the same on every server and every reconnect. That means you set qBittorrent's listening port once and forget it. In Gluetun you use the custom WireGuard or native AirVPN setup and list the port in FIREWALL_VPN_INPUT_PORTS.

The trade offs are a dated website, fewer servers than the big brands and a more technical setup. If you are comfortable editing a compose file, it is one of the most reliable choices.

4. NordVPN: Fastest without port forwarding

If your arr stack mostly downloads popular, well seeded files and you do not care about seeding ratios, NordVPN is worth considering. Its NordLynx protocol is consistently one of the fastest in our tests, it has dedicated P2P servers, and Gluetun supports it with WireGuard. You simply will not be connectable, so slow swarms suffer. Our NordVPN review has the full speed data.

5. Surfshark: Best value for a whole home

Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections, so one subscription can cover your arr stack, your laptops, phones and TV. Gluetun supports it, P2P is allowed on all servers and prices are low. Like NordVPN, it has no port forwarding. See our Surfshark review for details.

How to route your arr stack through a VPN safely

The most common mistake is putting the whole server behind a VPN app. That breaks remote access, slows metadata lookups and can even stop your media server from streaming. The cleaner approach is to route only the download client through the tunnel.

• Run Gluetun as its own container with your VPN credentials and WireGuard enabled.
• Attach qBittorrent to Gluetun with network_mode: "service:gluetun", so it has no network access except through the tunnel.
• Publish the qBittorrent Web UI port on the Gluetun container, not on qBittorrent itself.
• Leave Sonarr, Radarr and your media server on the normal network, and point them at the Gluetun container's address to reach the download client.
• Optionally route Prowlarr through Gluetun if your ISP blocks certain sites, but it is usually not needed.

Because qBittorrent shares Gluetun's network stack, it physically cannot reach the internet when the tunnel is down. That is a built in kill switch, and it is far more dependable than an app toggle. The official Gluetun wiki has provider specific examples, and the Servarr wiki documents the arr apps themselves.

Useful Gluetun settings for an arr stack

qBittorrent settings to check

Once the tunnel is up, a few client settings make a big difference:

• Disable UPnP and NAT PMP in qBittorrent's connection settings. Gluetun handles the port, and your home router's port is irrelevant.
• Set the listening port to the one your VPN assigned, or let Gluetun update it automatically.
• Bind to the tunnel interface (usually tun0 or wg0) under Advanced settings for an extra layer of leak protection.
• Enable encryption and avoid anonymous mode unless you understand the trade offs.

How to check your arr stack is not leaking

Never assume the setup works. Open a shell in the qBittorrent container and fetch your public IP, which should show the VPN server rather than your home address. Then load a torrent IP checker magnet link, which reports the IP address that peers actually see. Finally, stop the Gluetun container and confirm qBittorrent loses all connectivity. Our guide on how to check if your VPN is working covers DNS and WebRTC tests in more detail.

Common arr stack VPN problems and fixes

Where does your media server fit in?

Keep Plex or Jellyfin outside the VPN tunnel. Streaming to your devices or friends needs your normal connection, and routing it through a VPN usually breaks remote access. If you do want to protect remote streaming, read our separate guide to the best VPN for Jellyfin, which covers secure remote access options. For desktop clients on Windows, our list of the best VPNs for PC is a better starting point.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a VPN for an arr stack?

The arr apps themselves do not need one. The download client is the part that exposes your IP address to strangers, so most people route only that container through a VPN for privacy.

Can I use a free VPN for my arr stack?

We do not recommend it. Most free plans, including Proton's, block P2P traffic, and none offer port forwarding. Free services that do allow torrenting often log or sell data.

Does Mullvad still work with an arr stack?

It works, and Gluetun supports it, but Mullvad removed port forwarding in 2023. You will be unconnectable, which hurts speeds on smaller swarms.

Should Sonarr and Radarr go through the VPN?

Usually not. They only talk to indexers and metadata services. Routing them through the tunnel adds complexity without much privacy benefit, though you can if your ISP blocks certain sites.

WireGuard or OpenVPN for Gluetun?

WireGuard is faster and lighter on low power hardware like a Raspberry Pi or NAS. Use OpenVPN only if your provider or network requires it.

Final verdict

For most home labs, Proton VPN is the best VPN for arr stack setups thanks to automatic port forwarding in Gluetun, strong privacy and fast WireGuard. PIA is the cheaper port forwarding alternative, and AirVPN wins if you want static ports. Choose NordVPN or Surfshark only if speed or device count matter more than being connectable. For a wider ranking beyond self hosting, see our list of the best VPN services overall.

Whatever you pick, route only the download client through Gluetun, test for leaks, and keep your downloads legal.