Kickass Torrents used to be one of the most popular torrent search engines on the Internet. Every torrent lover would go to KickassTorrents. com first to find the latest movies, TV series, software, music, games, movies, and books. Unfortunately, this popular torrent tracker was recently closed due to a US government investigation.
There has been a torrent site search going on for the last few years, ever since Kickass Torrents was blocked off. Unfortunately, most popular torrent tracker projects were blocked meanwhile, and the remaining ones are divided into a large number of niche resources. These resources are usually difficult to find because they are hidden behind annoying ads, malware, viruses, and illegal content.
So what are the best Kickass Torrents alternatives in 2026? Below are the 10 most popular Kickass Torrents-like sites. Firstly let’s take a closer look at the most popular ways to find torrents in 2026.
What Happened to Kickass Torrents?
Kickass Torrents, commonly known as KAT, launched in 2008 and eventually became one of the world’s most prominent torrent indexing websites. It offered links to an enormous range of files and became particularly popular because of its large library and active community.
The original operation was taken offline in July 2016 following a U.S. government action. Since then, numerous websites have appeared using names associated with KAT.
That creates a problem for anyone searching for torrent sites today. A website using the Kickass Torrents name isn’t automatically an official successor. Current reporting also warns that KAT-branded clones and supposed mirrors cannot be assumed to have any connection to the original service. (Cloudspress)
In other words, if you find a website claiming to be the “new official Kickass Torrents,” be skeptical.
Are Torrent Sites Legal?
This is where things get a little confusing.
BitTorrent itself is not illegal. It is simply a peer-to-peer technology for distributing files. Universities, software developers, open-source projects, archives, and other legitimate organizations use it because it can distribute large files efficiently.
For example, Ubuntu officially offers BitTorrent downloads for its operating system, while Debian and Fedora also provide official torrent downloads. (Ubuntu)
The legal question comes down to what you’re downloading and whether you have permission to download it.
Downloading an authorized open-source operating system is very different from downloading a copyrighted movie without permission. Copyright laws also vary by country, so users should check the rules that apply where they live.
With that in mind, here are 10 alternatives and resources worth knowing in 2026.
10 Best Kickass Torrents Alternatives in 2026
1. Internet Archive — Best for Public-Domain and Archival Content
If what you miss about old torrent sites is the sheer amount of interesting material, the Internet Archive is one of the best places to start.
The nonprofit digital library provides access to books, music, films, software, historical collections, and other archival material. It also supports BitTorrent distribution for many of its collections. According to its help center, more than a million Archive items have been made available through BitTorrent. (Archive Support)
The important caveat is that not everything on the Internet Archive automatically has unrestricted copyright status. The organization itself advises users to pay attention to the rights information attached to individual materials. (Archive Support)
Best for: Public-domain works, archives, books, historical media, and software.
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2. Ubuntu — Best for Linux Downloads
Need a huge operating-system download without relying on a conventional server?
Ubuntu has an official answer.
Canonical provides BitTorrent downloads of Ubuntu distributions, including the latest long-term-supported versions of the OS. Torrents can be useful for large OS distributions because the peer-to-peer system allows everyone to share bandwidth. (Ubuntu)
It is not a traditional torrent index like Kickass Torrents, but it is one of the safest places to start if you want to torrent legally.
Best for: Linux lovers, developers, and students who want to test various open-source applications
3. Fedora — Best for Open-Source Enthusiasts
The Fedora Project also embraces BitTorrent.
Fedora has its own tracker which hosts torrents of its official releases. The project highlights that BitTorrent protocol allows sharing a part of a large file between users thus relieving servers of heavy traffic.(Fedora Project)
The biggest benefit mentioned here is authenticity once again, since you can be confident that the files are distributed by the official project and not some unknown source.
Probably best suited for developers, linux community and open source enthusiasts.
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4. Debian — Best for Reliable Linux Images
Debian is another excellent example of how torrent technology can be used properly.
Its official website provides BitTorrent downloads for Debian installation media. Debian specifically notes that BitTorrent is optimized for situations involving large numbers of downloaders because users share file pieces with one another. (Debian)
For anyone who used Kickass Torrents primarily to find software, this is a much safer direction to take.
Best for: Linux distributions, servers, developers, and technical users.
5. Creative Commons Search — Best for Licensed Media
Creative Commons is not a torrent search engine per se, but it is super useful if you are looking for media that other people have released under a public license.
The search engine lets you find images, music, video, illustrations, and much more, all of which are legally available for reuse. You can also sort by what you want to do with the media, such as edit or commercial use. (CC Search)
This makes it much easier for students, bloggers, youtubers and other content creators to avoid copyright issues.
Best for: Images, music, videos, educational content, general media etc.
6. Open-Source Project Trackers — Best for Software
For open-source software, using a third-party torrent index is unnecessary in the first place – projects like Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, etc., host their own torrents.
The upside? You know exactly where the file came from.
You can skip the anonymous uploaders and go to the project’s page directly and look for the download or bittorrent section.
Good for: Operating systems, development tools, utilities, and open-source apps.
7. Internet Archive Collections — Best for Digital History
The Internet Archive deserves another mention because its collections go well beyond ordinary downloads.
Its archives can be particularly useful when you’re looking for older software, historical documents, public-domain media, recordings, and other material that has become difficult to find elsewhere.
You can search the Archive’s collections and examine individual item information before downloading. Its search system also supports filtering by licensing information in relevant cases. (Archive Support)
Best for: Researchers, students, historians, collectors, and nostalgia seekers.
8. Official Game and Software Distributions – Best for Large Files
Torrent protocol can actually be helpful for legitimate use cases. Some projects use torrents for their large file distributions due to the reduced overhead on the origin servers.
The critical difference is that you’re getting torrents from project websites directly. The same cannot be said about random “alternative” torrent sites hosting the pirated copies of the same software.
Best for: big authorized downloads and software distributions.
9. Public-Domain Media Collections – Best for Older Movies and Books
If your torrent-searching habits are centered around the downloads of old movies, books, recordings, and other media items, consider using public-domain repositories as your preferred destination.
These resources are free from the copyright deluge that plagues modern media, although you will occasionally find disputed content there. Internet Archive is the best-known public-domain torrent repository, but there are many others. These sites contain a wealth of information and media content that you can’t get anywhere else.
Best for: vintage media, old games, historical archives, and research.
10. Official BitTorrent Trackers – Best Overall Safe Alternative
The most reliable .torrent files can be found on the official websites of various projects. The primary function of torrent indexes is to act as a distribution channel for their content, but they are all different.
When it comes to getting Linux distros, open-source projects, media archives, or any other type of software, contacting the developers and requesting their help directly is always the best choice. Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian are the perfect examples of BitTorrent-friendly projects. (Fedora Project)
Best for: anything that has an official torrent tracker.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all replacement for Kickass Torrents. If you want to access the Internet Archive’s collections, you have to use Internet Archive. The same goes for official Linux distributions and other operating systems. In terms of creative content, you can try searching for CC-licensed media on a repository of your choice.
The most important lesson is that the BitTorrent protocol itself is not going anywhere. Torrent downloading and sharing are still useful for people who know how to use them correctly. In 2026, the biggest threat to your safety and privacy is not the BitTorrent protocol but using the wrong tools and websites.