Kickass Torrents Returns After Six Months; Other Torrent Alternatives Threatened?

Kickass Torrents was the go-to site for online pirates and people who didn't want to (or couldn't afford to) pay to watch movies, listen to music, or download games or software. The torrent bigwig ruled the web until it was shut down in 2016 by US law enforcement. Now, it's back, but it seems that its competitors aren't worried at all.

The website had more than a million visitors every day. So, when it was shut down, the users immediately began to look for Kickass Torrents alternatives. After the website shut down, others took its place, like Pirate Bay, Torrentz2, and ExtraTorrent, among others. But after a few months of closing business in July 2016, the main torrent website is back with a new domain name.

Kickass Torrents returns for another round under a new name

Express UK reported that Kickass Torrents is back, due to efforts by KATRG (KickAss Torrents Release Group), a group of anonymous online users. The staff reportedly considers what they're doing legal. Accordingly, they serve more as a torrent search engine and they don't host the downloadable content.

While many users are happy that Kickass Torrents has returned, it doesn't seem to faze the other torrent websites. In the few months that Pirate Bay and ExtraTorrent owned the internet, users have gotten used to the internet life without Kickass. These online users have already invested their time on other websites. Are they willing to re-introduce themselves to the new Kickass?

Do other torrent websites still see Kickass Torrents as a threat?

Tech Times investigated whether Kickass Torrents' return has affected the ranking of the other torrent alternatives. The publication reported that there hasn't been much change, but then again, KATRG's new website hasn't been around that long.

Users can check the Alexa ranking of the other alternatives. Pirate Bay is still on top with a current 102 ranking. The domain has been around for 12 years, so it does have an edge. Also, it became the No. 1 torrent website after Kickass disappeared. The torrent alternatives have steadily been ranking higher despite KATRG's return.

Given how time quickly flies in the online world, Kickass Torrents' absence for almost half a year have shoved it down at the "newbie" level. If it doesn't offer new or unique features, then it will find a hard time competing with other alternatives. Of course, KATRG's revived website still has a lot of fans and new users. You can check it out for yourself at Katcr.co/new.