The best replacement for torrents is newsgroups.

The best alternatives to torrents are rated as following:
★★★★★  newsgroups
★★★★★  direct download
★★★★  p2p
★★★★  limewire
★★★★  usenet
★★★  magnets
★★  magnet links
★  emule
  megaupload
  irc
  rapidshare
  links
  direct downloads

Your alternative for torrents is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about torrents, one probably shouldn't forget about tor.

Other search terms related to torrents and their ratings are:
★★★★★ tor
★★★ hotspot shield
★★ vuze
seeding
You have in mind a companion for torrents and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of torrents in all years. Click on graph for more.
torrents
newsgroups
direct download