Best VPNs for the USA in 2022

If you’re American, a VPN for the USA can help you encrypt your data and make it inaccessible for ISP surveillance. It’s especially important since the US is a part of the Five Eyes international digital information agreement, making it difficult for you to stay anonymous online.

On top of that, a US VPN might be very useful while traveling in Taiwan, Vietnam, and other countries. You can use it to access your regular streaming library and watch your favorite shows, such as Better Call Saul, or sports events like MLB, NBA, and NFL from anywhere.

Keep in mind that it’s also just as useful for non-Americans that wish to access US sites. US Netflix, HBO, and DAZN include a lot of shows and movies that are simply not available in some other countries, including Italy or Austria.

For these reasons, we’ve tested multiple VPN service providers in terms of their server fleet (including US server selection), speed, unblocking capabilities, as well as privacy and security features. Read on to find the best VPN for the USA.

Top 5 best VPNs for the USA:

1. NordVPN – best VPN for USA overall
2. Surfshark – VPN for your whole family
3. IPVanish – cheap VPN for the US
4. Atlas VPN – solid VPN for USA users
5. Ivacy VPN – affordable VPN for Americans

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Why do I need a VPN in the United States?

Getting a VPN in the USA is the best way to guarantee yourself privacy from surveillance from governments and your internet service provider – giving you full peace of mind.

Here are the main reasons why you should use a VPN in the US explained:

• Maintain your privacy. The United States is a member of the Five-Eyes alliance. This means that it shares intelligence and data with the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. However, a VPN can encrypt your traffic and make it untraceable. So if either of these countries requests your ISP to provide your browsing data for any reason, it won’t be accessible.
• Prevent ISP tracking. American ISPs can also be a pain. Recently, they’ve been known to sell user data to advertisers, which then use the data for targeted advertising. Luckily, you can block ISP tracking by rerouting your traffic through a VPN server.
• Stop bandwidth throttling. Since ISPs are also monitoring activities related to P2P file sharing, they can throttle your service if you use too much bandwidth. A VPN can help to stop ISP throttling and improve speeds as well.
• Unblock global streaming content. If you’re interested to see what people around the world are watching, you can also use a VPN to change Netflix region or access other streaming platforms and unblock content that is unavailable in the US.
• Access regular content while traveling. On the other hand, a VPN is also useful when trying to access American Netflix from abroad. For example, if you’re on a business trip or on holiday.

Which VPN is best for streaming in the US?

American libraries of popular streaming sites have great shows, movies, and TV series that are unavailable outside the country. So when searching and comparing VPNs for the US, we’ve also looked at their unblocking capabilities.

Here’s what best VPNs for streaming in the US can help you access from anywhere in the world:

Start streaming with NordVPN

NordVPN is our best VPN for streaming in the US as it showed the greatest performance during our tests. We’ve easily unblocked popular streaming sites and managed to watch movies without any buffering.

The best VPNs for the USA in October – our detailed list:

You’ll need a handful of important features ticked off to get the most out of a VPN for the USA. Let’s have a look at each of these providers in detail and see how well they perform.

• Baseline testing speed: 300 Mbps download/300 Mbps upload

1. NordVPN – best VPN for USA overall

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Reliable, fast, perfect for both privacy and high-definition streaming: NordVPN is our choice for the best VPN for the USA.

It has over 1970+ servers in 15 American cities and a total of around 5500 servers in 59 countries. But it’s not just quantity – there’s quality, too. According to Asian and European users, NordVPN is an excellent streaming VPN, easily unblocking all the main US streaming content, like Netflix, DAZN, Youtube, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, and Disney+.

And you’ll be able to stream all that in the highest quality possible, as NordLynx, its cutting-edge tunneling protocol, gets average download speeds of around 273 Mbps.

Useful features include SmartDNS, which unblocks streaming sites without even needing to connect the VPN. Split tunneling enables you to connect specific apps to the VPN and keep others on your regular connection.

NordVPN is based in Panama (a fantastic location for privacy), and its security features are first-rate. You can count on it to stay anonymous and safe, even if the Five Eyes come calling.

With such excellent service, you’d expect NordVPN to be expensive, but you can sign up for just $3.09 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee included in the deal.

To find out more, check out our full NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark – VPN for your whole family

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If you’re looking for a USA VPN not only for yourself but for your family as well – Surfshark and its unlimited simultaneous connections are an excellent choice. It’s based in the Netherlands and has an independently audited no-log policy to ensure the necessary privacy in the US.

In terms of security, Surfshark also includes an upgraded and more secure AES-256-GCM version of the 256-bit AES encryption. Features like DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection, a kill switch, Camouflage mode, Clean Web, and many more are included.

Now in terms of servers, there are 600+ servers in 25 US cities and over 3200 total connections. Server speed is solid, too. With WireGuard, one of the best tunneling protocols available, Surfshark gets average download speeds of 246 Mbps.

And that speed won’t go to waste. Surfshark can easily unblock Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YoutTube, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, and Disney+ without any error messages popping up.

For the cherry on top, Surfshark is also very affordable, with subscriptions starting as low as $2.30 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

To find out more, take a look at our in-depth Surshark VPN review.

3. IPVanish – cheap US VPN

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IPVanish is a feature-rich and user-friendly USA VPN. In fact, it’s a great tool to increase your online privacy, or simply enjoy Netflix or YouTube. Moreover, it’s wallet-friendly too.

The provider is based in the USA, which does belong to the Five Eyes alliance. However, IPVanish has a strict no-logs policy. While it does not log your online activities, information like your email address and payment method is stored.

Talking about other security and privacy measures, it includes a customizable kill switch as well as the use of a secure 256-bit AES encryption. Also, there’s an On-Demand feature which you can use to automatically connect to the VPN in specific scenarios – like working in a cafe on public wifi.

IPVanish offers 1254 servers in 17 US locations and nails all the USA VPN basics – it’s excellent at unblocking American Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+. It’s suitable for P2P connections, and it’s also really fast – with the WireGuard tunneling protocol we’ve monitored a speed of around 283 Mbps.

IPVanish is also relatively affordable, and subscriptions start at just $3.33 a month. Additionally, the provider also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

For more information, read our in-depth IPVanish review.

4. Atlas VPN – good VPN for USA

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Atlas VPN is yet another USA-based VPN that also takes security and privacy seriously.

Firstly, VerSprite has completed an independent penetration testing of its iOS app and found no major risks that could compromise privacy. Secondly, Atlas VPN operates under a strict no-log policy, meaning that it doesn’t collect any personally identifiable information.

Furthermore, some of the VPN’s security features include SafeBrowse (a malicious website blocker), SafeSwap (IP address rotation), data hack detection, AES encryption, and a kill switch.

More so, Atlas VPN is great at unblocking all the major streaming platforms – Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO, and Disney+. You can pick a server located in the US or any other country – in total, the service offers 750 servers across 38 countries.

Additionally, Atlas VPN is able to reach some really good speeds since it supports the fastest and most secure tunneling protocol – WireGuard.

With low subscription rates starting at $2.05/month, AtlasVPN certainly makes a case as an attractive VPN option. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee and unlimited simultaneous connections to add to that.

For more information, read our Atlas VPN review.

5. Ivacy VPN – inexpensive VPN for USA users

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Ivacy VPN is a highly versatile VPN which makes it a good VPN choice for the USA. For one, you can rely on it to stay anonymous as it has a no-logs policy, implements AES-256 encryption, and provides DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection. Additionally, it’s headquartered in Singapore which is outside the Five-Eyes region.

Furthermore, with 1900+ servers in 13 different US cities and a total of 5700 server options in 68 countries around the world, Ivacy VPN can unblock lots of different streaming platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Youtube.

Another plus point for Ivacy VPN is its split tunneling feature. Unlike many other VPNs that only have it on Android applications, Ivacy VPN also implemented this feature on its Windows application.

Ivacy VPN is also extremely cheap – starting from $1.19/month for 10 simultaneous connections. There’s also the possibility to try out the service for free for one day and use the 30-day money-back guarantee if needed.

Find out more about this provider in our Ivacy VPN review.

6. PureVPN – newbie-friendly VPN for the US

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PureVPN is a great choice as a VPN for the USA. It has a generous allowance of 10 simultaneous connections and uses AES-256 encryption for security. On top of that, it’s based in the British Virgin Islands and is the first provider with an always-on audit no-log policy.

If you’re interested in features for more privacy in the US, PureVPN includes a kill switch and DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection as well.

Also, when using this VPN, you can choose from quite a wide range of tunneling protocols, including both OpenVPN and WireGuard. However, the latter one is available for Windows and Android users only.

Furthermore, with over 1800 servers in the US (in 13 different cities) and thousands more across the globe, PureVPN is perfect for unblocking Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Youtube, and DAZN.

What’s even better is that the prices start from just $1.99 a month. The provider also offers a 31-day money-back guarantee in case you change your mind.

If you want to know more, read our PureVPN review.

7. PrivateVPN – lots of good features

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PrivateVPN also falls into the category of best VPNs for the USA. This provider employs 256-bit encryption to help privacy-centric users protect their data in the US and other countries. Also, it doesn’t collect personal information itself as there’s a strict no-log policy.

Additionally, PrivateVPN includes extra features to further boost your protection. These include DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak prevention and a kill switch to stop all Internet traffic in case you disconnect from a VPN.

Moreover, it offers servers in 12 US cities and over 200 servers in 63 countries in total. Even though the server fleet is not that big, PrivateVPN is still excellent for accessing Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, and DAZN.

You get great applications for all the major platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux (however, the latter only functions through the Command Line Interface).

It’s also not an expensive VPN with prices starting from $2.00 per month for 6 simultaneous connections. Additionally, you can always try it out with the provider's 7-day free trial or make use of its 30-day money-back guarantee.

For more information, read our PrivateVPN review.

8. Proton VPN – Swiss VPN for max security

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Proton VPN is an extra-secure service for all your US VPN needs which is developed by the Swiss company. Although it might be better known for Proton Mail – a super secure email solution – their VPN follows the same mantra.

There’s military-grade encryption, a reliable kill switch, and NetShield – a feature that filters out and blocks sites that are known for phishing, malware, and tracking. And based in Switzerland, it keeps you anonymous at all times with an externally audited no-logs policy.

Proton VPN is a solid all-rounder. It has plenty of servers around the world, with 415+ of those located in 14 US cities. We’ve tested it out on streaming platforms, and it got us into popular sites like Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Youtube, and HBO Now without any issues.

Thanks to the WireGuard support, average download speeds reach up to 251 Mbps while connected to the US server – great for HD streaming.

Its subscription price starts from $4.99/month for up to 10 simultaneous connections. Also, Proton VPN offers a free trial with one VPN connection, 3 servers, and no data cap included. Not bad, Proton. Not bad at all.

For more information, read our in-depth Proton VPN review.

9. Hotspot Shield VPN – all-rounded solution for Americans

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Hotspot Shield VPN is a great solution for American users – it has everything you need to keep yourself secure online. It offers the split tunneling feature, a password manager, and even a solid antivirus.

While this VPN is based in the US, they do have a strict no-logging policy in place, ensuring the safety of your data.

As for servers, with over X of them in X countries, you’ll find plenty in 27 US cities. Plus, you can access quite a few streaming services. For instance, we managed to access various libraries of Netflix, YouTube TV, and even BBC iPlayer.

While the WireGuard protocol is considered one of the fastest ones out there, Hotspot Shield VPN uses the Catapult Hydra protocol. Surprisingly, the performance with it isn’t that bad. Quite the opposite – during our tests, it managed to maintain an average download speed of 276 Mbps. So you’re good to go no matter if you’re casually browsing or streaming movies.

The prices of Hotspot Shield VPN start from $X/month. If you’re not convinced about this provider, you can test it out for free as it has a fairly limited free version available. And even if you opt for the premium plan now, you’re still going to get a 45-day money-back guarantee.

To learn more about its features, read our in-depth Hotspot Shield VPN review.

10. VyprVPN – cheap and private VPN for the US

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VyprVPN ticks all the main boxes when it comes to the best VPN for the US: it’s fast, unblocks streaming services, and keeps your data private. This is a seriously underrated US VPN, offering DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection, a kill switch, and AES-256 encryption.

Also, VyprVPN is based in Switzerland, another location that keeps your data safe from prying (five) eyes. On top of that, none of your data is collected by the provider as there’s an independently audited no-log policy.

Even though it only has 700+ servers in 64 countries (with options for 8 US cities), you can still easily access Netflix, DAZN, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO Now.

VyprVPN also offers the best-in-class WireGuard protocol, which helps it achieve impressive average download speeds of 276 Mbps while connected to the US server. You can also use the Chameleon 2.0 protocol if you’re in a country that prohibits VPN use.

It’s worth mentioning that VyprVPN prices are quite steep, starting from $8.33/month. However, you get up to 30 simultaneous connections to cover all of your devices and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.

To find out more, take a look at our in-depth VyprVPN review.

How we tested and selected the best US VPNs

In order to provide you with the list of only the best VPNs for the US, we’ve completed an in-depth research of available providers on the market. Here’s the criteria used for selecting the best services:

• Number of US servers. It’s essential that you’d have plenty of VPN servers in the US to choose from. This way, you can always find the best one with a consistent and stable connection. Thus, we’ve thoroughly researched each provider’s offerings and selected VPNs with large US server fleets.
• Security & privacy. For a VPN to do its job properly, it needs to offer robust security. That means features like a no-logs policy, strong encryption, and location in a country that favors privacy, like Panama. To shortlist only highly secure VPNs, we’ve examined whether the providers collect any sort of logs and what kind of encryption they offer.
• Speed. Fast speeds are essential for optimal streaming. You don’t want that crisp HD steam to start buffering. To offer you some of the fastest VPNs in the market, we tested their speed by torrenting a file of around 2-3GB with different protocols and examining how fast it was.
• Good for streaming. The more streaming sites you can access, the more excellent entertainment you have to watch. So we tested how well our top VPNs can get around geo-restrictions of all the biggest streaming sites. Therefore, our list contains only the ones that managed to unlock the most libraries worldwide. So, wherever you may be in the world, you can always watch the best US content.
• Customer support. We all need tech support from time to time. We’ve made a point of recommending VPNs that offer detailed guides and 24/7 live chat so you always have helpful resources at hand.
• Price. If the price isn’t right, the VPN isn’t either. The VPNs on this list all represent great value for money with regards to the features and level of service they offer.
• Reputation. Only top-class VPNs have established a flawless reputation regarding their security practices. Thus, any providers that have participated in security incidents, like ExpressVPN, were not included in the list.

How to choose the best USA VPN

When you’re looking for a US VPN service, it’s important to think about what you’ll need it for. Here’s our advice on how to choose the best one if you want to:

• Stay secure. Look for the most secure VPNs that include AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, DNS leak protection, RAM-only servers, and don't keep any logs. They are excellent at providing top-notch security in the US.
• Get an extra layer of privacy. Choose from anonymous VPNs that have strict no-log policies and are externally audited. This way, your VPN service provider won’t collect any personally identifiable data that could be exposed and cause damage to your privacy.
• Access geo-restricted streaming content. For that, you should pick a VPN that is capable of unblocking Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and other major platforms. Also, it should offer a large server selection in different countries, including the US, and speedy services. You can find suitable options in our list of best VPNs for streaming.

Generally speaking, it’s also a good idea to check out user testimonials and online reviews (we have in-depth reviews on all the VPNs on this list), as these will give you a greater insight into how people find the VPN.

All our recommended VPNs give you 30-days to change your mind. So you can try out their features, apps, and usability to see if they work for you. If not, you can simply claim a refund.

So do a bit of research, try out the ones you like, and ultimately, you’ll find the perfect VPN for you.

Check out NordVPN – our #1 choice

Which VPN is fastest in the US?

Speed is a vital feature to look for in a VPN. If you’re watching HD content, you’re going to want a smooth stream that isn’t stopping every few minutes with buffer issues.

As we researched this guide, we tested out all our recommended VPNs based on their speed and found NordVPN and Surfshark to be the fastest in the US. You can see the results with the WireGuard tunneling protocol from the past 14 days in the table below.

Data period: 09.17 - 10.01

United States
Download	584 Mbit/s	559 Mbit/s
Upload	493 Mbit/s	486 Mbit/s

See live VPN provider data on our VPN speed test tool

Keep in mind that VPN speeds can come down to a few factors, such as your location and your internet connection. So your results might slightly differ.

Also, VPNs on our list support other tunneling protocols, like OpenVPN that can affect the speed as well. So, it’s best you choose WireGuard for the fastest speeds as OpenVPN is more oriented towards stability. You can learn more about this in our WireGuard vs OpenVPN comparison.

Are there any good US-based VPNs?

Yes, several excellent VPNs are based in the US, such as IPVanish and Atlas VPN on our list. However, the worry with US-based VPNs is that your data is more susceptible to being collected by government and intelligence agencies.

For this reason we’ve researched these providers and found that they operate under strict no-log policies. Meaning that they don’t collect, store, or monitor your browsing activities.

For example, IPVanish is even externally audited by Leviathan to ensure compliance with the policy. Similarly, the iOS app of Atlas VPN has been independently examined by VerSprite in 2021. The application penetration testing showed medium-to-low risk issues that cannot be used to compromise privacy.

Therefore, our recommended US-based VPNs are truly great options to ensure you receive anonymity when using the services.

Can I use a free VPN in the USA?

Yes, you certainly can use a free VPN in the US, but you should be aware of potential privacy and security risks. Additionally, free VPN servers are often blacklisted by major streaming platforms. Thus, there’s a low chance that you’d be able to access multiple Netflix libraries.

Keep in mind that free VPNs come in two forms, those that are completely free, or those that are free versions of paid VPNs (aka freemium versions):

• Completely free VPNs are a risk. You may not have to pay for the services, but that means they’ll be generating income through other means, such as stuffing their apps with adverts and even selling your data to third parties. Also, free VPNs lack features, good servers, speed, and practically everything else that makes a VPN worth paying for. In the worst-case scenario, they can even carry malware.
• Freemium VPNs come with limited services. You only get a few server locations, restrictions on certain features, and data caps. However, freemium services are not as much of a risk since they usually come from reputable VPN providers. Our top choices are Atlas VPN and Proton VPN.

Overall, you absolutely can use a free VPN in the USA – but it’s going to be a less reliable and less safe solution. Instead, we recommend trying premium VPN services in the US that offer free trials and 30-day money-back guarantees.

Try NordVPN in the US risk-free

With NordVPN, you get 1970+ servers in 16 American cities. It’s great for unblocking Netflix US while traveling and has robust security features for privacy. There’s a free 7-day Android trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee with all subscriptions.

cybernews® score

4.9 /5

• Many US servers
• Top-class security
• Works with popular streaming platforms

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Conclusion

Online presence in the United States might be concerning for privacy-focused users since data protection laws are not as rigorous as in other countries. So we recommend getting the best VPN for the USA to stay private and secure online.

Our top pick for the US is NordVPN. It uses a advanced encryption, RAM-only servers, and an independently audited no-log policy so that your data would be completely protected from your ISP and the Five-Eyes alliance.

On top of that, it can also circumvent geo-restrictions by changing your IP address. This way, you can unblock popular streaming services with the US content libraries from anywhere in the world.

Have you tried NordVPN or another provider already? Share your experience in the comments below!

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