6 Best VPNs for USA in 2021 – Use VPN In And Outside US

Online privacy is eroding by the day, and nowhere is it more apparent than the good old USA. The National Security Agency (NSA) has a long history of conducting mass surveillance without legal justification against US citizens.

With our phone lines and internet activity monitored by agencies for no reason, it is high time that we took privacy into our own hands and implemented protective measures against relentless surveillance programs sponsored by the government.

Best VPNs for the USA offer the easiest solution to improving your online privacy and staying below US agencies’ surveillance radars.

Here are 6 best USA VPNs to help you guard privacy against governmental antics:

• ExpressVPN – Reliable VPN with US servers in 23 different states.
• Surfshark – BVI-based VPN with strong online security.
• NordVPN – 5,400+ servers and powerful obfuscation technology useful for US users.
• PureVPN – Hong Kong-based VPN with US servers in 13 states and powerful privacy features.
• CyberGhost – Romania-based VPN service with 6,500+ servers but average speed.
• PIA – Well-rounded VPN with thousands of servers in the US, efficient for streaming and privacy alike.

ExpressVPN is the top recommendation as to the best VPN in the USA. This is because it is based in the British Virgin Islands‘ offshore jurisdiction, which guarantees American users adequate protection from all the threats to privacy brewing on US soil.

Top 6 Best VPNs for the USA in 2021

The following services are all premium VPNs that consolidate online privacy and end geo-restrictions with the best USA VPNs’ help.

1. ExpressVPN – Best VPN for USA

ExpressVPN operates a network of 3,000+ servers in 94 countries, including the US. It is based in the British Virgin Islands, a country far from the reach of the 5 Eyes, which the US is a part of. Thus, you can expect top-notch privacy from this provider if you’re a US citizen.

It has servers in 14 states of the US. If you are not living in the US and wish to access US-based geographical restricted content such as Netflix US, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video (US), then you can never miss out on them with this provider. Residents in the US can access foreign content such as BBC iPlayer, Hotstar, Zoom, and Astro TV with its huge network of servers.

The service is highly recommended because of its robust online security and blazing fast speeds. As a result, you can perform your daily online activities at your normal high speeds while ensuring that your privacy remains maintained to a reasonably high level.

With protocols like OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPsec, you can not only secure your data with rock-solid privacy but also stream and play online games without any lags. Any authority will certainly have a hard time trying to crack ExpressVPN’s AES-256 encryption, so you can count on it to provide shelter from relentless surveillance regimes like the US.

Compatibility wise supports all popular operating systems like Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and can be used on 5 devices simultaneously.

Our ExpressVPN review gives high praise to this VPN for its all-around excellent performance, making it a great choice for all your privacy improvement needs. The only downside is that it costs $6.67/mo , which is more expensive than most counterparts. However, you can avail of its 30-day free trial to test it before buying.

2. Surfshark – Fastest VPN for USA

Surfshark offers 20+ servers within major US states. In total, the provider has a network of 3,200+ servers in 65 countries, all of which offer excellent speeds for streaming and general browsing purposes.

Surfshark is headquartered in the British Virgin Island (BVI) and follows a strict no-logs policy. This is actually quite impressive, especially for the privacy-conscious American users who have had enough of governmental surveillance.

With its servers in 20+ states in the US, you can access multiple US-based contents such as NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, The CW, and many more. Similarly, accessing BBC iPlayer, iTV, Channel4, BT-Sports, and UK TV would never be an issue again with its 3,200+ servers worldwide.

Security-wise, Surfshark supports OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocol, but it performs exceptionally well over IKEv2 protocol. One highlight feature of Surfshark is its unlimited simultaneous connections. You can secure multiple devices with just one subscription plan.

These features have earned Surfshark a great reputation among reviewers. The service is compatible with all the major platforms like Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It is highly affordable $2.49/mo and has a 30-day money-back guarantee & a 7 day trial.

3. NordVPN – Most USA based servers

NordVPN offers 1,970 servers in the US alone. Overall, the provider has 5,400+ servers, most of which are efficient for torrenting and streaming purposes. In reality, the provider is a Panama-based provider, which makes it extremely valuable if you want to escape US surveillance and data retention laws.

With around 2,000 servers in the US, internet users seeking to access the US’s geo-restricted content will never be disappointed as this provider will grant them access to every show and channel. Popular channels that this provider can unblock include PBS, Antenna TV, Tru Crime Network, Court TV mystery, and Fox News. Like any other best VPN in the US, it also supports popular platforms such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Firestick, and Android TVs.

One of the reasons why NordVPN is valuable for people in the US is its innovative advanced features such as CyberSec, DoubleVPN, and Onion over VPN. These features protect you from hackers and agencies with surveillance apparatus to monitor your online traffic and activities. With US agencies‘ technological capabilities, these features become important if you want to remain anonymous and keep your activities private. This is one of the reasons why NordVPN has received largely good reviews for its service.

The provider is currently available for $3.71/mo and comes with 6 simultaneous connections. Best of all, you can also get free NordVPN trial for a month.

4. PureVPN – VPN for streaming in USA

PureVPN has1,400+ servers in the US. These are available in major US locations, including Miami, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Washington, and more. The provider itself is based in Hong Kong, which puts it far away from the reach of American agencies like the NSA. Coupled with the no-logging policy, this VPN has the excellent benefit of helping US citizens avoid being subjected to surveillance.

It also holds one of the largest VPN server networks globally, with over 6,500+ servers spread worldwide. Using these servers, US citizens can easily gain access to streaming content from different regions. Few examples of such content would be BBC iPlayer, Sony Liv, Hotstar, UK TV, NHK, CCTV, and many others.

The vendor offers diverse value-added benefits to its customers like Split-Tunneling, Internet Kill Switch, and 24/7 customer support service and basic features. If we talk about security, PureVPN supports industry benchmark protocols like OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP/IPsec, and IKEv2.

The service is vastly compatible with different devices and can be installed on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and few other devices. Those users outside the US can also utilize PureVPN to access US-based geo-restricted content like Netflix US, Peacock TV, Disney+, and others.

You can avail PureVPN for $3.33/mo which comes with 10 multi-logins and 30-day money-back guarantee. Due to its affordable pricing, it is the best cheap VPN to use in the US. For these features, PureVPN has received excellent reviews.

5. CyberGhost – Secure VPN for the USA

CyberGhost consists of 6,500+ servers in 90 countries, 1,155 of which are in the US. It is another option worth considering for securing your privacy in the US. The provider is headquartered in Romania and takes advantage of its lax enforcement of anti-piracy laws to permit P2p activities safely on most servers.

With over a thousand servers in the US alone, you can easily help access geo-restricted services that only work within the US’s borders. These services include CBS, Fox-Sports, NBC Live, ABC Go, ESPN+, and Court TV. While the readers abroad enjoy different US-based shows, the US residents can also enjoy different shows worldwide, such as the BBC iPlayer, Sky-News, Eleven Sports Network, France 24, and Voot.

This VPN service is awe-inspiring and offers one of the fastest speeds in the industry at a budget price of [get_priceid=22553url=”https://www.vpnranks.com/visit-provider/cyberghost-bvch/”]. You can expect to see protocols like L2TP, IKEv2, OpenVPN, and a powerful Internet Kill Switch in terms of features. You can rest assured no malicious user or spy agency from the US will be getting a sniff out of you under CyberGhost’s strong encryption and security features.

This super lowkey VPN service is compatible with all the major operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and can protect up to 7 devices simultaneously. Check out our CyberGhost review to know more about this VPN service.

6. PIA – Servers for torrenting in the USA

Private Internet Access (PIA) has over 15,300 servers in the US. These servers are well-optimized for streaming and use strong privacy controls to keep your information and identity private on the web. Furthermore, it supports torrenting on multiple servers, which is especially useful if you routinely download torrents, which is a dangerous practice considering harsh anti-piracy penalties in the US.

The provider uses AES-256 encryption and offers a good logging policy that ensures user information protection from surveillance and companies hungry for storing our information. It’s probably the only VPN that offers more than 29,000 servers across 77 countries. This is really good for users who are a big fan of torrenting, as they will be able to download torrents using one of the largest VPN networks.

However, PIA does not work with streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and more. But, expatriates living overseas can use PIA to gain access to some Netflix libraries, including US, UK, and Canada, that normally only work with a US, UK, and Canadian IP address. Not only that, but you can access different streaming content such as Hotstar, Voot, Sony Liv, BT-Sports, UK TV, Channel4, France TV, etc.

Due to these factors, PIA remains highly rated among reviewers. It’s also one of the best VPNs for torrenting in 2021.

Currently, PIA costs $2.69/mo and comes with a 30-day refund policy with 10 simultaneous connections.

Here is the video tutorial of our top 3 best VPN USA explained.

What makes a VPN the best for the United States?

There’s no doubt that a VPN can help you unlock the full potential of the internet, from letting you accessing different geo-restricted regional content to securing your online privacy by military-grade encryption. The equation should be perfectly balanced between accessing streaming content and securing your online activities. To help you achieve that by selecting the USA’s best VPN, we have listed down the basic criteria, your VPN should fulfill.

• Servers in the US
• Strict No-logs policy
• High-speed servers
• Strong Encryption (AES 256 or higher)
• Jurisdiction (Shouldn’t be 5-eye or 14-eye state)
• Multiple privacy features

Why do you need a VPN in the United States?

The state of online privacy requires serious reforms in the US, making VPN services important for Americans. Here are some good reasons why VPNs are necessary for the USA:

• Surveillance from agencies: NSA has historically abused its powers against US citizens, putting innocent people under surveillance without due cause. Wide-ranging surveillance programs like PRISM further reveal how extensively NSA can monitor the online traffic of users. Although it is quite possible that NSA can break VPN encryption, it would be a formidable task, especially if the VPN you are using is based offshore.
• Accessing geo-restricted websites: In every country, there are websites such as local banks, institutes, and especially streaming channels that can only be accessed with a local IP address. In the US, apps such as Hulu and HBO Go only work with a US IP address. Therefore, if you’re traveling overseas or are an expatriate, you can use a VPN to watch these channels from abroad.
• Unblocking torrents safely: US laws impose heavy penalties on torrent downloads that violate copyrights. Many torrenting websites are blocked in the US, and it can cost as much as $150,000 per file in fines. Therefore, you must keep your identity anonymous when downloading torrents, which can easily be done with VPNs.
• Staying safe over public Wi-Fi: Public Wi-Fi hotspots in places such as hotels, cafes, airports, malls, etc., are freely available for everyone and lack password protection. The overall security of these hotspots is, in fact, pretty basic. This is what typically attracts hackers and criminals to these hotspots. VPNs strengthen users’ security over public Wi-Fi, making it much more difficult for any hacker to breach your data and violate privacy.

Aside from the US, Canadians also face quite a lot of geo-restrictions. If you’re in Canada, check out these best VPN for Canada in 2021.

Should I use a free VPN in the United States?

As a general rule of thumb, free VPNs should be avoided, especially if you’re concerned about your privacy. Even though you might see tons of free VPN that offer US servers, they aren’t equipped with adequate encryption and security mechanisms. In fact, some are scams that might steal your data and sell it for profit.

Some lesser-known free VPNs have actually been found collecting user data and selling to authorities or advertisers. Considering this, it’s way better to opt for premium VPNs. I’d recommend you to check out our VPN deals instead and get premium VPNs at affordable rates.

That being said, there are still some free VPNs for the USA that operate on the freemium model, which you can still trust:

• TunnelBear
• Windscribe 
• ProtonVPN

While the idea of a free VPN is very tempting, we still suggest using a premium VPN for accessing geo-restricted content and securing your online privacy. Not only a premium VPN will get you unlimited access to streaming content but also protect your online privacy and data in countries with a high-level of online censorship and mass-surveillance such as India. Don’t worry, we do have a solution for our readers in India. They can protect their online privacy and anonymity and access unlimited geo-restricted content by using the best VPNs for India in 2021.

VPN services that are based in the USA

When it comes to US-based VPNs, there is always the concern that government agencies might demand the company to reveal your logs.

Even if these services follow a no-logging policy, strict government surveillance may prevent maintaining your privacy. However, if you are not concerned with your privacy, then you can use the following services:

1. IPVanish – As discussed above, IPVanish is a US-based VPN provider that offers 1,600+ servers in more than 75 countries. It offers good encryption and privacy.
2. LiquidVPN – has an attractive user-interface and decent security features. Although it has a limited network of servers, all of them provide high connection speeds.

VPNs you should avoid in the USA

1. Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield is a famous service that is just as controversial. This is because the provider has previously been involved in intruding on users’ privacy and manipulating private gain information.

A research paper revealed that Hotspot Shield redirects user traffic to its partner entities, including some popular e-commerce websites. Therefore, it is not a secure choice out there and should, therefore, be avoided.

2. ZenMate

The Germany-based ZenMate also suffers from some security issues. For instance, the provider has inherent technical problems in its encryption which sometimes can lead to leakage of IP address. Users who cherish their security should avoid this service, especially if they are in a high surveillance zone like the US.

3. VPNSecure

VPNSecure is also known for serious security vulnerabilities. According to the same research paper cited above, the service fails to prevent DNS and IP leaks. If you are located in the USA, where the government can spy on your data, this provider is not ideal.

Get your privacy protected with a VPN in the USA

Due to the US’s internet laws, Internet Service Providers can sell users’ internet activity data. This means copyright holders can easily access users’ internet activity, which will help them determine any downloading of copyright material.

As torrenting is illegal in the US, you may receive a cease and desist letter from your ISP if you get caught downloading torrents. On some occasions, your account may also get terminated, or you can find yourself in a costly lawsuit.

To prevent your ISP, copyright holders, and other security agencies from snooping on your data, you need a VPN. Besides protecting you from prying eyes, you can also use a VPN to access different geo-restricted websites which are blocked to you otherwise.

Concern about online privacy in the USA

After the Snowden revelations in 2013, US citizens’ concern about private data privacy and security has only accelerated. According to Pew Research Study, 81% of the public admits that potential risks because of data collection by companies outweigh the benefits. 66% of the public have similar feelings towards government data collection. Their concerns are understandable as everyone at this point is harvesting their data.

Your internet activity can reveal almost everything about you. The data that advertisers collect can be misused to target ads and sell you more stuff. It can also be used to fingerprint your identity and discern health status, private beliefs, social circles, and other intimate details. This is the most golden time to secure your online privacy by using a VPN.

Authority Surveillance in the USA

According to the Pew Research Study cited above, 66% of the public showed concerns about government data collection. While it is not clear how much surveillance is being done by the private and government sectors, using a VPN provider with strong encryption techniques and other privacy-related features will secure online privacy.

Surveillance conducted by private authorities or government should never be taken lightly, especially if it is being done by countries like Pakistan where anything you say against the government or religion can be used against you legally. Speaking of Pakistan, internet users there are forced to protect their online activities, data, and freedom by using these best VPN in Pakistan.

Tech giants surveillance and data sharing in the US

Corporate surveillance is another reason why more US citizens are using VPN now than ever. Being classified as a major issue in the US, tech companies and telecom organizations have a large history of monitoring, tracking, and recording their customers’ digital activities.

In 2002 a technician at AT&T, named Mark Klein, accidentally uncovered a massive data collection point where the NSA was copying all internet traffic going through the company’s network. This became known as the Room 641A scandal. He went public with the information in 2005.

The cooperation of public and private entities to collect data on Americans has a name. It’s called the PRISM program. More than ever, US citizens are getting aware of their rights and using VPNs to hide their internet traffic from different data collection institutes.

ISP throttling in the USA

Unlike China, Middle-East, and Europe, internet censorship is not a huge problem in the US. Their biggest concern is Internet Throttling, which is when an ISP restricts your internet speed. The reasons for this restriction include streaming, torrenting, or simply your bandwidth usage.

One way to avoid this restriction is to use a VPN. A VPN will encrypt your internet traffic so that your ISP will not be able to read it at all. If they are not able to determine your activity, they can not subject you to any restriction.

Torrenting and streaming in the USA

Torrenting and streaming are few other reasons that many people in the US are using VPN for. The US law is stringent when it comes to downloading copyright infringement. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) legislation created federal laws that allow:

• Fines up to $500,000 and up to five years in jail, or both a fine and jail for a first offense.
• Fines up to $1,000,000 and as long as ten years in prison for repeat offenders.

Another consequence of torrenting is that you could have your internet suspended for repeated DMCA offenses. ISP’s will send you DMCA notices if your IP address is caught in copyright infringement. If you are caught a third time in the act, your internet connection will be permanently suspended by the ISP.

The obvious solution is to use a VPN to download torrents and any content in the “grey area” in terms of copyright issues.

FAQs – Best VPNs for the United States

Conclusion

It should come up as no surprise that ExpressVPN is the recommended VPN for the USA. With 3,000+ servers in 94 countries and all equipped with military-grade AES, 256 Bit encryption, say bye-bye to the days when you had to worry about your online privacy. It also honors a strict no-log policy for its users, meaning even if someone tried to get access to any personal data from its network, they would not find anything, to begin with.

ExpressVPN is a great choice for US citizens if they wish to conceal themselves from government and private sector surveillance. If you hurry up, you can avail of ExpressVPN amazing limited time offer of “12 Months + 3 Months Free” with a 30-day money-back guarantee program.