How to get a US IP address in 5 easy steps (still works in 2023)

The easiest and most efficient way to get a US IP address is by signing up for a suitable VPN provider. In this article, we’ll teach you how to get an American IP address to access content and services only available in the US as you travel abroad. This method works for most popular devices including Mac and Windows desktop PCs, Android smartphones and tablets, iPhone and iPads, the Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, plus many more.

How to get a US IP address

Getting a US IP address is easy, just follow these steps:

1. Sign up for a Virtual Private Network (VPN). We recommend NordVPN.
2. Register for the service and download the VPN software or app
3. Clear your cookies and restart your device to remove old location identifiers
4. Log in to your VPN provider and connect to a server in the US
5. Access your US site like you normally would

Why get an American IP address?

People might want to obtain a US IP address for several reasons. American residents traveling abroad can use it to regain access to geo-restricted media streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. Netflix restricts its catalog depending on where you’ve logged in from, so it’s a good choice if you would like to obtain the full range of movies and TV shows. That’s similar to how HBO GO and Vudu operate, so a VPN is a good tool for those as well.

Others might want to keep in touch with live sports such as Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), or the National Football League (NFL) by streaming ESPN.

With a US IP address, you can also access online banking and other services that block non-US users.

What’s the best VPN to get a US IP address?

In this section, we’ll take you through our list of what we think are the best VPNs that’ll give you a speedy and stable connection to a US server.

We’ll cover the best VPNs for getting a US IP address in detail. If you don’t want to read the whole article here is our summary list of the 7 best VPNs to get a US IP:

1. NordVPN: Our #1 Choice! Dozens of superfast servers in multiple locations throughout the US. Lets you stream a huge range of content abroad. Includes 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. Surfshark: Steady speeds, no connection limit, and plenty of American servers to choose from. Impressive security and privacy features.
3. ExpressVPN: A reliable, reputable VPN boasting real versatility, high-speed American servers, and top-notch security features.
4. CyberGhost: Good choice for beginners. Hundreds of servers in the US. Apps are easy to install and use. 45-day money-back guarantee.
5. Private Internet Access: Fast US-based VPN with servers in 20 US cities. Highly customizable security options. No logs policy. Works with Netflix US.
6. PrivateVPN: Secure Swedish VPN provider. Great for torrenting. Works with Netflix US, Hulu, and many more US services.
7. AtlasVPN: Superb option for streaming. Good value for money. Fast WireGuard connections. Servers in 6 US cities.

Criteria for selecting the best VPNs to get an IP address for the US

We go into more detail on the exact criteria used for selecting a VPN to get a US IP address later, but here is a quick rundown of a few key areas we look at:

• Large range of server locations in the US
• Speed and stability of connection
• Rigid encryption protocols so your location remains hidden
• Ease of use
• Apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and MacOS

Without further ado here’s our rundown of the top VPNs for US IP addresses:

Best VPN to get a US IP address – at a glance

We’ve compared the most important features for the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice for getting a US IP address.

1. NordVPN

May 2023

NordVPN is an excellent option for advanced users who want customized options coupled with tier-1 service. In fact, out of all the VPN’s we’ve tested, this is by far the fastest.

NordVPN allows you to select servers based on your specific requirements – such as anti-DDoS, video streaming, double VPN, Tor over VPN, or P2P. NordVPN operates more than 5,000 servers in total, and a large portion of those are in the US.

It works well with Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer, among others.

NordVPN uses the 256-bit AES protocol encryption standard by default coupled with 2,048-bit SSL keys. DNS leak protection is enabled. It holds zero user data – this includes browsing habits, timestamps, and server information.

There’s apps for Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS, and Android.

NordVPN speed test data

BEST VPN FOR A US IP ADDRESS:NordVPN is our first choice for getting a US IP address. It’s extremely fast, has a major security focus, and allows up to 6 simultaneous connections. Best of all, it keeps no logs and has a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Here’s our full review of NordVPN.

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2. Surfshark

Surfshark operates VPN servers in 20+ US cities. It’s also one of the only providers on this list to allow users an unlimited number of connections on a single plan. This VPN works with plenty of platforms including US Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu, among others. Kill switches come built into both the mobile and desktop apps, so you never have to worry about leaking your real IP address.

Live chat support is staffed around the clock. Surfshark uses strong encryption and keeps no logs. Torrenting is allowed.

Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Linux, and Android.

Surfshark speed test data

BEST BUDGET PICK:Get a US IP for as many devices as you want with Surfshark. This VPN is fast, affordable, and security-conscious, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Surfshark review.

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3. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is an impeccable VPN service that’s easy to set up and comes with a simple design. The service packs a punch when rated on both speed and encryption standards. The US occupies the bulk of ExpressVPN’s server locations with options in 14 cities. Overall there are over 3,000 servers in 94 countries and 160 locations spread across the world.

The company has a stated policy of not storing any user or traffic logs, so it scores high marks from a privacy angle too. The only minimal data it does extract is the “date (not time) of connection, choice of server location, and total bandwidth used”. This is used to improve service quality standards. It’s important to note that your individual IP address won’t be recorded.

If you’re still feeling skittish, we recommend you sign up for the service via a burner email account and pay through Bitcoin. It’ll become extremely difficult for your digital footprint to be traced back to you.

Encryption standards are military grade. The service leverages 256-bit AES-CBC protocols as well as HMAC authentication and perfect forward secrecy. An internet kill switch is included, which ExpressVPN refers to as a ‘network lock’. This feature means all web traffic will be temporarily halted if the connection drops.

The service is able to securely access Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max.

There are apps for Android and iOS as well as desktop clients for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

ExpressVPN speed test data

GREAT ALL-ROUNDER:ExpressVPN is a fast and reliable choice Great for streaming. Strong privacy features and a no-logs policy, not to mention a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Here’s our in-depth ExpressVPN review.

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4. CyberGhost

CyberGhost will appeal to beginner users who want a relatively inexpensive VPN. It delivers on both speed and security, as well as the ability to securely access streaming sites like American Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

The company is headquartered in Romania, which means it’s not required to store any user information, so it keeps zero logs.

Apps are available for both Android and iOS as well as desktop support for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Encryption standards are among the best in the business. An internet kill switch is included.

CyberGhost speed test data

BEST FOR BEGINNERS:CyberGhost has a simple set up and is easy to use. Streams HD video reliably. Limited in use with some popular streaming sites. 45-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of CyberGhost.

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5. Private Internet Access

PIA is a US-based VPN that is strong on privacy and security. It is suitable for getting an IP address in the US, thanks to its servers in 20 cities. This service has over 10,000 servers in total spread across 80+ countries, which also allows you to unblock services from all over the world.

PIA has apps for all platforms and they come with many advanced features. This includes DNS leak protection, a kill-switch, malware filtering, and customizable encryption options. This allows you to strengthen or weaken the encryption depending on what you need. This makes the VPN versatile and means you can always get security or added privacy whether at home or on public wifi. It also has a no-logs policy that it has proven in court.

When it comes to accessing US streaming platforms, this VPN is not as good as our other recommendations. It does work with Netflix US, but it struggles with many others. The good news is that the VPN has a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. So, if you do want to check it with your specific VoD account, you can.

If you have any questions or want help with using or setting up the VPN, you can contact the 24/7 live chat support. Finally, torrenting is allowed and the VPN throws in a Shadowsocks proxy for those who need it.

Private Internet Access speed test data

HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE:Fast and secure. Lets you connect using up to 10 devices at once. No logs policy. Over 10,000 servers in 80+ countries; including servers in 20 US cities. WireGuard and OpenVPN protocol. robust AES encryption. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of PIA.

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6. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is a reliable provider based in Sweden. It has super-secure apps for all platforms that come with a wealth of useful privacy and security feature. This includes DNS leak protection, a kill-switch, obfuscation, AES encryption, and an auto-connect feature. It also has a solid no-logs policy and servers that are optimized for torrenting.

Servers are located in 63+ countries. Admittedly, it does have fewer servers in total compared to our other recommendations (it only has around 250 in total). That said, it provides fantastic speeds for streaming, and it is one of the few services that consistently works to access around 20 different Netflix regions, Hulu, iPlayer, Amazon time Video, and more.

The primary drawback with this service is that the live chat is only available between 18 and 22 hours per day. This is an extremely minor complaint, and you can always send them an email instead. Servers are available right across the US East and West coast to let you get a US IP address where you need it. You can test it yourself with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

PrivateVPN speed test data

SOLID PERFORMER:This Swedish VPN has bare metal servers in 63 countries, including the US. Works with around two-dozen Netflix regions. Excellent connection speeds. Allows torrenting. Easy to use. Has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of PrivateVPN.

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7. AtlasVPN

AtlasVPN has around 700 servers in 30+ countries worldwide, including the US. This simple VPN doesn’t have as many advanced features as our other recommendations, but it is an excellent low-cost option that works well for streaming US TV platforms. This includes popular platforms like Netflix US, iPlayer, Hulu, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and HBO Max.

In addition to being cheap, this VPN is generous. It lets you connect an unlimited number of devices. This means you can share your account with all your friends and family if you want to. It also means you can use it to gain online privacy whether at home or on public wifi using your mobile devices.

One slight caveat is that this VPN does not provide the popular OpenVPN protocol. However, it does have IKEv2 with robust AES-256 encryption, and the super-fast WireGuard protocol for streaming and torrenting. A no-logs policy means the VPN never tracks what you do online. You can test it yourself to get an IP address in 6 different US cities and in 30+ countries around the world.

AtlasVPN speed test data

GOOD FOR STREAMING:A fast US-based VPN that has servers in six US cities. Allows an unlimited number of connections. Works with most streaming services. Easy to use. Kill-switch and split tunneling features. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Find out more in our full AtlasVPN review.

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Should I use a free VPN?

Free VPNs are heavily advertised on the internet and some users may be tempted to sign up. However, many such services have a poor track record of impinging on users’ rights by stealing their data and selling it to third-party advertisers.

After all, even free VPNs are registered businesses. Hence they need to make money to pay for staff salaries, server maintenance, and general office overheads. That’s why the route for monetization becomes users themselves.

Even if your data isn’t stolen, expect bandwidth throttling, weak encryption standards, and data caps. So it’s likely that you’ll be booted out if you stream Netflix for an hour or so. Tons of invasive advertisements are also common, with the real risk of contracting a malware infection. We recommend you avoid the random free VPNs on the web.

See also:

• Best VPNs for USA
• Best VPNs for US TV

Some VPNs to avoid

If you’re trying to obtain a US IP address, it’s pivotal that your privacy and anonymity is secured at all times. The VPNs mentioned in this list don’t have a history of handing over user data but there are several other unscrupulous ones. We think you should turn your back on them.

Here are two such cases:

1. PureVPN

There’s evidence to suggest that VPN provider PureVPN collaborated with law enforcement agencies to help identify one of its users.

PureVPN and the FBI joined forces after an unnamed 24-year-old woman filed a complaint about falling prey to an online blackmailing plot. She suspected her roommate, Ryan Lin, to be culpable.

The FBI traced the internet activity back to PureVPN, who then used its logs to identify the culprit. Ryan was arrested. PureVPN insists that it didn’t record the content of communications, but it did have a ‘no-logs’ policy in place. There’s a real question mark on how ethical they might have behaved.

2. HolaVPN

Israel-based Hola, a popular VPN extension for Chrome, used its sizable user base of almost 50 million for illegal purposes. The company turned this critical mass into a massive botnet in 2015, leveraging individual user bandwidth to engage in Distributed Denial of Service Attacks and distributing copyrighted material. Users were completely in the dark.

I’ve downloaded a VPN. What do I do next?

After registering and signing up for one of the VPN services we’ve recommended in this article, it’s a simple matter of downloading the client software and installing it on your device (Windows, MacOS, Android, or iOS).

Once that’s done, scroll through the list of available server locations until you come across options for the US. As mentioned before, each VPN in this list has a sizable number of said locations so this shouldn’t be a particularly cumbersome task.

The ones higher up in the list should be the speedier ones so go for those if you can. Once the connection is successfully established, a green icon should show up in the taskbar. That means you’re now ready to browse the web anonymously and with a US IP address.

Use an American DNS server

Nearly as important as your public IP address is the server your device uses to look up the IP addresses of different web pages and other online content. DNS, or Domain Name System, works sort of like a phone book in which names (domains) are matched with phone numbers (IP addresses). When attempting to access geo-locked content, many websites not only check where you’re calling from, but where the phone book is located.

Even when you have an American IP address, if a DNS request is sent to a server outside of the US to look up a public IP address, the website or app can see this and still block you. Therefore, it’s important that the DNS server you use is in the same country as your IP address. In this case, you need a DNS server inside the US.

All of the VPNs in the above list have apps that take care of this for you. When you connect to the VPN server, your DNS requests are also sent through the encrypted tunnel. Good VPNs, like the ones we recommend, operate their own private DNS servers, so your DNS requests cannot be used to track which websites you visit by your Internet Service Provider or another DNS server provider. You might need to toggle this option on in your VPN app’s settings.

Some mediocre VPNs will send your DNS requests through the tunnel, but then use a public DNS service like Google DNS on the other side. This will let you use DNS servers in the US, but Google would be able to record which websites you visit and when, which is not ideal for privacy. Other VPNs fail to tunnel DNS requests altogether.

If your VPN provider doesn’t tunnel DNS traffic for you, you can manually configure DNS servers on most devices. We recommend a service like OpenNIC, which offers free DNS servers in specific countries including the US. The exact process for changing DNS servers varies between devices, but you can usually add primary and secondary DNS servers somewhere in your network configuration settings.

Windows 10 users in particular should be aware that their operating system often sends such requests in tandem, one over the IPv4 protocol and one over IPv6. Windows uses whichever one comes back faster, however, IPv6 requests are often sent outside the VPN tunnel. If your VPN doesn’t offer IPv6 leak protection, you may need to disable IPv6 altogether in your wifi settings.

What are the other ways to get a US IP address?

There’s the option of using the Tor browser. This is a free service available to everyone on the web and designed to provide encryption and anonymity. Many people including journalists, human rights activists, and whistleblowers use Tor to keep their identity hidden on the web.

It is possible to acquire a US IP address with Tor, but the process is a bit complicated and requires multiple steps. This guide breaks it down in more detail. Having said that, speeds on the Tor browser are buggy at best so if you’re looking to download or stream HD video, this isn’t a suitable option. Best to go with a VPN instead.

The last possible option is to use a free proxy server. But these work in a similar vein to free VPN services. There are download caps and unclear privacy policies. Be prepared to be booted out just halfway into your episode of House of Cards. HTTP and SOCKS proxies often aren’t encrypted, and they only route internet traffic from certain apps, such as your web browser.

Finding the best VPNs to get a US IP address: our methodology

Traveling abroad may have some impact on your usual online activity, particularly when it comes to streaming. There are a number of hurdles to overcome including geographic restrictions, slow speeds, and poor security on public wifi. To make your life easier, we evaluated each VPN to ensure it meets the criteria as listed below:

• Servers in the US: Of course, in order to get a US IP address, you’ll need to use a VPN that offers servers in the US. It also helps if these servers are spread across multiple cities. That way, you can select a server closer to your location for faster speeds. That’s why we’ve covered only the fastest VPNs.
• Speed: The faster the speeds offered by a VPN, the easier it will be to stream and torrent. All of the VPNs recommended in this post provide not only fast server speeds but unlimited bandwidth. This becomes most obvious when streaming as you’re less likely to encounter lag and buffering.
• Network size: Traveling outside the US may mean you occasionally need more than just a US IP address. Indeed, there may be websites or services from other countries that you wish to access. A VPN should therefore provide servers in dozens of countries around the world.
• Security: If you’re going on vacation, you may find yourself using public wifi. Unfortunately, this comes with some security risks. However, using a VPN protects your data from hackers and snoopers alike. This is done with encryption, a kill switch, leak protection, and more.
• Privacy: There are a number of things a VPN can do to protect your privacy. One of the biggest is to have a no-logs policy. That’s why we’ve assessed 140 VPN logging policies to find the very best. It also helps if a VPN allows you to pay anonymously in cryptocurrency.
• Ease of use: It doesn’t hurt if a VPN provides apps that are easy to use for beginners! Indeed, the very best VPNs allow you to connect to a server with a single click. There should also be a live chat and email support as well as resources including setup guides.
• Value for money: Some VPNs offer very few features yet charge a similar price to the VPNs covered in this post. We believe we’ve found VPNs that are fairly priced for what they offer. Better still, our discount coupons can help you save even more on the price of a subscription.

The above is just part of our full VPN testing methodology. By testing each and every aspect of a VPN for ourselves, we can develop an in-depth understanding of it. This is how we provide you with information that is not only accurate, but up-to-date.

How to get an American IP Address FAQ