Rachel Lyles VPN services are often used to access restricted content. So there is no surprise that a lot of users see this software simply as a tool that allows unblocking shows on Netflix and visiting forbidden websites. That’s why the belief that for the USA VPN is totally useless is so popular.
True, users in the US almost never face restrictions online. The only exception might be some British content on BBC iPlayer. And here is the first reason to get a VPN for you. But in general, Americans can access all shows and resources that are usually blocked in other countries. And you won’t get VPN (top VPNs overall here) just to watch UK series, right?
However, there are some things you might overlook. FBI, NSA along with huge corporations Apple and Google are all interested in your data, which means that you might be under surveillance right now.
5 Best VPNs for USA
True, spying by US governmental agencies is not limited to their own citizens, and the aforementioned IT giants gather data of all their users around the globe.
At the same time, while non-US residents do not fall under direct US jurisdiction, Americans do not have borders to protect them. FBI, for example, has the right to force ISP give out customers’ records about your Internet activity under the USA PATRIOT Act.
So here is another reason for you to use VPN in the US – to escape from prying eyes of authorities. And it doesn’t matter whether you do something illegal or not. You might just want to hide for a while and feel safe sharing any sensitive information.
What’s the best VPN to use in the USA?
Choosing VPN for USA you should consider several important criteria.
- First of all, it’s better to give preference to providers that are located beyond the jurisdiction of the US. If the service is based in a country that is not a member of any Eyes alliances, it is perfect.
- Also, look for no logs policy.
- Obviously, you want a VPN service with high bandwidth – connecting to remote servers will cut your initial speed, so it will be better if the difference won’t be that noticeable.
- The number of servers matters as well – the more, the better.
- The app must be simple and easy to use.
- Also, VPN should support several simultaneous connections and have a mobile app.
- Last but not least – the price, it must fit your budget.
To make the choice of the best VPN for USA easier for you, we’ve assembled a list of providers that fit all the criteria we had discussed earlier. Here you will find quick reviews, pros, and cons of each service that will help you pick the right solution. 
ExpressVPN
Safety & Encryption
With 256-bit SSL encryption you can be sure your data is perfectly protected. ExpressVPN allows choosing the protocol you want to use, but you can leave the decision to the software, it will pick the best option for the current situation. Therefore, you get reliable protection from any surveillance or hacker attacks. You can perform any actions without worrying about your safety as long as the VPN is turned on.
Extra features will provide you with additional protection. For example, Kill Switch will interrupt your internet connection if the VPN turns off for any reason. And DNS Leak Protection will cover your DNS in case you’ve set up the connection manually.
ExpressVPN has a strict no logs policy, so you can be sure – none of your data is recorded.
Ease of Use
The installation process takes only up to five minutes and is extremely simple. The interface is easy to use, and even novice users will have no issues with it. But if you want some more control over VPN, the app is quite customizable.
Should you have any issues, the support team is available 24/7 and always ready to help you out. You can contact them via email or live chat – in both situations you will get a quick response and detailed help.
Pricing Plans
- Monthly – $12.95/month;
- 6 months – $9.99 per month / $59.9 per full period;
- 1 year – $8.32 per month / $99.95 per full period.
ExpressVPN Trial Version & Money-Back Guarantee
And if you doubt whether ExpressVPN is a right fit for you or not, the provider offers a 30-days free trial – quite enough to make a decision. The money-back guarantee and the opportunity to pay in any convenient way (even with bitcoins) make this provider a great choice. 
NordVPN
Safety & Encryption
NordVPN offers a standard set of protocols and 256-AES-CBC encryption for Windows and Android users. MacOS and iOS get AES-256-GCM encryption. Of course, the provider has a no logs policy, so it doesn’t record any of your data.
NordVPN is packed with additional features. You will find here quite common Kill Switch and DNS Leak Protection. Also, this software has Onion over VPN feature that allows combining VPN with TOR network. For more convenient use of streaming services NordVPN has SmartPlay function, and if you ever need to overcome advanced censorship, you can use Obfuscated Servers.
If you want to get even more security, use Double Data Protection. With this feature, your traffic will get rerouted twice between different servers before it gets to the destination point. This feature helps NordVPN winning the competition against ExpressVPN.
Ease of Use
As any top VPN, this provider offers a simple interface and a quick setup. And, of course, the support is on fleek. You can contact the support team by writing an email or just pinging them in a live chat 24/7, and you will get an extensive and quick help.
Pricing Plans
NordVPN accepts bitcoins and even AliPay along with standard payment options. You can use a 3-days trial before purchase to test the service. Unfortunately, the money-back is not simple. To get a refund, you’ll have to wait for 30 days.
- Monthly – $11.95/month;
- 1 year – $6.99/month;
- 2 years – $3.99/month;
- 3 years – $2.99/month.
CyberGhost VPN
- Simple in use
- Good performance
- 7 simultaneous connections
- Ad blocking
- Swift customer service replies
- Not the fastest VPN
- Costly monthly price
Safety & Encryption
The AES-256 encryption along with a choice of standard, reliable protocols ensure a secure connection. And the zero logs policy will leave your private data in peace. Kill Switch and Leak Blocking will take care of unexpected issues with the connection.
There also is a split tunneling feature and the opportunity to use CyberGhost with TOR browser. All these functions ensure the highest level of security. During tests, no DNS or IP address leaks were detected, so the ability of the provider to protect your data is confirmed. Also, this VPN blocks ads – something both NordVPN and ExpressVPN don’t have.
Ease of Use
Even though the software is packed with features, it is simple and easy to work with. All tools are placed in a way so that the user can navigate through them without any issues. If you have any question, the provider offers detailed FAQs and guides. And if it doesn’t help, the support team is always there to help.
You can get help within just a few minutes. The support team will guide you through every step in the process. And in the end, you will receive a recap email.
Pricing Plans & Refund
You can try CyberGhost for free for only 24 hours. Although, the provider will give you a refund within 45 days without any negotiations or questions. If you have a monthly subscription, the refund takes only 14 days.
- Monthly – $12.99/month;
- 6 months – $7.99;
- 1 year – $5.25/month;
- 18 months – $3.5/month.
SaferVPN
- Strict zero logs policy
- Reliable protection
- Very budget-friendly long-term plans
- User-friendly apps
- Modest coverage
- Only one torrenting server
Safety & Encryption
Both encryption and protocols are rather standard – all top providers are trying to fit the security needs of a modern world. SaferVPN is not packed with features which can be a huge bonus for those who don’t need all these over the top functions. Although, it has the much needed Kill Switch.
Ease of Use
Ditching unnecessary tools, SaverVPN focuses solely on the performance of servers and application itself. The software is very easy to use with its simple and neat interface. You can navigate freely through settings without any struggle.
The support is quick – you can get help via live chat. Sometimes it seems like the provider uses bots to answer questions customers have. But it doesn’t matter much until you get a decent response that helps you.
Pricing plans & Trial Period
SaferVPN offers a trial period for only 24 hours just like CyberGhost and 30-days money back guarantee. The prices are quite average, and if you pick a 2 years plan, you will get the service pretty much for free.
- 1 month – $10.99/month;
- 1 year – $5.49/month;
- 2 years – $3.29/month;
- 3 years – $2.51/month.
Buffered VPN
- Great usability
- Stable performance
- Open Port feature
- 5 simultaneous connections
- Minor logs
- Not compatible with Linux
- Average speed
Safety & Encryption
AES 256-bit encryption comes along with OpenVPN protocol offering reliable protection for your data. However, this provider still keeps some logs. Even though the data is recorded for customer’s sake – to improve the service – still, it is a downside. The Gibraltar location saves this situation.
Basic features like Kill Switch and auto-connection are present, so you can expect a steady work from this VPN service. Also, you can choose the protocol you want to use. The great tool is the Open Port feature that allows connecting to public WiFi without a password giving you additional protection.
Ease of Use
The application is simple and works without any issues. Most likely you won’t experience any struggle using it. But if you do, the extensive FAQ and 24/7 available support team are at your service. You can contact the team by writing them an email or via a live chat.
Pricing Plans & Money-Back Guarantee
You can choose the convenient payment method – even pay in bitcoins. If you find this service not suitable for you, Buffered offers a 30-days money back guarantee. You won’t be asked any questions and will get a refund without hassle.
- Monthly – $12.99/month;
- 1 year – $6.59/month;
- 2 years – $4.12/month.
Good VPN Services Based in USА
There are several good VPN providers that are based in the US, and this is the reason we’ve not included them in our top. Yet, they are as reliable as those listed above. The USA location on its own doesn’t make them worse that others. Sure, NSA or FBA can request data from them. But as long as these providers follow no logs policy, your privacy is quite safe.
So if you’re not concerned about authorities knocking at your ISP’s door, you can use one of these VPNs:
Why would one use a VPN in the USA?
We’ve already mentioned in the beginning of our guide that VPN can help US citizens escape from the prying eyes of governmental agencies or get access to foreign services that are blocked in US. Actually, there are a few more cases when a VPN can help. Let’s sum up all the reasons to use a VPN in USA.
Privacy Protection
The United States is one of the members of the Five Eyes alliance. Therefore, citizens of this country can be exposed to some extra surveillance from the government. It doesn’t matter whether you perform any illegal actions or not. You might want to keep your activity in secret.
Authorities can monitor your actions even if you are a law-abiding citizen. You never know if your friends are involved in something sketchy. And since the government is allowed to spy even on friends of friends of a criminal, you might be targeted as well.
But the desire to keep your private life, well, private is not the only reason to use VPN in the US. There are lots of other ways you can benefit from this service.
Enhanced Security Online
First of all, everyone uses public WiFi. We go to cafes and restaurants, travel around the country and stay in hotels. Therefore, we connect to public networks rather often. And every time we do that, we risk facing a potential threat. The thing is that public WiFi is almost never secure because routers in public places rarely get updates and decent protection.
Thus, hackers can easily get into our devices and steal or corrupt sensitive information. VPN will protect you from attacks covering your data. So every time you connect to WiFi in a public place, you should use it if you want to stay on the safe side.
Safe Torrenting
Another reason to use VPN is torrenting. While BitTorrent and other similar programs are not forbidden, they are usually used for online piracy which is illegal. Technically, any copyrighted content is illegal to download, even if you save an image to your PC to use it as a screensaver.
That’s why copyright holders record IP addresses of users and track their actions. And if there is some torrenting activity detected, holders can sue the user for online pirating. But if you use VPN that allows torrenting, it will hide your data and activity. Thus, no one can detect that you are doing something not legal.
Bypassing Office Blocks
One more place where VPN can be really useful is an office. Corporations would block certain websites – social media, adult resources, etc. – quite often. With a VPN service, you can bypass these restrictions and enjoy desired websites at work.
Foreign Content Streaming
Even though most online content is available in the US, some are still restricted. For example, there are some British shows on BBC iPlayer that can be accessed only from the UK. VPN services for streaming will unblock such content for you so you can watch whatever you want.
Bypassing Blackouts
Sometimes US users face geo-blocking – blackouts. Usually, it applies to sports – MLB baseball, NHL hockey, and NFL football – streaming services won’t allow watching local games globally. Sports lovers can bypass this obstacle using a VPN service. You just need to choose the right location to enjoy the game.
Is VPN legal in USA?
VPN usage is legal in the United States. So you can be sure you’re not breaking the law using VPN for whatever needs you to have. Of course, if you’re planning on using it for something illegal, you might want to think of additional layers of security – TOR browser, for example. Then you’ll have to look for a provider that is compatible with this network.
Bottom Line
A good VPN service is a necessity in a modern world full of cyber threats. Every active Internet user should create a habit of turning VPN every time they connect to a public WiFi network or exchanging any sensitive data online.
Also, we all travel outside the country. And some places – China, for example – have very strict censorship. Getting VPN before the trip, you will bypass restrictions and make sure your device is safe when you use WiFI in airports or other public places.