Getting an American IP address is easy. All you need to do is connect to a US VPN server. Once you’ve got an American IP, you’ll be able to unblock American Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock and a whole range of other streaming services. You’ll also enjoy increased security and anonymity while browsing.
Just follow the simple steps below to get an American IP address from anywhere:
- Choose a VPN provider. NordVPN is our best VPN for America and offers a 30-day free trial!
- Download NordVPN, or another VPN, and install the client.
- Create a VPN account or sign in if you did this via the website.
- Fire up the VPN, and find an American VPN server.
- Connect to the VPN server to change your IP address to a US IP.
- Enjoy all the American content you can handle!
You’ll find more information on how to get an American IP address in the full article below.
Whether you’re an American traveling overseas or a resident of another country who wants to watch American TV online, you might find yourself needing an American IP address. Websites across the world use geographical restrictions (geo-blocks) to restrict access to foreign visitors, and American websites are no exception.
However, with an American IP address, you’ll enjoy the same web access as US citizens.
By using a VPN to get an American IP, you can access streaming services like American Netflix, Peacock, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime and others. What’s more, if you live in the USA but are currently overseas, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) with an American IP can help you avoid being locked out of bank accounts, social media, and more.
How to Get a US IP Address from Anywhere in the World
Think of your IP address as a digital fingerprint. It tells websites what country you’re browsing from. It can even tell people roughly where you’re located within a country. This is how websites are able to block you. What’s more, since your internet service provider (ISP) knows who you are, they can see what you browse online and link it to your identity.
A VPN protects you from unwanted snooping by third parties. When you connect to a VPN server, your IP changes to match the server that you’re connected to. This means that if you connect to a US VPN server, then you’ll be browsing under an American IP address. You also get enhanced security thanks to encrypted data traffic, which is a must for public Wi-Fi. There are other advantages of a VPN too.
For a walkthrough on how to change your IP address, improve your security, and unblock websites in America, see the step-by-step guide below. In this article, we’ll also help you choose the best VPN for an American IP address.
Step-by-step guide: Get a US IP from anywhere with a VPN
- You’ll need to select a VPN provider offering fast and reliable connections, particularly for streaming. Our top VPN for American IP addresses is NordVPN.
- Download NordVPN or your chosen VPN onto the device you use primarily. Some VPN providers allow multiple or even unlimited devices. Install the VPN once your download completes.
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NordVPNOur choiceDeal Save big with 69% off a two-year subscription + three months free!From$ 2.999.3- Fast and large worldwide network of VPN servers
- Perfect for privacy and streaming
- Trusted by many, with over 14 million users
- Start the VPN and create an account (or sign in if you did this via the website).
- Use the search tool or drop-down list to choose an American (US) VPN server.
- Hit the connect button to connect and change your IP. Once connected, you’ll be browsing under an American IP address, and those pesky geo-blocks will be a thing of the past!
How to Choose a Free or Paid VPN for Accessing US Content
We’ll address free VPNs first, because using a free option as opposed to paying is always tempting. Free USA VPNs are not always the best choice, especially if you want to benefit from streaming American TV. Check out some of the disadvantages of a free VPN below:
- Server choice is often limited: While subscription-based VPNs usually have thousands of servers worldwide, free VPNs have fewer. You could be competing with other users for bandwidth, resulting in slow connection speeds. Worse still, you might not even find an American VPN server.
- Data is typically limited too. Trying to binge-watch your favorite American TV show using a free VPN? You’re likely to hit a data cap very quickly. Streaming consumes a lot of data, and most free VPNs limit you to a few gigabytes or less each month. Take TunnelBear for example, one of our best free VPNs. With a 500MB monthly limit, you’ll be lucky to finish a couple of episodes.
- Your connection could be too slow to stream. The problem here isn’t just that you might be competing with other users for a single server. Many free VPNs also place limitations on the speeds that you’ll get while connected. On the other hand, subscription-based VPNs like ExpressVPN and NordVPN can offer up to 600Mbps-800Mbps respectively!
- Your online activity could be recorded. The two VPNs we mentioned above — ExpressVPN and NordVPN — strictly adhere to no-logging policies. This means that your browsing activity won’t be recorded. The same can’t always be said of free VPNs. Often, your browsing data is tracked and sold to marketing companies, even in cases when the VPN claims not to log your browsing habits!
NordVPN for the win
If you do ultimately decide to go with a free VPN, you should at least choose one of the best free VPNs. However, bear in mind that for short-term use, the money-back guarantees offered by paid-for VPNs can let you try out their service for free.
The above points are why our best VPN for America is NordVPN. You’ll have unlimited bandwidth on servers that are fast and reliable, including those dedicated exclusively for streaming content. Apart from streaming, you’ll also benefit from secure browsing, no data logging, and a kill switch to keep your connection secure.
Read on for more alternative USA VPNs that you can use to get an American IP address.
Is Using a VPN to Get a US IP Address Safe?
Using a VPN online is safe. In fact, going online using a VPN server is safer than browsing without one. In America, it’s also legal to use a VPN, assuming that you’re not engaging in illegal online activities. Here are some of the ways that a VPN makes you safer and gives you more freedom online:
- A VPN server changes your IP address. Anybody snooping on your IP will see an American IP address if you connect to a US VPN server. That goes for both your ISP and any other third parties, such as strangers within your torrent swarm.
- With a VPN, you can unblock websites. Want to watch American streaming services, but you’re not located in the US? You’ll need a VPN. But with a VPN, you can unblock more than just movies and TV shows. VPNs allow you to bypass government censorship too, increasing your internet freedom.
- Your data traffic is encrypted when using a VPN. When your data passes through the VPN server, it is encrypted. This means that your personal information is safe against any malicious third parties that may be spying on the network.
- With a VPN, downloads are anonymous and safer.
In summary, as long as you’re using a reliable and trustworthy VPN provider, then you’ll be much safer online with a VPN. So, to get started with a USA VPN, check out some of the most respected VPN providers below. They’re our top choices for getting an American IP address.
Alternatively, check out our article on how a VPN works if you’ve still got questions about how the software works or anything other questions.
The Best VPN for a US IP Address
You can get an American IP address from a lot of VPN providers. That said, some VPNs are better for speed, reliability, and security. Below, we’ve listed the best VPNs for an American IP address. For a more in-depth look at the best VPN providers, check out our recommendations in our list of the best VPNs of 2022.
NordVPN: The best VPN for American streaming
- Simultaneously connect up to six devices
- A huge networks of 1,970 VPN servers in the US
- New subscribers can get 3 months for free
- Excellent US VPN speeds up to 800Mbps
- Government-standard 256-bit AES encryption
As well as having one of the biggest number of VPN servers worldwide, NordVPN has nearly 2,000 VPN servers in North America. This is ideal, as America offers some of the most varied streaming platforms. In addition to unblocking Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+ in the U.S., you’ll be able to access HBO Max, Peacock, and Hulu for example.
What’s more, when you’re streaming movies and TV shows, speed is king. With NordVPN, you can get speeds of up to around 800Mbps. Worldwide, they have more than 5,000 servers in over 80 locations. While they have more servers than ExpressVPN, NordVPN covers a few less countries, but you’ll easily find VPN servers in locations like the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, Japan, and many more.
As a new subscriber, you can get three months of NordVPN for free, which could be enough time to binge an entire US series on Netflix! If you’re temporarily traveling abroad, this also means you could have full access to a top-tier VPN without having to pay anything. Just be sure to check the terms of the promotion. You can also connect up to six devices at once, which means the whole family can get an American IP address for secure and unrestricted streaming and browsing.
Surfshark: Cheap subscriptions and ideal for streaming
- 3,200+ VPN servers worldwide, including United States of America
- Dedicated VPN servers for streaming American TV online
- Government-standard 256-bit AES encryption
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- One of the cheapest premium VPN providers around
Surfshark is a great VPN for streaming from the U.S., especially if you’re wary of how much you pay for a subscription. In addition to being one of the cheapest premium VPNs, Surfshark has continued to do well in avoiding Netflix’s war against VPN providers. There have been some recent issues with UK and Australian servers being temporarily blocked, but Surfshark can unblock streaming sites in the U.S. with ease at the time of writing, including Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and more.
Among its 3,200+ VPN servers, Surfshark has around 1,100 VPN servers in the United States alone. And while VPN connections can slow your connection, you’ll still get excellent streaming speeds with this provider too. When testing the software for our Surfshark review, we were able to maintain almost 91% of our original download speed while connected to a U.S. VPN server.
In addition to the above, you get strong encryption and a kill switch too, among other features. You can also connect unlimited devices under a single subscription, allowing the whole family to unblock US streaming services on any device.
ExpressVPN: US IP addresses with fast, reliable connections
- 164 VPN server locations in 94 countries
- 24 VPN server locations in North America
- Won’t log your browsing data on American VPN servers or otherwise
- Government-standard 256-bit AES encryption
- 30-day money-back guarantee lets you try an American VPN for free
- Will automatically find you the fastest American VPN server
ExpressVPN is another excellent VPN for American IPs. Both the desktop and mobile apps are slick and easy to use, and you’ve got 24/7 access to customer support should you get stuck. What’s more, ExpressVPN is known to support speeds of up to around 600Mbps on fast and reliable VPN connections.
Should you decide to hop to a European VPN server or another country worldwide, you’ll have access to more than 3000 servers in 160 locations. Like Surfshark, ExpressVPN also bypasses many of the most popular streaming services’ geo-blocks. However, this VPN provider can be a little pricier than the others.
Why Should I Use a VPN with a US IP Address?
So, why use an American IP address specifically? Freedom House ranks the US highly for having few limitations on internet content, thus allowing greater internet freedom. According to the report, “the government does not force ISPs or content hosts to block or filter online material (…).”
What’s more, by changing your IP address, you can unblock websites overseas. If you were wondering which country is best for streaming, we can tell you that the US offers some of the greatest variety. The American Amazon Prime catalog has access to around 18,250 titles, while the “second-best” Prime platform — the UK — has approximately 11,000. Similarly, American Netflix boasts around 5,655 titles, second only to Japan by a small margin.
So, if you’re traveling away from home or simply want access to the biggest streaming libraries, the US is a top choice. With an American IP address, you’ll also have access to a broad selection of other streaming services that include:
What Should I Look For in a US VPN Provider?
How do you choose a VPN provider when there are so many that offer American VPN servers? There are some factors you can look for, which are the same kind of points we consider when recommending a VPN. NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN all score highly in the below areas, which we consider vital for a reliable and trustworthy VPN:
- The VPN server locations available. This isn’t just about looking for American VPN servers. You should also consider whether you’re closer to a VPN server on the East or West coast of North America. What’s more, look for a VPN with a high volume of servers. This will help ensure that you get a fast and reliable connection when service demand is high.
- Any VPN data logging policies. Providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN don’t log your browsing activity. Even in the event the authorities requested your browsing data, they wouldn’t be able to hand it over. They simply wouldn’t have it (though we don’t condone doing anything illegal!).
- The speed and stability of your VPN. For the fastest VPN speeds, look to subscription-based VPNs as the solution. Free VPNs commonly hamstring your connection speed or simply offer poorer quality servers. Conversely, ExpressVPN commonly reaches speeds of 600Mbps, while NordVPN has been known for up to 800Mbps in certain scenarios.
- Whether or not you can unblock websites in other countries. NordVPN is our best VPN for American streaming owing to dedicated streaming servers, and a large number of American VPN servers. NordVPN is great if you want a Brazilian IP address or a Mexican IP address too. However, ExpressVPN has the best connection speeds for a USA VPN.
Final Thoughts
A VPN can help keep you safe and secure when you’re browsing online. What’s more, an American IP address will let you unblock streaming services in the US, giving you access to the most popular platforms with the biggest selection of titles. While free VPNs have their limitations, a subscription-based VPN will give you the best, most secure experience online. NordVPN is our best VPN for streaming in America thanks in part to its dedicated streaming servers.
To unblock American websites or watch American TV abroad, you’ll need an American IP address. If you’ve got more questions about US VPN servers, check out our frequently asked questions below.
Changing your IP address to an American IP address only takes a few minutes:
- Choose a VPN provider, such as NordVPN, the best VPN for the US.
- Download NordVPN or another VPN client, and install it onto your device.
- Create an account and sign in.
- Find an American VPN server, or let the client find the fastest one for you.
- Connect to the VPN server, and enjoy unrestricted, more secure browsing.
You’ll find more detailed guidance and information on the best VPN providers in our full article about US IP addresses.
If you want to unblock American Netflix or any other streaming service in the US, you’ll need to change your IP address to an American IP. Simply download a VPN service, find an American VPN server, and you’re all set. There’s more information in our full article, and you can also check out our guide to unblocking American Netflix.
You’re not restricted to a computer with the best VPN providers. Using a Netflix USA VPN like NordVPN or Surfshark means that you can use multiple devices under one subscription. You can even get an American IP address on your iPad, iPhone, Android tablet or Android smartphone, or a smart TV.
