People living in the US can probably enjoy the highest degree of internet freedom. From being able to access Netflix US, Hulu, and HBO Max to having full access to American sports like NBA, NFL, and MLB – everything’s here!
However, getting a US IP address isn’t an easy feat. If you don’t live in this country, you can’t get an IP from there because you aren’t connected to any network located in this country. Thus, if you want to access American content online, you’ll be in for a great disappointment.
The good thing is that you can throw everything I said in the trash if you know what you’re doing. With a VPN, you can get a US IP with a few clicks of a mouse and gain access to every geo-restricted platform, betting site, or streaming portal in America!
Wondering how to do that? Well, let me explain it to you.
How to Get a US IP Address With a VPN?
A VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It’s a tool that lets you change your IP address to another country and encrypt your connection. This has two benefits. One is that you can change your online location to any country you want, thus, bypassing geo-restrictions online.
The second is that you secure and encrypt your connection, making ALL of your browsing activities completely hidden from anyone (unlike the use of a proxy). As people often say, you get to browse the internet in complete anonymity, which is perhaps the best benefit of a VPN service.
Another thing worth pointing out is that you can get a US IP address using a VPN on any device. Thus, you can apply the solution you see below not only on your Windows PC, but also on Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and many other devices.
Needless to say, my guide on getting an American IP is below, so let’s go through it.
Step 1 – Choose a VPN
When choosing a VPN to have a US IP, it’s VERY important to choose a secure one, with lots of servers in this country. My #1 VPN for this case is ExpressVPN.
It has servers in 20+ locations in the USA, with more than 1,000 servers across the majority of states. This is what makes it an excellent choice of VPN for the USA.
As such, you can use it to get a US IP address even in particular cities, just in case you want to boil down your location to a single city or region. Bear in mind that this VPN isn’t free, but there are a few good incentives to look for.
One is a huge 49% discount and 3 months free for the annual plan and another one is a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans. Therefore, if you subscribe to ExpressVPN using the button below, you’ll be able to use it risk-free for 30 days and get a refund afterward.
In other words, you don’t have to lose a single cent to change your IP to the US and access all the content you wanted.
Once you subscribe to ExpressVPN, move on to the next step.
Step 2 – Download the VPN App
Getting a subscription from ExpressVPN gives you the ability to download its applications. For this example, I’ll use a Windows app, but all apps look and function the same, so feel free to adapt the guide to your device.
Just download the app you want, install it by following the on-screen steps, and open it up. In the sign-in process, just use the credentials you provided previously. Alternatively, ExpressVPN will give you an activation code that you can use to sign in on every device.
And since it has 5 simultaneous connections, you can protect 5 devices at the same time – sweet!
Step 3 – Connect to a VPN Server in the United States
Finally, let’s get a US IP address. Click on the three horizontal dots next to the country in the image below and you’ll open up the server list. Now click on All Locations, choose Americas, and you’ll see the United States right underneath.
If you just want to get a US IP address and you don’t want to go for a particular city, double-click on the country, and ExpressVPN will establish a connection, which is indicated by the app turning green – check the image below.
However, if you want a US IP from particular region in the country, click on the arrow next to the United States. Once you do that, double-click on the location you want to achieve the same result.
Step 4 – Check Your IP
Connecting to a US VPN server grants you an American IP. However, if you’re skeptical, you can check any of the IP-checking sites to make sure it’s true.
I use iplocation.net and as you can see below, I really have an IP address located in the United States thanks to the VPN :
Should I Get a US IP Address Using a Free VPN?
One question we often get is whether or not free VPNs are good. And if you want brutal honesty, I’ll be honest – they’re not. However, free VPNs do have servers in the United States, so they technically allow you to get an IP from this country.
There are many caveats to that, though.
Namely, they offer merely a few locations in this country, compared to ExpressVPN which has 20+ of them. Then, you should be aware of the limitations in bypassing geo-restrictions. Free VPNs are NOT capable of unblocking Netflix US or any other streaming site in the United States.
Not to mention American betting sites, TV channels, and other enticing platforms. To that, we need to add poor speeds and limited monthly bandwidth of no more than 10 GB, which makes the entire experience tedious and constricted.
This means that, even if you obtain an American IP, you will not get the benefits I talked about! Not even security, because free VPNs have weaker encryption, they lack important security features, and they have intrusive logging practices.
As such, they’re a threat to your privacy, especially if we talk about providers like Hola VPN, Ninja VPN, Betternet, and others. ExpressVPN walks the opposite path, giving you no bandwidth limits, impenetrable security, and great streaming capabilities.
Even torrenting will be possible with this VPN, as well as protecting 5 devices simultaneously at no additional cost. It’s easy to see why I recommend ExpressVPN but feel free to test any free VPN and you’ll see a difference right in front of you.
Other Ways to Get a US IP Address
If you don’t want to use a VPN, are there other ways of getting a US IP? Certainly – there are.
You can use Tor Browser and change your default country. However, this process is a bit more complicated, as you have to edit a certain Notepad file, where you still won’t get any benefits that a VPN gives you.
Tor Browser is known to have a security vulnerability on its entry node, which you can fix by using a VPN before you connect to Tor. Another thing is that Tor slows down your internet speed significantly, which, I reckon, you won’t be happy about.
Even if you change your country on Tor, you still won’t be able to use Netflix US or watch HBO. For this, you need a VPN like ExpressVPN. And if you’re thinking about using free proxies to get a US IP, I wouldn’t suggest doing that.
They’re often hosted by unknown people and entities, with the goal of collecting and selling your personal information. Yet, they also don’t offer any security, as you can still be traced by your ISP, which can easily see that you tried to mask your IP with a proxy.
Proxies also won’t let you unblock American streaming platforms or banking, so they’re a far cry from ExpressVPN.
Other Great VPNs for Getting a US IP
Before wrapping things up, let’s quickly go through a few great VPNs that will give you a US IP address anywhere.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is an amazing provider with 9,100 servers around the globe. In the US alone, it has around 1,300 servers in more than 10 locations, making it a perfect choice to get an IP address from this country. Other than that, the provider is known for impeccable security and privacy.
It has bank-grade encryption, an ad blocker, and a kill switch, coupled with WireGuard and IP leak protection. CyberGhost is streaming-friendly too, and with an IP from the US, you can unblock pretty much any platform from this country.
Plus, it allows for torrenting and offers NoSpy servers for added privacy. The provider stores absolutely no logs and even offers 7 simultaneous connections – 2 more than ExpressVPN! Finally, we’re talking about a very affordable service with a monthly price of under $2.5 a month
With a 45-day refund policy in place, it’s easy to see why CyberGhost is a solid choice for those who want to pretend to be Americans online.
NordVPN
NordVPN comes with 5,500 servers in 60 countries. Nearly 2,000 servers are in the US, making it dead simple to obtain an American IP. NordVPN is extremely fast thanks to the NordLynx protocol and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more secure VPN than this for the price.
Aside from all the features we mentioned in CyberGhost, it offers Threat Protection. This feature has antivirus, malware protection, and an ad blocker, ensuring 360-degree protection. Even better is that NordVPN is audited by PwC and Deloitte 3 times in total!
But aside from security and privacy, a US IP address via NordVPN will allow you to watch any streaming platform or TV channel from the US. NordVPN is a reliable ally if you want to access CBS in the UK, for example.
NordVPN boasts unlimited bandwidth and apps for all devices, plus 6 simultaneous connections and 24/7 live chat support.
All of this comes at a fairly affordable price in a 2-year package with a 30-day refund period. If you’re interested, test NordVPN risk-free and enjoy your American IP address no matter your location!
Summary
I hope you now learned how to get a US IP address with a VPN. It’s very easy, especially when talking about ExpressVPN.
All you need to do is connect to a server located in the United States and you’ll be able to secure your connection and access the vast American online space.
Keep in mind its 49% discount and a 30-day money-back guarantee. These incentives will let you save money or use it for free for 30 days by getting a refund.
Get an American IP Address now
FAQ
With everything said, let’s address a few important questions related to getting an IP address located in the United States.
Will having a US IP address let me watch US Netflix?
Absolutely, but as long as you use a good VPN like ExpressVPN. Not all VPNs work with Netflix, so make sure you use a verified choice like this one and avoid free VPNs because they won’t work at all.
Is getting an American IP considered illegal?
No. You can use a VPN or any other measure to get an IP address from whichever country you want. As long as you don’t use this to commit crime or fraud, you won’t get in trouble.
Can I get an IP from particular American cities?
Yes. ExpressVPN has 20+ locations in this country, so you can change your IP to the US city you want with a click of a mouse (New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Seattle, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, and many more).
Of course, this depends on the server coverage in the US, which is why I went with ExpressVPN which has the best coverage in this country.
