Ranked for privacy Facts checked 17 Oct 2026 Scores recalculated live
Best VPN for the United States
Nothing is blocked nationally in the US, but a growing number of states make adult sites check ID, and the TikTok divest-or-ban law showed how quickly an app can disappear from stores.
Top pick right now
Proton VPN 94/100
No-logs claims checked by Securitum (Aug 2025).
Why you'd use a VPN in the United States
Age checks state by state
About two dozen states had adult-site age-verification laws by June 2025, when the Supreme Court upheld Texas's law 6–3 in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton. Some sites block whole states rather than collect IDs; Aylo blocked its sites in 12 states by mid-2024. [1] [2]
Apps can vanish from stores
The Supreme Court upheld the TikTok divest-or-ban law on 17 January 2025, and Apple and Google briefly pulled ByteDance apps before deadlines were extended. [3]
Wiretap systems were hacked
A China-linked hack disclosed in October 2024 compromised telecom systems used for law-enforcement wiretaps, a reminder that traffic on the network itself can be exposed. [3]
Is a VPN legal in the United States? Legal. VPNs are legal in every state. Utah's attempt to extend age checks to VPN users was blocked by a judge.
The top 3 for the United States
Full ranking of the 6 VPNs we track
| # | VPN | Score | Connects here | Visitor reports | Website (OONI) | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proton VPN | 94/100 | Connects | Not enough yet | Blocked on some networks 2267 tests | Try Proton VPN |
| 2 | ExpressVPN | 86/100 | Connects | Not enough yet | Too few tests | Try ExpressVPN |
| 3 | NordVPN | 86/100 | Connects | Not enough yet | Website loads 2538 tests | Try NordVPN |
| 4 | Private Internet Access | 79/100 | Connects | Not enough yet | Too few tests | Try Private Internet Access |
| 5 | Surfshark | 77/100 | Connects | Not enough yet | Website loads 1899 tests | Try Surfshark |
| 6 | CyberGhost | 66/100 | Connects | Not enough yet | Too few tests | Try CyberGhost |
"Connects here" comes from our the United States status page. Visitor reports count the last 14 days. Website checks come from OONI measurements over 30 days, refreshed 19 Oct 2026; a blocked website doesn't mean the app is blocked, but you'll need to install the app another way.
How we scored
Nobody pays for a position here. Each VPN gets a score out of 100 from these weights, chosen because the main reason to use a VPN in the United States is privacy:
- Privacy & audits
- 55%
- Stealth / obfuscation
- 10%
- Streaming
- 10%
- Connects in this country
- 10%
- Visitor reports
- 15%
Feature ratings are our editorial scores. If a VPN has too few visitor reports, that weight is shared among the other factors. A VPN that doesn't connect here is capped at 35. How we track
Questions people ask
What is the best VPN for the United States?
On our current scores, Proton VPN (94/100), followed by ExpressVPN (86) and NordVPN (86). Scores weigh privacy most heavily for the United States and update as visitors there report what works.
Is using a VPN legal in the United States?
Legal. VPNs are legal in every state. Utah's attempt to extend age checks to VPN users was blocked by a judge.
Do all VPNs work in the United States?
All six VPNs we track connect normally in the United States. The differences are in streaming, privacy and speed.
Why does this ranking change?
Part of each score comes from visitor reports in the last 14 days and from whether each VPN currently connects in the country. When those change, the order changes. The formula is shown on the page.
Sources
We earn a commission if you buy a VPN through our links. It never changes what we report as blocked. How we pick