7 Best VPNs for San Francisco to Stay Anonymous in 2024

If you’re in San Francisco, you can use a VPN to securely access your foreign bank accounts and global content. However, not all VPNs are equipped with powerful security and privacy features to keep you anonymous on the internet.

I tested 20+ renowned brands and picked the best VPNs for San Francisco. All of them include top-shelf features like military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection. But ExpressVPN is my #1 choice for San Francisco.

ExpressVPN guarantees complete privacy on the web from prying eyes and provides ultra-fast speeds for high-bandwidth activities. You can buy ExpressVPN with confidence as it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Quick Guide: Best VPNs for San Francisco in 2024

Browse safely in San Francisco with ExpressVPN

The Best VPNs for San Francisco — Updated 2024

1. ExpressVPN — #1 VPN to Stay Anonymous in San Francisco

Outstanding

Outstanding

📍Servers	3,000+
📱Devices	8
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

ExpressVPN is the most well-rounded VPN for San Francisco, with powerful security, privacy features, and impeccable performance. It uses RAM-only servers that have volatile memory and can’t physically store your data, guaranteeing its zero-logs policy. Therefore, ExpressVPN can’t hand over your data to authorities even if requested.

None of ExpressVPN’s IP addresses in the US leaked my data. My data didn’t spill outside the encrypted tunnel, so my actual IP address remained hidden from third parties. It even has a dedicated feature that disables IPv6 traffic, one of the leading causes of leaks. This is especially useful for accessing your foreign bank account on public WiFi in San Francisco. Besides that, ExpressVPN includes:

• Military-grade encryption — hides your data with a 256-bit cipher used by many military agencies to protect confidential data from falling into the wrong hands.
• Kill switch — disconnects your internet if the San Francisco server gets unsteady to prevent IP address leaks (though none of the servers I tested got unsteady).
• Threat Manager — prevents sites and apps from profiling or tracking your web activity in San Francisco.
• Private DNS on every server — resolves your DNS queries privately and within the VPN tunnel, so whatever you do online is invisible to third parties.

Its proprietary Lightway protocol is designed for high-bandwidth activities like UHD streaming and online gaming. It uses fewer lines of code so it can exchange data efficiently across large distances without reducing speeds. It gave me ultra-fast connections of 95Mbps even on distant servers in Japan and Australia — that’s just a 5% drop from my baseline levels. You can use it to stream home content on Netflix US and other platforms without buffering.

With 3,000+ servers in 105 countries, ExpressVPN provides access to all global platforms in San Francisco. It continuously adds new IP addresses to its roster and removes blacklisted ones to keep up with platforms’ geo-blocks and advanced anti-VPN detection. It can access sites like:

You can encrypt up to 8 devices simultaneously with ExpressVPN during your stay in San Francisco. Installing it on my Windows laptop, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, and Android phone took about 5 minutes, and all the apps had a consistent interface so I didn’t have to spend time getting used to each one. You can also set up ExpressVPN on your router to secure all your home devices at once.

A small issue with ExpressVPN is that it’s slightly more expensive than other competitors on this list. However, it’s well worth the investment due to its impeccable performance across all departments, from security and privacy to unblocking abilities and speeds.

Still, you can get ExpressVPN at a reduced monthly price of $6.67 with its 1-year + 3 months plan. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can buy it with confidence. I tested its refund policy by submitting a request via live chat and the agent didn’t ask me why I was canceling my subscription. I got my money back after 4 business days.

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2. CyberGhost — NoSpy Servers Give You Maximum Privacy in San Francisco

Outstanding

Outstanding

📍Servers	11,800+
📱Devices	7
💰Refund	45 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers give you the ultimate online privacy in San Francisco. They’re owned and managed by CyberGhost in its private data center in privacy-friendly Romania, which doesn’t have data retention laws. I highly recommend using these servers, especially on unsecured public networks in airport lounges or cafes to guard yourself against prying eyes.

With its smart rules, I set CyberGhost to start automatically on computer startup or when joining a new or known network. This keeps your online privacy intact in San Francisco even if you forget to turn on CyberGhost, which happens to me a lot. As a result, I’m always at ease knowing that CyberGhost will keep my digital footprint anonymous at all times.

To further protect your online privacy in San Francisco, CyberGhost includes the following security and privacy features:

• Military-grade encryption — uses a powerful 256-bit cipher to prevent it from being accessed by unauthorized third parties.
• Kill switch — disconnects your internet if the VPN server becomes unsteady, preventing your data from being sent or received outside the encrypted tunnel.
• Leak protection — ensures your internet traffic in San Francisco doesn’t leak to keep your IP address hidden from snoopers.
• Malware blocker — blocks malicious ads and prevents you from accidentally opening infected URLs for safe browsing in San Francisco.

In my tests, CyberGhost’s WireGuard protocol gave me fast speeds averaging 93Mbps on nearby and distant servers. In some cases, IKEv2 was faster but I prefer WireGuard because it uses more efficient code and modern cryptographic algorithms for top-notch security. WireGuard is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and Android Fire TV.

An extensive network of 11,800+ servers in 100 countries gives CyberGhost excellent unblocking abilities to access global platforms from San Francisco. It even has special servers optimized for streaming, torrenting, and gaming to give you the best experience. The streaming servers are designed to unblock various platforms like:

One small issue with CyberGhost is that the iOS app lacks an ad blocker. However, iOS security is much better as it runs all its apps in separate environments. So, a malware blocker isn’t much used on iOS anyway.

Out of all its plans, CyberGhost’s 2-year + 2 months plan offers the best value and a 83% discount. It also gives you a window of 45 days to try it risk-free to see if it suits your needs. If not, you can get a full refund with its money-back guarantee. It took me less than 2 minutes to ask for my money back via live chat and got it in 5 business days.

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3. Private Internet Access — Largest Server Network for Accessing Geo-Restricted Sites In San Francisco

Excellent

Excellent

📍Servers	35,000+
📱Devices	Unlimited
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

PIA’s extensive network can access region-locked platforms in San Francisco. It has servers in 50 US states and a total of 35,000+ in 91 countries globally, with an impressive average of 400 connections per country — most VPNs only have about 100. This gives you plenty of options to try multiple IP addresses in every country. It also offers a roster of streaming-optimized servers that can unblock:

I didn’t experience any lag or freezing while testing PIA’s unlimited-device limit. VPNs usually become slow when used on multiple devices at once, but PIA didn’t. I found its Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android apps super beginner-friendly with clearly labeled buttons. You can set up PIA on your smart TV for family-time marathon streaming or on your home router to encrypt all your devices at once.

Using PIA’s auto-connect button connects you to the fastest available server from San Franciso. Nearby and distant servers averaged speeds many times the minimum needed for UHD, enough for me to enjoy watching nature documentaries on YouTube without sacrificing video quality. UHD quality remained smooth even when I watched on multiple devices simultaneously. Note that I got these speeds using WireGuard and switching to OpenVPN reduced them by 3%.

All of PIA’s protocols are secure and the VPN offers top-of-the-line security and privacy features to protect your traffic in San Francisco from being exposed.

• In-built leak protection — prevents your internet traffic from leaking past the VPN tunnel, so your online activities in San Francisco remain hidden.
• MACE — blocks ads on traffic-heavy sites like Forbes to improve site loading time and prevent malicious ads from infecting your computer.
• Military-grade encryption — jumbles up your data with a 256-bit cipher, so no one can decrypt your online activities in San Francisco even if they somehow intercept them.

A small downside of PIA is that it’s located in the US, the heart of the 5 Eyes group of intelligence-sharing countries. However, I was relieved to learn that PIA has a verified no-logs policy and RAM-only servers physically incapable of storing data. It proved this when it had nothing to hand over to the US government in 2 real-life investigations in 2015 and 2017.

You’ll get the best deal with PIA’s 2-year + 2 months plan with a 82% discount. The best part is that you can use its 30-day money-back guarantee to try it out first and see if it’s worth it. To see if it works, I sent my invoice number to the live chat support agent and got my refund processed in just 5 business days.

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4. NordVPN — Double VPN Encrypts Your Data Twice for Improved Security

Excellent

Excellent

📍Servers	6,300+
📱Devices	10
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

NordVPN’s Double VPN feature gives you foolproof privacy in San Francisco. It encrypts your data twice, making it impossible for eavesdroppers to spy on you. Even a single instance of military-grade encryption is virtually immune to complex brute-force attacks, so Double VPN reduces your hack risk to zero. Besides that, NordVPN offers:

• Obfuscation — hides the fact that you’re using a VPN in San Francisco to bypass internet censorship or anti-VPN detectors on geo-restricted sites.
• CyberSec — checks sites against a blacklist database to guard against botnet attacks, so you can play online games in San Francisco without fear of DDoS attacks.
• Tor over VPN — routes your VPN encrypted traffic through the Tor network to make your actual San Francisco IP address untraceable for third parties.

Meshnet is a service that allows you to play online games with friends internationally, such as in San Francisco. It connects devices worldwide through an encrypted private tunnel. While using Meshnet, the average ping was 25ms, indicating that data travels quickly between the device and server. This speed was sufficient to play several rounds of CS:GO with friends without experiencing any lag.

An impressive network of 6,300+ servers in 111 countries gives NordVPN excellent unblocking abilities. You can also use its expanding network of colocated servers, owned and managed privately. They give NordVPN full server control to immediately address downtime and optimize them for top-tier security and unblocking platforms like:

You can secure a maximum of 10 devices simultaneously with NordVPN — that’s enough for a single user traveling to San Francisco. I used it on my MacBook, Windows laptop, iPad, and iPhone at the same time without the apps glitching or slowing down. If you want more connections, I suggest contacting customer support and setting up NordVPN on your router.

A small issue with NordVPN is that it offers obfuscation on very few servers. Obfuscation is useful in accessing global content restricted in high-censorship countries like China or Russia. Since San Francisco or any other US city doesn’t have online restrictions, there’s no need for obfuscation.

To get the best price, you should buy NordVPN’s 2-year + 3 months plan at a 74% discount. It offers a risk-free trial with its 30-day money-back guarantee. I submitted my request via live chat and the support agent didn’t convince me to stay. I got an email confirmation right away and the money appeared in my account after 5 business days.

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5. Surfshark — IP Address Rotation Makes You Untraceable in San Francisco

Great VPN

Great VPN

📍Servers	3,200+
📱Devices	Unlimited
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

Surfshark’s IP address rotation gives you ultimate privacy in San Francisco. It changes your IP address at regular intervals, hiding your browsing activities from snoopers. Using a server in San Francisco, I noticed my IP address kept changing every 5 minutes without the connection dropping. I rest assured that no third party could intercept my web traffic. Besides that, it offers the following security and privacy features:

• Military-grade encryption — encrypts your web traffic with state-of-the-art encryption to keep you anonymous in San Francisco.
• Camouflage Mode — works like obfuscation as it disguises your data as regular internet traffic to access geo-blocked sites in San Francisco.
• RAM-only servers — ensure that your data can’t be logged in the first place due to these servers’ volatile memory.

A vast global network of 3,200+ servers means Surfshark can give you IP addresses in 100 countries. Many high-traffic servers in the US and Europe support 10Gbps ports to deliver high speeds and overcrowding. I tested 30+ servers in different countries and my connections remained stable throughout. These servers are also optimized to unblock various global platforms like:

I got excellent speeds averaging 90+ Mbps on 15 nearby and mid-range servers. They were enough for me to stream UHD content on my Netflix account without interruptions. I used the WireGuard protocol but you can switch to OpenVPN, IKEv2, or Shadowsocks proxy, which is only available on Android and Windows.

If you want to set up Surfshark on your router or need technical help, contact customer support via live chat — it’s the fastest way to get help. It took me 2 minutes to connect with an agent and they gave me prompt and helpful replies with step-by-step instructions and detailed explanations.

One small issue I had while using Surfshark was I couldn’t use its in-built speed test feature while on a VPN server. But that didn’t bother me much anyway as I ran speed tests on Ookla.

Although Surfshark is on this monthly affordable VPN plans list, its 1-month plan is a bit expensive. After checking its pricing, I learned that the 2-year + 3 months plan offers the lowest monthly price of $2.19. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free. I got my refund in 5 working days after submitting my request via live chat.

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6. PrivateVPN — Dedicated IP Servers Provide Exclusive IP Addresses In San Francisco

Great VPN

Great VPN

📍Servers	200+
📱Devices	10
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

PrivateVPN’s dedicated IP servers make you untraceable in San Francisco. It assigns you an exclusive IP address, minimizing the risk of you being blacklisted on region-locked sites. Such platforms use anti-VPN detectors to identify VPN-based addresses and block them. PrivateVPN offers these special servers in 14 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan.

I tested 30+ servers across different countries and didn’t get any DNS or IP leaks with PrivateVPN. Its IPv6 disabler worked exceptionally well in blocking IPv6 traffic, which is one of the most common causes behind leaks. I surfed the web with peace of mind as I knew PrivateVPN would protect me with its:

• Kill switch — prevents your IP address in San Francisco from being exposed during unexpectedly lost connections.
• Military-grade encryption — ensures that all data exchanged between your device in San Francisco and the VPN server is impossible for third parties to access.
• No-logs policy — makes your data inaccessible to third parties and authorities even if requested, so no one can trace your activities to your San Francisco IP address.

After running speed tests on PrivateVPN’s 20+ servers, my connections dropped by 3% for every 1,000 miles. I got speeds of 88Mbps on a distant server in Tokyo, enough for streaming Rick & Morty in UHD on my Netflix account. Apart from the first few seconds of buffering, the show didn’t lag throughout my 3-hour stream.

You can protect up to 10 devices in San Francisco with PrivateVPN. I liked its consistent interface across all apps on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. On mobile apps, you can even tone down the encryption to 128-bit while streaming or gaming to increase speeds. This came in handy while playing CS:GO with my friends.

My only reservation with PrivateVPN was that it only has 200+ servers in 63 countries. However, its small network doesn’t affect its unblocking abilities at all. PrivateVPN can access nearly all platforms that other VPNs on this list can, including:

If you’re interested, I recommend PrivateVPN’s 3-year plan to get a 83% discount. It also comes with a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try PrivateVPN risk-free. It took 2 minutes for the live chat agent to approve my request — I got confirmation immediately and my money back was returned after a week.

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7. IPVanish — Protect All Your Devices in San Francisco Without Limits

Good Choice

Good Choice

📍Servers	2,400+
📱Devices	Unlimited
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

IPVanish lets you secure unlimited devices in California. You can go to an internet cafe and use IPVanish on multiple computers without worrying that you’ll be logged out of your home devices. I used IPVanish on my Windows laptop, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, and Samsung tablet without glitches or lag.

With its Scramble IP obfuscation feature, IPVanish disguises your data as regular internet traffic. This makes it very difficult for third parties to detect or track you in San Francisco. It can get past anti-VPN detectors on geo-blocked sites like 6play to give seamless access to home content. IPVanish also protects you with:

• In-built leak protection — prevents your San Francisco IP address and other sensitive information from accidentally leaking outside the encrypted tunnel.
• Military-grade encryption — encodes your traffic with a 256-bit cipher so that it can’t be accessed by any third party.
• Kill switch — prevents accidental leaks during lost VPN connections (though none of the 20+ servers got unstable during my tests).

You can easily access your home content during your temporary stay in San Francisco with IPVanish’s 2,400+ servers in 55 countries. It has an impressive roster of over 40,000 IP addresses across all continents. The VPN owns and manages all of them instead of renting its servers to third parties, so there’s zero risk of your data being mishandled. Plus, it can unblock most geo-blocked sites like:

One issue I noticed with IPVanish was that it significantly reduced my speeds on distant servers in Australia and Japan. However, I could still stream UHD content on YouTube and Netflix. Besides a few initial seconds of buffering, my streaming experience was lag-free.

If you want to buy IPVanish, get the 2-year plan for just $2.99 a month. Your purchase will be risk-free as it gives you a window of 30 days to test it out. If you’re not satisfied, just log in to your account on its website and cancel the subscription. The money appeared on my PayPal account just 3 hours after I clicked the Cancel Now button.

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How to Choose the Best VPN for San Francisco

To find the best VPNs for San Francisco, I evaluated each option on the following criteria:

• Security and privacy features — I picked VPNs with top-grade security and privacy features like military-grade encryption, a kill switch, leak protection, and a no-logs policy.
• Server network — I chose VPNs with a global network, so you can get an IP address in nearly any country from San Francisco.
• Fast speeds — I selected VPNs with suitable speeds for UHD streaming and online gaming, so you can get fast speeds even on servers far away from San Francisco.
• Ease of use — I ensured that my top picks are compatible with all major platforms like Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android and have beginner-friendly apps.
• Customer support — I tested support options and evaluated each VPN on response times and helpfulness.
• Money-back guarantee — I tried each contender’s refund policy and judged them on how easy it was to submit a request and the time it took to process the refund.

Protect yourself in San Francisco with ExpressVPN

3 Easy Steps to Get a VPN in San Francisco

Browse securely in San Francisco with ExpressVPN

FAQs on VPNs for San Francisco

Is using a VPN legal in San Francisco?

Yes, but using a VPN for illicit activities — like torrenting copyrighted material — is illegal. As long as you’re following the law, you can use the best VPNs for San Francisco I’ve listed. They have all the top-grade security and privacy features to keep you anonymous on the web.

The US doesn’t restrict VPNs or censor websites. However, online gambling sites may fall into the grey area — they may be legal in some states and not in others. Online gambling isn’t currently legal in California except for state-run lotteries or certain tribal casinos. Therefore, be cautious when using a VPN to access sites that are otherwise blocked in San Francisco.

Can I use a proxy in San Francisco instead of a VPN?

Yes, but using a top VPN from this list is better. Like VPNs, a proxy routes your data through a different server to give you a new IP address in that location. However, the difference is that most proxies don’t encrypt your traffic, leaving it exposed to snoopers and hackers. In contrast, a top VPN uses a military-grade cipher to hide your data from third parties.

Research a proxy service thoroughly before using it. Untrustworthy proxies may be fronts for cybercriminals to steal your data. They’re often run by third-party companies or individuals you know nothing about and there’s no guarantee about how they handle your data. Therefore, I highly recommend using one of my top 10 VPNs instead.

How do I check if my VPN works?

Use this IP checker tool to see if your IP address has changed after connecting to a VPN server. If it has, your VPN is working fine. Repeat this test several times using servers in different countries. At times, a VPN might be leaking your data outside the encrypted tunnel and expose you to third parties.

You should also check your VPN for DNS and IP leaks before using it. I recommend ExpressVPN as it passed all my leak tests. It also uses military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and a highly secure proprietary protocol to keep you safe online.

Is it safe to use a free VPN in San Francisco?

No, most free VPNs aren’t safe to use. Instead, you can use a trustworthy VPN like CyberGhost free for 45 days and get a refund before its money-back guarantee expires.

I requested my CyberGhost refund via live chat and got my money back in 5 business days

Besides a few free and safe-to-use VPNs, many sell your data to third parties. Some even contain malware that can harm your device. But even the safe VPNs I mentioned have limitations like data caps, server limitations, and overcrowded connections.

Use CyberGhost in San Francisco for free

Get a VPN (That Works) for San Francisco Today!

Trying to access foreign sites and platforms in San Francisco can be cumbersome even with a VPN. Many region-locked sites use anti-VPN technology to identify and block IP addresses associated with a VPN. Plus, many VPNs aren’t equipped with the latest security and privacy features to keep you anonymous while surfing the web in San Francisco.

I rigorously tested several VPNs to pick the best ones for San Francisco. ExpressVPN turned out to be the best all-around option. It offers top-shelf security and privacy features like military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and RAM-only servers. You can buy ExpressVPN with confidence as it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Summary: These Are The Best VPNs for San Francisco in 2024

Rank

Provider name

Our score

Price

Top Ranked Top Choice

1.

9.8

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$6.67 / month Save 49%

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2.

9.6

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$2.19 / month Save 83%

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3.

9.4

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$2.19 / month Save 82%

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4.

9.4

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$3.09 / month Save 76%

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5.

9.4

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$2.29 / month Save 85%

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6.

8.8

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$2.00 / month Save 83%

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7.

8.4

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$2.99 / month Save 77%

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