San Francisco, California is located in the Northern part of the state and has the 13th most populated metro area in the US. It has many different notable features that set the city apart from others. Silicon Valley, good weather, and culture make the city an appetizing place to live, vacation, attend a conference, and more. If San Francisco is in your future, you won’t want to use public WiFi without first connecting to a VPN. We’ll explain more shortly. First. take a look at our list of the best VPNs for San Francisco.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 95 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 110 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 73 | |
The San Francisco area has well-established championship top-tier sports teams. These include the 49ers (NFL), Giants & Oakland Athletics (MLB), Golden State Warriors (NBA), San Jose Sharks (NHL). and San Jose Earthquakes (MLS). Of course, these teams have national and international followings. However, if you are a fan of the teams and live in the area, you are at a disadvantage if you want to watch the games or matches online. Even with streaming apps like NHL TV, NBA TV, or others, licensing rights state you have to be “out-of-market.” The solution is to connect to a VPN server close to you, but one in another city. That way, you can get access and watch the games whether you are in the area or not.
Festival organizers in the city do a great job of creating highly organized and diverse events. No matter what type you seek, you can find it there. Of course, you have high culture events like the San Francisco Jazz Festival, SF Salsa Festival, and the International Film Festival. Additionally, the city offers events that are not so lofty. Examples of that are the Grill Cheese Festival, the Outside Lands Music Festival, and more. With all of the organization and technology sectors nearby, pop-up festival WiFi spots are common there. While that will help you save data on your plan, it can be risky to use those networks. That is why you should take advantage of a VPN server’s encryption layer. That way, you can take in an international movie or get the best grilled cheese sandwich without worrying about identity theft.
Because the city is in Silicon Valley, it should be no surprise to see conventions like the Game Developers Conference and the Smarter Faster Payments Conference. However, it has other offerings like the Pacific Coast Builders, SneakerPopUp, conferences, and comic/anime conventions. No matter your preference, very few of them continue at night. You could always see things in the city, but many will find it easier to stay in the area and stream content. By connecting to a VPN, you could connect to your home area if you travel abroad or stream content from a new place. We feel that what you watch should not be limited to where you are.
What is the best VPN for San Francisco?
We compiled our list of the best VPNs for San Francisco for these reasons:
- Speed of VPN servers located in San Francisco and San Jose
- Preference given to VPNs with multiple server locations in California
- Ability to unblock geo and blackout restrictions
- Strong encryption levels for better privacy protection
- We give preference to providers who do not keep usage logs
- Mobile apps and support for Amazon Firestick devices
Let’s jump right in and take a look at the best VPNs for San Francisco:
1. ExpressVPN – Best VPN with San Francisco IP Address
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One of the advantages of using ExpressVPN while gaming has to do with lag. Of course, that deals specifically with games that are competitive or busy. If you are playing a game like Fortnite or any of the others, you know that this style of games are massive and have large numbers of people playing. Using a VPN will create a different path to the gaming server you log which can help. That way, you can focus on the actual game instead of death by lag.
A big issue that some VPN providers have involves location. ExpressVPN is under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. This makes a difference because it places the VPN outside of the jurisdiction of the “14 eyes” countries. If you are not aware, that is an alliance of countries that share information. In other words, if one country has access to it, the all 14 nations do as well. When combined with their no-logs policy, you can feel confident that ExpressVPN will help to keep you and your information safe.
ExpressVPN launched in 2009 and has grown into a premier VPN service. Whether you want to protect your privacy online, enjoy your favorite streaming services while traveling, or watch live sports, ExpressVPN is a great choice. You can rely on their network for fast, stable connections. This is true for VPN users and those who rely on their MediaStreamer feature to extend functionality to game consoles and more. We suggest signing up for our ExpressVPN deal which includes 3 months free when you subscribe for 12 months. The savings, along with a 30-day money-back guarantee make ExpressVPN an excellent choice.
Want to learn more? Read our full ExpressVPN review.
2. NordVPN – good value with 90+ servers in San Francisco
If you are concerned about getting everything set up with NordVPN, you are in luck. While they have great how-to pages and guides to set everything up correctly, they still offer you their 24/7 support network. The website states that they will respond in 24 hours if you decide to email them. If you need a faster response, they give you the option of chatting with someone live. That is perfect for those pressing questions you may have.
One of the more uncommon features that NordVPN offers is what they refer to as a double VPN. Many experts in the community refer to this type of connection as “multi-hop.” Even though it will slow your connection, it adds a second layer of encryption to your traffic. In other words, it will encrypt your data a second time using a different location. If you are concerned that a single layer of encryption is not enough and you want extra security, NordVPN has you covered.
Want to learn more? Read our full NordVPN review.
3. Private Internet Access – based in Silicon Valley
If you are not aware, one of the big reasons to connect to a VPN server from Private Internet Access is to help you gain access to content from other regions. Whether you want to watch one of the great shows from the BBC, CBC, or some of the other excellent networks around the world, all you have to do is connect to a VPN. Then, simply pick a server in the area you wish to see. That will make the blocking software assume that you are in the correct region.
As more and more TV users cut the cord, many of them still want the ability to watch their favorite sports team in action. With a VPN from Private Internet Access, you don’t have to miss out. Unfortunately, licensing rights to the team will consider you to be “in-market” if you try to watch online. That means you would typically miss out unless you chose a VPN server located outside the region. Simply connect to a VPN in a different area, and you will be able to enjoy it.
Want to learn more? Read our full Private Internet Access review.
4. CyberGhost – 45 VPN servers in San Francisco
As the world moves more towards mobile phones and computing, some mobile carriers allow their users to watch sports on their favorite devices without it counting against their data usage. If you plan on taking an overseas trip, however, connecting to a VPN server from CyberGhost is a good idea. Unfortunately, media companies often limit sports viewing to specific areas. By making a connection to your home region, the blocking software will think you are there. Then, you should be able to enjoy everything as usual.
Whether you stream a little or a lot of content online, connecting to a CyberGhost VPN server can help you. Streaming online continues to grow in popularity. Unfortunately, so do the numbers of ISPs that want to throttle your internet performance. They can detect streaming by looking for patterns. Even if you do not think it could happen to you, it certainly can. By connecting to a VPN, however, you can prevent that from happening. Simply choose a server, and your ISP will only see your actions as encrypted traffic. Then, you won’t have to worry about your streaming marathon.
Want to learn more? Read our full CyberGhost review.
5. IPVanish – US-based VPN with custom Firestick app
One of the significant advantages of using IPVanish when you’re gaming is to help you get around lag. While you may not think about it, using a VPN may make your game faster because of network congestion. Whether you game competitively or just casually, using a VPN could make a difference between in-game life and death. All you have to do is connect to the closest server to you, and you may be able to get around any issues that the lag causes.
Unfortunately, not all countries are as free with letting their citizens see content as others are. Some countries openly admit to monitoring the online behaviors of anyone using the internet. That is why you need to connect to a VPN server from IPVanish. If you visit a country like China and view the wrong thing online, you could end up speaking with the authorities. However, connecting to a VPN server will provide you with a layer of encryption that will help keep you safe online no matter where you are.
Want to learn more? Read our full IPVanish review.
