5 Best VPNs for San Francisco: Get Local IPs + Fast Unblocking (2026)

NordVPN - 100+ San Francisco Servers & 7,000+ Global Servers for Privacy and Unblocking

NordVPN’s 100+ servers in San Francisco (114 on its server list when I last counted) give you access to ABC 7 News, CBS Bay Area, and other local content from anywhere. So, you can travel and stay in touch with your preferred content from the Golden City.

You can also connect to this server in San Francisco to get a local IP address. That way, your internet experience is encrypted from your ISP while you can

• Continue getting access to local content
• Unblock your online banking apps without raising red flags common with changing IP addresses
• Secure your online activities when connected to public Wi-Fi networks at Banana Republic, WETA, Urban Outfitters, or other hotspots in the region

You can also connect to the SF server to watch Netflix US, unblock Disney+ channels, and stream Hulu and Amazon Prime Video (US) anywhere. 

If it doesn’t work, NordVPN has 2,000+ other servers across all 50 US states, the biggest published US count on the list.

The VPN provider also provides 7,000+ servers in 150 countries to unblock the content you can’t get in the USA, like France TV (French servers), NRK TV (Norwegian servers), and Servus TV (Austrian servers).

That’s also the widest country count on this list, and it now includes virtual Indian locations, so Indian streaming platforms are within reach too.

CyberGhost and ExpressVPN both run wide networks too, but neither reaches as many countries.

Looking past that, NordVPN allows P2P on every standard server and location to unblock torrent sites and download files securely. I spent two weeks in the Golden City, downloading game updates and other torrent files without getting nasty copyright notices or AT&T breathing down my back.

NordVPN has dropped its separate P2P category, so only PureVPN and CyberGhost still have well-defined P2P servers.

Additionally, NordVPN is compatible with uTorrent, BitTorrent, Deluge, and Vuze, like the other VPNs here. Its only downside is the lack of port forwarding on standard plans (it’s limited to the paid Dedicated Server add-on), which makes seeding harder.

NordVPN is obviously fast, given the quick torrent downloads and buffer-less streaming. So, I wasn’t surprised that it scored 33Mbps on my 100Mbps connection test. That’s enough for 4K streaming, even if it’s not the fastest VPN provider I tested.

Fortunately, speed isn’t the only consideration here.

NordVPN is set up in the privacy-friendly Panama and enforces an audited no-logs policy. In other words, the US government can’t force it to give up data on what you did online – and there’ll be no data to divulge!

I mentioned sharing NordVPN with my travel party, and that’s because it offers ten simultaneous connections. So, I could connect my phone and PC and share the other eight slots with interested users. That matches PureVPN and ExpressVPN, though Surfshark’s unlimited allowance goes further.

The VPN service isn’t expensive, but it’s not the cheapest.

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Surfshark - San Francisco & San Jose Servers + Unlimited Connections on a Budget

Two Bay Area locations are what put Surfshark in second place. Its server page lists San Francisco and San Jose separately among 24 US cities, so whether you’re downtown or working from a Peninsula office, there’s an exit node practically next door for a local IP address and low pings.

I used the San Francisco server the way most locals will: to stop my bank and brokerage apps from flagging a new location every time I switched networks, and to keep local streams like NBC Bay Area playing normally while everything in between stayed encrypted. From abroad, the same server brings the Bay back; connect to it from a hotel overseas and local news apps and streams behave as if you were still on Valencia Street.

Sports blackouts cut both ways here, and Surfshark handles both. Giants games on MLB.TV and Warriors games on NBA League Pass are blacked out inside the Bay Area market, so I hop to its Denver or Seattle server to watch; traveling fans do the reverse and connect to San Francisco for the local broadcasts. Its servers also unblocked Netflix US and Hulu without any fuss.

Where Surfshark pulls clear of everyone else on this list is unlimited simultaneous connections. Bay Area rents mean shared flats, and one subscription covers every roommate’s laptop, phone, and streaming stick without anyone counting slots. NordVPN, PureVPN, and ExpressVPN stop at ten, and CyberGhost at seven.

Public Wi-Fi is the other everyday use. SFO’s free network, hotel lobbies, and cafés from the Mission to North Beach all put you on shared networks, so I run the kill switch permanently and let CleanWeb block ads, trackers, and malware-hosting domains before they load. Its Bypasser split tunneling keeps rideshare and delivery apps on your real connection (on Android; the iOS app can only bypass websites) so they don’t lose track of which city you’re in, while the browser and torrent client stay inside the tunnel.

On torrenting, every Surfshark server allows P2P traffic, which spared me the find-the-right-server step, and the audited no-logs policy plus that kill switch kept AT&T and Comcast from ever seeing what was in the swarm. The one gap is no port forwarding, so seeding is slower than with PureVPN or ExpressVPN.

Speed held up too: Surfshark managed 39Mbps on my 100Mbps connection over WireGuard in my tests, ahead of NordVPN’s 33Mbps and CyberGhost’s 38Mbps, though nowhere near PureVPN’s 87Mbps. For content outside the US, you get 4,500+ servers in 100 countries, which covers BBC iPlayer, France TV, and most of what NordVPN unblocks.

NordVPN still edges it for San Francisco specifically: its SF footprint is bigger (Surfshark doesn’t publish a per-city count), its network is about 50% bigger, and it adds obfuscated servers and Threat Protection over a Panama base rather than Surfshark’s Netherlands home in a Nine Eyes country. For a household or a flat full of roommates, though, Surfshark’s price and unlimited slots are hard to beat.

It’s also one of the cheapest options on this list, and these Surfshark deals come with a 30-day money-back guarantee to try the Bay Area servers risk-free.

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PureVPN – Fast Torrenting and Secure Wi-Fi Experience Over San Francisco & Global Servers

PureVPN doesn’t state the number of servers it has in San Francisco, but it has servers there. The SF server isn’t there for show, either, providing me with:

• Local IP addresses to unblock news content in the Golden Gate City
• SF IP addresses to keep surfing the local web while enjoying the public Wi-Fi hotspot at AK’s Creations, KFC/Taco Bell, and Green Apple Books

I also like that the SF server on PureVPN is a popular streaming and unblocking option for Disney+ and HBO Max. So, streaming content over this server from home or abroad won’t be an issue.

In case you don’t get your preferred content (such as Giants’ matches, Golden State Warriors games, etc.) on the San Francisco servers, PureVPN has 1800+ US servers in other locations.

This is the second-biggest published US count here, behind NordVPN. PureVPN also has a New Jersey server, like ExpressVPN and NordVPN. 

Connect to that server to unblock and place bets on DraftKings, Roobet, FanDuel, and other US-licensed betting operators.

When you’re ready to switch to international content, PureVPN’s haul of 6000+ servers in 65+ countries has you covered, even if NordVPN reaches more countries. 

This is the third-biggest published server count on this list, behind CyberGhost and NordVPN. Its Indian servers even got me into the elusive Voot before Voot was folded into JioHotstar.

PureVPN also mimics NordVPN in one respect: it keeps a specialty P2P server section, which NordVPN has since dropped. 

That section makes it easy to pick a torrent-friendly server to securely unblock and download torrents. On top of that, it offers port forwarding to ensure torrent seeding, something NordVPN only sells with its paid Dedicated Server add-on.

But there’s a dealbreaker:

You must pay extra to get port forwarding support, unlike ExpressVPN. However, PureVPN’s port forwarding is present on all devices as opposed to being enabled only on routers with ExpressVPN.

Likewise, PureVPN is still cheaper than ExpressVPN after adding the extra cost of port forwarding.

Impressive, right? Wait till you learn that PureVPN averaged 87Mbps on my 100Mbps connection! That’s the fastest, reflected in my ultra-HD content streams and fast torrent downloads.

Thankfully, PureVPN doesn’t sacrifice security for speed. It’s based in the BVI, like ExpressVPN, outside the US jurisdiction. So, it can’t be compelled to hand over data on whatever you do on its servers.

It combines that with a twice-audited no-logs privacy policy to prove it doesn’t even store data on what you do.

Finally, PureVPN supports the same devices (PCs, mobile, routers, streaming units, etc.) as the other VPNs here. 

It also offers ten simultaneous connections, level with NordVPN and ExpressVPN and second only to Surfshark’s unlimited allowance, to share with more devices and users.

And it’s not expensive either, scoring the lowest prices for all its premium offerings.

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CyberGhost - Specialty Torrenting, Streaming, and Gaming Servers for San Francisco

CyberGhost is my go-to VPN when I need to quickly find a server for streaming, gaming, or downloading torrents.

The provider has specialty servers for these activities, beating others like

• NordVPN since it doesn’t have gaming or streaming-optimized servers (P2P works on all its standard servers, though)
• PureVPN which only has streaming-optimized servers in the US, and none optimized for gaming
• Surfshark which treats every server as P2P-friendly but has no streaming- or gaming-optimized categories
• ExpressVPN which doesn’t even have a specialty server section at all

What I love the most about its streaming servers is that you see what platforms they’re optimized for. So, you know which server is best for DAZN US, Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix Japan, and other popular streaming services.

Obviously, CyberGhost can’t cover all streaming services. 

That’s why it makes its streaming servers compatible with other streaming services. You can connect to a server optimized for Netflix US to unblock Peacock TV, CNN Go, Hulu, and other US streaming services in San Francisco or beyond.

Speaking of, it has 55 San Francisco servers (NordVPN has more, and Surfshark doesn’t publish its count) to get local IP addresses, encrypt your local connection and connect to gaming peers. You’ll also get its 1,600+ servers in 10 other US cities to bypass restrictions, unblock local content libraries and prevent server overcrowding in the States.

That reminds me of the gaming and torrenting servers for securely carrying out these tasks. The only downside is that the VPN doesn’t offer port forwarding, so no torrent seeding.

Since CyberGhost is engineered for these speed-intensive tasks, I wasn’t disappointed by the 38Mbps average speed on the 100Mbps test. 

This is far from PureVPN and a megabit behind Surfshark, but it’s faster than NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

US servers are just some of the things this VPN is excellent for. 

Boasting 9000+ servers in 100 countries, CyberGhost offers a healthy server spread to prevent overcrowding and VPN traffic jams.

CyberGhost is no privacy slouch, choosing the user privacy-focused Romania as home. That’s far out of the US and 14 Eyes jurisdiction, ensuring CyberGhost can’t be summoned for your data.

Even if they asked, CyberGhost’s reliable and audited no-logs policy means it won’t have anything to offer up.

The only drawback is that you get these amazing features on fewer devices than the rest, given its seven simultaneous device connections. Surfshark sets no limit, and NordVPN and ExpressVPN both allow ten.

It’s also one of the cheapest providers and offers a 45-day money-back guarantee.

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ExpressVPN – Reliably Fast Obfuscation to Unblock Services and Hide VPN Traffic

ExpressVPN could have been my first VPN, but it was demoted to fifth place for reasons I’ll explain below.

It starts with transparency: ExpressVPN lists servers in 113 countries but no longer publishes a server count. However, it impresses by adding a San Francisco server, among locations in all 50 US states, to get local content.

It even packs a New Jersey server like PureVPN, giving you access to premium online betting platforms and casinos from anywhere in the USA or abroad.

Its huge country count, second only to NordVPN’s on this list, also ensures you can get servers in nearly any preferred country to unblock content. That’s why it’s my preferred VPN to stream niche NRK content via Norway servers, unblock Kanal 5 in Ukraine and get France TV anywhere.

The biggest win with ExpressVPN is its fast obfuscation on all servers and protocols. In contrast, the other providers suffer a massive speed drop when obfuscation is enabled, and you have to set up their OpenVPN protocols to use this feature.

If you’re not familiar, obfuscation allows ExpressVPN to:

• Ensure better privacy by masking that you’re using a VPN from your work/school network admins, ISPs, authorities, etc.
• Bypass VPN traffic and firewall blocks that would have otherwise forced you to expose yourself to use some networks/services
• Improve your chances of unblocking Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and other platforms that actively block VPN connections

Putting numbers to this claim, ExpressVPN averaged 32Mbps in my speed tests. This is close to what NordVPN offers (without obfuscation) and a few megabits behind CyberGhost and Surfshark.

Ironically, CyberGhost has no obfuscation at all, and Surfshark’s Camouflage Mode only runs over the slower OpenVPN protocol, so neither gets close to this with VPN traffic hidden.

I set up ExpressVPN for torrenting on Vuze, BitTorrent, Deluge, and uTorrent to download the latest Rust game update and didn’t have to worry about copyright trolls. The best part is that it’s plenty fast for torrent downloads and supports torrent seeding too!

ExpressVPN is also based in the BVI and has had its no-logs policy independently audited more than once, like PureVPN. That’s about as good a combination of privacy-facing promises as you’ll get on any VPN.

So, why did ExpressVPN come fifth in my tests, despite these fantastic features?

It costs more than Surfshark, PureVPN, and CyberGhost, it doesn’t publish a server count, and its Basic plan stops at ten simultaneous connections where Surfshark sets no limit.

I can explain that away on the back of its ultra-fast obfuscation, free port forwarding, fast torrent seeding, independently audited privacy policy, and robust router app.

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