The easiest and most secure way to get a UK IP address is with a virtual private network (VPN).

A VPN replaces your IP address with one from almost any location in the world, providing you with access to the internet as if you were actually located in that country (in this case, the UK). VPNs are easy to use, safe, and completely legal.

I’ve tested all of the top VPNs on the market, and I got a UK IP address from each of my top 3 VPNs in less than 10 seconds.

Get a UK IP Address with a VPN

When you connect to a VPN’s server, you’ll get an IP address from the country where the server is located. For example, connecting to a VPN server in London will give you a UK IP address, allowing you to browse the internet, stream content, download files, and play video games as if you were located in the UK.

A VPN disguises your actual IP address and routes all of your internet activity through an encrypted tunnel. The websites you visit will only see the location of the server you’re connected to — not your local network.

There are free VPNs available to download and install on your device, but I highly recommend that you avoid them. Free VPNs usually don’t include good security features, have slow internet speeds, set a limit on your bandwidth, and might not even have servers located in the UK.

However, there are many premium VPNs that fit any budget and include great security features, really fast internet speeds, and will provide you with a UK IP address.

How to Find the Best VPN

Any VPN that has at least 1 server in the UK can get you a UK IP address. But some VPNs come with better features than others. Here are the factors I used to rank my top 3 choices:

• Servers in the UK. Your VPN must have a minimum of 1 server in the UK to get you a UK IP address. Fortunately, most VPNs have multiple servers inside the UK. All of my choices have over 100 UK servers.
• Speed. All VPNs will slow down your internet speed because of the encryption process. But good VPNs reduce this slowdown by putting multiple servers in different cities throughout a country. This allows you to pick the location closest to you for faster internet speeds. IPVanish has servers located in 5 cities across the UK.
• Device limit. Many VPNs place a limit on how many devices you can connect at the same time (typically from 5-7). My top pick IPVanish allows unlimited simultaneous connections, but most other VPNs have a device limit — like CyberGhost VPN that lets you connect up to 7 devices and ExpressVPN that allows 5 connections.
• Encryption. I only recommend VPNs that have 256-bit AES encryption or equivalent, the standard level of protection used by major government agencies and banks to protect their information.
• Customer support. A good VPN should offer support through multiple platforms like email, 24/7 live chat, and troubleshooting guides.
• No-logs policy. I only recommend VPNs that have clear no-logs policies. All of the VPNs here won’t record any of your personal information, the websites that you visit, or the files you download.
• Kill switch. A kill switch prevents your data from accidentally getting leaked onto the internet by automatically shutting off your internet connection when the VPN connection fails.
• Pricing. The VPNs here all offer flexible payment plans and payment options, including cryptocurrency. All of my choices also back each purchase with a money-back guarantee.

The Best 3 VPNs for Getting a UK IP Address

1. IPVanish – Best VPN for Getting a UK IP Address

IPVanish has over 100 servers in the UK, spread out over 5 cities — Manchester, Birmingham, London, Maidenhead, and Glasgow. I tested a server in each city and I was able to maintain fast speeds while streaming content, torrenting, and browsing the internet. Also, IPVanish is one of the few VPNs that doesn’t set a limit on the number of devices you can connect at the same time.

I tested IPVanish’s ability to unblock popular streaming services, and IPVanish was able to access Netflix UK, BBC iPlayer, ITV, and many other apps. And thanks to IPVanish’s really fast speeds, I watched content in HD quality and without any lag. IPVanish is P2P-friendly and supports torrenting on all of its servers in the UK.

IPVanish comes with all of the industry-standard security features, such as:

• No-logs policy (independently audited and verified in 2017).
• 256-bit AES encryption.
• Kill switch.

IPVanish also has SOCKS5 proxy servers (including 1 SOCKS5 server in the UK). A SOCKS5 proxy server provides you with a UK IP address and typically has faster speeds than a regular IPVanish server, but it doesn’t encrypt your data. IPVanish’s SOCKS5 servers are also optimized for P2P file sharing, making them a good choice for torrenting.

IPVanish’s customer support platforms include support guides that are separated into well-organized categories (FAQs, billing questions, setup guides, and troubleshooting), and you can contact IPVanish via 24/7 live chat, email, and even by phone in 7 different countries (most VPNs don’t provide phone numbers).

IPVanish has a monthly and yearly payment plan for the VPN and a monthly and yearly payment plan for the VPN + 500 GB storage. Both of the yearly plans are backed by a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Visit IPVanish

2. CyberGhost VPN – Best VPN for Server Flexibility

CyberGhost VPN has over 550 servers in the UK located in 3 cities — London, Manchester, and Berkshire. And because CyberGhost VPN has so many servers to choose from in the UK, I never encountered overcrowded servers. This provided me with fast internet speed for playing video games online, making Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone calls, and streaming.

CyberGhost has a kill switch, 256-bit AES encryption, and a no logs policy. Unlike IPVanish, CyberGhost hasn’t been independently audited, but I like how CyberGhost publishes a transparency report every 3 months. The report details how many requests for user data CyberGhost receives from law enforcement and government agencies, and then shows how many of those requests it’s complied with (spoiler: It’s none).

CyberGhost VPN successfully unblocks many of the popular streaming services, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime. CyberGhost also has dedicated servers for torrenting in 60 countries — including the UK — and I was able to download large files without any lag.

You can connect 7 devices at once on all of the major platforms — even smart TVs and routers. CyberGhost’s customer support is available through 24/7 live chat and email, and the website includes an extensive library of helpful troubleshooting guides.

CyberGhost VPN offers 1-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year payment plans (the 3-year plan comes with 3 extra months free). The monthly plan only has a 14-day money-back guarantee, but all of the annual plans are backed by a 45-day money-back guarantee.

Visit CyberGhost

3. ExpressVPN – Best VPN for Fast Speeds

ExpressVPN has 4 server locations in the UK that are all really fast. I connected to an ExpressVPN server in each location (Docklands, East London, London, and Wembley) — and I had faster UK speeds than I did with IPVanish and CyberGhost VPN.

When it comes to security features, ExpressVPN has 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy (that was independently audited and verified in 2018). ExpressVPN also has extra features like split tunneling (letting you choose which traffic to route through the VPN and which traffic to route through your local network) and Tor browser support (adding another layer of security to keep your IP address safely hidden when you’re using the Tor network).

I was able to stream Netflix UK and BBC iPlayer shows and movies in ultra-HD video and without any buffering. ExpressVPN also supports torrenting on all of its 3,000+ servers, including in the UK, to provide fast download speeds.

ExpressVPN allows you to connect 5 devices, and it supports all of the major systems, including Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, and internet routers. You can contact ExpressVPN’s customer support through 24/7 live chat and email, and there are well-organized help guides (including video tutorials) on the website.

ExpressVPN has 1-month, 6-month and 12-month payment plans. All of the plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Visit ExpressVPN

Best VPNs for Getting a UK IP Address (2021) — Final Score: