We tested 5 VPNs for US use, & server count turned out to be a weak predictor of actual performance
We recently tested several VPNs for US use across server coverage, access to US websites and services, speed and latency, connection reliability, and leak protection.
One thing stood out quickly: access itself was not the main differentiator. In our testing, the services we checked were generally able to access major US websites successfully, and leak protection / kill switch results were consistently solid.
The bigger differences showed up in speed loss, reliability, and overall consistency.
A few broad takeaways from the testing:
- Wider US coverage did not always translate into better real-world performance
- Similar access results did not always mean a similar experience in day-to-day use
- The biggest gaps showed up in latency, consistency, and streaming stability rather than basic access
- On-paper network size turned out to be less useful than actual long-session performance
Our main takeaway is that server count alone does not tell the full story for US VPN use. Once speed loss and session stability are factored in, the gap can look very different from what marketing pages suggest.
For those here who use VPNs mainly for US connections, how much weight do you actually give server count compared to speed, streaming stability, or overall consistency?