5 Best Non US VPN Providers in UK [Updated in 2022]

Last updated: January 11, 2024
William Sams
William Sams
Check out these 5 best VPN providers outside US to receive protection from the country's mass surveillance and data retention in UK.

The United States is terrible when it comes to your online security. Constant surveillance puts citizens at a continuous threat of being watched by authorities.

Countries like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are Enemy Jurisdictions that not only retain user information but also legally bound VPNs to comply with court orders to fork over data to security agencies.

The United States of America particularly stands at the forefront of banning the idea of “user privacy” indulging in mass surveillance activities. To keep yourself protected, we have jotted down a round-up of the 5 best non US VPN providers in UK (offshore VPN services).

5 Best Non US VPN Services in UK – Quick Overview

Following are the non US VPN providers in UK that you need in 2022:

  1. ExpressVPN – Located in the British Virgin Islands. Offers a strict no-logs policy, AES 256-bit encryption, and TrustedServer Technology for complete anonymity. Costs £5.53/mo (GB£ 0 /mo (US$ /mo ) ) on a 1-yr plan + 3-months free
  2. Surfshark – Based in the British Virgin Islands. Offers MultiHop, no-logs, Whitelister, RAM-only servers, and WireGuard protocol.  Costs only £2.06/mo (GB£ 1.97 /mo (US$ 2.49 /mo ) - Save up to 77% with exclusive 2-year plan + 30-day money-back guarantee).
  3. PureVPN – Headquartered in the British Virgin Islands. Offers a strict no-logging policy, along with AES 256-bit encryption, IP leak protection, and NAT firewall. Costs £1.65/mo (GB£ 2.61 /mo (US$ 3.29 /mo ) ).
  4. Ivacy VPN – Singaporean-based VPN Provider. Has no data retention laws. Offers IP leak protection, kill switch, and RAM-only servers. Costs £0.98/mo ($1.19/mo).
  5. NordVPN Panama-based VPN Provider. Offers an automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation technology. Costs £2.73/mo ($3.29/mo).

5 Best Non US VPN Providers in UK – In-Depth Analysis

Previously, users only needed to review pricing plans and security features to decide which VPN service to go with. Nowadays, the best VPN providers are located strategically in countries with ideal internet and data retention laws.

Given the massive web of US state surveillance and restrictions to access content, we decided to come up with a list of the 5 best non US based VPN services in UK, leading the way in privacy and data security.

1. ExpressVPN: Located in the British Virgin Islands – £5.53/mo (GB£ 0 /mo (US$ /mo ) )

ExpressVPN-uk

ExpressVPN is the best non US VPN that’s headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, an autonomous nation that respects users’ right to privacy. The location does not impose invasive laws to record session/connection data.

Furthermore, it ensures no keeping of any user logs. Since its jurisdiction is not a member of any snooping alliances, the VPN is not subject to kinds of data retention laws. To confirm this, here is a screenshot of ExpressVPN’s no-logging policy:

expressvpn-no-logs-uk

The VPN has been audited more than once by independent auditing firms. PwC conducted an audit on ExpressVPN in late 2020 and ensured that the VPN service is absolutely safe and does not keep any user logs.

Moreover, the VPN comes with a variety of security and privacy features for users to be anonymous and protected at all times in UK. To curb snooping, it offers military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, along with OpenVPN, Lightway, and various other protocols.

Other than t

Other than that, it comes with DNS leak protection, split tunneling, kill switch, obfuscation, and more.

The provider itself is one of the premier VPN services in the market for all purposes. It offers 3,000+ servers in 94 countries worldwide that you can use for unblocking BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, and bypass VPN bans in UK, China, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, etc. Moreover, you can even access Voot in UK without any buffering issues!

The VPN comes at the cost of only £5.53/mo (GB£ 0 /mo (US$ /mo ) ) on its annual plan, along with a 3-month free subscription. How cool is that?

Want to read more before making a final decision? Check out this full ExpressVPN review!

2. Surfshark: Based in the British Virgin Islands – £2.06/mo (GB£ 1.97 /mo (US$ 2.49 /mo ) - Save up to 77% with exclusive 2-year plan + 30-day money-back guarantee)

surfshark-uk

Surfshark is a non US VPN service with its headquarters in the British Virgin Islands, just like ExpressVPN. The location is an incredibly safe choice for those individuals who want to keep their identity hidden, as it does not impose data retention or mass surveillance laws.

The VPN offers a strict no-logging policy to users, ensuring that it would not, at any cost, collect any user logs and sell it to third-party sites or alliances. According to Surfshark’s no-logging policy:

surfshark-no-logs-uk

If we talk about Surfshark’s audits, then Cure53 conducted an independent audit of this VPN in the first half of 2021. The auditing firm revealed in its report that Surfshark’s servers are based on good infrastructure and are quite secure to use.

As for its security features, Surfshark offers a ton of advanced options among the lot. It comes with MultiHop, CleanWeb, Whitelister, and an effective kill switch to avoid any activity leakages in the UK.

The provider itself is famed for its easy-to-use apps, attractive website design, unlimited simultaneous connections, strong OpenVPN encryption, and database of 3200+ servers in 65 countries worldwide (which bypasses “The Great Firewall” and the VPN ban on Netflix).

Surfshark comes with a light-on-pocket cost in the UK. You can get it at a price of only £2.06/mo (GB£ 1.97 /mo (US$ 2.49 /mo ) - Save up to 77% with exclusive 2-year plan + 30-day money-back guarantee), along with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

For more information, check out our full Surfshark review!

3. PureVPN: Headquartered in the British Virgin Islands – £1.65/mo (GB£ 2.61 /mo (US$ 3.29 /mo ) )

purevpn-uk

PureVPN is a safe BVI-based VPN provider, offering powerful security, along with excellent capabilities and functionality for bypassing ISP throttling and content restrictions. It is among the few VPNs endorsed by Forbes and commended by reviewers with a 4.6/5 rating on TrustPilot.

Being headquartered in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction, PureVPN has no mandatory data retention laws. This means that its no-logging policy is quite effective in the UK. Here is what PureVPN mentions on its no-logs page:

purevpn-no-logs-uk

As for PureVPN audits, the VPN has been independently audited twice by different firms. The provider was last audited in 2021 by KMPG, which concluded that PureVPN does not keep any browsing activities and logs of its users. According to the auditing firm: “It is apparent that PureVPN puts a strong emphasis on the privacy of its customers.”

When it comes to privacy and anonymity features, the VPN comes with an effective kill switch, DNS leak protection, split tunneling, IPv6 and DNS leak protection, NAT firewall, and more.

The premium plan gives you access to 6500+ servers in 78+ countries, along with excellent unblocking capabilities to access geo-restricted streaming services in UK, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney Plus, and more.

This VPN costs only £1.65/mo (GB£ 2.61 /mo (US$ 3.29 /mo ) ) and offers a 31-day money-back guarantee for testing this non-US VPN out.

For more information, check out our full PureVPN review!

4. Ivacy: Singaporean-based VPN Provider – £0.98/mo (US$1.19/mo)

ivacy-uk

Ivacy is an offshore VPN service based in Singapore. This means that it exists as one of the safest and most reliable services in UK.

Under the country’s jurisdiction, tech providers do not collect any logs or user information. Singapore has no data retention laws and is heaven for any non-US-based VPN provider for keeping your identity protected, whether that be for bypassing ISP throttling, avoiding geo-restrictions, or indulging in torrenting.

Ivacy offers a robust no-logging policy. This has been mentioned various times in its privacy policy. Under its Your Information is Your Own heading, Ivacy mentions that:

ivacy-no-logs-uk

Sadly, Ivacy has not undergone any independent audits and has not generated any transparency reports on its site. This is one of the reasons why we couldn’t add it to our most transparent VPN providers’ list. But, the VPN has won quite a few awards, including the latest ProPrivacy’s Best Speed award.

The VPN comes with a variety of exceptional security features that make sure that the users of this VPN are protected and secure at all times. These include dedicated IPs, kill switch, DNS/IPv6 leak protection, and NAT firewalls.

Moreover, you get access to 3,500+ servers in 100+ countries, which successfully unblock Netflix, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu.

The VPN comes at the cost of only £0.98/mo (US$1.19/mo) and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test and confirm if you want to subscribe to its long-term plan in the UK.

For more information, check out our full Ivacy review!

5. NordVPN Panama-based VPN Provider – £2.73/mo (US$3.29/mo)

nordvpn-uk

NordVPN is a VPN outside US that is based in Panama. The location offers one of the most protective privacy laws, disallowing all security agencies any access to user data hosted on tech providers’ servers.

Furthermore, its no-logging policy is quite powerful and effective. The VPN clearly mentions that it collects zero logs and is not based in the US and EU regions. Just check it out in the screenshot below:

nordvpn-no-logs-uk

NordVPN has been audited by third-party firms. As per their website, they were audited twice, in 2018 and 2020, by PwC AG, Switzerland, and Zurich. Both times, the firms ensured that the VPN’s no-logs claims are accurate and its privacy policy is quite fair.

NordVPN is an amazing service in the UK, offering DNS leak protection, AES-256-bit encryption, Onion Over VPN, obfuscation technology, and SOCKS5 proxies for indulging in safe and high-speed torrenting. You also get Double VPN to encrypt your data twice, which helps in bypassing the “Great Firewall” in China.

NordVPN offers 5400+ servers in 60 countries, which are more than enough to circumvent geo-restrictions and access streaming platforms in the UK like Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and more all over the world.

All in all, even though it’s at the last position, NordVPN is a great VPN service in the UK to subscribe to. It comes at a price of only £2.73/mo (US$3.29/mo), along with a 30-day refund policy.

Want to read more before making a final decision? Check out our full NordVPN review!

Why Non-US Based VPN Providers in UK?

The US is probably in the top 5 when it comes to unsanctioned state surveillance, data retention, snooping on private calls & messages, mapping the internet, and spying on ordinary people.

There are no ifs or buts anymore on this subject. The NSA spied on US citizens, world leaders, foreign citizens, and minorities based in the country and is still doing the same.

The US also maintains a strict stance over illegal streaming and torrent downloads punishing websites hosting copyright material. Recent cases include BitTorrent, KickAssTorrents, Mega Upload, and ThePirateBay.

Surveillance & Data Retention

According to the Stored Communications Act, VPN providers based in the US are bound by law to hand over all user activities, connection times, and personal information when presented with a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court order.

US-based VPNs are bound by 3 or more legislations to retain user data and keep it stored within the US for a prescribed time period (2 – 5 years). The NSA requires backdoors to almost all technology service providers, including VPN providers.

This news may be hard to digest, but the NSA has, according to the Snowden leaks, partnered with AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and others to submit all user data to them sometimes without proper court orders.

Data-Retention-uk

USA VPN Logging Policies

As mentioned above, bound by law, VPN providers based in the USA have to retain your online activities & personal information. This saga began in October 2010 when P2P giant LimeWire was shut down after the US music industry sued them.

Now legally bound, US-based VPN providers keep logs while working hand in hand with the authorities. Always consider studying the privacy policies of a VPN, along with the country’s laws, to ensure you do not get fooled.

Remember that these documents are complex but detailed to make sure you know everything that they retain and record. Usually, a US-based provider logs your personal, financial, location info, real IP address, and browsing activities.

Whereas it’s different when it comes to non US VPNs. Here is a screenshot of the logging policy of BVI-based ExpressVPN to prove this:

expressvpn-no-logs-uk

US data retention laws also cover services like Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Google, and other tech service providers. So the next time you blog, make a video call, post an FB status, tweet, or send an email to remember, it’s all being monitored.

Next time you are considering using a VPN in UK, remember that a US-based VPN provider will hand over your personal data and browsing history without blinking if a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) order is presented to them.

Ban on Torrents

Most US-based VPN providers don’t support P2P file-sharing or torrent downloads. Increased MPAA lobbying in the US Senate has turned US cyberspace into a highly monitored and restricted environment to operate.

While some users don’t get into trouble, it is always nice to secure yourself behind a VPN server, especially one based outside the USA, to ensure they have no way of getting any warrants on a foreign privacy provider.

Ban-on-Torrents-uk

Lawsuits against ThePirateBay, KickAssTorrents & Torrentz have proved just how powerful the MPAA’s influence can be. Downloading torrents in the US is risky, given there are prison sentences and penalties prescribed for infringement.

ISPs have been ordered to monitor and maintain profiles for all users found downloading copyright material through torrents. In fact, torrent sites that shut down years ago are still being targeted by anti-piracy groups.

According to the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), all acts of copyright infringement are criminal activities, which also include an attempt of bypassing copyright material.

US-based VPN providers are bound to cancel or shut down user accounts that are found infringing copyright. The alarming fact is that these same VPN providers are the ones claiming they do not monitor your online activities.

Tips on How to Choose The Best Non US VPN in UK

We chose and ranked the VPNs above based on the following criteria. Let’s check it out below:

1. Based outside the US: It’s best that a VPN service is headquartered outside the United States and away from the snooping of 5, 9, and 14 Eyes Alliance. Being outside the US would mean that the VPN is not subject to any data retention laws and is, in fact, quite safe.

2. Proven no-logging policy: We chose all the VPN services that have a proven no-logging policy. The most appropriate method to find out if it’s actually safe is by looking at real-life examples (investigations and court cases) where the VPN has proved itself to really be a no-logs VPN service.

3. Robust security features: Powerful features like AES 256-bit encryption, kill switch, and DNS/IP leak protection make sure that your data is impossible to access.

4. Independent auditing: These actually prove that the VPN services stand by their policies and offer the secure services that they actually claim. In case any vulnerabilities are discovered during independent audits, the VPN is sure to fix them immediately.

5. Secure servers: The VPNs we chose and ranked above were based on the fact that they offer RAM-only servers to users. This means that all your data is wiped off as soon as you reboot the app.

6. Anonymous payment methods: Premium VPN services should offer anonymous payment options like cryptocurrency. Using this method, you won’t require providing your credit card details and email address.

7. Streaming and P2P capabilities: For enjoying various activities like torrenting and streaming, you can use the VPNs above and unblock all your favorite streaming platforms along with torrent sites.

8. Super-fast speeds: Since VPNs are privacy software, they might drop your connection speeds. But, if you use premium VPN services like the ones mentioned above, the speed drop would barely even be noticeable.

FAQs

Why do we need non-US-based VPN in the UK?

You need a VPN based outside the US in UK to protect yourself from the mass surveillance of US monitoring agencies. VPNs not based in the US are not mandated by law to log any user data and provide it to the authorities.

This is why we suggest opting for the best non US based VPN service in the UK like ExpressVPN for being secure and anonymous online.

Is it safe to use VPN based in USA?

No, it’s quite unsafe to use a VPN based in the United States since the NSA, and other agencies can monitor all your activities, including your VPN traffic. Also, VPN services in the US do not support P2P activities.

Furthermore, there are mandatory data retention laws that make US-based VPN providers store data for 12 or more months. So, to be secure, you should always opt for an offshore VPN like ExpressVPN.

Which is the best untraceable VPN in the UK?

ExpressVPN is the best untraceable and anonymous VPN service in the industry. This VPN collects no user logs and secures user data and traffic through military-grade AES 256-bit encryption. Furthermore, it uses RAM-only servers, which means that all the data is wiped as soon as you disconnect from a server.

How can I know if my VPN keeps logs or not?

You can read about it in your chosen VPN’s Terms of Service. For example, ExpressVPN is a trustworthy no-logs VPN. As per its privacy policy: “ExpressVPN does not see, record, or store which websites you visit.”

Wrapping Things Up!

So, the next time you are weighing different VPN services, consider a VPN provider based outside the US in UK. Since VPN providers outside the States don’t keep user logs, they are ideal for those interested in torrents, streaming, and accessing blocked content.

Also, do not opt for a free non US VPN in the UK as it has multiple risks of its own.

With all factors taken into consideration, ExpressVPN wins the category of the best VPN based outside the US. This VPN is located in the British Virgin Islands and equips privacy features like AES 256-bit encryption, no-logs policy, and Trusted Server Technology for staying anonymous and secure.

Let us know below if you have any questions regarding this non US based VPN service in the UK guide. Until next time!

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