Best VPN for Chicago: Top 5 for a Chicago IP Address in 2026

A former printing plant on East Cermak Road, just south of the Loop, is now one of the largest data centers in the world. Dozens of networks exchange traffic there, which makes Chicago a main crossroads of the North American internet. That’s also why almost every VPN keeps servers in the city. Who uses those servers, and why, splits along the city limits.

At home in Chicago, a server across town encrypts everything on your Xfinity or AT&T connection, so your ISP sees only a link to the VPN, and you avoid the slowdown of a server several states away. On a trip, the same server gives your laptop a Chicago IP address, and the apps that stream Cubs or Bulls games treat you as a local again.

Every VPN lists Chicago, but not every VPN kept its speed there, and the differences in our tests were large. Here are the five we’d connect to.

Chicago VPN Speeds and Coverage Compared

We tested each VPN on its own Chicago server. The speed loss column shows how much of our connection’s download speed each one gave up there.

VPN	Speed loss on a Chicago server	US locations	Devices	Ad blocker
NordVPN	7.6%	55 cities	10	Next-gen antivirus (Complete and Prime plans)
Proton VPN	17.6%	22 cities	10	NetShield (paid plans)
ExpressVPN	20.3%	63 locations	10 to 14	Advanced Protection (Advanced plan and up)
Private Internet Access	18.3%	All 50 states	Unlimited	MACE
Surfshark	31.8%	25 locations	Unlimited	CleanWeb

The Best VPNs for Chicago Tested

1. NordVPN: Fastest Chicago Server We Tested

NordVPN topped our Chicago speed test with a 7.6% speed loss, which leaves room for 4K video on a couple of screens at once. Its app lists 55 US cities, and typing “Chicago” into the search bar finds the city faster than scrolling the map.

Bears fans on the road get the most from it: YouTube TV and NFL+ unblocked on NordVPN in our tests, and our guide to watching out-of-market NFL games live explains the rest. Its kill switch can also work per app: name your banking app, and NordVPN closes it the moment the VPN disconnects, before it can reconnect over hotel Wi-Fi unprotected.

Outside auditors have confirmed its no-logs claims several times, one reason it’s among the most secure VPNs we’ve tested. On the two-year Basic plan, NordVPN costs less than $3.50 a month. Renewal brings a noticeably higher bill, so we’d commit to the longest term from the start.

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2. Proton VPN: Best for Privacy in Chicago

If the goal is keeping your browsing away from Xfinity or AT&T, Proton VPN is built for that job. Swiss law governs the company, an outside firm audits its no-logs policy every year, and its app code is public. Its Chicago server was slower than NordVPN’s, with a 17.6% speed loss that still leaves room for 4K on most home connections.

Secure Core adds a layer for sensitive work: the connection detours through a Proton VPN server in Switzerland or another privacy-friendly country, so the Chicago server only sees the IP address of another Proton VPN server. It couldn’t unblock Hulu in our tests, and I found this a bit disappointing.

If that’s your service, NordVPN and ExpressVPN are among the best VPNs for Hulu. There’s also no Smart DNS, a setting that lets a TV use a VPN location without an app, so a TV with no VPN app can use Proton VPN only through your router. Its paid tier, VPN Plus, comes to less than $3 a month when paid for two years.

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3. ExpressVPN: Best for Quick Connections

ExpressVPN asks the least of you. Choose “USA – Chicago” from the location list, and its Lightway protocol connects within a second. Its Smart Location button can choose a different US city, so select Chicago by name when you want a Chicago IP address. Streaming is its other strength, and I’d choose it for that.

It unblocked every US service in our tests, including Hulu, Peacock, and Prime Video, which is why it ranks among the best VPNs for streaming. In Chicago, it trailed NordVPN and Proton VPN with a 20.3% speed loss. That’s still far more than a 4K stream requires, and its other US servers were among the quickest we tested.

The router app covers a smart TV or game console in a Chicago apartment without a separate install on each device. It also uses post-quantum encryption, and our ExpressVPN review covers its plans. Paid for two years, ExpressVPN’s Basic plan is priced below $3 a month.

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4. Private Internet Access: Best Cheap VPN Near Chicago

Private Internet Access has the lowest price of the five, around $2 monthly with its longest plan, and it puts no limit on devices. One subscription covers the phones, laptops, and TVs in a Chicago household, and its US network includes a location in every state, Illinois among them.

Its Chicago server recorded an 18.3% speed loss, close to Proton VPN’s and enough for pretty much anything you do. Its MACE filter scored higher on our ad-blocking test page than any other VPN app we’ve tested. Court cases have backed its privacy claim, since subpoenas found no user logs to produce.

Prime Video and HBO Max subscribers will do better with NordVPN or ExpressVPN, since PIA couldn’t unblock either in our tests. Its Windows version starts with OpenVPN, and switching to WireGuard provides faster connections. It’s also one of the best cheap VPNs we recommend outside Chicago.

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5. Surfshark: Best for Streaming on a Budget

Surfshark is the budget choice for streaming. Without any browser extension, its desktop app unblocked HBO Max, Hulu, and Netflix US, and it failed only on ITVX. Its Starter plan is about $2.50 a month when you subscribe for two years, with unlimited devices.

On Android, GPS override changes the location your phone reports to apps, not only your IP address. That helps with sports apps that compare the two before showing a local game. CleanWeb blocks ads and trackers on every device signed in to your account.

Surfshark lost the most speed of the five on its Chicago server, a 31.8% speed loss. Streaming in HD and 4K still has room at that speed, but a large download takes noticeably longer than on NordVPN.

If a Chicago server feels slow, connect to a different US city for downloads and keep Chicago for apps and streams that check your location and specifically require you to be in Chicago.

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Why Chicagoans Use a VPN

Speed decides how a VPN feels day to day, but the reason for connecting differs at home and away from the city.

At Home in Chicago

Your ISP knows which sites you open. The federal rules that would have required ISPs to ask before using that browsing data were repealed in 2017, and Illinois never replaced them. The state’s well-known BIPA law protects fingerprints and face scans, not browsing.

With a VPN connected, Xfinity, AT&T, or Astound sees only scrambled traffic going to a single VPN server. Public Wi-Fi is the other reason. Chicago Public Library branches, O’Hare, and Midway offer open networks, and a VPN scrambles passwords and banking sessions on the device itself.

A nearby server helps here, since a Chicago server keeps ping, the delay before a server responds, low enough for video calls and online gaming.

Away From Chicago

Local sports are the main reason. The Cubs stream on Marquee Sports Network, while the White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks are on the Chicago Sports Network. Both apps limit games by location.

A Chicago server gives you a local IP address, but some apps also check your phone’s GPS or your billing ZIP code, so a subscription with a Chicago billing address works best. Banks and work portals behave the same way.

A Chase or Fifth Third login from abroad may trigger an extra security check, and a company network in the Loop may accept only US connections. Connected to a Chicago server, you look like you’re at home, and local news from WGN or ABC7 works as usual.

Can You Get a Chicago IP Address for Free?

No. At least not reliably. Proton VPN’s free plan assigns your server automatically and doesn’t let you choose a city. Other reputable free VPNs, such as Windscribe and PrivadoVPN, include a few US locations with a monthly data limit, but they don’t let you count on Chicago.

Free apps that promise every US city usually pay for themselves by selling browsing data, which defeats the reason for a VPN. Paid plans with Chicago servers start near $2 a month, and every VPN in our ranking offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

How to Connect to a Chicago Server

The steps are the same on each of the five VPNs. We used NordVPN here, and the whole process took about two minutes.

Step 1: Subscribe and Install the App

Choose a plan on NordVPN’s website, or start with the NordVPN free trial on Android. Download the app for your phone or computer, then log in with the email and password from sign-up.

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Step 2: Connect to Chicago and Confirm Your IP

Type “Chicago” into the search bar, or open the United States in the server list and select Chicago. The app connects in a few seconds.

Open an IP lookup site such as WhatIsMyIP.com. It should show Chicago, Illinois. If a streaming app still shows your old location, sign out, clear its cache, and open it again.

Conclusion

If all you want is a Chicago IP address for the odd Cubs game, any of the five does the job. For daily use, the Chicago results decided the order. NordVPN lost the least speed there, unblocked the US sports and streaming apps we tested, and closes your banking app if the connection drops.

That combination makes it our first choice for Chicago. Privacy-first users will be happier with Proton VPN, and large households on a budget with Private Internet Access or Surfshark, since neither caps devices.

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Chicago VPN FAQ