5 Best VPNs for Illinois (2026)

NordVPN - Best Overall VPN for Illinois With Chicago Servers

NordVPN took the top spot in Illinois because it’s the one provider here that ticks every box on my checklist without asking me to compromise: audited privacy, fast P2P downloads, local Chicago servers, and content unblocking that never missed.

Start local. NordVPN keeps a bank of Chicago servers, including obfuscated variants, with P2P allowed on all of them, so you get an Illinois IP address for WGN, blacked-out Cubs and White Sox games, and Chicago gaming peers without hopping to another state. It now has servers in all 50 US states, too, so the same account follows you on the road.

The Panama-based NordVPN has been audited multiple times for its no-logs policy. So, even if Xfinity, Comcast, or any other ISP subpoenas it to provide data on what you did over its servers, NordVPN won’t have that information. That’s a cleaner answer than PrivateVPN’s unaudited policy under Swedish (14 Eyes) jurisdiction.

On top of that, it supports torrenting on all its standard servers, so there’s no specialty P2P server to hunt for.

These work best on the provider’s in-house NordLynx protocol, built on WireGuard, which consistently delivers me the fastest speeds on Deluge.

The one thing its standard plans won’t do is port forwarding (that needs NordVPN’s paid Dedicated Server add-on), so if seeding ratios matter to you, PIA and PrivateVPN handle that side better.

Be that as it may, NordVPN provides Threat Protection in its security arsenal.

I tested this on The Pirate Bay multiple times from Illinois, and it always got rid of those malicious sweepstakes ads, most likely infected with malware or trackers.

Only Surfshark and PIA come close with ad blockers of their own.

Even so, Threat Protection is clear since it offers malware-blocking features too.

Given that it boasts 8,400+ servers in 167+ countries, the widest reach on this list, I found no major content it couldn’t unblock in Illinois – from Netflix Japan and BBC iPlayer to Amazon Prime Video.

For all that, NordVPN isn’t expensive. You can use it on ten devices simultaneously, the same as PrivateVPN and PureVPN, though Surfshark and PIA go unlimited.

Still, here are some NordVPN discounts to save more on your first purchase.

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Surfshark - Unlimited Simultaneous Connections in Illinois

On the surface, Surfshark earned second place in Illinois for its unlimited simultaneous connections.

Peeling back the layers, Surfshark’s 4,500+ servers in 100 countries, second only to NordVPN’s reach here, grant you tens of thousands of IP addresses – including a Chicago server for a local Illinois IP.

Connecting to these servers frees you from the shackles of Illinois copyright trolls like Prenda Law, known for collecting torrent users’ IP addresses and suing their ISPs to reveal their identities.

The best part is that Surfshark is compatible with BitTorrent, uTorrent, Deluge, Vuze, and just about any other popular torrenting client you throw at it. I’ve grabbed over 50GB of files via these clients using Surfshark in Illinois.

Besides torrent downloads and unblocking, Surfshark’s CleanWeb does as its name suggests – cleans the web of trackers and ads while you browse securely from Illinois. Even so, I prefer NordVPN’s solution since it’s more efficient.

One thing public Wi-Fi users will love about this VPN is its automated trigger whenever you connect to a strange Wi-Fi network.

Using this feature, I never had to remember to manually connect to Surfshark at Tim Hortons (Springfield) or the Navy Pier Food Court (Chicago).

Only NordVPN and PIA offer something similar.

While NordVPN is preferred for its ever-reliable content unblocking, Surfshark was one of my best bets to bypass the White Sox game blackouts to stream it right from Illinois.

Remember the unlimited connections? Somehow, that didn’t influence Surfshark’s price, as it remains the cheapest VPN for Illinois.

All NordVPN has over it is margins: Surfshark’s unblocking was a touch less consistent in my tests, CleanWeb is a lighter tool than Threat Protection, and there are no specialty server categories to lean on. For a household that needs one plan on every device, though, it’s the obvious pick.

Here are some Surfshark discounts to get it for the cheapest.

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PrivateVPN - Robust Privacy & Online Security in Illinois

PrivateVPN offers a paltry 200+ servers, whereas rivals like NordVPN have 8,400+. It still earns a podium spot, though, because it offers two things Illinois torrenters care about – port forwarding and dynamic dedicated IPs – at one of the lowest prices on this list, with a Chicago server thrown in for a local IP address.

Where other VPNs focused on their WireGuard protocols (or its alternatives), PrivateVPN embraced the highly-secure OpenVPN protocol.

This protocol is known for employing numerous encryption techniques, sure to keep government authorities, your ISP, or the public Wi-Fi admin at the Wing Stop in Champaign out of your internet data.

Interestingly, I tested this protocol expecting a mighty speed drop.

But it was swift enough for secure gaming, fast streaming, and other speed-based internet activities.

However, there’s some concern that PrivateVPN is based in Sweden, a member of the 14 Eyes alliance. But PrivateVPN counters that with a no-logs policy, although unaudited.

So, whether you download torrents over the AT&T network while connected to PrivateVPN or stream some live adult show via the public Wi-Fi at The Duck Inn, your government/anyone else can’t subpoena that data.

It simply won’t exist!

This robust security and privacy extend to its torrent support.

You can unblock The Pirate Bay and securely download torrents without copyright trolls knowing. That beats being on a similar list to the thousands of Xfinity Chicago customers sued for torrenting Mechanic: Resurrection in 2017.

Furthermore, PrivateVPN offers port forwarding, which NordVPN only offers with its paid Dedicated Server add-on and Surfshark doesn’t offer at all, for faster torrent downloads and seeding.

I’ve also used its dynamic, dedicated IPs, available over OpenVPN on selected locations, to get better security for torrent downloads.

Those two features are also where PrivateVPN’s case ends. Its network is tiny next to NordVPN’s, it has no specialty server categories and nothing like Threat Protection or CleanWeb to scrub torrent-site ads, its no-logs claim is unaudited under Swedish jurisdiction, and its 10-device cap looks thin beside Surfshark’s unlimited plan. If you seed torrents on a budget, none of that will bother you.

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PIA - Most Extensive USA Server Reach in Illinois

Private Internet Access (PIA) has a strong case for a higher spot: it beats PrivateVPN’s server coverage by a mile and offers free port forwarding against PureVPN’s paid solution.

However, it’s based in the USA – a 14-Eyes region – which makes me wary of it.

But why did it make the list, still?

For starters, PIA has a recently audited no-logs policy. So, even if Uncle Sam wanted to know what you were doing in Illinois over PIA’s server, it would have no luck.

Another considerable advantage is its US server spread across all 50 states; among the others, only NordVPN matches that. You might be wondering why you need this till, like me, you need to evade a blackout to the Chicago Cubs’ game using PIA’s US East Streaming servers.

All these servers are equipped with the same AES 256-bit encryption.

And like PrivateVPN, PIA allows advanced users to customize the level of security they want on their connections from Illinois. I prefer to leave it in the basic settings.

Another similarity with PrivateVPN is its free port forwarding enabled on almost every server. In my experience, PrivateVPN’s port forwarding is more seamless to set up and use in Illinois than PIA’s.

Finally, PIA ships with a MACE ad-blocking tool that handles trackers, not malware. So, not on the level of NordVPN’s solution.

Did I mention that you get unlimited simultaneous device connections on PIA?

And you can get it at a low price with these one-time discounts.

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PureVPN – Quantum-Resistant Servers for Top-Level Privacy in Illinois

PureVPN is playing the next-generation game by supplying what it terms quantum-resistant servers. It even has one of these servers in Illinois (via Chicago), and they promise robust security against quantum computer hacking!

So, suppose you’re highly concerned about keeping your online privacy intact against the government, local ISPs, network admins, and public Wi-Fi operators. In that case, this might be your best pick.

Likewise, the fact that PureVPN offers 6,000+ servers in 65+ countries, the second-biggest published server count here after NordVPN, makes it a top contender for content unblocking in Illinois.

I use these servers to seamlessly switch IP addresses, frustrating copyright trolls who may be gunning for my IP address to deanonymize me in a torrent swarm.

Speaking of torrents, PureVPN toes the path of PIA and PrivateVPN in offering port forwarding. However, unlike the others, you must pay extra to get this port forwarding. Another gripe with PureVPN is its lack of DDoS protection, a standard add-on with the other listed providers.

On the bright side, its P2P servers combine with the WireGuard protocol for top-shelf torrenting performance, content unblocking, and fast web browsing.

AT&T customers in Illinois can even use PureVPN’s P2P + WireGuard combination to beat the ISP’s notorious throttling, something it was sued over.

Remember to save more with these PureVPN deals and enjoy a 31-day money-back guarantee.

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