Charlotte, North Carolina, has a metro area of 2.4 million people and is the most populous city in the state. It is also the third fastest-growing city in the country and draws visitors from all over the world. If you fall into that category, you’ll find plenty to do and see in and around the city, including amusement parks, professional sports, exciting festivals, and more. Those are all solid reasons to connect to a VPN. We’ll go more into depth about that in a moment. First, though, please look at our list of the best VPNs for Charlotte.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 95 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 110 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 73 | |
As we mentioned, Charlotte has top-tiered sports teams. Those include the Charlotte Hornets (NBA), Carolina Panthers (NFL), and Charlotte FC (MLS). If you are a fan of these teams, watching home games online can be a problem. That’s because of sports blackouts. Even with specific streaming apps, the media companies block those streams because they consider you “in-market”. By connecting to a VPN server in a different area, though, you’ll get “out-of-market” status. That will allow you to watch the Panthers, Hornets, or Charlotte FC play no matter where you are.
Amusement parks and other attractions are popular in Charlotte, with the biggest one being Carowinds. Of course, you have other options like the Nascar Hall of Fame, Discovery Place Science, Levine Museum of the New South, and more. Whether you want to check out an indoor or outdoor attraction, most places have public WiFi networks. Those are great to help save your data. Unfortunately, those networks can leave you vulnerable unless you use a VPN’s encryption layer. That way, you can concentrate on the latest Tiktok video instead of who is going to steal your data.
In speaking of outdoor attractions, the city has many different natural options to enjoy. These include the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, the Reedy Creek Nature Center and Preserve, the Hornet’s Nest Park, and more. Those are all excellent places to get your steps in on your favorite fitness tracker. That said, they often transmit large amounts of data to your smartphone. To protect both devices, connect to a VPN on your smartphone. That way, you can make sure you secure your data. Now that you see the examples, the question is, which one?
What is the best VPN for Charlotte?
Please consider the following factors when looking for a provider. The list below is the result of our consideration.
- Solid networks to help you avoid disconnects
- Providers that do not keep logs
- High-speed servers for the Charlotte area
- Ability to watch geo-restricted and sports blacked out content
- Multi-platform mobile apps that include Amazon Firestick
- Strong encryption to help ensure your privacy
Without further delay, here is a list of the best VPN services for Charlotte:
1. Best VPN for Charlotte: ExpressVPN
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When it comes to keeping yourself safe, ExpressVPN is one of the best choices you can make. Whether you are looking for secure encryption protocols, privacy protection features, a strict no-logs policy, or other things, you will find them all with this provider. Additionally, if you have ever had an issue creating a secure password, you are in luck. ExpressVPN has a random password generator on their website that will help you do so. It can generate multiple passwords, and you can securely download the generator page if you wish to use it offline.
If you are worried about having issues getting things set up on your favorite devices, ExpressVPN can put your mind at ease. Along with extensive video setup guides, they offer several other resources as well. Those include a troubleshooting section and a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section. You can send an email, file a support ticket, or speak with someone directly through the live chat feature available on their website as part of their 24/7 customer support. That will help ensure you get the best possible results and have a great user experience.
ExpressVPN is our top-rated VPN service of 2023. Regardless of your goals for using a VPN, ExpressVPN combines a robust network with privacy features to keep you protected. We commonly use it to protect our privacy while traveling and to access our favorite streaming services back home. While you can sign up for monthly access, we recommend you take advantage of this exclusive deal that gives you 3 extra months free when you sign up for a year. You can also get a full refund within 30 days if you’re not completely satisfied, so you can test their network with ExpressVPN’s money-back-guarantee.
Want to learn more? Read our full ExpressVPN review.
2. Best VPN for Charlotte: NordVPN
One reason to use NordVPN is to protect your privacy by blocking malware and ads. Their CyberSec feature will help you avoid sites that host malware and annoying ads. It will also protect your system from becoming part of a botnet attack. If you have ever searched for something random online and have seen the term or item you searched for, continuously come up, that can be a bit unnerving. However, when you use NordVPN, you can help stop that from happening.
Whether you like to travel abroad, are an ex-patriot, or just want to stream from other parts in the world, NordVPN can help you. Built into their service is a feature they refer to as “SmartPlay.” It combines aspects of a SmartDNS service and a VPN to allow the user to stream from everywhere. Unlike some SmartDNS services, NordVPN encrypts the connection by having it built-in directly to their VPN. That way, you do not have to worry about taking extra steps to configure the service. All you have to do is connect.
Want to learn more? Read our full NordVPN review.
3. Best VPN for Charlotte: PIA
Established in 2010, Private Internet Access has an excellent reputation in the community. They support several different privacy foundations and organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future, the Internet Society, OpenMedia, Open Rights Group, and many more open source projects. That shows their commitment to protecting the privacy of their members and why so many users love the service. In addition to reasonable pricing, Private Internet Access offers a trustworthy service that you can not go wrong with if you choose it.
One of the benefits of connecting to a VPN server from Private Internet Access is the ability to connect to different streaming libraries. If you are not aware, some streaming services have separate libraries of content, depending on where you are. No matter whether you want to watch titles from a country like India, Canada, Brazil, the UK, the US, or others, Private Internet Access makes it easy. All you need to do is connect to a server in the country you wish. That way, you can watch as much as you like.
Want to learn more? Read our full Private Internet Access review.
4. Best VPN for Charlotte: CyberGhost
Some sports have international followings. However, countries have different levels of coverage. If you follow a sport that does not have the coverage you want, connecting to CyberGhost VPN is a good idea. When you do, you can access the coverage you want to see by connecting to a server in another region. Whether there is no easy way to watch the sport where you are, or you are looking for specific coverage, you can easily do that with a VPN.
If you connect to a VPN server with CyberGhost and you are a gamer, there is something you may not be aware of. On some international platforms, games can have different prices than in your home region. An example of that is using a platform like Steam. You can sometimes find your favorite games for a lower price in other countries than you would in your home country. If you use Steam cards as well, you will be able to play your favorites for a lesser amount than usual.
Want to learn more? Read our full CyberGhost review.
5. Best VPN for Charlotte: IPVanish
If you like to travel abroad, you may quickly notice that your favorite streaming service is not available. For those that want to watch international services like Netflix, you may see that you are not able to access some of your favorite content. Of course, that is why you would want to connect to IPVanish. When you do, you can connect to a server in your home region or find another one to watch in. No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong with IPVanish.
One of the big things that streaming viewers still want to watch live is sports. If you are a sports fan, you know that some sports have an international following. Unfortunately, you may not be able to watch unless you connect to a VPN from IPvanish. Often, that is because of the licensing rights of some media companies. If you are a country that does not offer coverage, you would generally miss out. Instead, just connect to a server in the home country, log in with your credentials to the streaming service, and enjoy.
Want to learn more? Read our full IPVanish review.
