Knoxville, Tennessee is a medium-sized city located in the central-east part of the state. It has an estimated population of 186k, but the Combined Statistical Area is just over 1 million. Those numbers likely come from the 8 counties in the 865 area code. The city has a fairly long history, and there are many things that attract visitors to the town. One of the big draws is the University of Tennessee Volunteers. If you are planning a trip to “K-town”, be sure to bring your UT orange and connect to a VPN before you use public WiFi.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.2 | 73 | |
| 3 |  | 9.0 | 280 | |
While in Knoxville, there are great things to do. However, you may want to use public WiFi there. If so, it is crucial that you use a VPN. That is because no matter where you are, there are always cybercriminals lurking about. Many of them wait for the right moment to take advantage of someone that does not have their data secured. When you use a VPN, you create a secure and private connection to a server of your choice. That makes nearly impossible for anyone to get ahold of your sensitive data.
The second reason to use a VPN while in the city, has to do with the network and geo-restrictions you may face. If you have ever been blocked by a school, organization, or business from seeing a website that they do not find appropriate, you have run into the network restriction issues. They are typically called firewalls. Using a VPN will make the blocking software think you are located somewhere else. That way, you will be able to browse as you normally would. The same applies if you have ever experienced sports blackouts. You should not have to miss out on your favorite sports event because you happen to be in the same region where the game is.
There you have the two biggest reasons to use a VPN while in Knoxville. However, you may discover others, later. Whether you want to protect yourself from cybercrime or get around network and geo-restrictions, using a VPN is a great idea. Now, let’s look at some factors to look for.
What is the best VPN for Knoxville?
When looking for a provider please consider the following factors. The list below is the result of our consideration.
- High-speed servers in the same region as Knoxville
- Strict no logs policy
- Multi-device mobile apps that include Amazon Firestick
- Large and solid networks to reduce disconnects
- Military grade strong encryption for great privacy protection
- Ability to get around live blacked out sports and geo-blocked content
Without further delay, here is a list of the best VPN services for Knoxville:
1. Best VPN for Knoxville: ExpressVPN
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ExpressVPN brings together fast VPN access with MediaStreamer which acts as a Smart DNS service to unblock access to geo-restricted content. The VPN service will help encrypt your connection and unblock live sporting events. You will even find a list of the latest live entertainment and sporting events on their website. Being in the British Virgin Islands puts ExpressVPN outside the 5 eyes and 14 eyes countries. They maintain a no-log policy that has been verified through high profile legal requests over the years.
ExpressVPN manages a very large VPN network. Beyond the USA, the ExpressVPN network boasts thousands of servers in key locations to help protect their user’s privacy. You can use their network to protect your privacy, unblock censorship, and watch your favorite streaming services from anywhere.
The ExpressVPN app allows you to select a server location down to the city but you do not need to choose a specific server. Instead, the client will select the fastest server in your chosen location. You also need to know that some cities are not shown on the recommended tab inside the client. In this case, you will want to choose Atlanta as your server option. Simply select the “All” tab, open Americas, and then open the United States. At this point, you can select the USA – Atlanta server since it’s the closest location to Knoxville. As you can see we tested a server in Atlanta to and the speed was 121.02 Mbps.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of using ExpressVPN is their support for a wide range of devices. ExpressVPN offers custom VPN software for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Connect from your desktop and mobile at the same time with up to 3 simultaneous connections. You can also install the ExpressVPN web extension for Chrome or Firefox. Want to protect your entire home network with a single VPN account? If so you can use the ExpressVPN router app to get all set up. The MediaStreamer feature adds Smart DNS support to devices like game consoles (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, etc.), media boxes (Apple TV, Roku, Nvidia Shield TV, etc.), and Smart TVs.
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ExpressVPN performed very well in our speed tests. They are a great choice for privacy and to unblock geo-restrictions. Customer support is available 24/7 to provide assistance and answer any questions. Enjoy the best VPN for less with confidence as ExpressVPN offers a 30 day money back guarantee.
2. Best VPN for Knoxville: IPVanish
Sign up for 12 months for just $4.87 a month (60% discount)
We use the IPVanish servers in Atlanta because they are the closest to Knoxville. I can tell you from experience that the servers in Atlanta are both fast and reliable. You will also find that IPVanish has more server locations in the United States that just about any other VPN service. This makes them our go-to VPN on a daily basis for Knoxville.
Along with a large footprint in the USA, IPVanish hosts servers in every continent other than Antarctica. The network has consistently been the fastest VPN in North America and Europe in our speed tests. You will find multiple server locations in countries like the US and UK. You can select a location or an individual server.
IPVanish hosts 48 servers in Atlanta and you can choose to connect to any of them. We suggest selecting one that starts with “a” in the server name. For example atl.a01.ipvanish.com. In most cases, you will find the “a” servers to be the fastest. We tested an IPVanish server in Atlanta and found the speed to be 122.58 Mbps.
When it comes to value IPVanish is hard to beat. They offer unlimited access to their VPN network and custom software for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Amazon Firestick and more for $7.50 a month or $58.49 a year. That works out to just $4.87 a month on the annual plan. A 7-day money back guarantee covers all new members.
3. Best VPN for Knoxville: HMA
Sign up for 36 months for just $2.99 a month (75% discount)
HideMyAss was brought to life in 2005 when Jack Cator, a 16-year-old student in England, decided that he wanted to create a service to help people avoid censorship. Specifically, Jack was unable to access social media sites and online games because they were blocked on the school network. HMA added hundreds of thousands of users the first month and has since grown into one of the largest VPN services in the world with over 350 server locations. Privax, the parent company of HMA Pro VPN, joined the AVG team in 2015.
If your goal is to find the VPN with the most server locations, then HideMyAss is your best choice. Just keep in mind that HMA logs user activity which is a concern for some VPN users. HMA hosts 175 VPN servers in the United States including several in the Nashville region (since it is the closest area to Knoxville). To connect to a server in Nashville, you need to choose the “Location Mode” and select “Change Location” to get started. Then click on the “Cities” tab and search for Nashville. From there you can select the USA, Tennessee, Nashville server location. We connected to a server in Nashville to test and found the speed to be 107.28 Mbps.
In 2016 HMA and a few other leading VPN providers led the way in simplifying their custom client software. The result is a full set of custom apps that make it easy for any user to connect to the HMA network and encrypt your connection. They have software available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. You can also connect to HMA through your router. HMA offers unlimited VPN access from just $4.99 a month and offers all new users a 30-day risk-free money back guarantee.
If you would like to see other options, be sure to check out our top 10 VPN services list. We don’t think you need to, though. We chose our favorite providers based on speed, reliability, price, security, and providers with servers in or close to the Knoxville region. That way, you don’t have to worry about getting the best speeds. Of course, they all have great networks. Speed is important if you plan on downloading or streaming any kind of content. We feel the providers we mentioned above are the best options for doing that. That is no matter which one of the popular services you want to use. By using our guide, you can make an informed decision.