In most cities across the US, shopping for home internet doesn’t involve much choice — you just go with whatever your home is wired for. If you’re lucky, you might have two or three options.
That’s not the case in Knoxville, where six legitimately good options are available, five of which offer gig-speeds. Out of all those worthy contenders, AT&T Fiber is CNET’s pick for the best internet provider overall in Knoxville. If you can’t get AT&T, then Xfinity and WOW offer wide coverage throughout the city, and their cable internet services deliver plenty of speed for most people.
Our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Knoxville across various categories. Our evaluation includes spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers’ terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.
Our process has some limitations though. Pricing and speed data are variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider’s website.
Note that the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider’s pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs. At the same time, the text is specific to what’s available in Knoxville. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month — a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might also be available for things like committing to a contract or bundling with a cellphone plan.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Top internet providers in Knoxville
Knoxville residents have a surprisingly high number of quality internet providers to choose from. According to FCC mapping data, 99.5% of the city has access to internet speeds of at least 250Mbps download and 25Mbps upload, and 72% can get 1,000/100Mbps speeds.
AT&T Fiber
Best overall internet provider in Knoxville
Price range $55 – $180 per month Speed range 300 – 5,000Mbps Connection Fiber Key Info Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included
If AT&T Fiber is available in a city, there’s a good chance it’s going to be our top pick. CNET named it the best fiber provider in our review of the best ISPs nationwide, and it earned top scores from the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. AT&T Fiber gives you everything you’d want in an internet provider: fast, symmetrical speeds, reasonable pricing and unlimited data.
Availability: AT&T internet service is available to 81% of Knoxville households, according to FCC data, but not everyone will be able to get AT&T Fiber. If you only have access to AT&T’s slower DSL plans — you’ll only see one plan available when you put in your address — we recommend moving on to Xfinity or WOW.
Plans and pricing: There are five AT&T Fiber plans in Knoxville: 300Mbps upload and download speed for $55 per month, 500Mbps for $65, 940Mbps for $80, 2,000Mbps for $150 and 5,000Mbps for $250.
Fees and service details: There are no extra fees with AT&T Fiber. Equipment is included, data is unlimited, and prices don’t increase after a year.
Price range $20 – $95 per month Speed range 100 – 1,200Mbps Connection Cable Key Info Good promo prices, no contracts, unlimited data on some plans
If you’re just looking for the cheapest internet you can get in Knoxville, WOW’s prices are about as low as you’ll find anywhere in the country — at least for the first year. Your bill will go up after that, but prices are still very affordable after the increase. Like all cable providers, upload speeds are much slower than download, which could be an issue for houses with a lot of online gaming or working from home.
Availability: WOW is available to 38% of Knoxville households.
Plans and pricing: There are five WOW plans in Knoxville: 100/10Mbps for $20 per month ($40 after one year), 200/10Mbps for $30 ($45 after one year), 500/50Mbps for $55, 1,000/50Mbps for $50 ($75 after one year) and 1,200/50Mbps for $95.
Fees and service details: Renting a modem will add an extra $14 per month to your bill, but this is waived on the three fastest plans. Data caps start at 1.5TB on the cheapest plan and go up to unlimited on the most expensive. WOW also provides a 30-day money back guarantee on all plans.
Price range $20 – $300 per month Speed range 75 – 6,000Mbps Connection Cable Key Info Data caps on some plans, lots of plan options, solid customer satisfaction numbers
Xfinity has a significant presence in Knoxville, with almost every house in the city having access to the cable internet provider. Like WOW, the main downsides are low upload speeds and complicated price increases. Still, Xfinity is a solid option for houses that can’t get AT&T Fiber. J.D. Power ranked it second for provider satisfaction in Knoxville’s region, behind only AT&T.
Availability: 98% of Knoxville residents can get Xfinity.
Plans and pricing: Xfinity offers seven internet plans in Knoxville, ranging from 75Mbps for $20 per month to 2,000Mbps for $100. On most plans, you’ll need to commit to a two-year term contract to get the best price. Prices also increase in the second and third year on almost every plan (the 2,000Mbps plan only increases in the third year).
Fees and service details: Unless you sign up for the 2,000Mbps plan, you’ll have to deal with a 1.2TB data cap. Equipment rental adds another $15 per month, but this is waived on the five fastest plans.
Best alternative to wired home internet in Knoxville
Price range $50 per month ($30 for eligible mobile customers) Speed range 72 – 245Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Key Info Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees
If you’re sick of the hassles that come with traditional ISPs, T-Mobile Home Internet is a refreshingly straightforward solution. It only has one plan to choose from, everything you need is included in the price, and your bill is locked in for as long as you maintain service. Its speeds might not be enough for bigger households — especially during internet rush hour — but it’s great for homes with only one or two people.
Availability: T-Mobile offers service to 88% of Knoxville residents.
Plans and pricing: T-Mobile offers just one plan for $50 per month. Download speeds average between 72 and 245Mbps and upload speeds are between 15 and 31Mbps.
Fees and service details: Equipment is included in the $50 price tag, and T-Mobile locks in your price for as long as you keep service. You can also save another $20 each month by bundling with an eligible T-Mobile phone plan.
Other available Knoxville residential internet providers
Knoxville Utilities Board: KUB is a municipal broadband provider in Knoxville that offers three fiber internet plans: 1,000Mbps upload and download speeds for $65 monthly, 2,500Mbps for $150 and 10,000Mbps for $300. If KUB Fiber were available to more people, it would have a good argument for being our top pick. Right now, only 13% of Knoxville residents can get it, but it says it will be available at every home in the city by 2028.
Satellite internet: You can get satellite internet at every address in Knoxville, but there are almost no situations where you should. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional satellite providers in the area, and they both come with steep prices, stingy data caps and slow speeds. Starlink is a newer option that gives you better speed and latency but has high monthly prices and upfront equipment costs.
Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon uses its 5G wireless network to provide home internet connections. It offers faster speeds than T-Mobile, but only about 18% of Knoxville residents currently have access.
Pricing info on Knoxville home internet service
Compared to other cities in the area, Knoxville offers plenty of cheap internet plans. Both WOW and Xfinity have some of the cheapest starting prices you’ll find anywhere in the country, although you’ll have to look out for price increases with both providers. Verizon and T-Mobile also have low starting prices — especially if you add an eligible cellphone plan to the mix.
Knoxville has a shockingly high number of gig-speed options available in the area, with 12 different plans reaching download speeds above 1,000Mbps. For comparison, Nashville has seven gig-speed plans, Charlotte has five and Asheville has four. With symmetrical speeds of 10,000Mbps, Knoxville Utilities Board offers some of the fastest internet plans you’ll find anywhere in the entire country.
What’s the final word on internet providers in Knoxville?
I’ll be blunt: Knoxville is one of the best cities for internet customers that I’ve covered at CNET. It has some of the fastest plans you’ll find anywhere in the country from AT&T Fiber and Knoxville Utilities Board, but it also has some of the cheapest from WOW and Xfinity. You’ll still have to keep an eye out for things like price increases and equipment costs, but that’s true of any city. No matter what you’re looking for in an internet provider, you’ll be able to find it in Knoxville.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Knoxville
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
Are customers happy with their service?
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
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