In a day and age when it seems everyone is trying to steal your personal data in the current climate, a VPN can protect you from this by keeping your online connections secure and secure. But while claims of military-grade encryption and total digital obscurity might be appealing, Consumer Reports’ Yael Grauer recommends that you look for more concrete evidence that a service is legitimate before you sign a contract.

Begin by checking compatibility. The service should be compatible with at the very least the most well-known operating systems such as Windows, macOS and Linux, Android, and iOS. Also, you should check how many devices the service supports, and the number of simultaneous connections it offers. In the end, you’ll need to take a look at the number of available servers and their locations around the world. This can help you pick a server that’s check over here close to your home or offers fast speeds when traveling to another country.

Certain services provide specialized features, like dedicated ‘Netflix servers’ that remove geo-restricted sites from their websites, or extra security features like RAM-only servers, that wipe data every when the service is rebooted and monitors the dark web, and security measures to protect against threats. You’ll also want to look into the structure of ownership for the company, and whether there have been any previously reported privacy breaches or data breach scandals.

NordVPN was the top overall service that we test. It offers thousands of servers spread across 94 countries. It also provides AES-256 encryption, ChaCha20, a reliable Kill Switch, split tunneling, and the obfuscated server. It’s also one of the few providers to publish its detailed no-logs policy and engages PricewaterhouseCoopers for annual audits. It’s not cheap, however, you’ll get a lot for your money. A long-term plan that is generous includes a 30-day guarantee on money back.