When choosing an anonymous VPN site there are tons of features to sort through. I haven't tried them all, so I can't even imagine all that there is to offer. However, I do know, as an experience user and reviewer of many VPN services, that there are some key features to look for before you buy. Even if you're unsatisfied with your current VPN service and looking to switch, following these tips can mean that you won't have to switch again next year.

1: Free server switching

I remember back in the day when I first started to use VPN services, I didn't really know why someone would switch servers. I was in China at the time, and I though, well, as long as my IP address isn't Chinese, then I can unblock Facebook and YouTube. Then I though, well, as long as my IP address is American, I can access Hulu and Netflix outside The USA. But later found out that VPN server reliability and speed can vary from day to day. Sometimes the New York server I use today will be bogged down with users (eating my bandwidth) the next day.

Especially for users that travel a lot, and therefore need the anonymity, privacy, and IP changes a VPN server can provide, you should remember that your physical distance to the VPN server location matters. That means if you're in Dubai this month, and 5 months down the road in China, you may need a different VPN server to maintain a fast connection. With all of this server switching going on, what would you do if you were limited to 3 switches a month, or had to pay per switch? So now I think free server switching is important.

2. Unlimited Bandwidth

Back in the day I also spend a decent amount of time looking for the cheapest anonymous VPN site I could find. What can I say, I'm frugal. This mean that I signed up for 'limited bandwidth' accounts or 'lite' packages. Though I never ran into those bandwidth limitations, at a maximum using 5 or 6 gigabytes per month, the point stands that most services offer unlimited bandwidth. If you sign up for a lite package, you might be able to save yourself a dollar or two per month, and for most people, a dollars or two isn't going to make a different.

This means that if you download torrents, stream videos online, or do a lot of uploading/downloading for blogging or working online, then you'll never have to worry about hitting that bandwidth ceiling. In most cases, the freedom of unlimited bandwidth is worth the extra dollar or two per month.

3. Good Customer Support

As a blogger that features many VPN sites on my blogs, I've sent quite a few emails to plenty of VPN services over the years. Let me tell you that some customer service reps are just plain rude. Some take 3 days to 1 week to respond to your email, and some don't answer your questions. Perhaps the worst time was when a live support guy told me that the questions I was asking him was 'not his business' and that I should contact ticket support. Have you ever written a long email asking lots of questions asking for clarification and had someone respond with only 1 link directing your to FAQ? Yeah, it's pretty bad.

But some places are very friendly and get back to you almost always within 24 hours. When technology crashes, its much easier to ask for help than to spend hours trying to figure it out yourself, so as an insurance policy, having a friendly customer service rep waiting to get you through any problems or answer your questions is worth a lot in my experience.