Which Norton VPN plan should I choose? Standard, Plus or Ultimate?

The provider's base level plan, Norton VPN Standard, offers plenty of features and could well be enough to serve you while putting minimal strain on your wallet. To clarify, the Standard plan gets you the VPN almost totally alone, while the other tiers add in extra security tools as well. So if you only want a VPN and ad/tracker blocker, but no other security systems, this could be ideal for you.

What you do get in that VPN is an AES-256 encryption, a no-logs policy and a kill switch for the desktop variants, while split tunneling is possible on Windows and Android. On the matter of devices, this will support up to five simultaneous connections at once, meaning you can use it across your various devices without the faff of signing in more than once.

You also have a double VPN option to add even more anonymity and safety to your connection. Usefully there is the choice to use IP rotation as another way of keeping any would-be snoopers guessing as to your identity and location.

One feature, that you don't find on all VPN services, but which is available here on the Standard plan, is a handy ad and tracker blocker. This means your web explorations are not only private but also calmer without the bombardment of adverts and cookies you would have to withstand without Norton VPN working its wonders.

Go for the mid-level Norton VPN Plus tier and you get all the above plus a host of other security software protections for your devices. As you might expect from a company that started out with antivirus software as a main focus, this gets you the real-time malware, phishing, ransomware and virus protection of Norton Antivirus.

There is also a helpful dark web monitoring service in action that will scan the darker web areas for any of your personal details, alerting you should they be found and you need to take swift action to stay safe. Plus, there's proactive AI-powered scam detection and preventative real-time malware protection, so you're kept as safe as possible.

A password manager is another tool you get as part of this package. This helps you to generate passwords, store them as well as bank details and other online credentials, all in one helpful and secure space.

Finally, you also get cloud storage as part of this tier. This includes 10GB of super secure cloud storage that you can rely on to access wherever you are, safe in the knowledge that all your data is under the most stringent and up-to-the second protections.

At the most premium end of the spectrum is the Norton VPN Ultimate package. As you may have guessed, this gets you all the above and more. That cloud storage is still available, with all the security you'd expect, only at this level you have a far more spacious 50GB of storage capacity to play with.

This tier also gets you far more device support as unlike the other two levels, at this point you have the ability to sign in on up to 10 devices at once. Crucially, this applies to both the VPN and the antivirus software, meaning theoretically all your and your family's devices should be secure — unless you own more than ten, of course.

And on the subject of covering entire families, this tier also gets you parental controls. This allows parents to monitor and manage their children's online activity to ensure they're safe and secure. That includes options like limiting screen time for kids as well as blocking content that you may class as inappropriate. On top of that, you can pinpoint the locations of your kids' Android or iOS devices as needed.

Similar to the dark web monitoring feature, this level also uses its Privacy Monitor to scan the general web for any of your personal information that may have got out, alerting you if a change of password or freezing or bank card is needed, to keep you safe.

If you're looking for a VPN and nothing else — for no more than five devices — then the Standard plan will suit you just fine.

But if you want to cover more areas like antivirus protection, password management, dark web monitoring, and to get some secure online storage, the Plus plan is your ideal.

If you need all that, cover for up to 10 devices and some parental controls and privacy monitoring too, then the Ultimate plan is worth the extra investment to give you the best peace of mind.