Consumers are being urged to shop around for online anonymity tools to protect their privacy and secure better online shopping deals.

Consumer advocacy group Choice has released a guide outlining the benefits of virtual private networks (VPNs), including delivering Australians increased privacy and hiding their country of residency to get better prices elsewhere.

VPNs connect your computer with a server in another location, increasing privacy and bypassing geoblocking. Credit:Choice

A VPN creates a secure, encrypted connection from your computer to a server elsewhere, effectively moving your IP address even though you haven't gone anywhere. If you want to access geoblocked services such as the Netflix, or to buy digital goods at the same prices as in the United States, you will need to connect to a server in that country.

Rating 12 paid VPN services on a range of measures such as price, performance, speed and ease of use, Choice ranked HideMyAss and PureVPN as the best services to subscribe to, with equal scores of 90 per cent.