Recommended · for some experience
Ultimate nRF24L01 range comparison
Why people recommend it
A thorough range comparison of nRF24L01 module variants and antennas by iforce2d, with graphs and a downloadable results spreadsheet.
Watch for: Nearly 40 minutes long; useful before buying amplified or SMA antenna modules
In their words
See [video] for an extensive comparison between different types of modules and antennas.
Gerben on arduino.stackexchange.com, Sept 2015. CC BY-SA.