On the web, no person is aware of you are a canine—or a bear. That was the case, anyhow. Lately, advertisers, firms, and governments know rather a lot about you. A VPN helps you retake a few of that privateness by routing all of your internet visitors by way of an encrypted tunnel to a distant server, making it more durable for spies, your ISP, and advertisers to trace you on-line. Among the many finest VPNs we have examined is TunnelBear VPN, an Editors’ Alternative winner that protects your privateness with a cadre of on-line ursine defenders. It bursts with design allure and maintains an excellent place on transparency and shopper privateness, and its adoption of limitless simultaneous connections makes it much more engaging. It is a superb selection for anybody seeking to purchase their first VPN subscription.
We have now a number of Editors’ Alternative award-winning VPNs, however two of specific word are Proton VPN and Mullvad VPN. The previous earned a uncommon five-star ranking and has the very best free VPN subscription we have seen, whereas the latter takes a radical method to buyer privateness whereas asking half the typical value.
How A lot Does TunnelBear VPN Price?
TunnelBear VPN is likely one of the few suppliers we have reviewed that gives a very free VPN service. Nevertheless, the Free subscription tier restricts you to a mere 500MB of information monthly. You possibly can earn extra information by Tweeting in regards to the firm, which raises your restrict to 1.5GB for one month. You possibly can repeat this course of every month to obtain the bonus. TunnelBear VPN additionally presents further free bandwidth for customers in international locations with repressive web insurance policies. Total, we choose Proton VPN’s free providing as a result of it locations no restrictions on information. Nevertheless, that service does restrict you to just some server places whereas TunnelBear VPN lets free subscribers use all its server places.
Should you determine to pay for TunnelBear VPN, it will not break the financial institution. An Limitless plan prices $9.99 monthly—simply two dimes and a nickel above the $9.84 monthly common for a VPN we have examined. TunnelBear VPN additionally has longer-term subscriptions: an annual plan that prices $59.88, which is lower than the typical $66.28 per 12 months amongst VPNs we have examined, and a three-year plan that runs $120. You possibly can nonetheless get a superb VPN for lower than TunnelBear VPN. Editors’ Alternative winner Mullvad VPN, for instance, prices simply 5 euros monthly ($5.40 as of this writing).
Though the financial savings of a long-term subscription are engaging, we extremely advocate beginning with the corporate’s free or month-to-month plans so you’ll be able to check out TunnelBear VPN in your individual dwelling to ensure it really works for you.
You should purchase a TunnelBear VPN subscription with a serious bank card. A number of different VPN providers provide extra nameless cost choices. Mullvad VPN and IVPN, each Editors’ Alternative winners, settle for funds in money. TunnelBear VPN web site says it should settle for jars of honey, however utilizing this cost technique might show to be a problem in observe.
What Do You Get for Your Cash With TunnelBear VPN?
TunnelBear VPN’s latest change to its subscription construction dramatically alters its worth proposition. Now, TunnelBear VPN locations no restrict on simultaneous connections, in comparison with a median of simply 5 connections that we have seen throughout the trade. This implies households or folks with quite a few gadgets can shield every little thing with a single account. It joins a rising cadre of VPNs which have additionally deserted connection limits, together with Atlas VPN, Avira Phantom VPN, IPVanish VPN, Non-public Web Entry VPN, and Editors’ Alternative winner Surfshark VPN.
(Editors’ Word: IPVanish VPN is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag’s dad or mum firm.)
Regardless of that enchancment, TunnelBear VPN’s greatest downside hasn’t modified—the service would not provide a lot past VPN safety. Editors’ Alternative winners IVPN, Mullvad VPN, NordVPN, and Proton VPN are among the many few VPNs that supply multi-hop connections, which use a second VPN server for further safety. A number of grant push-button entry to the free Tor anonymization community. TunnelBear VPN has neither characteristic.
The service additionally consists of break up tunneling, which helps you to designate what visitors ought to go by way of the VPN or bypass the VPN. That is at present solely supported on Android, iOS, and macOS.
One characteristic TunnelBear VPN does provide is obfuscated connections, a characteristic the corporate calls GhostBear. When activated, this disguises VPN visitors as HTTPS visitors, making it extra prone to sneak previous restrictive censorship. Different VPN providers present related obfuscation however model it in another way. Word that this characteristic solely works when utilizing VPN protocols aside from WireGuard.
Some VPNs have expanded their purview past securing internet visitors. NordVPN and Surfshark VPN now provide antivirus options (though we weren’t overly impressed with both). A Proton VPN subscription offers entry to the corporate’s encrypted electronic mail and cloud storage service for all subscribers. On the identical time, established antivirus corporations are beginning to add their very own VPN merchandise to large product suites. For its half, TunnelBear VPN solely presents a free, standalone tracker blocker for the Chrome browser.
VPNs do an excellent job of maintaining your on-line exercise personal, even out of your ISP, however there are lots of superior methods to trace your actions on-line. A VPN can even do treasured little to guard you in opposition to phishing and malware. We extremely advocate that everybody allow multi-factor authentication wherever attainable, use antivirus software program, and create distinctive passwords with a password supervisor.
What VPN Protocols Does TunnelBear VPN Supply?
TunnelBear secures your reference to the OpenVPN protocol on Android, iOS, macOS, and Home windows. IKEv2 can be obtainable for iOS and Home windows purchasers. We have now lengthy most popular OpenVPN as a result of it is open-source and could be scoured for potential vulnerabilities.
TunnelBear VPN now helps WireGuard—the open-source inheritor obvious to OpenVPN—in its iOS, macOS, and Home windows apps, and we’re informed that help is coming to Android quickly.
TunnelBear VPN’s Servers and Server Areas
TunnelBear VPN has servers in 47 international locations. That is ever so barely beneath the typical we have seen throughout the merchandise we evaluate. This assortment covers the important places and has expanded to embody extra of South America and Africa—two continents often ignored by different VPN corporations. TunnelBear VPN nonetheless has solely a restricted presence in areas with repressive web insurance policies, missing servers in Russia, Turkey, or Vietnam, for instance. TunnelBear additionally moved its servers out of Hong Kong and Ukraine, too.
Many VPN corporations use digital servers, single {hardware} servers enjoying host to a number of digital servers. Some servers will also be configured to look as if they’re in a unique nation—what we name digital places. Neither is inherently problematic, however we wish to see corporations be clear about their use.
A consultant tells us the corporate doesn’t use digital places. Should you’re utilizing TunnelBear VPN, relaxation assured: your information is strictly the place it is speculated to be. The corporate informed us it makes use of a mixture of bodily and cloud-based servers. It additionally doesn’t straight personal its server infrastructure, however this isn’t uncommon. An organization consultant informed us that TunnelBear VPN builds and provisions its servers and that third-party suppliers wouldn’t have entry to server code or information.
We have been informed by a TunnelBear VPN consultant that the corporate has taken steps to restrict the harm a profitable assault on its server infrastructure may trigger. The servers include no identifiable person data, and the drives are encrypted. Some corporations, together with NordVPN and Surfshark VPN, now run their servers on RAM-only settings, which don’t write any information to disk.
Your Privateness With TunnelBear VPN
Past its highly effective bears, TunnelBear VPN’s best energy is its stance on privateness. It has among the finest privateness insurance policies we now have seen, explaining intimately and with plain language precisely what information it collects and why. It additionally consists of dialogue sections, the place the corporate explains the way it arrived at a selected determination. Different VPN corporations ought to pay attention to this method.
The corporate says it is not going to disclose, promote, or commerce private data with third-party corporations. Moreover, an organization consultant confirmed TunnelBear VPN’s solely income is subscriptions—not information mining or advert retargeting. The corporate says it doesn’t accumulate details about customers’ internet exercise, nor does it retailer originating IP addresses, timestamps, or DNS queries. The corporate does depend on an account system and so requires some private data. Mullvad VPN has an uncommon system that doesn’t use accounts and requires virtually no person data, which we recognize.
At no cost subscribers, TunnelBear VPN does document the general bandwidth to implement its information cap. That is reset to zero on the finish of every month.
The corporate relies in Toronto, Canada, and integrated in Delaware. In 2018, the corporate was bought by antivirus developer McAfee. Canada and the US wouldn’t have necessary information retention legal guidelines. The corporate says it has authorized groups for responding to authorized requests for data however “we now have no data that may join prospects to utilization, so we’re unable to offer regulation enforcement with something not in our Privateness Coverage.” We have been informed essentially the most data the corporate can present is whether or not a sure electronic mail handle was used to open an account. That is wonderful.
The corporate issued a sturdy transparency report for 2020 in 2021, which confirmed it had not supplied data to regulation enforcement past confirming a person had an account with the corporate. We want to see the corporate situation a brand new report quickly. TunnelBear VPN doesn’t preserve a warrant canary—a software supposed to warn of regulation enforcement motion the place the goal is prohibited from disclosing the motion. Just a few VPNs preserve warrant canaries.
Moreover, TunnelBear VPN has the notable distinction of getting accomplished not only one however 5 unbiased audits and publicly launched the outcomes of these audits. That is wonderful, and we’re happy to see that TunnelBear VPN is dedicated to an annual public evaluate course of. An organization consultant described these audits to us as “safety audits of our entire stack, which incorporates our backend servers, our VPN servers, and VPN purchasers.” Extra corporations ought to have this diploma of funding in transparency.
Palms On With TunnelBear VPN for Home windows
We examined the Home windows consumer on an Intel NUC 11 (NUC11PHKi7C, ‘Phantom Canyon’) desktop operating the newest model of Home windows 11. TunnelBear VPN additionally presents browser plug-ins for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera that perform as proxies (distinct from VPNs) to reroute your visitors by way of a TunnelBear VPN server.
The TunnelBear VPN app is likely one of the most charming VPN experiences on the market. A latest replace streamlined the interface, and the app is snappier and extra responsive. Fortunately, it is nonetheless cute and colourful with out ever being overbearing or cloying. For instance, everytime you hook up with a VPN server, a notification seems bearing a bear with a hat consultant of that nation. Beautiful. TunnelBear VPN already has a successful design, so these tweaks across the edges assist maintain it contemporary.
The app is constructed round a central map of the world displaying the corporate’s server places, proven as Mario-esque pipes. Choose your required location from the menu above or click on on the map to change safety on, and also you’re handled to a surprisingly clean animation of a bear tunneling away out of your present location and rising from a pipe in your chosen location. All of the TunnelBear VPN apps use the identical design, so you will have a well-recognized expertise regardless of the place you go along with TunnelBear VPN.
Toggling the VPN on routinely selects what the app thinks is the very best server location. Clicking the dropdown field to the precise reveals the total checklist of choices. A latest replace lets you choose cities throughout the US and Canada. That is a great transfer, however we might wish to see TunnelBear VPN discover a deft and easy option to let prospects choose particular servers.
The TunnelBear VPN app does embrace some helpful further options, resembling Trusted Networks, which is a whitelist of Wi-Fi networks you belief. One other essential software is VigilantBear, which works as a Kill Swap and prevents information from slipping by way of, do you have to turn into disconnected from the VPN. Like GhostBear, VigilantBear is incompatible with WireGuard.
One new addition we’re notably glad to see is a Settings choice to pick a VPN protocol manually. The default is WireGuard, and most of the people won’t ever want to vary that, but it surely’s nonetheless good to see and an indication that TunnelBear VPN is attempting new concepts.
Once we check VPNs, we examine to substantiate our IP handle adjustments and the title of our ISP is hidden. We additionally use the DNS Leak Take a look at to see if DNS data is, effectively, leaking. TunnelBear VPN handed all these assessments simply, however we solely checked one server. Different servers could possibly be misconfigured.
In our testing, we have been capable of stream Netflix content material whereas linked to a US-based server. That was true when we examined the service, however your mileage might differ—as is all the time the case whenever you attempt to use a VPN with Netflix.
TunnelBear VPN Velocity Take a look at Outcomes
Regardless of the VPN you select, you will possible see a lower in obtain and add speeds and a rise in latency. To get a way of that influence, we run a collection of assessments with and with out every VPN utilizing the Ookla pace check software. We then evaluate these figures to discover a p.c change. We have now a complete characteristic on How We Take a look at VPNs, so learn it for extra on our methodology and the boundaries of our assessments.
(Editors’ Word: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag’s dad or mum firm.)
In our most up-to-date spherical of pace testing, TunnelBear VPN did not fare in addition to it beforehand did. We discovered that it slowed obtain and add outcomes by 42.6% and 63.3%, respectively. TunnelBear VPN elevated latency by 48.9% in our testing. None of those outcomes have been higher than the median in every class.
You possibly can see how TunnelBear VPN compares within the chart beneath.
Speeds are a perennial concern for customers, however we discourage anybody from utilizing pace outcomes alone as a benchmark for selecting a VPN service. Outcomes rely upon time and place and aren’t practically as essential as a VPN’s options or general worth. Bear in mind, too, that the efficiency you expertise will possible differ from ours.
Palms On With TunnelBear VPN for macOS
We examined TunnelBear VPN’s macOS VPN consumer utilizing a MacBook Air (M1, 2020) operating Huge Sur model 11.2.2 in 2022.
The macOS app is on the market on the TunnelBear VPN’s web site however not within the Apple App Retailer. We seen the app requested to obtain a helper software for the applying to work, which is one thing the opposite apps we have reviewed didn’t request.
TunnelBear VPN’s macOS app seems and performs equally to the Home windows model, all the way down to the interface that’s extraordinarily cute and kooky. Whenever you hook up with a VPN server, an animated bear tunnels his manner by way of a colourful world map to get to your vacation spot.
We examined it with the DNS Leak Take a look at website utilizing a connection in Finland, and our data was stored personal. This is only one server of the hundreds in TunnelBear VPN’s service, so there could possibly be leaks with totally different servers.
As for the pace and efficiency, TunnelBear VPN’s macOS app carried out fantastically. Utilizing a server primarily based in Finland, we have been capable of browse rapidly on Google, watch movies on YouTube with out interruptions and even view streams on Twitch with out sacrificing fast loading instances.
Palms On With TunnelBear VPN for iPhone
We examined the TunnelBear VPN iPhone VPN app utilizing an iPhone XS operating iOS 14.4 in 2022.
The iOS model of the service solely means that you can select the nation, after which TunnelBear VPN will discover the server inside that nation for you. The app’s world map is grey and black whenever you first sign up, and whenever you join with their VPN, the world map picture involves life with shiny colours and an aggressive animated bear tunneling towards the server’s location. We like which you could change the icon to replicate BLM, Pleasure, or TransPride sentiments.
We examined the iOS TunnelBear VPN app by navigating to DNSLeakTest.com and operating an prolonged check. We discovered no leaks throughout our testing interval, however we solely examined one server in Denmark.
With TunnelBear VPN linked, we have been capable of watch Twitch streams with out interruptions and cargo and watch YouTube movies with out a lot lagging or buffering whereas linked to our most popular server in Denmark
Palms on With TunnelBear VPN for Android
We examined the app utilizing a Samsung A71 5G operating Android model 10 in 2022.
TunnelBear VPN’s Android app is gorgeous, with its shiny, glad graphics and animated crew of bears. The app’s world map encompasses a bear standing in your location when disconnected from the VPN, and whenever you join, the bear roars and takes off on the world map within the course of your VPN server. It’s cute, it’s enjoyable, and it’s a far cry from the stripped-down two-color layouts of rivals like NordVPN.
TunnelBear VPN for Android has a number of extra options than the iPhone model of the app. It consists of GhostBear to be used when web suppliers block encrypted visitors, a Kill Swap referred to as VigilantBear, and SplitBear, which lets you choose apps that won’t be tunneled by way of your VPN server. You possibly can select your server from a listing of nations on the backside of the display screen.
We examined Tunnelbear VPN by visiting DNSLeakTest.com and operating an prolonged check on a server primarily based in Milan, Italy. Our DNS information didn’t leak by way of, and the app efficiently modified our public IP handle, but it surely was only one check on one server. Different servers could possibly be improperly configured.
The VPN’s pace and reliability have been each excellent in testing. Utilizing a server in Italy, we have been capable of browse on-line with out incident and consider YouTube movies and Twitch streams with out lagging or delays.
Palms On With TunnelBear VPN on Chrome OS
We downloaded the Android app onto a Dell Chrome 3100 with an Intel Celeron Processor in 2022.
TunnelBear VPN might be essentially the most whimsical VPN utility we’ve reviewed, with its cute, animated bears and the choice to toggle bear sounds on and off within the app. The VPN utility on Chrome OS doesn’t have as many options as its rivals, however the app stays straightforward to navigate and capabilities as anticipated.
The few options TunnelBear VPN consists of are useful. There’s GhostBear, which lets you use the app wherever ISPs block encrypted visitors. One other characteristic is named VigilantBear, which is a Kill Swap. SplitBear is the app’s break up tunneling perform.
This VPN Is Simply Proper
TunnelBear VPN succeeds as a result of it dares to be lighthearted, yellow, and cute. The corporate has all the time put a premium on design and person expertise, which is sorely wanted in all digital safety. However its excellence isn’t solely skin-deep: TunnelBear VPN presents a sturdy service and powerful transparency ideas.
We would begun to fret that TunnelBear VPN had stalled out and ceased enhancing its service. That is an issue, because the fast-moving world of VPNs is consistently churning out new options. The discharge of WireGuard help and rolling out limitless simultaneous connections show that is not the case. We’re additionally heartened by hints from the corporate about forthcoming options.
Different wonderful VPNs have extra bells and whistles than TunnelBear VPN, however this genial VPN suits completely into your life and stays a PCMag Editors’ Alternative winner alongside IVPN, Mullvad VPN, NordVPN, Proton VPN, and Surfshark VPN.
