TunnelBear review: A cutesy VPN service for casual users with a free version that doesn't suck

UPDATE: Jan. 23, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EST We've revisited this review as part of an ongoing overhaul of Mashable's VPN coverage based on stricter criteria and hands-on testing. Our analysis will continue to evolve as we keep using TunnelBear on differnet platforms over the coming months.

"Beginner-friendly VPN" is not an oxymoron thanks to TunnelBear, a cheery provider with an uncluttered, cartoon-y app, unlimited simultaneous connections, and an unintimidating privacy policy that doesn't require a law or IT degree to understand. Crucially, it's also one of the few VPN services you can safely use for free (with some major restrictions).

Power users won't be impressed by its lack of advanced features or its spotty performance. But for casual users and VPN newbies who'd rather be inundated with bear puns than technical jargon, TunnelBear is a worthy pick.

How much does TunnelBear cost?

TunnelBear offers three different subscription options:

• TunnelBear Free is designed for "testing and limited usage." It includes 2GB of browsing data per month on a single device, which doesn't roll over to the next month if it goes unused.

• TunnelBear Unlimited ($9.99/month, $4.99/month per year, or $3.33/month per three years) unlocks unlimited browsing data, unlimited simultaneous connections, access to its entire server network, the ability to select certain servers on the city level, and priority customer support.

• TunnelBear Teams starts at $138/year for businesses with at least two users.

TunnelBear doesn't have a money-back guarantee, unlike many of its peers, and refunds are only offered by request on a case-by-case basis. It accepts Mastercard, Visa, and American Express.

For the purposes of this review, I only tested TunnelBear's Free and Unlimited tiers.

Hands-on with TunnelBear

TunnelBear works on Windows, Mac (which I tested), Android, iOS, and Chrome. That's fewer platforms than some of its peers, but realistically, it covers most users on a smartphone and/or desktop.

The TunnelBear app is effectively just a posterized world map speckled with yellow, Super Mario Bros.-esque pipes that represent different servers, and when you boot up the app for the first time, a small sheep will be sitting at your physical location. Toggling on the VPN will colorize the map and make the sheep poof into a teensy brown bear, who then digs down and emerges from the pipe at the VPN server location nearest you — that means you're connected. (In theory, this default server should be the speediest one for you since your data doesn't have to travel very far. TunnelBear calls it the "Fastest Tunnel.") If you look closely, you can see the bear look around once he's settled. It's very cute.

That's pretty much the extent of the TunnelBear interface. The free version lets you switch between servers in different countries, while a paid subscription opens up servers in specific cities worldwide; you can connect to them by clicking on their pipes or by selecting them from a list. The app defaults to an "auto" protocol option that it deems best for you. (TunnelBear's website says you can choose between WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 on desktop under "TunnelBear settings," but I couldn't find that on my app. I'll look into it for a future update to this review.)

Features-wise, TunnelBear uses are limited to an automatic kill switch called "VigilantBear" and a split tunneling tool called "SplitBear." The latter offers varying levels of control depending on your platform: SplitBear for Windows lets you exclude both websites and apps from your VPN connection, for instance, while SplitBear for macOS lets you only exclude sites. There's no multi-hop.

TunnelBear Unlimited

Browsing with TunnelBear was hit or miss. Sometimes it took ages to connect to a server and load sites. (There was one day when my Fastest Tunnel was basically unusable; a New York server and even some European servers worked better.) Other times it got me online and pulled up different content without a hitch. That bear can be a little temperamental, it seems.

This was also the case when I tried to watch different content with TunnelBear. On the plus side, the VPN didn't make its presence known at all when I pulled up YouTube videos and movies on Disney+ and Max; once things loaded in, lagging and stuttering were non-issues. But international streaming platforms gave it trouble: ITVX would let me watch Love Island UK on a TunnelBear UK server one day and give me a "you're outside the country" error code 01-01 the next. The BBC iPlayer was a little more on top of things and detected my VPN usage every time.

In TunnelBear's defense, it at least kept my true IP address locked down while I was connected to its server. (It passed multiple DNS leak tests.) It's important to remember that this is the main job of a VPN, and that extras like unblocking content are essentially just bonuses.

TunnelBear Free

A TunnelBear Free plan used to limit you to just 500MB of browsing data per month. TunnelBear's decision to raise it to 2GB per month in February 2023 made this tier eons more practical for regular use, but you can still chunk through it in a few hours if you're not careful. I ate through my 2GB in just under four hours by surfing the web, scrolling through social media, and watching some music videos on my Fastest Tunnel, so don't just leave it on and expect it to get you through the month.

One of the biggest things TunnelBear Free has going for it (besides the obvious "it's free!" part) is that it isn't cluttered with ads. A banner promoting a seasonal discount on Tunnelbear Unlimited did appear across the top of the app at one point during my testing, but it was subtle and unobtrusive and didn't affect my user experience whatsoever. TunnelBear's rangers have kept this park litter-free.

From a VPN performance standpoint, TunnelBear Free matched that of TunnelBear Unlimited in my testing. Load times varied between fast and pokey seemingly depending on the day. Domestic streaming content played just fine, but the VPN couldn't reliably unblock international streaming content. Most importantly, DNS leak tests showed that it kept my real IP address hidden.

Is TunnelBear trustworthy?

TunnelBear has democratized VPNs in two major ways: One, by simplifying the technology itself, and two, by maintaining a privacy policy that's extremely easy for a layperson to understand. It uses plain language and mixes in explainers that delve into why certain types of customer data are collected and stored — the last name on your credit card is used for fraud prevention, for instance — and it explicitly states that it does not log activity while someone's using the VPN. (It doesn't know who you are, where you connect from, or what you're doing when you're on it.) TunnelBear Free users' monthly data consumption is documented so that the company can enforce its 2GB limit, but they're otherwise protected by the same "no logs" promise.

TunnelBear was the first consumer VPN to publish an independent security audit back in 2017, and it's completed them every year since. It also publishes reports that disclose the government data requests it receives.

As far as I can tell, TunnelBear has avoided amassing any obvious dings on its record in the 13 years since it first hit the market. Its acquisition by McAfee in 2018 initially raised some concerns about whether TunnelBear's VPN would be bundled with its new owner's, but the company has continued to operate separately. Overall, it's made some stellar commitments to privacy and transparency.

Is TunnelBear worth it?

TunnelBear is a refreshingly approachable service that will win over VPN newbies, not veterans. It's an excellent introduction to the technology, but those in need of a VPN that's running 24/7 will get more bang for their buck by subscribing to one of its competitors. (For comparison's sake, a NordVPN Standard plan gets you multi-hop, a built-in dark web monitor, an anti-malware/tracker tool, support on more platforms, up to six simultaneous connections — plenty — and guaranteed access to international streaming content for the same annual rate as TunnelBear Unlimited.) I also don't love the fact that it only offers refunds on a case-by-case basis, so it could be a risky pick for long-term subscribers.

The free version of TunnelBear deserves its own shoutout. Many free VPN providers will log and sell user data to third-party advertisers or bundle their products with malware — there's that thing about free lunches — but TunnelBear Free is backed by the same policies and protections as the paid version. While it probably won't meet your needs as a daily user, it's decent for sparing, situational use and may help you decide whether to invest in a higher-end VPN.

And you might as well try to get it to unblock a few episodes of your favorite international shows in the off-chance your bear decides to clock in that day. Unreliability is less annoying when it doesn't cost you anything.