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

side by side screenshots of the tunnelbear app on mac

He's a jetsetter. Credit: Screenshots: 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.

Via Giphy

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.

Regular internet connection versus nearby TunnelBear server

Credit: Screenshot: Ookla

Regular internet connection versus French TunnelBear server

Credit: Screenshot: Ookla

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.

Topics Apps Reviews

How we tested

We put the VPNs we review through a series of hands-on stress tests for a few weeks at a time. For my latest round of testing, I had the paid and free versions of TunnelBear running for about three weeks while I browsed, participated in video calls, shopped, and streamed (both domestic and international content). I performed several DNS leak tests to determine whether the VPN was actually concealing my public IP address. I also ran Ookla Speedtests to get a feel for how it affected my connection. I performed all of my testing on a Mac but will try TunnelBear on other platforms for future updates.

The main purpose of this testing is to give potential users a general sense of how a VPN works as part of an everyday workflow (not in a lab). That said, our overall scores also hinge heavily on guidance from cybersecurity experts about the things consumers should look for in VPNs. Much of what separates the good from the bad, they told us in interviews, can be gleaned before anything is installed.

When you surf the internet freely without a VPN, you're being tracked online constantly by multiple third parties, including your Internet Service Provider (ISP), search engines like Google, and possibly even your employer or school. Connecting to a VPN means taking your traffic away from them and putting it in the hands of one lone entity instead, conceding exclusive, unfettered access to all of your browsing data. It's a privilege that needs to be earned, and the true caliber of a VPN ultimately comes down to whether you can wholly trust it to keep you safe.

The big issue is that the VPN industry is notorious for hyperbolic marketing, especially when it comes to privacy practices. This can "give VPN users a false sense of security if they don’t realize that the protections offered are not comprehensive," according to a Consumer Reports investigation into 16 providers. (Many popular VPNs shout about offering "military-grade" encryption, for example, which isn't a thing.) It's unwise to take a provider's claims at face value.

So how do you know for sure if a VPN is trustworthy? A single Google search can be enlightening; a good provider won't have a long rap sheet for mishandling users' personal data or succumbing to server breaches, and bad headlines should raise a red flag — including those about a VPN's ownership or parent company. A swift, effective response to crises and a healthy dose of corporate accountability can offset these concerns in some cases, but we tend to place a high value on a pristine reputation.

Any provider worth its salt will also be willing to open itself up to scrutiny. Propping up a strong "no logs" privacy policy that specifies how user data gets handled and protected is one thing, but subjecting that policy to independent audits — and making them public — provides a much higher level of assurance.

Reputable VPNs will also issue regular transparency reports disclosing any requests for data they've received from government or law enforcement agencies. (These requests won't yield anything if a provider's privacy policy holds up.) Some go the extra mile by offering in-house bug bounty programs to researchers who comb their software and servers for vulnerabilities.

After trustworthiness, we base our VPN reviews on a combination of the following factors (listed in no particular order):

DNS leak tests

A DNS (domain name service) leak test is basically a lookup of your active IP (internet protocol) address. That's the unique number identifying your general location and the name of your internet service provider that's assigned to your device when it's connected to the internet. By running several DNS tests with a VPN off and on, we can determine whether it's actually encrypting our IP address. Some VPN apps have built-in DNS leak tests; otherwise, you can perform them via DNSleaktest.com.

Included features

Most premium VPNs come with similar sets of privacy tools, so we don't encounter major provider-to-provider discrepancies in this regard. Still, it's worth noting some of the important ones we look out for:

A kill switch will immediately disconnect your device from the internet if your VPN drops. (This one's non-negotiable.)
Support for multi-hop connections that route your traffic through two or more of the VPN's servers adds an extra layer of protection.
Split tunneling, a tool that sends some of your traffic through the VPN and some outside it to conserve bandwidth, can be useful for streaming and gaming.

Oftentimes, providers will also bundle their VPN with additional security features like malware/adware blockers, data breach detectors, and cloud storage. These won't make the VPN itself any better or more successful, but they're good to have alongside your go-to antivirus software and password manager. (If you have to choose between a reputable VPN and one that comes with a bunch of add-ons, always go with the former.)

Protocol type

A VPN's protocol is the set of instructions that determines how data gets communicated between its servers and your device(s). Many VPN providers have developed proprietary protocols within the past few years, but OpenVPN remains the most popular and widely respected option: It's stable, secure, and open-source, meaning anyone can inspect its code for vulnerabilities. WireGuard is another good pick that's newer than OpenVPN and similar but supposedly faster.

Encryption type

A VPN protects your data by encrypting it, or scrambling it up into unreadable "ciphertext" that can only be decoded by authorized parties with access to a secret key or password. Virtually all premium VPNs use Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit encryption, which is pretty much uncrackable to third parties.

Different use cases

The No. 1 purpose of VPNs is to make it difficult for anyone other than the provider to identify and track your online activity, but they're also widely used as location-spoofing tools to skirt geo-restrictions on streaming services. (Platforms like Netflix limit their libraries abroad because of region-specific distribution rights.) While we don't put a ton of weight on their ability to succeed in this secondary use case, it's great if they do and we still test them for it.

Server network size and distribution

Picking a VPN with a large server network means there's a lower likelihood of you sharing one with a bunch of other users, which is especially valuable for streaming (since there's more bandwidth to go around).

Relatedly, a VPN with a geographically diverse network of servers in many different parts of the world will make it easier for you to spoof specific locations and find one close to you to optimize speeds. (More on that below.) Most premium VPNs maintain servers throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia; few have a big presence in Africa.

Number of simultaneous connections

Most VPNs can be used on five to 10 devices per account (depending on the provider), which should be plenty for individual users. A handful of them support unlimited simultaneous connections to better serve bigger households.

Supported platforms

Every premium provider we've encountered offers VPN clients for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS at minimum, though some restrict certain features to certain platforms. Some VPNs also work on Linux, Chrome, smart TVs, and even gaming consoles (via router or hotspot).

Speed

The speed of a VPN depends on a lot of different variables, but it will almost always be slower than your regular internet connection, so it's not a huge factor in our final ratings. That said, we try to get an idea of how well a VPN performs by using it for a lengthy period of time and running it through some quick Ookla Speedtests. If a VPN is noticeably sluggish to the point where it affects usability, we'll call it out.

A general rule of thumb for any given VPN is that your speeds will be fastest when you're connected to a server geographically close to your actual location.

Customer support options

Users should have access to some kind of help around the clock in case an issue arises with their VPN connection or account, whether it's by phone, email, or live chat. (Online help forums and tutorials are nice, but not enough on their own.) We also give preference to VPNs that offer some kind of money-back guarantee; in most cases, it's 30 days long.

Overall value

Premium VPN providers typically charge anywhere from $2 to $12 per month for access to their clients, depending on the subscription length. It's easier to justify the higher end of that spectrum if it gets you a reliable and responsible VPN with some useful extra security features.

Overall ease of use

Some VPNs are more intuitive and beginner-friendly than others.

It's important to note that many popular VPN providers posit their jurisdiction, or the location of their headquarters, as something that can have serious privacy implications based on local surveillance laws (such as the Five, Nine, and 14 Eyes alliances). Without getting too in the weeds, the experts we spoke to said the average consumer shouldn't put a big stake in these claims, and that authorities will get access to user data one way or another if the need is great enough. What's more concerning, they added — to bring things full circle — is whether any data is being retained by a VPN provider in the first place.

If anything, users might be better off choosing a VPN headquartered in a country with strong consumer protections against deceptive marketing (like the U.S. and many countries in the European Union). These could come in handy if a provider's privacy policy was ever questioned.

Finally, we generally don't recommend using any free VPNs. Such providers often sneakily log and sell user data, and sometimes even bundle their clients with malware. (If they're not making money off subscriptions, they have to get paid somehow — it's a classic "no free lunch" situation.) The best way to get a VPN "for free" without putting yourself at risk is by signing up for a paid plan through a reputable provider, then making use of its money-back guarantee.

Sources:

Mallory Knodel, Chief Technology Officer at the Center for Democracy and Technology
Nick Feamster, Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, Faculty Director of Research at the UChicago Data Science Institute, and founder/co-director of the DSI's Internet Equality Initiative
Paul Ohm, Professor of Law and Chief Data Officer at the Georgetown University Law Center

Note: Ookla is owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis.

Haley Henschel

Senior Shopping Reporter

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.

Haley received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and honed her sifting and winnowing skills at The Daily Cardinal. She previously covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigated exotic pet ownership for Wisconsin Watch, and blogged for some of your favorite reality stars.

In her free time, Haley enjoys playing video games, drawing, taking walks on Lake Michigan, and spending time with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). She really, really wants to get back into horseback riding. You can follow her on X at @haleyhenschel or reach her via email at [email protected].