5 Free Alternatives to TunnelBear: Not Under Big US Corpos
Unfortunately, we can’t recommend TunnelBear’s premium version. This provider’s mediocrity extends even to this version, as it doesn’t bring any noticeable improvements, aside from unlimited bandwidth. Other than that, we’re talking about pretty much the same VPN, which is disappointing.
Best TunnelBear Alternatives: These 3 VPNs Are Way Better!
When talking about free VPNs, chances are that you’ll see TunnelBear lurking in the shadow of ProtonVPN, Windscribe, and Hide.me. A few years back, this was a pretty popular provider, mainly due to a strong advertising campaign that skyrocketed its popularity.
However, TunnelBear’s popularity isn’t on the level of its quality and that is pretty clear when you start using it. Despite talking about a secure provider with a no-logs policy and a decent server fleet for a free VPN, it has its downsides, which made people search for the best TunnelBear alternatives.
As you can expect, there are tons of providers better than this one. But for today’s article, I made sure I give you strictly the best alternatives to TunnelBear that’ll outperform it in every possible scenario, allowing you to get the most reliable provider right off the bat.
Summary of the best alternative to TunnelBear:
- ExpressVPN
- CyberGhost
- NordVPN
- Surfshark
- Private Internet Access
3000 servers
94 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
5 simultaneous connections
Monthly price
Our opinion: One of the best VPN out there!
Ease of use
Customer support
Value for money
8100 servers
91 covered countries
45 days money-back guarantee
7 simultaneous connections
Monthly price
Our opinion: Strict no-log policy, cheapest VPN service
Ease of use
Customer support
Value for money
5400 servers
59 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
6 simultaneous connections
Monthly price
Our opinion: Excellent choice for privacy and anonymity
Ease of use
Customer support
Value for money
3000 servers
65 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
Unlimited connections
Monthly price
Our opinion: Low price, good value for money
Ease of use
Customer support
Value for money
Why Do People Want a TunnelBear Alternative?
As said, TunnelBear was, so far, a safe and secure provider even in its free version. With OpenVPN support, the kill switch, and GhostBear for bypassing censorship, you can say it’s relatively feature-rich. Coupled with 500+ servers in 20+ countries, TunnelBear is among the largest free providers.
That’s, unfortunately, short-lived because it offers many more downsides. For example, it limits your bandwidth to just 500 MB a month, and although it can be extended to 1 GB by “tweeting” about it, it’s still far from enough for browsing, streaming, or downloading for the entire month!
Now that I mentioned it, TunnelBear won’t work with any streaming platform. You can forget about watching ABC outside of the US or enjoying various Netflix libraries. In addition, it’s notorious for very slow speeds that many people can’t get over.
It uses 1 Gbps servers, an outdated infrastructure, which has a bad influence on your performance. And since we’re talking about a low-budget company, TunnelBear didn’t invest in support that much, so 24/7 support isn’t there, making fixing potential issues a far harder task.
Finally, its device compatibility is pretty limited and it’ll work only on a few major platforms, with no support for Linux, Firestick TV, and other systems.
Top 3 Best Alternatives to TunnelBear
Having said that, I want to talk about the three best TunnelBear VPN alternatives that will fix all the aforementioned issues and give you a much better experience. Beware that I’ll talk about premium providers because free providers are similar to each other.
They all limit your performance, bandwidth, and everything else, although to different extents. With premium alternatives to TunnelBear, that’s not going to be an issue, as there are NO limits whatsoever. Let’s take a look at my recommended choices.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is deemed the best VPN your money can buy. This makes it the best alternative to TunnelBear. For the start, it’s a premium provider, so you get unlimited monthly bandwidth and 10 Gbps servers for the best possible speeds regardless of the server location.
Second, it has a much larger server fleet of 3,000+ serves in 94 countries and 160 cities. This makes it extremely good for bypassing geo-restrictions when traveling abroad and unblocking local TV channels in your country.
No doubt, ExpressVPN will work with Netflix, and with no limits on performance in bandwidth, you can binge-watch content to your heart’s contempt. Security is another strong point of this provider. Much like TunnelBear, it also has a no-logs policy but with one crucial difference – the security audit.
Audited by KPMG, the provider has a certificate of security and privacy. Not to mention numerous security features like 256-bit encryption, an automatic kill switch, split tunneling, and even Lightway, an in-house VPN protocol for added performance and security.
ExpressVPN’s device compatibility is nothing short of impressive. It’s a great VPN for iPad, Firestick TV, Windows, and all other platforms your mind can fathom. Oh, and it gives you 5 simultaneous connections on a single account, rather than one connection you get in TunnelBear.
Given ExpressVPN’s budget and level of quality, its 24/7 support is here, and might I add, it’s remarkable. Compared to TunnelBear, this provider is on a whole other level, which makes it a perfect alternative to TunnelBear.
If you’re worried about the price, let me make it easy for you. By using the button below, you can claim a 49% discount and 3 FREE months for the annual plan that is currently available. With a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans, you have nothing to lose.
Pros
- Unlimited bandwdith
- 10 Gbps servers for the fastest speeds
- In-house Lightway VPN protocol
- Servers in 94 countries
- Audited no-logging policy
- 24/7 live chat support
Con
- Not the cheapest provider
2. CyberGhost
A cheaper alternative to TunnelBear comes in the form of CyberGhost. CyberGhost is known for its big server fleet, excellent performance, and rock-solid security. It has servers in 91 countries, with dedicated torrenting and streaming servers included.
As such, it’s great for both purposes, especially since it offers unlimited bandwidth and solid speeds. With CyberGhost, you’ll have zero issues unblocking foreign TV channels or watching geo-blocked streaming platforms, all while enjoying fast and secure torrenting.
CyberGhost is based in Romania and this privacy-friendly jurisdiction allows it to maintain a no-logging policy. Compared to Canada where TunnelBear is located, you can see why CyberGhost is much more secure – it’s outside of the 5 Eyes location!
This provider publishes transparency reports and has an audit from Deloitte as well, making it even safer to use. Plus, with features like bank-grade encryption, ad blocker, and WireGuard support, you can be sure it’s far more advanced than a free provider like this one.
Granted, its desktop app isn’t the most intuitive. However, CyberGhost is still pretty simple to use, allowing you to connect to a server or change your protocol in merely a few seconds. It does work on every system as well, so you can install it easily and enjoy its native clients.
CyberGhost comes with 7 simultaneous connections, which is even more than ExpressVPN and NordVPN. And to top it all up, there’s multi-language 24/7 live chat support that, as you can guess, obliterates TunnelBear’s poor support.
Price-wise, CyberGhost is so cheap it’s nearly free! I mean, its 2-year plan costs you below $2.5 a month and you can earn that money in 10 minutes. It even gives you a 45-day money-back guarantee for all plans, which you’ll get nowhere else.
Pros
- Streaming and torrenting servers
- Apps for all major platforms
- Support for WireGuard
- Cheap 2-year plan
- 256-bit AES encryption
Cons
- Not the most intuitive Windows app
- Does not work properly in China
3. NordVPN
NordVPN is a pretty popular choice among many users who won’t settle for anything but the best. Indeed, this TunnelBear VPN alternative boasts many great features, among which is a server fleet of 5,500+ servers in 60 worldwide countries.
However, NordVPN is a security giant and its features are the most advanced on the market. Aside from NordLynx, a proprietary protocol, the provider has Double VPN servers that will add another layer of encryption, along with a kill switch, IPv6 leak protection, and Threat Protection.
The latter includes ad blocker and malware protection, which makes not only you but also your device safer. Moreover, NordVPN is significantly faster than TunnelBear and it offers no bandwidth limits, making it a much better provider for streaming.
You’ll enjoy Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer abroad with it, and dedicated P2P servers will be here for safe and secure torrenting. Important to add is the presence of obfuscated servers that make NordVPN usable even in China.
Being a top-grade provider, NordVPN sports a no-logs policy audited two times by PwC. It also offers native clients for all major platforms, so you can install this VPN on iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and many other systems.
NordVPN has 6 simultaneous connections and it packs 24/7 live chat support, both of which are better than TunnelBear. Last but not least, NordVPN is based in Panama, which is outside of the 5 Eyes, making it a more trustworthy provider from the get-go.
This provider won’t cost you a fortune and it’s pretty cheap overall, especially if we’re talking about its 2-year plan. Like all providers on this list of the best alternative to TunnelBear, it offers a 30-day refund period, during which, you can get a full refund if you’re not satisfied for any reason.
Pros
- Two security audits from PwC and one from Deloitte
- Excellent performance and speeds
- Based in Panama (outside of the 5 Eyes)
- Double VPN
Cons
- Value-added taxes (VAT) in some regions
- Expensive monthly plan
Conclusion
By testing and using TunnelBear for quite some time, I had no issues realizing why people look for the best TunnelBear alternatives. This provider over-promises, yet under-delivers, which is especially prevalent in its bandwidth, performance, and streaming capabilities.
Free VPNs all follow the same route in this regard. They’re all limiting you intentionally so that you purchase their premium plans. However, while TunnelBear has a premium plan, apart from unlimited bandwidth, it doesn’t get much better and you’ll get the exact same downsides.
That’s why we recommend premium providers as worthy alternatives. ExpressVPN is the best one, but don’t be afraid to try CyberGhost or NordVPN. While cheaper, they’re also pretty close in performance, security, streaming, and torrenting.
FAQ
Here are the answers to some of the frequently asked questions.
Should I get TunnelBear Premium?
Unfortunately, we can’t recommend TunnelBear’s premium version. This provider’s mediocrity extends even to this version, as it doesn’t bring any noticeable improvements, aside from unlimited bandwidth. Other than that, we’re talking about pretty much the same VPN, which is disappointing.
Its premium version offers the same subpar customer support, and although you get more simultaneous connections, its performance remains largely the same. In addition, TunnelBear’s premium version isn’t streaming-capable either, and its torrenting policy is rather vague.
If you’re opting for a premium VPN, we recommend getting ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, or NordVPN. TunnelBear is at its best as a free VPN – as a premium service, it’s not worth your cash.
Which free VPNs are better than TunnelBear?
Well, plenty of them. If you want a 100% free alternative to TunnelBear, you can try Atlas VPN, for example. This provider is far more secure, as it’s a subsidiary of Nord Security, plus, it offers a no-logs policy audited by VerSprite.
Unlike TunnelBear, it gives you 5 GB of monthly traffic and you get faster speeds. It also allows for P2P and has easy-to-use apps for all platforms. This makes it an infinitely better free service that we can recommend. Sure, it’s not great, as it’s limited as well.
But hey, if you want something else that’s free and not TunnelBear, Atlas VPN is a solid choice.
How to get more bandwidth in TunnelBear?
By default, the service allows for 500 MB of data a month, which is meant for testing the provider. This is, by the way, stated on TunnelBear’s website. You can get more bandwdith by Tweeting about the provider, in which case, you’ll get 1 GB of free data.
Needless to say, even this amount of data is minuscule and not worth spamming your Twitter followers with the provider that most likely nobody heard of. Just get ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, or NordVPN, and forget about these annoyances!
5 Free Alternatives to TunnelBear: Not Under Big US Corpos
Online security giant McAfee purchased the Canadian based company for an undisclosed sum.
McAfee plans on integrating TunnelBear with their Safe Connect VPN. According to McAfee CEO Christopher Young, “this acquisition will serve both our end users and partners by embedding its best-in-class, hardened network into our Safe Connect product.”
TunnelBear will continue to work on their own branded VPN as well as their standalone apps, like RememBear, a password managing app.
However, this deal can have a negative impact on TunnelBear’s loyal customer base. Until now, they have been operating under a Canadian jurisdiction and their privacy policy was transparent and subject to Canadian laws.
Under the McAfee name, TunnelBear will now have to rewrite their privacy policy and fall in line with the stricter US guidelines, keeping logs, and having to turn over certain information should a warrant ever be served.
With that in mind, here are the top VPN’s that are not controlled by major US corporations.
Editors Choice: ExpressVPN
Editor’s Choice Editor’s Choice Try Risk-Free for 30 Days
Tested September 2023
Available on:
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Try ExpressVPN >
www.ExpressVPN.com
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Incredible speeds and security features
- Access geoblocked content on any major website, including Netflix
- Based in the British Virgin Islands, which is far away from government scrutiny
ExpressVPN is a reliable VPN that you can try risk-free with its money-back guarantee. While it isn’t technically free, ExpressVPN provides amazingly good value, when you consider that you can get a plan for as low as $6.67/month that comes with industry-leading features. If you aren’t impressed with it, you can claim a full refund within 30 days.
Military-grade encryption, lightning fast speeds, and a strict no-logs policy mean you can safely browse anything and everything online, without any disruption to your experience, completely private and anonymous. ExpressVPN is also based in the British Virgin Islands, so you never have to worry about it changing policies to comply with US anti-privacy laws.
Try it out for yourself, risk-free, and we think you’ll agree.
The Best TunnelBear Alternative for 2023: Finding a Better Free VPN Service
Most free VPNs are insecure and unreliable. TunnelBear is an exception, but it’s slow and often fails to bypass geo-restrictions on major streaming websites. In this guide, we help you choose a TunnelBear alternative that’s faster and offers better features.
TunnelBear is an excellent VPN with a great free plan. However, since McAfee acquired TunnelBear in 2018, there have been concerns that it would start logging user data given that it’s a U.S. company. If you’re not a fan of TunnelBear, you might want to look for a TunnelBear alternative.
The privacy issue isn’t the only concern with TunnelBear, though. If you need a VPN to access geoblocked streaming platforms, TunnelBear offers little help, if any. It often fails to get into major streaming platforms (it does unblock Max and Netflix U.S.) and has slow connection speeds, as you can read in our TunnelBear review.
Key Takeaways:
- TunnelBear is a great free VPN, but it has its shortcomings.
- You only get 2GB of data with TunnelBear. It’s also slow and fails to unblock some major streaming websites.
- If you’re looking for an alternative to TunnelBear, we’ve got four for you in this guide.
- Windscribe is the best free alternative to TunnelBear, but if you need a more feature-rich service, consider ExpressVPN.
If you’ve made up your mind to switch your VPN service provider, we’ve listed four of the best TunnelBear alternatives below to help you decide on your new VPN, whether it’s a free option like Windscribe or a premium one like ExpressVPN.
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- What Is Better Than TunnelBear?
Many VPNs are better than TunnelBear. A free VPN like Windscribe can help you improve streaming experience with better speeds. If you’re looking for a premium service, ExpressVPN is the best alternative to TunnelBear.
TunnelBear still offers a free plan. The free plan lets you use the VPN on one device and offers 2GB of free data.
You can’t get unlimited data for free on the TunnelBear VPN. You need to switch to a paid plan for unlimited data. If you want unlimited data for free, consider ProtonVPN.
The Top TunnelBear Alternatives
- : PayPal, Credit card
- : Unlimited
- :
- :
- :
- :
Average speed
Download Speed 94 Mbps
Upload Speed 9 Mbps
Latency 3 ms
$5.75 / month (save 36%) (All Plans)
Windscribe
- : PayPal, Credit card, Bitcoin, cash
- : 10
- :
- :
- :
- :
$4.99 / month (save 50%) (All Plans)
- : PayPal, Credit card, Bitcoin, PaymentWall
- : 5
- :
- :
- :
- :
Average speed
Download Speed 91 Mbps
Upload Speed 9 Mbps
Latency 5 ms
$6.66 / month (save 48%) (All Plans)
ExpressVPN
- : PayPal, Credit card
- : Unlimited
- :
- :
- :
- :
Average speed
Download Speed 93 Mbps
Upload Speed 9 Mbps
Latency 10 ms
$2.19 / month (save 81%) (All Plans)
Private Internet Access
$5 / month (save 66%) (All Plans)
What Makes the Best TunnelBear Alternative?
TunnelBear is largely popular because of its free plan, which offers 2GB of free data. For that reason, we’ve put particular emphasis on trustworthy VPNs with free plans, of which there aren’t many.
- Windscribe — Fastest free VPN
- ProtonVPN — Feature-rich free VPN
- PrivadoVPN — Secure, though middling free VPN
- ExpressVPN — Best VPN overall
- Private Internet Access — Pocket-friendly VPN
You may need a TunnelBear alternative for three reasons. First, there are security concerns given its U.S.-based parent company. Second, it has limited ability to access blocked content on major streaming platforms. Third, even if you manage to bypass geo-restrictions on streaming websites, the slow connection speeds will deliver a terrible streaming experience.
When you select a TunnelBear alternative, you want a service that has none of those issues. All the services we discuss in this guide offer excellent speeds. Of course, you should also look for other features before settling on a VPN provider, such as unlimited bandwidth, DNS leak protection and the ability to access all the major platforms.
The 5 Best TunnelBear Alternatives
We’ve included free and paid alternatives on the list. Some of the paid alternatives to TunnelBear listed below also offer free service, but if the free version is inadequate for your needs, you can always upgrade to a paid plan.
1. Windscribe
More details about Windscribe:
- Pricing: Free, $3 per month minimum checkout value with the flexible build-a-plan option
- Provider website:windscribe.com
- Generous free plan
- Fast connection speeds
- Flexible pricing option
- 3-day money-back guarantee
Windscribe is the best free VPN, the best free Netflix VPN and per our recent VPN speed comparison, it’s also one of the fastest. If you’ve used TunnelBear for a while, you’ll find Windscribe’s performance a lot better, even on the free version.
The free service offers up to 15GB of monthly data and access to server locations in 10 countries. Unlike TunnelBear, Windscribe can also access almost all major streaming platforms.
15GB might get you through a month if you stream a few times a week, but if you stream in 4K regularly, you might need more data. Fortunately, you can get unlimited data and access to Windscribe’s R.O.B.E.R.T. (learn more about R.O.B.E.R.T. and other Windscribe features in our Windscribe review) using the build-a-plan option.
Flexible Pricing
The minimum checkout value for the option is $3. You can add server locations for $1 per month each. If you also spend $1 per month on getting unlimited data and access to R.O.B.E.R.T., you’ll satisfy the minimum checkout value parameter (or you can just add another server location). Unlimited data on a VPN that offers excellent security and online privacy for $3 is a terrific deal.
If you need access to more server locations, you might want to consider the full-access plan. The one-year subscription is the best value at $5.75 per month. Considering Windscribe’s performance, the price seems reasonable. However, if you want to test Windscribe’s paid service, you can use its three-day money-back guarantee.