TunnelBear review: the most transparent apps, the least ambitious service

Audits: the best in the business

Since 2017 TunnelBear has commissioned Cure53 to audit its apps, servers, backend and browser extensions every year and has published every report in full, including the findings it had to fix. No other provider on this site has that cadence. If the question is “has anyone checked this?”, TunnelBear’s answer is the clearest yes.

Ownership

McAfee bought TunnelBear in 2018; the Toronto team stayed. McAfee itself was taken private in 2022 by a consortium led by Advent International and Permira, so TunnelBear’s ultimate owner is a private-equity group. The legal jurisdiction is the United States, inside the Five Eyes. McAfee has no obvious reason to monetise TunnelBear’s traffic and has not been accused of doing so; the concern is structural.

Protocols, network and features

WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2. GhostBear obfuscation for restricted networks, inconsistent in practice. Around 5,000 servers in 47 countries. Unlimited devices since 2023. A kill switch (VigilantBear) that reconnects rather than blocking at the firewall level. Split tunnelling on Android and Windows. No Linux app, no router support, no port forwarding, no dedicated IP. The apps are the simplest in the market, with the bear animations that give it its reputation.

What it costs

The yearly intro is reasonable; the renewal is 50% higher. There is no money-back guarantee, which is unusual and counts against it.

Streaming and censorship

Weak. User reports have Netflix and iPlayer working occasionally; Disney+, Hulu and Prime mostly not. GhostBear works in China for some users; blocked in Russia; on Turkey’s block list.

The iPhone app

This month’s App Store analysis of 2,500 recent reviews places the app mid-table, with a high listing rating from a large base and billing questions as the top complaint theme — the free-to-paid conversion is where reviewers get surprised. Full breakdown.

Who it is for

Someone who wants a VPN for the café and the airport, values a company that publishes its audits, and will never need streaming, torrenting or a router. For that person it is a fine choice. For anyone else, the picks on the best VPN list do more for similar money.

The 2 GB question

TunnelBear’s free tier is the smallest of any provider on this site: 2 GB a month, against Windscribe’s 10 GB and Proton’s uncapped tier. It will cover a few hours of browsing on hotel Wi-Fi and nothing else — no video, no large downloads, no daily use. TunnelBear is honest that the free tier is a trial rather than a product, which is more than several competitors manage.

That framing is the fairest way to see the whole service. It is a well-audited, well-made, deliberately small VPN aimed at people who have never used one, sold on friendliness rather than features. Judged against NordVPN or Proton it lacks Linux, routers, port forwarding, obfuscation that works, and streaming. Judged as a first VPN for someone who wants a simple app from a company that publishes every audit it commissions, it does the job.

What we have not tested

Speed and leaks. Our own tests are pending; the speed dimension is excluded from the score until they land.