Although it is user-friendly and quite fast for a free VPN, but the small 500MB monthly data limit means that TunnelBear is only suitable for the very light VPN users.
Privacy and logging
TunnelBear’s website has a lot of positive things to say about how they handle your information: “TunnelBear does not track customer activities related to our service. Period. Your privacy is important.’
While many vendors claim the same, this is not simply a marketing gimmick. TunnelBear goes far beyond the call of duty to verify its claims, and currently puts itself through some of the most rigorous independent VPN audits.
The company didn’t just have experts review their apps. It also reviewed its servers as well as its website and backend infrastructure. TunnelBear publishes its audit report in its entirety, rather than just a few selected paragraphs. Then it repeats the process every year. As of this writing of the report, it has completed four full service audits. No other VPN provider can boast the level of transparency that TunnelBear has and TunnelBear deserves a lot of credit for making this happen.
Windows and Mac apps
TunnelBear’s Windows or Mac applications have a beautiful interface that shows the company’s location on a map. You can click and drag to pan across the map, then click on your desired city to join. You can also select your city from the drop down list. Or, click the “On” button to see the app connect to the nearest location.
We found that connection times can be quite long, often 20 or more minutes. Many VPNs, especially those that use WireGuard, connect in seconds. Some VPNs can connect in less than a second.
We have observed some connectivity issues, even with the VPN drops frequently. We don’t know why and can’t rule out the possibility that it was an intermittent network issue or some other local problem. But we test all VPNs in the same setting, and TunnelBear’s connection seems less stable than most.
The apps offer only the most essential settings: notifications, the ability to turn the kill switch on (or off) and so on. These settings come with sensible defaults, so you don’t need to discover them. However, when you do, you’ll find simple explanations of what each setting does and links to the support site for anything more complex.
The kill switch did not always provide complete protection in the most extreme circumstances, such as an app crash. It is important to know this because the best applications protect us from all kinds of threats but it is not a significant risk. It is highly unlikely to see an app crash in real life and TunnelBear’s kill button had no problem protecting us from common situations that could be encountered more realistically.
Android and iOS apps
TunnelBear’s mobile applications share the same interface as the desktop editions, and that works for us. You can select locations from the map, a drop-down list, or let the app automatically connect to the nearest location with a tap.
We immediately noticed a surprising feature: a roaring sound every time the app connects or disconnects. Charming? Latest? It can be annoying. You can also turn off the sound by checking the “Bear Sounds” box in Settings.
It is much more than cuteness. The Android app also comes with TunnelBear’s VigilantBear kill switch, the GhostBear feature for bypassing VPN blocking, and even a split tunneling feature (called – you guessed it SplitBear). SplitBear) to redirect your specified app traffic outside the VPN.
TunnelBear’s iOS application is limited and does not include VigilantBear or GhostBear. Split tunneling is available, but it only works for websites and not apps. If a website doesn’t allow you access when using the VPN and the app allows you to route that traffic over your regular connection instead. This isn’t the best option because it means the VPN won’t be able to protect you, but if the website doesn’t contain anything confidential or important, it can be a viable option.
Performance
TunnelBear may not have the most powerful apps around but does it deliver on speed? We tested the app in a UK data center that had a 1Gbps connection, and the results weren’t bad at all, with TunnelBear getting a decent 300Mbps.
We have seen faster free VPNs: Atlas VPN, PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN reached 320-380Mbps in their latest tests. However, TunnelBear outperforms Hide.me, Hotspot Shield, Speedify and Windscribe in our test, and 300Mbps is an impressive result for a no-cost product.
Unblocking was the same story. TunnelBear allows us to access US Netflix. This is a significant achievement that surpasses paid VPNs. The only downside is that TunnelBear couldn’t unblock Amazon Prime Video or Disney Plus nor unblock BBC iPlayer.
Support is available if you have any questions about the service. Support can be reached via ticket. There is no live chat. The prompt response from TunnelBear”we will do to answer all requests within 48 hours, but it was not enough to please us. It could take up to two days.
This was a bit optimistic, but we actually got a prompt response in about 24 hours. This is not as fast as the live chat service of a paid VPN plan that provides a response within 24 minutes. It’s certainly not bad for free – Hotspot Shield’s free plan, for example, offers no support at all.
Final verdict
TunnelBear Free VPN is a decent service at its core, fast and extremely user-friendly. However, the pathetic 500MB per month data allowance means it’s more of an opportunity to test the paid plan than something you could run long-term. It is only for occasional users.
Mike is a security reviewer at Future, where he stress tests VPNs, antivirus and more to find out which services are safe to keep you safe and which should be avoided. Mike began his career as a leading software developer in the engineering industry, where his creations were employed by major companies, from Rolls Royce to British Nuclear Fuels and British Aerospace. The early PC viruses caught Mike’s attention and he began to develop an interest in the study of malware, and learning the low-level technical details of how Windows and network security work underneath.
Mike is the lead security reviewer at Future, where he stress tests VPNs, antivirus and other services to find out which services protect you and which should be avoided. Mike began his career in engineering as a software developer. His creations were employed by major companies such as Rolls Royce, British Nuclear Fuels and British Aerospace. The first PC viruses caught Mike’s attention, and he began to take an interest in the study of malware and getting the low-level technical details of how Windows and network security work underneath.
How long does free TunnelBear last?
TunnelBear offers a free account that is accessible for a lifetime and is worth a trial before signing up to any plan. There are no restrictions on server networks but free users get a maximum of 500MBs of data each month.
Does TunnelBear have unlimited data? TunnelBear offers unlimited data up to 500 MB. However, for unlimited data, TunnelBear charges $3.33 per month for personal use, and $5.75 per month for private use.
How do I get unlimited TunnelBear for free?
You cannot get unlimited Tunnel Bear VPN access for free. To get rid of the limited access, you need to pay for a subscription to TunnelBear. This gives you unlimited bandwidth and access to many more servers.
How do I use TunnelBear for free?
How do I get unlimited TunnelBear?
Go to our website and click “Get TunnelBear”. You can then select the type of subscription you want to upgrade to and follow the prompts to upgrade. Or, once you have the TunnelBear app open and logged in, you can simply click on the gold “Upgrade” button located within the app.
Does TunnelBear VPN give free data?
TunnelBear is among the few VPN providers we’ve reviewed that offer a free VPN service. However, the free TunnelBear tier limits you to only 500MB of data per month. Tweeting about the company name can help you earn more data, which can increase your limit to 1.5GB per month.
Does Tunnel Bear VPN give free data?
However, TunnelBear’s free tier limits you to 500MB per month. You can earn more data by tweeting about the company, which can increase your limit to a total of 1.5GB for one month. You can repeat this process every month to get the bonus.
How do I get TunnelBear unlimited data for free?
How do I get unlimited TunnelBear for free? Unlimited Tunnel Bear VPN is not available for free. To eliminate the restrictions on access, you need to pay for a subscription from TunnelBear. This way you get unlimited bandwidth and access to many more servers.
Is TunnelBear free any good?
The free version of TunnelBear: TunnelBear is available for free if your monthly usage is less than 500MB. Excellent app ratings: TunnelBear’s iOS and Android apps have an overall rating of 4.5 stars out of five.
Is TunnelBear no longer free? Is TunnelBear no longer free? It’s not true, Tunnel Bear is still free. The free version can only be used on a single device and offers 500MB of data per month. However, you can use more bandwidth by tweeting through TunnelBear.
Is TunnelBear a good VPN?
TunnelBear is not a reliable VPN for streaming. It doesn’t have dedicated streaming servers, and watching any show was almost impossible due to the long loading times. There are no city-level servers, which means backup options are not available.
Is TunnelBear really free?
It’s free to use on a single device, but if you want the convenience of syncing across all your devices, you’ll need to pay $36 per year (or $60 every two years). The three-year TunnelBear subscription also includes a subscription to RememBear.
Does TunnelBear hide your IP address?
TunnelBear can be used to protect you and your privacy and hide your IP address, get around Internet censorship, and enjoy the Internet in the same way as people from other countries.
How much does TunnelBear cost?
| TunnelBear plans | Monthly fees |
|---|---|
| month-to-month | $9.99 |
| 12 months | $4.99 |
| 36 months | for 3.33 US dollars |
| teams | $5.75 per user |
How long is TunnelBear free? Keep in mind that the free version of Tunnelbear comes with a data limit, which is likely to turn off quickly. ExpressVPN offers a three-month free subscription to its annual plan and a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee. It also offers unlimited data and premium services.
Is TunnelBear really free?
It is possible to use it on one device for free, but you have to pay $36 per year (or $60 every two years) if you want to sync across your devices. A subscription to RememBear is included with the three-year TunnelBear subscription.
Does TunnelBear cost money?
What are the costs? TunnelBear’s three-year plan costs an affordable $3.33 per month. If you prefer to pay annually, it is $4.99 per month. The service costs $9.99 per month.
Why is TunnelBear free?
TunnelBear uses military-grade AES-256 encryption as well as SHA-256 for authentication. This level of encryption is used in both its free and paid version.
How do I get unlimited TunnelBear for free?
You cannot get unlimited Tunnel Bear VPN for free. To get rid of the limited access, you need to subscribe to a paid subscription to TunnelBear. You have unlimited bandwidth and access to many more servers.
How do I get TunnelBear for free?
How do I get unlimited TunnelBear?
To do this, go to our website and select “Get TunnelBear”. You can select the type of subscription you want to upgrade to and follow the steps to upgrade. Once you have opened the TunnelBear app and logged in, simply press the gold “Upgrade” button in the app.
Is Tunnel Bear VPN Unlimited?
TunnelBear offers a robust and secure free VPN service for those who only want to tunnel 500MB or less per month. If you want to protect all your devices using a bear, and get access to unlimited data, we recommend you upgrade with one of our paid plans.
How do I get more GB on TunnelBear?
However, TunnelBear’s free tier limits you to 500MB per month. You can earn more data by tweeting about the company, increasing your limit for a month to a total of 1.5GB.
Does VPN steal data?
VPN is an abbreviation for “virtual private network.” VPNs encrypt your internet traffic and your online identity, making it harder for third-party hackers to break through and steal your information.
Can a VPN take credit card information? Not only that, but since they are the sole owners of the connection, they can also sniff all the information you enter, such as your home address, real name, number, and anything else they need to impersonate you online.
Can VPN server see my passwords?
Your personal passwords A VPN cannot access your passwords or any other information you type on your device or computer. It can see the data you provide to the service, but that would be it.
What can my VPN provider see?
What is obvious is that your ISP cannot discover who you are or anything you do online when you have a VPN enabled. Your IP address, web visits, and even your location are all hidden. The only thing your ISP can detect when you use a VPN is encrypted data traveling to the remote server.
Can a VPN see passwords?
No, a VPN cannot see your information as you type it. Instead, a website that uses insecure HTTP encryption might display your password in plain text when you click the login button.
Does a VPN steal your info?
VPNs may be able to infect your computer with malware and install hidden tracking libraries on it. They can also steal your private information, expose your data to third parties, and even steal bandwidth.
Can VPN access your personal data?
When you connect to public Wi-Fi networks and VPNs, the VPN secures your data. Hackers cannot access your encrypted data, and they cannot obtain or use any of your personal information.
Can you be hacked if you use a VPN?
If a cybercriminal wants to target you, a compromised VPN can allow the attacker to access and control your devices through malware or spyware. Credentials that have been deleted. If your VPN security is compromised, anyone can see your online activity and personal data.
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