TunnelBear Review 2025

TunnelBear was quite popular back in the day — in 2025, not so much. However, you’ve likely seen how cute its app looks and heard many great things about it. This is why you’re feasting your eyes on this TunnelBear review. To see just how good and safe it really is.

Well, the short answer would be positive. TunnelBear is safe and great for privacy and security. Its premium version, the one we tested, even has unlimited simultaneous connections and respectable performance. Still, TunnelBear VPN is by no means perfect.

It has its share of flaws, as well, which we discovered during this careful assessment. Today’s review is all about brutal honesty and transparency. We’ll hold no punches. Here’s what you should know about TunnelBear, including its features, pros, cons, prices, and so much more.

TunnelBear Pricing: Is It Affordable?

TunnelBear can be a lot more affordable if you choose its free plan.

All jokes aside, we don’t think free VPNs are particularly good, even though we have a whole list of the best ones in 2025. TunnelBear is there but it’s even better if you can afford its premium plans.

The annual plan is promoted as the ultimate one, at $3.33/mo billed upfront at $39.99 for the first year. You can also jump to the triennial plan on the right at the same monthly price, which ends up costing $120 for 3 years. TunnelBear’s least favorable plan is monthly.

You’ll spend $9.99 every month, which is too much if you’re planning a long haul.

Payment Methods & Refund Policy

TunnelBear doesn’t offer a myriad of payment methods, so you can pay only using your credit card. Simply fill in the credit card info, click “Buy Now”, and you’re set. The bad news is that TunnelBear doesn’t have a refund policy, so there’s no way to be reimbursed.

This isn’t always the case, however.

In our TunnelBear review, we discovered that you CAN get a refund but only in the case of a “terminal” issue. In other words, if you really can’t get the VPN to work and face an immovable obstacle, the company will refund your purchase. As it states, all refund requests are subject to review, so you must have a “strong” reason.

We don’t think this is a big issue because TunnelBear already has a free plan. Despite its bandwidth limits (2 GB), the free plan closely resembles the premium version. Since it’s free forever, the free plan can be used to extensively test TunnelBear and see how it fits with you.

If you feel underwhelmed, you can quit at any moment and go for a suitable alternative to TunnelBear.

Device Compatibility & Ease of Use

In our TunnelBear review, we discovered that the VPN works on all devices.

It’s not the best VPN for multiple devices because you get basic support for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android. There’s no Linux and you won’t find Firestick TV, Apple TV, and other streaming devices on the list. On the flip side, there are browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.

These extensions protect your traffic in the browser, so they’re not the most useful.

The silver lining is the number of simultaneous connections — unlimited!

This allows you to protect as many devices as you want with a single subscription. You can, for example, drop the price of this VPN by sharing the cost with a friend or a family member. Both of you can use the VPN on unlimited devices and save heaps of money — very clever!

One of our favorite things in this TunnelBear review is its ease of use. Look at this splendid app!

It’s all greyish at first but when you click on the country from the world map or the server list, which drops down from the top, it all turns green and happy. Plus, there’s a nice animation of the brown bear digging his way from your location to the chosen VPN location. Talk about imagination!

The left-hand side is reserved for settings and features, where you’ll find 2FA, a kill switch, protocol selection, split tunneling, and other tools we’ll discuss in this TunnelBear test.

Overall, this is a great VPN to use on macOS, Android, and iOS as well, with no noticeable app-related issues.

TunnelBear Security Features

While TunnelBear innovates in the app department, its security features are, more or less, classic. I mean, you do get enough but that’s just… enough. Compared to many of its premium rivals, TunnelBear won’t stand the test of time as efficiently. Here’s an example.

TunnelBear lacks Double VPN servers, it doesn’t have an in-house protocol, and there are no dedicated P2P/streaming servers. There’s a set of aptly named features and behind their names are the things we saw a million times:

• VigilantBear — an automatic kill switch.
• GhostBear — obfuscation (VPN connection masking)
• VPN Protocol — you get OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard
• SplitBear — split tunneling (for both apps and websites)
• 2FA — two-factor authentication for additional security

TunnelBear does include some “passive” features, such as IP/DNS leak protection, a Private DNS server, Perfect Forward Secrecy, and stuff like that. In-app features are far from revolutionary but that’s not an issue because they worked really well in our experience.

For instance, GhostBear can help you when you use a VPN in school to safely bypass network restrictions. Drawing from our experience with TunnelBear, its kill switch is also very efficient in “containing” data leaks by disabling your internet connection if the VPN “breaks”.

The protocol selection is also decent, as you can use WireGuard, which perfectly pairs speed and security.

We must say we’re also fans of TunnelBear’s SplitBear feature. This time, you can apply split tunneling to both apps and websites, which isn’t the case with ExpressVPN, which only lets you tunnel or prevent tunneling of apps. All in all, what’s there works like a charm and that’s the beauty of TunnelBear.

IP and DNS Leak Tests: Is TunnelBear Safe?

But now, the next question in this TunnelBear review for 2025 is if the VPN is capable enough of protecting your online identity. I mean, you need a VPN that won’t leak your data left and right. That’s gross!

We tested TunnelBear many times and our experience sings nothing but happy songs. To be clear, we tested all of TunnelBear’s 47+ countries, to ensure every location is safe to use. In short, it is, but let’s glance at our IP/DNS leak test results from ipleak.net and browserleaks.com.

First up, we have ipleak.net. Here’s one of our test results using the American VPN server:

Now, let’s take a look at the result from browserleaks.com — spoiler alert: it’s fantastic!

Does TunnelBear VPN Store Logs?

TunnelBear is a VPN from Canada, which immediately makes the 5 Eyes alert go loud. But wait a minute. The whole 5/9/14 Eyes argument isn’t so valid these days. We have VPNs like PIA from the USA, Surfshark from the Netherlands, and many others within these regions.

They all have one thing in common — storing absolutely ZERO logs!

TunnelBear follows in their footsteps by not retaining any sensitive information. During our assessment of TunnelBear, we inspected its privacy policy, which, while not the shortest, was concise in explaining that TunnelBear doesn’t store a speck of logs related to:

• Your original IP address
• VPN-given IP address
• DNS queries
• Applications and services on your device
• Browsing history

TunnelBear retains some “operational” data, which includes your email and basic info for billing purposes. Things like your OS, app version, and used bandwidth are also here for obvious reasons — maintenance and troubleshooting, which actually helps you, as a user.

Third-Party Audits

Believe it or not, TunnelBear is one of the most frequently audited VPNs in 2025. Basically, the company undergoes annual independent security audits, so each year, a reputable third-party cybersecurity company probes TunnelBear’s infrastructure to verify its claims.

For example, in 2024, Cure53 completed a security assessment and audited TunnelBear. It found just 13 issues and TunnelBear managed to promptly fix 12. There’s even a full report from Cure53 on this link.

Cure53 isn’t just just “any” cybersecurity firm. For those who don’t know, the German company audited ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and even Mullvad VPN which we tested as well.

TunnelBear Speed Tests: Is It Fast Enough in 2025?

Coming to this TunnelBear review, you might be wondering if the VPN is fast enough to handle all your needs. In our careful assessment, we discovered that it is, although it’s not the fastest option you can use for the price. NordVPN is, for example, noticeably faster.

Nevertheless, we’ll begin with our native speed test result i.e. the one without a VPN:

Our internet speed is far from blazing but let’s say it’s roughly:

• 50 Mbps download
• 10 Mbps upload
• 7-10 ms ping

At the time of testing, we were also in Belgrade, from where we conducted a total of 27 TunnelBear speed tests. We tested it for 3 days straight, using 3 server locations (the UK, the US, and Japan), 3 times a day. That’s 9 tests for each of the evaluated VPN locations.

To ensure maximum accuracy, we used the averages, plus, we also set the protocol to WireGuard to prioritize the performance, as if we’d use the VPN for our daily activities. The speed test results are below:

UK Speed Test Results:

US Speed Test Results:

Japan Speed Test Results:

Okay, so we see that the VPN retains speeds pretty well. However, we noticed a performance degradation when using a server in Japan, which also produced the highest latency of over 240 ms. That’s far from great for gaming, although streaming and P2P still worked well.

The table above displays the average download and upload speed reductions from initial (native) speed tests.

Compared to NordVPN’s or even ExpressVPN’s results, TunnelBear is indeed lacking a punch. Thus, if you’re looking for a faster VPN, NordVPN and ExpressVPN are far better choices.

Is TunnelBear Good for Streaming and Torrenting?

This is where things sort of start to crumble. Streaming and torrenting were never this VPN’s strengths and in 2025, when we tested TunnelBear, we just confirmed our worst fears.

Streaming Performance

Let’s begin with streaming. Can you watch Netflix with TunnelBear? Sure. You can unblock Netflix US abroad but you’ll need a bit of fiddling. Oftentimes, you need to play around with protocols. We used OpenVPN, which worked well, but then, WireGuard wouldn’t work for some strange reason.

Having tested a few more libraries, we can only say the experience is far from premium. It leaves a lot to be desired. Other popular streaming services have also been tested and the results are “willy-nilly”. Prime Video, Max, and others don’t go well with TunnelBear.

Worse yet, the provider doesn’t offer advanced location spoofing, so some more “stubborn” platforms won’t work, no matter what you try. The same goes for Smart DNS, which isn’t there, so if you have a non-VPN-compatible device, good luck setting up TunnelBear on it.

TunnelBear’s speeds are sufficient enough for Ultra HD streaming, which is great for watching Netflix US if you have a Premium account. You can also use it to access Formula 1 free live streams in Full HD or enjoy some foreign TV channels — nothing more than that.

Streaming-wise, NordVPN is an infinitely better option. It works with roughly 30 Netflix catalogs, plus, you get Smart DNS, location-spoofing browser extensions, and a lot more to ensure you can unblock and watch every speck of region-locked content on any streaming service.

Torrenting Performance

Torrenting is all about speed, security, and privacy. So far in this TunnelBear review, the provider displayed almost all of these characteristics. We think it’s fast enough for P2P file sharing and given its security and privacy, we can conclude it’s efficient for this purpose.

We’d love to see more advanced torrenting features, such as dedicated P2P servers, SOCKS5 proxy, Port Forwarding, and others. Still, the “vanilla” package works as intended and it’s a nice solution for torrenting.

We must warn you that the free version does NOT allow P2P file sharing. We tested every server and found that despite the 2 GB/mo bandwidth cap, the free version is completely incapable of initiating the download. Use one of these free VPNs for torrenting instead if you need one.

Server Locations

TunnelBear governs an extensive server fleet that spans 46+ countries. Let’s give it the benefit of the doubt and say 50. The country span is far from impressive, considering that:

• NordVPN has 118+ countries
• ExpressVPN has 105 countries
• Private Internet Access has 91 countries, etc…

From our experience with TunnelBear, the provider doesn’t rank well compared to these giants. However, one aspect where some of these giants fall short is the number of servers. The brown-bear-loving company has 8,000 global servers, and for a company of this size, the number sounds crazy!

In comparison:

• NordVPN has 7,400+ servers
• ExpressVPN has 3,000+ servers
• Private Internet Access has 30,000+ servers

Only PIA can rival it but as we know, numbers aren’t always the best sign of quality.

TunnelBear lacks dedicated servers —  it doesn’t even have dedicated IPs, whilst all three aforementioned providers do. The server fleet doesn’t scream quality, which is noticeable in our speed tests. We also tested NordVPN and TunnelBear together and the former was faster.

Bypassing Censorship With TunnelBear

Our first-hand TunnelBear tests weren’t as successful as we’d hoped they’d be. When using GhostBear in China, we couldn’t connect to servers most of the time. To be frank, TunnelBear worked on a few occasions but the connection was very slow and barely usable for anything other than browsing.

After contacting other people online, we found they noticed the same annoying trend.

This isn’t strange because VPNs in China usually work in “waves”. Sometimes, a dozen of them work and at certain points, no VPN seems to work perfectly in the country. In general, TunnelBear won’t be very reliable if you’re after stable and fast connections for day-to-day use.

After examining dozens of VPNs, we found that NordVPN and ExpressVPN are significantly better VPNs for China. ExpressVPN has an edge, but it’s pricey, so it’s more suitable as a long-term option if you plan to spend at least a year in the country. Luckily, TunnelBear works well in other, less restrictive regions worldwide.

This means it’ll be usable in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, etc.

How Good Is TunnelBear’s Customer Support?

To be frank, it’s awful. It’s one of the least responsive customer support teams we faced.

The RoboCub bot is an AI, which mimics the live-chat experience and aims to resolve:

• Account issues
• Technical questions
• General questions
• Feedback

Chatting with it was a joy until we asked something more complex, which RoboCub failed to understand. It then asked us to send a message to TunnelBear’s customer support team, which was luckily comprised of humans. To get a response, we had to wait for almost 24 hours.

However, TunnelBear claims it can take up to 48 hours for your inquiry to be tackled. Guess it was our lucky day!

The support team is friendly enough when it finally gets to you, plus, it does its best to help resolve the problem. That’s nice. TunnelBear, however, expects you to solve your problems within its help center, where the most typical issues are explained and solved by the team.

We can’t say we’re disappointed because we had no app-breaking issues during our TunnelBear analysis for this review. But objectively, the level of support could be vastly improved.

TunnelBear VPN Review: The Final Verdict

So, should you buy and use TunnelBear in 2025?

We would say no because it lags behind some of its more affordable rivals.

To digress, TunnelBear is fun to use, offers nice-looking apps, and supports unlimited simultaneous connections. It also has a handful of security features, doesn’t store logs, and is audited 7+ times for the highest level of trustworthiness. But then, let’s begin with “buts”.

At the price, which is $3.33/mo, TunnelBear could be way faster. Its streaming prowess is far from even remotely good for the price, and device compatibility is very limited. On top of that, it doesn’t offer as many countries as its competitors and has underwhelming customer support.

TunnelBear is “okay” but considering other offers from other VPNs, being “okay” simply won’t cut it.

At this price, it’s better to get NordVPN and its 2-year deal at under $3.4/mo or spend slightly more and pick ExpressVPN, which is way quicker than TunnelBear and with apps for all devices and operating systems. TunnelBear is yet to grow and be better in the future.

Until then, we can’t recommend it in favor of NordVPN or ExpressVPN (or other superior VPNs at this price).