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
6300 servers
111 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
10 simultaneous connections
9.8 /10
3000 servers
105 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
8 simultaneous connections
9.4 /10
12000 servers
100 covered countries
45 days money-back guarantee
7 simultaneous connections
9.2 /10
3000 servers
65 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
Unlimited connections
9.1 /10
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It uses 1 Gbps servers, an outdated infrastructure, which has a bad influence on your performance.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 105 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 105 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!
