TunnelBear Review

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What it is: Consumer and team VPN
Best for: Beginners who want a very simple VPN with published security audits
Price: Unlimited from $3.33/mo (term unconfirmed), checked October 28, 2026
Prices checked: October 28, 2026

We researched TunnelBear's official pricing, plan terms, product pages, help documentation and Trustpilot profile. We haven't used TunnelBear ourselves, so this is a research-based review, not a hands-on test.

Who it’s best for

VPN beginners who want a simple app.
People who value yearly published security audits.
Small teams that want simple central billing.

Who should skip it

Probably not the best fit if you want the most servers and extras for streaming, where NordVPN does more.

How it works day to day

This part draws on TunnelBear’s own product pages, help center and documentation, read October 28, 2026 (listed under Sources). We haven’t used TunnelBear ourselves.

Day to day, you open the app, pick a country or Fastest, and switch the tunnel on.

Key features in use

Unlimited devices.
Country and city-level server selection.
Split tunneling.
Teams admin tools.
Browser extension.

Setup and learning curve

You download the app, make an account and connect.

Integrations

Apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and browsers.

Support

Priority customer support on paid plans.

Real-world use cases

A traveler uses hotel Wi-Fi more safely.
A student protects traffic on campus Wi-Fi.
A small team covers everyone under one bill.

What it costs

Prices checked October 28, 2026, from TunnelBear’s own pricing page unless noted. Prices change often, so check the official page before you buy.

Free: for testing and limited use, per TunnelBear.
Unlimited: "from $3.33/mo" on TunnelBear's pricing page. The page didn't show the plan length, total charge or renewal price on our check; that "from" price is usually tied to the longest prepaid term, so confirm the total and renewal price at checkout.
Teams: $5.75 per user a month, for 2 or more users.
Unlimited devices on paid plans.

What we like

Very simple apps.
Unlimited devices.
Yearly independent security audits by Cure53, with results summarized publicly.
Free plan to test it.

What to watch for

Trustpilot showed 1.9 out of 5 from about 127 reviews on an unclaimed profile as of October 28, 2026.
We couldn't see the renewal price or plan length behind the "from $3.33/mo" price.
Fewer extras than larger VPNs.

The fine print

TunnelBear has been owned by McAfee since 2018.
Its 2024 Cure53 audit found 10 issues of medium severity or higher and 3 low-severity issues, which TunnelBear says were fixed or mitigated.
A VPN hides your traffic from your network, not from the sites you sign in to.

The main alternative: NordVPN Reviewed by Vetteroo

NordVPN is a larger VPN with many more servers, extra security features and independent no-logs audits.

What it costs: $3.49/mo on a 2-year plan ($94.23 for the first 27 months), checked October 26, 2026

Read our full NordVPN review

Pick TunnelBearReviewed by Vetteroo if you…

want the simplest possible VPN.
care about published audits.
need many devices on one account.

Pick NordVPNReviewed by Vetteroo if you…

stream and travel a lot.
want more features.

Our take

TunnelBear is a friendly, simple VPN with a good record of yearly audits. Its pricing page hides the plan length and renewal price, and outside reviews are poor, so check the total at checkout. Power users should compare NordVPN.

Side by side

Company	Best for	Starting price	Trial / refund
TunnelBear Reviewed by Vetteroo	Beginners who want a very simple VPN with published security audits	Unlimited from $3.33/mo (term unconfirmed), checked October 28, 2026	Free plan for testing
NordVPN Reviewed by Vetteroo	Speed plus extra security tools	$3.49/mo on a 2-year plan ($94.23 for the first 27 months), checked October 26, 2026	30-day money-back

From our company records. Check the official pages for current prices.

What we checked

TunnelBear's pricing page and plan terms, read October 28, 2026
TunnelBear's Trustpilot profile, read October 28, 2026
NordVPN's details: from our existing company record and review, not re-checked on October 28, 2026
The other official pages listed under Sources (links checked October 28, 2026)

Sources

Visit TunnelBear’s official site

How we review

We read the company's own terms, test the sign-up or booking steps where we can, and compare it with alternatives. A commission never changes what we write. Read our disclosure.