TunnelBear’s free plan no longer lets you choose a country. The app now assigns a server for you, split tunneling is reserved for paying users, and the allowance is still 2 GB a month, roughly an hour of HD video.
For a long time, that free bear was many people’s first VPN: a Canadian app, owned by McAfee, that encrypts your traffic on campus Wi-Fi with a cartoon animation instead of a settings menu. Without server choice, though, it can’t put you in the US for a show or back home for your bank.
And the paid plan trails the best-known VPNs on speed and streaming. Switching makes sense. Whether you have to pay to do it is a different question, and here’s where to go next, with or without a subscription.
TunnelBear Alternatives Summarized
- NordVPN: Best overall replacement, faster and far stronger on streaming
- Proton VPN: Best privacy-first option, paid or free
- ExpressVPN: Best for keeping TunnelBear’s one-button simplicity
- Private Internet Access: Best on a budget, with no device limit
- Windscribe: Best free alternative for streaming
- PrivadoVPN: Best free alternative for speed
Why People Are Leaving TunnelBear
TunnelBear isn’t a bad VPN, and it does several things well. Independent auditors review it every year; VigilantBear, its kill switch, cuts your connection when the VPN fails; and GhostBear disguises VPN traffic on networks that block it.
The problems are elsewhere, and they’re critical:
- The free plan lost its main uses. Free accounts can’t choose a country or use split tunneling anymore. When I tested the free app, it placed me on servers in Romania and the Netherlands, and it couldn’t unblock Netflix US.
- Speed. The paid version had a 23.9% average speed loss, the slowest result in our tests, and it lost far more on Japanese servers. That’s noticeable on video calls and 4K streams.
- Streaming. Out of 9 streaming services, the paid plan unblocked only Channel 4 and Netflix US in my tests.
- Refunds. There’s no standard money-back guarantee. TunnelBear reviews refund requests case by case.
- Devices. There’s no Linux app and no Fire TV app.
TunnelBear vs. Paid Alternatives
| VPN | Average speed loss | Streaming services unblocked | Free option | Refund policy | Linux app |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TunnelBear | 23.9% | 2 of 9 | 2 GB a month, no server choice | Case by case | No |
| NordVPN | 7.8% (NordLynx) | 9 of 9 | 3-day Android trial | 30 days | Yes |
| Proton VPN | 10.2% (WireGuard) | 7 of 9 | Free plan, no data cap | 30 days | Yes |
| ExpressVPN | 7.8% (Lightway) | 9 of 9 | 3-day Android trial | 30 days | Yes |
| Private Internet Access | 12.7% (WireGuard) | 6 of 9 | 7-day mobile trial | 30 days | Yes |
Best Paid TunnelBear Alternatives
1. NordVPN: Best Overall TunnelBear Alternative
Pros
- Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Prime Video unblocked
- Tied for the lowest speed loss we recorded
- Far wider country coverage
- Meshnet for browsing through your home PC
- Independently audited no-logs policy
Cons
- No free plan, only a short Android trial
NordVPN fixes the two complaints TunnelBear users voice most: speed and streaming. NordVPN costs us 7.8% of our speed on average, about a third of what TunnelBear lost, and no streaming service in the same tests blocked it, including the American Netflix catalog. You also get back the freedom TunnelBear’s free plan took away.
NordVPN lists servers in 152 countries, and you choose the one you want, which is how you change your Netflix region or sign in to a bank at home. Meshnet adds a way to browse through your own PC from a trip, so a site that expects your home connection sees it. There’s no free plan, only a three-day trial on Android.
Treat the 30-day money-back guarantee as your trial period instead: use NordVPN for a month and cancel if it isn’t for you. Our NordVPN review explains what the Basic, Complete, and Prime plans add.
2. Proton VPN: Best for Privacy, Paid or Free
Pros
- Uncapped free plan with no ads
- Based in Switzerland
- Stealth protocol on every plan
- Secure Core double-server routing
- Full refund within 30 days
Cons
- Free plan assigns your server
- Couldn’t unblock ITVX or Pluto TV
Proton VPN takes TunnelBear’s privacy promise further. The company is Swiss, its apps are open source, and its no-logs policy is audited every year. On the paid VPN Plus plan, near $3 a month for two years, the average speed loss was 10.2%.
On top of that, Secure Core passes your traffic through a hardened server in a privacy-friendly country such as Switzerland before it continues to the site. If the 2 GB limit is why you’re leaving, Proton VPN’s free plan has no monthly data limit and shows no ads.
Like TunnelBear’s, it assigns the server for you, so it won’t unblock streaming, but it covers everyday browsing on one device. Stealth, its protocol for disguising VPN traffic, is included for free, much like GhostBear. The paid plan couldn’t unblock ITVX or Pluto TV in our tests.
So, for British TV, NordVPN or ExpressVPN is the safer choice. Our Proton VPN review has the full picture of both plans to help you choose your own.
3. ExpressVPN: Best for TunnelBear’s Simplicity
Pros
- One-button app that connects in seconds
- ITVX, Channel 4, and Netflix US unblocked
- Obfuscation without a setting to find
- Apps for smart TVs and routers
Cons
- No free plan
- Lightway Turbo disables split tunneling
ExpressVPN keeps what people like about TunnelBear, an app you open and connect with one button, and leaves the slow speeds behind. It lost 7.8% of our speed on average, the same as NordVPN, and Lightway connected within a second or two every time.
It unblocked all 9 streaming services in our tests, including the British ones, and it disguises VPN traffic automatically whenever a network tries to block it. There’s no GhostBear-style switch to remember. Native Apple TV and Fire TV apps, plus router firmware, cover the devices TunnelBear skips, and our ExpressVPN review covers each tier.
On Windows, Lightway Turbo can be enabled for extra speed, but it disables split tunneling. If you keep a banking app outside the VPN, leave Turbo off. The Basic plan comes in under $3 monthly with a two-year commitment, with a 30-day refund window in place of a free plan.
4. Private Internet Access: Best Budget TunnelBear Alternative
Pros
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- MACE blocks ads and malware
- No-logs record tested in court
- Open-source apps
- Free trial on iOS and Android
Cons
- Blocked by Prime Video and HBO Max
- Windows app starts on OpenVPN
Private Internet Access matches the one thing TunnelBear’s paid plan does well: unlimited devices, for about $2 monthly on its longest plan. It’s also quicker, losing 12.7% of our speed on average, roughly half of TunnelBear’s loss, which leaves room for HD streaming and video calls.
Its privacy claims have been tested in court: US cases showed PIA had no user records to hand over. MACE filters ads, trackers, and malicious sites, and the apps are open source, as our Private Internet Access review details. Streaming is where it falls short of the other three.
It failed on Prime Video, HBO Max, and Netflix Japan, so choose NordVPN if those are why you’re switching. The Windows app defaults to OpenVPN, so choose WireGuard as the protocol for faster speeds. With these settings, PIA outperforms TunnelBear by a long shot.
Free TunnelBear Alternatives
If you’d rather not pay, these free plans give you more than TunnelBear’s 2 GB, and three of them let you choose a server:
| Free VPN | Monthly data | Server choice | Average speed loss | Streaming services unblocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TunnelBear Free | 2 GB | No | 31.2% | None |
| Proton VPN Free | No cap | No | 19.3% | None |
| Windscribe Free | 10 GB with a confirmed email, 2 GB without | Yes | 10.0% | 6 of 9 |
| PrivadoVPN Free | 10 GB | Yes | 9.5% | 6 of 9 |
| Hide.me Free | No cap | Yes | 30.5% | None |
- Proton VPN Free: the closest replacement for everyday browsing, with unlimited data, an ad-free app, and the paid plan’s no-logs policy. Free users get whichever server the app chooses, which rules out streaming.
- Windscribe Free: the free choice for streaming. It unblocked all three Netflix libraries we tested, lets you choose among roughly ten free countries, and allows unlimited devices at once. Our Windscribe review covers R.O.B.E.R.T., its ad blocker.
- PrivadoVPN Free: the fastest of the free plans in our tests. When the 10 GB is used up, it drops you to a slow emergency server instead of disconnecting, but you have to renew the allowance by hand each month. The PrivadoVPN review has the details.
- Hide.me Free: uncapped and lets you choose a location, but it was slow in our tests, can’t unblock streaming services, and doesn’t allow torrenting. It works as a privacy layer on public Wi-Fi, as our Hide.me review explains.
Each of these is a safer choice than an unknown free app, and our best free VPN rankings compare them in more depth.
Final Thoughts
Nothing in our tests suggests TunnelBear is unsafe. Its audits, kill switch, and traffic disguise all do their job. What it can’t do anymore is give free users a choice of server, and its paid plan was slow and weak on streaming next to NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, and PIA.
If you’re paying, NordVPN is the straight upgrade: much faster, strong on streaming, and backed by a 30-day refund. Our TunnelBear vs NordVPN comparison goes through the two in detail and explains why NordVPN is superior in every way.
If you’re not paying and want a free VPN that’s still an upgrade, honestly, Proton VPN’s free plan is what we’d install for everyday browsing, with Windscribe or PrivadoVPN kept for the evenings you want to stream.
FAQs
Is TunnelBear still free?
Yes. TunnelBear still offers a free plan with a small monthly data allowance, but free users can't choose a country anymore, and the app connects them to a server automatically.
Does TunnelBear work with Netflix?
No, not reliably. Paid TunnelBear accounts can unblock the US Netflix library, but other regional libraries detect it, and free users can't choose a US server.
Is TunnelBear safe to use?
Yes. TunnelBear publishes yearly independent audits, doesn't log browsing activity, and includes a kill switch. Its owner, McAfee, is a US company, which some privacy-focused users prefer to avoid.
Which free VPN is most like TunnelBear?
Proton VPN's free plan is the closest match, with a simple app, no logs, and no data cap. Windscribe and PrivadoVPN are better for streaming without paying.
Does TunnelBear offer refunds?
No. TunnelBear's terms treat payments as non-refundable and consider refund requests individually, while NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Is NordVPN better than TunnelBear?
Yes, for most uses. NordVPN is faster, unblocks far more streaming services, and lets every user choose a server, while TunnelBear's main advantage is a free plan with no subscription.