TunnelBear Review
Annual security audits since 2016. The most consistently transparent VPN.
TunnelBear does something no other major VPN does: it publishes the full results of an annual third-party security audit — including vulnerabilities found and how they were fixed. Since 2016, Cure53 has audited TunnelBear's apps, infrastructure, and backend systems every year without exception. That's nine consecutive public audits. No other VPN comes close to that transparency record.
Our scores
TunnelBear
Overall score — April 2026
TunnelBear has published the results of its annual third-party security audit every year since 2016 — a transparency record unmatched in the industry. Speeds are modest, server count is limited, but the auditing commitment is genuinely differentiated.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Annual full security audit by Cure53 since 2016 — longest audit history in the category
- Published audit results publicly including vulnerability disclosures — nothing hidden
- Free tier: 2 GB/month (as of 2026, the server is auto-assigned — manual location choice now requires a paid plan)
- Simplest UI in the category — bear-themed, genuinely delightful for first-time users
- No-logs policy covers all apps, infrastructure, and third-party analytics
Cons
- Canadian jurisdiction (5 Eyes member) — acquired by McAfee (now Gen Digital) in 2018
- Slower than competitors — 76% speed retention is near the bottom of our tests
- 5,000+ servers but only 48 countries — fewer than most competitors
- Only 5 simultaneous connections
- No WireGuard protocol — relies on IKEv2 and OpenVPN
Speed
580 Mbps
Download
340 Mbps
Upload
16 ms
Latency
76%
Speed kept
580 Mbps average — 76% speed retention. One of the slower results in our database. No WireGuard support means TunnelBear can't achieve the performance of NordVPN's NordLynx or Surfshark's WireGuard implementation. For basic privacy and browsing, the speed is adequate. For streaming in 4K or gaming, it's a limitation.
Tested: . 1 Gbps base connection.
Privacy & Security
The annual public audit is the defining privacy feature — the most recent published results found zero critical-risk issues, among the cleanest results in TunnelBear's audit history. Canadian jurisdiction and McAfee/Gen Digital ownership are real concerns, but the published audit record — which shows real vulnerabilities being disclosed and fixed, not just a clean bill of health — provides more verifiable assurance than most competitors' private audit certificates. No analytics SDKs, no third-party trackers in the apps.
Gen Digital also owns Norton, Avast, and LifeLock.
See ownership & price history for all 14 VPNs →Streaming
Works on Netflix US and UK reliably. Other platforms are inconsistent. BBC iPlayer had 75% success in testing. Disney+ was unreliable. Not a streaming-optimized VPN — use NordVPN or CyberGhost if streaming is your primary need.
Pricing
$9.99/mo
Monthly
$4/mo
Annual plan
billed annually
At $4.00/month on the annual plan (a 3-year plan is also available at $3.33/month), it's mid-range pricing for below-average speed and feature depth. The free tier (2 GB/month) is a legitimate entry point for testing, though as of 2026 it no longer lets you pick a server location — that now requires a paid plan. No money-back guarantee on paid plans is unusual.
Cancellation & Refund
TunnelBear doesn't offer a traditional money-back guarantee, but you can cancel at any time and won't be billed again once your current billing period ends.
How to cancel TunnelBear
- Log in to your account on the TunnelBear website (not just the app) with the email you signed up with.
- Open your account or subscription/billing settings.
- Select “Cancel subscription” (or “Manage plan” → “Cancel”) and confirm.
Subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play instead? Cancel there — deleting the app alone won't stop billing.
User Ratings
4.4/5
Trustpilot
5k reviews
4.2/5
Google Play
35k ratings
4.6/5
App Store
20k ratings
68%
Community
Reddit sentiment
Ratings sourced from Trustpilot, Google Play Store, and Apple App Store. Community score is derived from Reddit/r/VPN sentiment analysis. Scores are aggregated periodically and may not reflect real-time data.
Verdict
TunnelBear is the right choice if your primary concern is auditing transparency and you want a simple, friendly interface. It's not competitive on speed, feature count, or server network. But if you want the VPN with the most credible public track record of independent security verification, TunnelBear is it.
Frequently asked questions
Is TunnelBear safe to use?
TunnelBear has been independently audited and verified to keep no logs. It uses OpenVPN, IKEv2 protocols and includes a kill switch to protect your IP if the connection drops. Privacy score: 8.9/10.
How much does TunnelBear cost per month?
TunnelBear costs $9.99/month on a monthly plan and $4/month on an annual plan. All plans include a 0-day money-back guarantee.
How many devices can I use with TunnelBear?
TunnelBear allows up to 5 simultaneous connections. It has native apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Does TunnelBear work with Netflix?
Yes. TunnelBear reliably unblocks Netflix and other major streaming services. Streaming score: 7.2/10.
How do I cancel TunnelBear and get a refund?
TunnelBear doesn't offer a money-back guarantee, but you can cancel anytime from your account's subscription settings on its website and won't be billed again after the current period ends. If you subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play, cancel there instead — deleting the app alone won't stop billing.
TunnelBear vs. Alternatives
| Feature | TunnelBear7.9/10 | NordVPN9.2/10 | ExpressVPN8.6/10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Score | 7.9 | 9.2 | 8.6 |
| Monthly Price | $4.00/mo | $3.09/mo | $2.79/mo |
| Servers | 5,000+ | 9,300+ | 3,000+ |
| Countries | 48 | 137 | 105 |
| Simultaneous Devices | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| Speed (tested) | 580 Mbps (76%) | 730 Mbps (96%) | 755 Mbps (98%) |
| No-Logs Policy | |||
| Independently Audited | |||
| Kill Switch | |||
| Ad Blocker | |||
| Streaming | |||
| Torrenting / P2P | |||
| Port Forwarding | |||
| Obfuscation | |||
| Double VPN | |||
| RAM-Only Servers | |||
| Jurisdiction | Canada (5 Eyes member) | Panama (outside 5/9/14 Eyes) | British Virgin Islands |
| Money-Back Guarantee | None | 30 days | 30 days |
All data verified August 2026.