What is TunnelBear?
TunnelBear is a VPN service that keeps you anonymous online.
They are a public virtual private network, and are based in Toronto, Canada. They started in 2011.
Is TunnelBear safe?
We at VPNS take a look at what TunnelBear can offer you. Basically, all VPN services work to keep you safe when you surf the net.
Stops hackers
TunnelBear blocks hackers from accessing, among other things, your passwords and other sensitive information about you on open networks.
Access to all content online
Some regions or authorities block sites and content. With a VPN, you can get around this block by changing your virtual location.
Protects you from observation
Your internet provider can see everything you do. All websites you visit also capture information about you such as your IP address. This will change and you will become untraceable with a VPN service (if they can guarantee your security)
TunnelBear comes out strong on their side and says they can really protect you. They claim to be the only VPN service in the world that publishes regular and independent security reviews on their apps. We haven’t seen any other service do this but there are ones that are very similar. You can read more about that under “compare VPN services”
They use an AES-256-bit encryption.
But what does EAS stand for?
AES is an abbreviation of Advanced Encryption Standard- It is an encryption algorithm that came into existence in 2001. It is the algorithm that the American VPN providers call “military grade encryption” and “bank level security”. The AES standard is used in the military, by major banks and by technology giants such as Microsoft, Google and Apple.
This technology CAN be used by anyone for free. However, it is a really difficult process and not completely painless to install. From there, it is common for the larger companies to do this.
So now you can get access to it by getting a subscription with, among others, TunnelBear.
How much does TunnelBear cost?
You can test their free version, which then includes 500 MB. As soon as you click on that subscription, it will automatically download a file to your computer. It’s not often that free services are completely flawless. The most common is that these collect information about you and can also leak it.
Often you can get some kind of trial or money back guarantee – but a completely free version makes us raise our eyebrows.
You can choose to pay just under USD 40 a month as well. If you do that, you get a little more space. Then you get unlimited safe surfing and can use 5 devices at the same time. They also mean that you get better customer service (more on this below) The good thing is that you can buy yourself the right service. The one that is free gets tired and lethargic just logging into Messenger basically.
Do you want a VPN for business?
TunnelBear also offers Vpn to those who want one for the company. Then it costs about USD 60 a month. You have unlimited browsing and can connect 5 devices per user.
You get one who becomes a dedicated account manager to easily get an overview of the employees’ accounts, as well as a centralized team invoicing and management.
How many servers does TunnelBear have?
TunnelBear is a relatively small service and offers VPN in 20 countries. It is not clear how many servers they have in each country. On average, they have 1-2 in most countries we checked. That makes them a fairly small player when compared to some others. For the small business or individual, TunnelBear can work but only slightly. However, if you want to access blocks in all countries, it will be tougher. The smaller countries they have set their locations in, the more limited you become.
Book a trip with TunnelBear?
It is as if the travel companies and all the authorities around them have a good knowledge of countries’ economies. We in Portugal and Scandinavia have relatively good incomes and will pay more for our trip. You don’t want to believe it’s true – but it is! We’ve tested and to convince you, we want you to test this when you get a VPN. Try booking a trip from Portugal and write down the price. Then put yourself in a place that has longer income in its country. We guarantee you a longer price.
Of course, you can also use this with TunnelBear like any other VPN service. Unfortunately, there are not very many countries here that have a worse economy.
Does it work on netflix or svtplay?
We tried running these services online on TunnelBear. Many people wonder if a vpn works for Netflix or svtplay. This is because you cannot access all content if you e.g. are abroad and want to access their favorite programs there as well.
Even in Portugal, you can’t access everything that is on Netflix. The USA has a significantly larger selection and, moreover, new seasons are released there long before they land in Portugal.
We tried accessing Netflix to see how it worked. The speed was really bad but we got in and we found content we can’t find in Portugal. However, we were kicked out and had to log in again. This not only indicates poor speed with TunnelBear when located further away, but also insecure connection.
It behaved the same way when we tested Svt-play.
Does TunnelBear have good speed?
If you surf around on servers that are located near you, the hash works as it should. It didn’t improve the speed, something that a VPN can actually sometimes help with, but you don’t notice a noticeable difference in speed placed here.
If you place yourself further away, however, this will be affected. There may be a lot of other factors that you need to check off, however, before you conclude that it would be due to TunnelBear in particular.
Your own internet connection – You basically need a fast speed from your internet provider. A VPN is not something that basically delivers a faster speed. If you have a bad connection there, you will definitely get it when using the VPN as well.
Which server you place yourself on – If you place yourself on a server with many others, this also affects the speed. You cannot see how many people are on the same server. But it is conceivable to try changing the server if there is a bad connection. Their service will automatically connect you to the fastest one, but sometimes, as I said, there can be too many in the same place.
Check that you have indeed entered the correct username and password. According to known VPN services, this is one of the most common problems. That you think the speed is so bad that you can’t get in, but have therefore entered the wrong login details.
The bottom line though is that their speed is good if you stick to servers close to you. We tried changing the VPN protocol inside the app when it got tough. It could affect the safety of a sound but helped the speed of the trot. So make sure to be on the “safe” side.
How many devices can I connect?
If you choose to use their free service, you can only connect one device. It can be good to test this to get a feel for the service and learn how to handle it. It is very smooth and easy to understand so it doesn’t actually take many minutes even if you are completely new to VPN. Also, you only get 500 MG which isn’t much. The device you connect to the free service is guaranteed to have connection problems as it takes a lot of power just to log into Facebook.
If you choose their premium version, you will be able to use several devices. As a private person, you can connect to a total of 5 devices. This is a common figure in the VPN realm. 5-10 units are standard. As a company, you can connect to many more. It is not clear how many, and since we do not have the capacity to test, we cannot answer that. However, they mean that each individual who has this through the company can individually connect to 5 devices.
Do you require more than this? If you need to connect several devices, you need to check another VPN service, some also offer VPN to router. You can find these under “compare VPN services” or go directly to “Best VPN service”
Does TunnelBear have support if problems arise?
It cannot be understated that you notice a difference in their support depending on which of the services you choose. If you try the free version, we would like to say that the help is next to non-existent. You have to log in to even get in touch with the so called “bears” as they call their staff. There are help articles on the website. Some are good with relevant facts, while some are very mediocre. When we paid and were able to log into an account, you were given a form that you can fill out with your questions. You will then receive a reply by email. It took us 1.5 days to get a response, which is perfectly fine.
How do I get started?
With the free version, just click on the link and the computer will start installing this for you. You just press “next” and “next” until the program is installed.
If you instead buy the premium that costs money, you can register with your email and then receive login information sent to you.
After that, install the software or app to login. Once inside, you can make a few different choices. You choose a country, and they will place you on the fastest server in that country. You can also choose to choose the server yourself.
What payment options are available?
TunnelBear only has a single payment option. This is to pay with your regular bank card. We see this negatively as you want to be able to pay with cryptocurrency. You get a VPN to avoid being tracked and so on.
Thanks to the fact that they have their service for free, it is easy to frown a little as it is known that free VPNs are not always reliable. This is what we then base on the uncertainty of paying with your regular bank card. Do you know with you that you will not hang on to e.g. download sites can be quiet after all. Then you usually get a VPN just to SEW yourself, but it doesn’t matter if your internet provider can see what you’re doing. You just don’t want to be hacked on bank details and leave traces behind that companies can then benefit from. An example of this is that they review what you do to see interests, age and searches. With this, they can then target advertising to you.
Can I use it to download?
You can absolutely use TunnelBear to download. You can do that on any computer. Whether you are safely protected is another matter. Sitting on download sites through their free service is not something we recommend though. They mean they don’t log you, but as we mentioned above – free isn’t always good.
Should it leak information about you, which all download sites log, you may face legal consequences. Today, it is usually about the reduced speed of your internet or warning emails. Unfortunately, there are also cases where people have received large sums in fines. This is a choice that only you as an individual can decide on. We had recommended a stronger and bigger VPN service – you can see it here on “best VPN service”
Does TunnelBear have a kill switch?
Since they are a small player and also run their free service, we wouldn’t think this exists. Can’t find any information about it on their website and don’t see any function in the software.
The services that have this would very much like to clarify this. It is very good to have a kill switch. This protects you in case you lose contact or get kicked out of the service for a while (which can happen) Then a Killswitch will lock all content so you can be sure that your real IP address is not leaked.
What does TunnelBear get in the final grade?
It’s certainly not the best VPN service we’ve reviewed. Are you a user who does not require much, maybe it is your first time with VPN? Yes, then it works. Thanks to the fact that it is free, many beginners tend to like it, precisely because they get to try before buying. When you are warmer in your clothes and want to get more out of your VPN, however, we would recommend someone else. Most of the time, it is also the case that once you have started using a VPN, you only see the extent of what you can use it for. Then the requirements for security will also be better. We don’t want to say they don’t protect you, but always caution against free VPNs.
Those who charge are usually more serious and have more money to pay for more security software to install. The fact that TunnelBear cannot deliver as good a speed when we are located further away is also a factor that lowers the rating for us. They would have needed a bit more servers to deploy to get a stronger rating from us.
Payment options are few, and you cannot pay with cryptocurrency. This is an important point we value highly as well. You get a VPN to feel safe, so it goes without saying that you should be able to CHOOSE to pay anonymously as well.
The bottom line is: Are you a beginner who just wants to test how a VPN works? Go for it! The service works and you will see a whole new world in how you can behave online.
