⚡ Kort oordeel:
- Prijzen: FastestVPN starts at $0.83/mo on the 1 Year + 1 Year Free deal. TunnelBear starts at $3.33/mo.
- Het meest geschikt voor: FastestVPN suits streaming sites and torrenting. TunnelBear suits VPN newbies who want a free plan.
- Belangrijkste verschil: FastestVPN has streaming servers, an ad blocker and a NAT firewall. TunnelBear keeps the app to one button.
- Money back: FastestVPN gives 31 days. TunnelBear gives none.
- Onze keuze: FastestVPN, because it does more for less and still refunds you if it fails.
One of these two VPN providers gives you a free version forever.
The other gives you a lifetime plan for one payment of $40.
Neither is trying to beat NordVPN on raw scale.
Both are budget picks with a small server network.
Dus de echte vraag is what you give up at this price.
Overzicht
This TunnelBear vs FastestVPN comparison covers pricing, speed, streaming, and beveiliging functies.
Ons schrijver spent hands-on time with FastestVPN across Windows and mobile apps.
Notes on TunnelBear come from its documentation, published audits, and user reviews.
We also flag where each vpn service falls short.
By the end you will know which one fits your internet connection and budget.
Wat is FastestVPN?
FastestVPN is een budgetvriendelijke VPN-dienst gevestigd op de Kaaimaneilanden.
The vpn company runs around 800 servers across 49 countries.
It sells one lifetime plan instead of a yearly fastestvpn subscription.
You get an ad blocker, a NAT firewall, and split tunneling built in.
The vpn app puts streaming servers in a separate tab.
Here is a short walkthrough of the apps and the server list.
🏆 Winner: FastestVPN
Streaming servers, port forwarding, and a 31-day refund window. The lifetime deal costs less than one year of most rivals.
Prijzen van FastestVPN
Three plans, and one of them never renews.
| Plan | Prijs | Het beste voor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 jaar + 1 jaar gratis | $0,83/maand | Two years of cover at the lowest monthly cost |
| Plan voor 1 maand | $5/maand | Short trips and testing fastestvpn first |
| Exclusief levenslang abonnement | $40 | One payment, no renewal date |
Pricing verified September 2026.
Gratis proefperiode: No free version. You pay first, then test.
Geld-terug-garantie: 31 days on every plan, refund on request.
📌 Opmerking: Two paid add-ons sit outside the plan price. A dedicated IP address costs $1.49 per month. Another 10 simultaneous connections cost $4 each per month.
⚠️ Price check: Some review sites list the annual plan at $19.95, roughly $1.66 per month. Promotions change often, so confirm the current price at checkout.
Belangrijkste voordelen van FastestVPN
Here is what you actually get for the money:
- Audited no logs policy: Altius IT reviewed the claim and confirmed it. No activity or connection timestamps are stored.
- Cayman Islands base: No mandatory gegevens retention laws apply there. The jurisdiction sits outside the main surveillance alliances.
- Servers tuned for streaming: A dedicated tab points you at the right server location for Netflix, Disney+, Hotstar, and BBC iPlayer.
- Ad blocker and NAT firewall: Ads and malware domains get filtered before they load. The firewall drops unwanted inbound internet traffic.
- 10 apparaten onmiddellijk: One account covers a Windows computer, phones, and a router. Torrenting is allowed on every server.
- Live chat that answers: Support runs 24/7 with real people. FastestVPN holds a five-star Trustpilot score, with reviews naming support directly.
Wat ons team opmerkte
Our writer tested FastestVPN on Windows and iOS across everyday browsing, streaming, and downloads. Here is what stood out from that hands-on time:
Voordelen en nadelen van FastestVPN
✅ Voordelen
- Lifetime plan costs one payment of $40
- 31-day money back guarantee on all plans
- No logs policy audited by Altius IT
- 24/7 live chatondersteuning door echte mensen
- Ad blocker, NAT firewall and split tunneling included
❌ Nadelen
- Download speeds drop about 45% on average
- DNS and IP leaks have been reported on Windows
- Some Netflix libraries fail to load
- Geen gratis proefperiode voordat u betaalt.
Wat is TunnelBear?
TunnelBear is een Canadese VPN-dienst die eigendom is van McAfee.
It has been in the vpn market since 2011.
The tunnelbear app is a world map with one switch.
You pick a country, flip the switch, and a bear tunnels there.
There are desktop apps, mobile apps, and browser extensions.
TunnelBear offers a free version, which is how most people find it.
This video walks through the interface and the free account setup.
🥈 Runner Up: TunnelBear
The simplest vpn app you can hand to a beginner. Free plan included, and audits published every year since 2016.
TunnelBear-prijzen
Here is what TunnelBear costs right now.
| Plan | Prijs | Het beste voor |
|---|---|---|
| Vrij | Testen en beperkt gebruik | VPN newbies checking the tunnelbear site first |
| Onbeperkt | $3,33/maand | Unlimited data on all your devices |
| Teams | $5,75 per gebruiker per maand | Small teams with central billing |
Pricing verified September 2026.
Gratis proefperiode: The tunnelbear free plan caps you at 500 MB per month. No card needed.
Geld-terug-garantie: None. Once you purchase TunnelBear, there is no refund window.
📌 Opmerking: Promotions, including TunnelBear’s Twitter offer, can lift the free account from 500 MB to 2 GB per month. Payment is by credit card only since Bitcoin was dropped.
⚠️ Price check: Some review sites list $9.99 monthly, $39.99 for year one, and $120 for three years. The annual deal can auto-renew at $59.88, so confirm pricing and renewal terms at checkout.
Belangrijkste voordelen van TunnelBear
What TunnelBear does well:
- Annual security audits: Cure53 has run a security audit on the apps every year since 2016. Findings, including high-severity ones, were published and fixed.
- A real free plan: 500 MB a month, full app, no card. Other vpn providers rarely give the complete client away.
- Onbeperkt aantal gelijktijdige verbindingen: The premium tier covers unlimited device connections, so one account runs the whole house.
- VigilantBear kill switch: If the vpn connection drops, all internet traffic stops until the tunnel is back.
- SplitBear and GhostBear: SplitBear picks which apps skip the tunnel. GhostBear disguises vpn traffic in heavily censored countries.
- Thin privacy policy: No IP addresses, no DNS queries, no browsing history. Operational data is limited to the OS version, the tunnelbear app version, and monthly data used.
Wat ons team opmerkte
Note: we have not had extended hands-on time with TunnelBear yet. Everything above comes from published documentation, Cure53 audit reports, transparency reports, and user reviews. We will add first-hand notes once our writer completes a full paid subscription cycle.
TunnelBear: Voordelen en nadelen
✅ Voordelen
- Gratis abonnement, geen creditcard nodig
- Independent Cure53 audits published since 2016
- Unlimited simultaneous connections on the paid tier
- Map interface that beginners understand direct
- Transparency reports show no user data handed over
❌ Nadelen
- Geen geld-terug-garantie op welk abonnement dan ook.
- Speeds average roughly 40% of base download speed
- Netflix and Amazon Prime Video usually return proxy errors
- No live chat, and no router or Linux installs
Functievergelijking
Both tools sit at the cheap end of the market, so the gaps show up fast. Here are the eleven areas that decide this one.
| Functie | SnelsteVPN | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Startprijs | $0,83/maand | $3,33/maand |
| Gratis plan | ❌ | ✅ 500 MB/mo |
| Servers / Countries | 800 / 49 | Not published / 47 |
| WireGuard-protocol | ✅ | ⚠️ Disputed |
| Deblokkeert Netflix | ✅ Partly | ❌ |
| Noodstop | ✅ | ✅ VigilantBear |
| Split Tunneling | ✅ Slimme tunneling | ✅ SplitBear |
| Gelijktijdige verbindingen | 10 | Onbeperkt |
| Geld-terug-garantie | ✅ 31 dagen | ❌ |
| Live chatondersteuning | ✅ 24/7 | ❌ Web form only |
| Het beste voor | Streaming and torrenting on a budget | Beginners who want a free plan |
1. Servernetwerk en locaties
Snelste VPN: The server list holds around 800 servers in 49 countries. That is a small server network next to NordVPN or ExpressVPN, and some entries are virtual servers rather than local hardware. FastestVPN servers are split into normal and streaming groups, and FastestVPN’s servers allow torrenting on every location.
TunnelBear: Coverage runs to 47 countries and 48 server locations. TunnelBear does not publish how many servers sit behind each pin, so you pick a flag and trust it. TunnelBear’s servers all permit P2P. The country TunnelBear itself operates from is Canada, and a Canada server is always in the list.
⚠️ Waarschuwing: With so few servers on either side, peak-hour crowding hits both. Try different servers in the same country before you blame your internet connection.
2. Speed and Protocols
Snelste VPN: Independent speed tests put the average download loss near 45%, with upload down about 22% and latency up 33% on one machine. FastestVPN claims roughly 730 Mbps on a nearby server over the WireGuard protocol. Long-distance hops bring slow speeds, losing up to 55%, so pick the nearest server when you can. WireGuard, OpenVPN TCP, and IKEv2 are all selectable.
TunnelBear: Reviewers record download speeds averaging about 40% of the base rate, and TunnelBear’s performance swings hard between locations. Connections can take over 10 seconds to establish. Turning GhostBear on drops throughput further.
⚠️ Conflicting sources: Some reviews say TunnelBear lacks WireGuard entirely. Newer documentation lists WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. Check the protocol menu in your build before you buy on that basis.
3. Streaming and Geo-Blocks
Snelste VPN: A dedicated tab holds servers tuned for the big streaming services: Netflix, Disney+, Hotstar, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. Multiple Netflix libraries open, including US, UK, Japan, and Sweden. Streaming FastestVPN is not flawless though, as the Australian library failed and US Netflix loaded slowly for some users.
TunnelBear: Netflix usually returns a proxy error, and the same happens on Amazon Prime Video and Hulu. Smaller streaming sites do work. GhostBear can force a way through, but the speed cost makes video painful.
⚠️ Waarschuwing: If you want to access global content on a free plan, the 500 MB data limit ends that idea in about 20 minutes of HD video.
4. Beveiliging en versleuteling
Snelste VPN: AES-256 encryption protects everything between an encrypted client and the vpn server. Altius IT ran a third-party audit and confirmed the logging claim. The security features list also covers a NAT firewall and DNS request routing through its own resolvers.
TunnelBear: Also AES-256, with Cure53 running a security audit every year since 2016. Those security audits found critical and high-severity bugs, which were patched and published. That cycle is rare among vpn providers at this price.
5. Noodstop en lekbeveiliging
Snelste VPN: The kill switch cuts the connection if the vpn tunnel collapses, and DNS leak protection keeps dns requests inside the network. Reviewers have questioned how reliably the switch fires. Independent dns leak tests on Windows have also exposed DNS and IP leaks.
TunnelBear: VigilantBear blocks all incoming and outgoing internet traffic until the vpn connection returns. Your real ip address stays masked and the vpn ip address takes over. No documented dns leaks sit against it.
⚠️ Waarschuwing: Run your own leak check on day one. Data leaks on a Windows build are worth catching inside the 31-day refund window.
6. Split Tunneling and Obfuscation
Snelste VPN: Smart Tunneling decides which apps ride the tunnel and which use your normal line. Handy when your bank blocks foreign ip addresses. Split tunneling is available on the main platforms.
TunnelBear: SplitBear does the same job for apps and websites. GhostBear then disguises vpn traffic so it looks like ordinary browser traffic under censorship. That is one of TunnelBear’s features you will not find on most cheap rivals.
7. Ondersteuning voor apps en apparaten
Snelste VPN: FastestVPN apps cover Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and routers. FastestVPN’s apps share one layout, and the Mac apps match the Windows build. The FastestVPN iOS app behaves the same way. Router support is how you reach an Apple TV or a console.
TunnelBear: The vpn apps include a Windows app, a Mac app, mobile apps, and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Routers and Linux are not supported at all. The premium tier does cover unlimited device connections, which FastestVPN caps at 10.
If you want to install FastestVPN on every screen you own, the router route covers devices simultaneously without touching the simultaneous device connections limit. Android users and iPhone owners get the same feature set on mobile devices.
8. Privacy and Logging
Snelste VPN: Based in the Cayman Islands, where no mandatory data retention laws apply. The no logs policy covers activity and connection timestamps alike. That jurisdiction also sits outside the Five Eyes group.
TunnelBear: No ip addresses, dns queries, or browsing history are stored, and transparency reports confirm nothing has ever been handed over. Operational data is limited to the os version, app version, and monthly usage. Canada’s Five Eyes membership is the catch for online privacy purists.
9. Extra gereedschap
Snelste VPN: The vpn features list runs long for the price: an ad blocker, malware filtering, port forwarding, and unlimited data on every plan. FastestVPN’s ad blocker works at the network level, so it catches ads inside apps too. A dedicated IP address and extra connections are paid add-ons.
TunnelBear: The paid tier also gives unlimited data, but the extras stop at VigilantBear, SplitBear, and GhostBear. No port forwarding, no dedicated IPs, no double VPN. TunnelBear Blocker, a separate tracker blocker for mobile, is the only bolt-on.
Neither bundles a wachtwoordbeheerder or antivirus software, and neither runs double VPN servers. If multi-hop matters, both are the wrong shelf.
10. Klantenservice
Snelste VPN: Live chat runs 24/7 with human agents, backed by email and a knowledge base. Replies come fast, though answers can read like templates. The knowledge base search is weak, so bladeren the categories instead.
TunnelBear: Customer support means a web form and email, available 24/7 in theory. There is no live chat support, and users report slow replies from the support team. The FAQ library is deep enough to solve most common issues alone.
11. Prijsbepaling en kosten
Here are both price lists side by side.
| Plantype | SnelsteVPN | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Vrij | ❌ | Testen en beperkt gebruik |
| Maandelijks | $5/mo (1 Month Plan) | — |
| Lange termijn | € 0,83/maand (1 jaar + 1 jaar gratis) | $3,33/maand (onbeperkt) |
| Levensduur | $40 (Exclusive Lifetime Plan) | ❌ |
| Teams | ❌ | $5,75 per gebruiker per maand |
| Refund window | 31 dagen geld-terug-garantie | Geen |
Snelste VPN: The $40 lifetime option is the headline. One payment, no paid subscription to cancel, and you still get the 31-day refund window if it flops. A FastestVPN subscription at $0.83/mo undercuts almost every rival on the shelf.
TunnelBear: The tunnelbear cost of $3.33/mo is fair for what it does, and the free account costs nothing to try. But when you purchase TunnelBear there is no refund, so the free plan is your only safety net.
Verschillende scenario's
| Als u het nodig heeft... | Kiezen | Waarom |
|---|---|---|
| Geen aanbetaling | TunnelBear | Gratis abonnement, geen kaart nodig |
| Laagste prijs op lange termijn | SnelsteVPN | $40 once, forever |
| Netflix and BBC iPlayer | SnelsteVPN | Streaming servers actually work |
| A refund option | SnelsteVPN | 31 days, no questions |
| Router or Linux setup | SnelsteVPN | TunnelBear supports neither |
| Simplest possible app | TunnelBear | One map, one switch |
| Every device on one account | TunnelBear | Onbeperkte verbindingen |
💰 Jouw budget
If your budget is literally zero, TunnelBear is the only option here. If you can spend $40 once, FastestVPN costs less over three years than one year of most other vpn services.
🔌 Jouw technologie-stack
Linux boxes, routers, and NAS units rule TunnelBear out immediately. On a laptop and a phone, either operating system choice works fine.
📺 Jouw streaminggewoonten
Regular streaming pushes you to FastestVPN, since TunnelBear mostly loses that fight. Even then, expect to switch servers when a library refuses to load.
🎓 Jouw ervaringsniveau
Complete beginners get further with TunnelBear on day one. Power users will hit its ceiling within a week and want the protocol and port forwarding controls FastestVPN offers.
🆓 Gratis proefversies en demo's
TunnelBear has no trial because the free tier is the trial. FastestVPN has no free version, so the refund window is the test period.
🛟 Ondersteuningsopties
Live chat matters more than people expect when a tunnel breaks at midnight. Only one of these two has it.
Overstaphandleiding
Already paying for one of them? Here is what changes.
🔄 Switching from FastestVPN to TunnelBear?
✅ Wat je eraan hebt:
- Onbeperkt aantal gelijktijdige verbindingen in plaats van 10.
- A published Cure53 audit every year since 2016
- Browser extensions and a far simpler app
❌ Wat je verliest:
- Working streaming servers and port forwarding
- The 31-day refund safety net
- Router, Linux, and ad blocker support
📋 Zo schakel je over:
- Claim your refund inside the 31-day window first
- Create a free account and test the 500 MB tier
- Uninstall the old client, then turn on VigilantBear
🔄 Switching from TunnelBear to FastestVPN?
✅ Wat je eraan hebt:
- Toegang tot streamingdiensten zoals Netflix, Hulu en Disney+.
- 24/7 live chat and a refund window
- Router support, ad blocker, and a lifetime price
❌ Wat je verliest:
- The free tier and the unlimited connection count
- Browser-extensies voor Chrome en Firefox
- An annual independent audit cycle
📋 Zo schakel je over:
- Note which server locations you actually used
- Buy the lifetime plan and install on your main devices
- Enable the kill switch, then run a leak test
If you are moving off the bear, this walkthrough covers the setup steps first.
Wat onze recensie niet behandelde
This comparison focused on individual users on Windows, Mac, and mobile. We did not test the Teams console at scale or measure torrent throughput over long sessions. Our notes reflect the September 2026 builds, and vpn providers change server counts and protocols often.
Eindconclusie
| Categorie | Winnaar |
|---|---|
| 💰 Prijzen | SnelsteVPN |
| 🌍 Servernetwerk | SnelsteVPN |
| ⚡ Snelheid | SnelsteVPN |
| 📺 Streaming | SnelsteVPN |
| 🔒 Privacy & Audits | TunnelBear |
| 👶 Gebruiksgemak | TunnelBear |
| 🛟 Ondersteuning | SnelsteVPN |
| 🏆 Algemene winnaar | SnelsteVPN |
🏆 WINNER: FASTESTVPN
FastestVPN wins 5 of 7 categories.
Het meest geschikt voor: Streaming, torrenting, router setups, and anyone who wants one payment instead of a renewal.
These two are aimed at different people. TunnelBear is a friendly front door to VPNs, and its audit record is better than its price suggests.
But a good vpn has to do the job you bought it for. TunnelBear cannot stream, cannot run on a router, and will not refund you if it disappoints.
Both are a safe vpn pick on the security basics. FastestVPN just keeps your encrypted data moving through more places, for less money, with a way out if it fails. That is why it takes this one.
Meer informatie over FastestVPN vergeleken
Neither of these is the fastest VPN on the market, so here is how our winner lands against bigger names.
FastestVPN wint op de volgende punten: one-time lifetime pricing, cheaper two-year cost, simpler app for first-timers
NordVPN scoort hoog op de volgende punten: 6,000+ servers, double VPN servers, consistently faster long-distance routes
FastestVPN wint op de volgende punten: price by a wide margin, built-in ad blocker, port forwarding support
ExpressVPN wint op de volgende punten: 105-country coverage, stronger streaming reliability, its own Lightway protocol
FastestVPN wint op de volgende punten: lifetime plan option, lower entry price, Cayman Islands base
Surfhaai wint op: unlimited devices, CleanWeb ad filtering across platforms, larger 100-country network
Meer informatie over TunnelBear
And how the bear measures up elsewhere:
TunnelBear vs ProtonVPN
TunnelBear wint op: friendlier map interface, unlimited devices on paid plans, cheaper entry price
ProtonVPN wint op de volgende punten: unlimited free data, open-source apps, Secure Core multi-hop routing
TunnelBear wint op: a genuine free tier, no device cap, gentler learning curve
NordVPN scoort hoog op de volgende punten: Netflix unblocking, Linux and router installs, far higher sustained speeds
TunnelBear wint op: no-card free plan, yearly published audits, lighter app footprint
CyberGhost wint op: 45-day refund policy, streaming-labelled servers, 90-country coverage
Veelgestelde vragen
Is TunnelBear echt gratis?
Yes. The free tier gives 500 MB a month with no card needed. Promotions can lift that to 2 GB. Unlimited data requires the paid plan.
Wordt TunnelBear geblokkeerd door Netflix?
Usually yes. Netflix returns a proxy error on most servers, and Amazon Prime Video behaves the same way. GhostBear occasionally gets through, but speeds then drop too far for video.
Welke VPN is beter dan TunnelBear?
For streaming, routers, and refunds, FastestVPN is the better buy at this price. For a simpler app and unlimited devices, TunnelBear VPN still holds its ground.
Is FastestVPN de moeite waard?
At $40 once, yes for most people. You get streaming servers, an ad blocker, port forwarding, and a 31-day refund. Speeds are average rather than class-leading.
Werkt FastestVPN met Netflix?
Mostly. US, UK, Japan, and Sweden libraries open through the streaming tab. The Australian library failed in testing, and a few libraries load slowly at peak times.
English 
Spanish 
Chinese 
German 
French 
Arabic 
Russian 
Portuguese 
Japanese 
Korean 
Italian 
Turkish 
Dutch 
Polish 
Indonesian 
Thai 
Vietnamese 