⚡ Quick Verdict:
- Pricing: TunnelBear costs $3.33/mo on the Unlimited plan. OpenVPN costs $7/month on Growth, with a free tier on both.
- Best for: TunnelBear suits VPN newbies who want online privacy in two clicks. OpenVPN suits teams that need secure remote access and site-to-site networking.
- Key difference: TunnelBear is a finished VPN service with mobile apps and browser extensions. OpenVPN is an open source VPN protocol plus a self-hosted platform.
- Our pick: TunnelBear for most home users. It costs less per month and needs zero manual configuration.
These two products are not really rivals.
One is a consumer VPN service you download and click.
The other is the tunneling protocol that half the VPN market runs on.
People still compare them, because both promise a private network and an encrypted client.
So here is what each one actually gives you, and where each one falls short.
Overview
This TunnelBear vs OpenVPN comparison covers pricing, security features, speed, and support.
Our writer spent hands-on time with OpenVPN directly.
Notes on TunnelBear come from its documentation, its privacy policy, and published reviews.
Pricing comes from our own pricing record for both VPN providers.
By the end you will know which one fits your internet connection and your budget.
What is TunnelBear?
TunnelBear VPN is a Canadian service owned by McAfee.
It encrypts your internet traffic and hides your real IP address.
The TunnelBear app opens on a cartoon world map, and you pick a country.
That quirky bear theme is the reason many VPN newbies start here.
You get a Windows app, a Mac app, mobile apps, and browser extensions.
There is no router or Linux install, so Apple TV needs a workaround.
Here is the TunnelBear app in motion before we get into numbers.
🏆 Winner: TunnelBear
The simplest way to encrypt a home internet connection. Free account first, paid subscription later. Unlimited simultaneous connections on the paid plan.
TunnelBear Pricing
Here is what TunnelBear costs on our pricing record.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Testing and Limited usage | Trying the free version on one device |
| Unlimited | $3.33/mo | Home users who want unlimited data |
| Teams | $5.75/user per month | Small teams with central billing |
Pricing verified September 2026.
Free trial: No timed trial. The TunnelBear free plan works instead, and no credit card is needed to purchase TunnelBear access later.
Money-back guarantee: None. TunnelBear does not offer a money back guarantee on subscriptions, so the free account is your only real test.
📌 Note: The free tier caps you at 500 MB of data per month, and promotional activity on the TunnelBear site or TunnelBear’s Twitter account can raise that to 2 GB. Payment is by credit card only since Bitcoin was dropped.
Key Benefits of TunnelBear
Here is what makes TunnelBear’s features worth a look:
- Unlimited device connections: TunnelBear offers unlimited simultaneous connections on the premium subscription. You can cover all your devices on one account.
- Audited no-logs policy: Cure53 has run security audits since 2016. TunnelBear publishes transparency reports and says it has never had user data to hand over.
- VigilantBear kill switch: This kill switch blocks all incoming and outgoing internet traffic if the VPN connection drops. It re-opens traffic once the tunnel is back.
- SplitBear split tunneling: Split tunneling lets you send only chosen apps or sites through the tunnel. Banking sites can stay on your normal internet access.
- GhostBear obfuscation: GhostBear disguises VPN traffic to help in countries with heavy censorship. It costs you download speeds in exchange.
- A free plan with no card: The free version gives you the full desktop app under a data limit. It is a safe VPN sampler before any paid subscription.
What Our Team Noticed
Note: We have not had extended hands-on time with the TunnelBear app yet. Everything above is drawn from TunnelBear’s documentation, its privacy policy, its published audit results, and third-party reviews.
TunnelBear Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Unlimited simultaneous connections on the premium plan
- Independent Cure53 security audits every year since 2016
- Free plan works without a credit card
- Simple setup that suits first-time VPN users
❌ Cons
- No money-back guarantee on any subscription
- Small server network compared with larger VPN services
- No live chat support, only email and a web form
What is OpenVPN?
OpenVPN is one name for two things.
First, it is an open source VPN protocol created in 2001 for building a virtual private network.
It builds a secure tunnel between a VPN client and a VPN server using SSL/TLS.
Second, OpenVPN software from OpenVPN Inc. is something you run yourself.
That side includes OpenVPN Access Server, the free OpenVPN Community Edition, and the OpenVPN Connect client software.
Companies use it for secure connections into private networks, and for site-to-site links.
This walkthrough shows how the protocol and the platform fit together.
OpenVPN
The open source VPN protocol behind most VPN providers. Run your own OpenVPN servers, or let the hosted plan do it. Free for three connections.
OpenVPN Pricing
Here is what the hosted OpenVPN service costs.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Testing OpenVPN connections at small scale |
| Growth | $7/month | Teams needing secure remote access |
| Enterprise | Custom | Large networks and zero trust rollouts |
Pricing verified September 2026.
Free trial: The free tier is permanent, not a countdown trial. The OpenVPN Community Edition is separate and stays free with no seat cap.
Money-back guarantee: Not advertised. The free plan removes most of the risk of paying for the wrong thing.
📌 Note: Pricing is per connection, not per user, so cost scales with how many devices sit on your VPN connections at once. Self-hosting the protocol on your own hardware still costs you nothing in licence fees.
⚠️ Warning: Free does not mean zero cost. You still pay for a server, and manual configuration takes real time. That is why people ask why OpenVPN is so expensive once staffing is counted.
Key Benefits of OpenVPN
Here is why OpenVPN still matters in 2026:
- Open code, public review: Anyone can inspect the open source OpenVPN protocol for flaws. That scrutiny is why it offers better security than most VPN protocols and is trusted by most VPN providers as a safe VPN base.
- TCP or UDP, your choice: OpenVPN TCP delivers every packet in order and OpenVPN UDP trades that for speed. You pick reliability or throughput per connection.
- Strong cryptography: Secure Sockets Layer and TLS wrap the data traffic, and the OpenSSL library supplies AES and Blowfish encryption algorithms. Perfect Forward Secrecy limits the damage from any single key leak.
- Firewall friendly: The protocol crosses firewalls and NAT gateways that block other tunneling protocols. TLS auth and an HMAC firewall drop unsigned packets before they are processed.
- Runs almost anywhere: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and even Tomato or Solaris. You can install OpenVPN on a router, which TunnelBear does not allow.
- Built for business: Secure remote access, IoT traffic, SaaS protection, and zero trust access rules sit in one console. DNS security and content filtering are included.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer set up OpenVPN Connect on a laptop and a phone, then imported an .ovpn profile by hand. Here is what stood out from that session:
OpenVPN Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Open source code that anyone can audit
- Works on desktops, mobile devices, and routers
- Free Community Edition with no seat limit
- Crosses firewalls that block other VPN protocols
❌ Cons
- Slower than newer protocols such as WireGuard
- Manual setup is hard for non-technical users
- No server locations of its own for streaming
Feature Comparison
Below are ten areas that decide which tool belongs on your machine. Some of them are close. A few are not close at all.
| Feature | TunnelBear | OpenVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $3.33/mo | $7/month |
| Free Plan | ✅ | ✅ |
| Own Server Network | ✅ | ❌ |
| Kill Switch | ✅ | ✅ |
| Split Tunneling | ✅ | ✅ |
| Router Install | ❌ | ✅ |
| Live Chat Support | ❌ | ❌ |
| Money Back Guarantee | ❌ | ❌ |
| Best For | Home online privacy | Business remote access |
1. Ease of Use and Setup
TunnelBear: Create a free account, install the app, flip a switch. The world map handles country choice, so there is nothing to configure. Setup on all your devices takes a few minutes each.
This short tutorial covers the whole first-run flow.
OpenVPN: You either install OpenVPN yourself or sign in to a hosted portal. Manual configuration means editing .ovpn text files, importing certificates, and opening the OpenVPN GUI. The difference between VPN and OpenVPN shows up right here.
2. VPN Protocols
TunnelBear: Its own documentation lists OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard across platforms. Some reviews still describe missing WireGuard support, which points at slow rollout rather than a custom security protocol.
OpenVPN: The OpenVPN protocol operates at the transport layer, creating VPN tunnels over TCP or the UDP protocol. TCP Transmission Control Protocol guarantees delivery order. UDP User Datagram Protocol drops that guarantee for speed.
⚠️ Warning: Sources disagree on TunnelBear’s protocol list. Check the protocol setting inside the app on your own operating system before you assume WireGuard is available.
3. Encryption and Security Features
TunnelBear: AES-256 sits at the top of its encryption protocols, protecting your browser traffic and everything else on the device. VigilantBear cuts the internet if the tunnel drops, and SplitBear keeps chosen apps outside it.
OpenVPN: You choose the encryption ciphers, key lengths, and authentication method yourself. Public key infrastructure handles certificates, while a hash message authentication code check rejects tampered packets. That control is why it is rated with the safest VPN protocols.
4. Privacy, Logging and Security Audits
TunnelBear: The privacy policy says it does not store IP addresses, DNS queries, or browsing history. It does collect operational data such as OS version, TunnelBear app version, and monthly data used, none of which your internet service provider ever sees. Canada sits inside Five Eyes, which some readers will weigh.
OpenVPN: Logging is your decision, because you own the VPN servers. No third party sits between you and your sensitive data. DNS security and content filtering rules are set by your own admin.
✅ Audit note: TunnelBear’s security audits did surface critical and high-severity issues, and those were fixed and published. A vendor that reports its own bad findings is doing this correctly.
5. Server Network and Server Locations
TunnelBear: Counts vary by source, from 47 countries to 48 server locations, including a Canada server close to home. That is a small server network next to other VPN providers. How many servers you get matters less than whether the nearest server is close.
OpenVPN: There are no OpenVPN servers waiting for you. You build them, or you connect to a provider that already runs OpenVPN compatible service endpoints. Site-to-site networking links whole offices, so large organisations run virtual private networks between buildings.
6. Speed and Download Speeds
TunnelBear: Published tests put TunnelBear’s performance near 40% of base download speeds across different servers, and TunnelBear’s servers vary widely between regions. Distant locations drag more, GhostBear drags more still, and connections can take over ten seconds. Results swing hard by server location.
OpenVPN: The protocol is slower than WireGuard by design, since SSL/TLS adds overhead. Switching from OpenVPN TCP to OpenVPN UDP usually recovers a chunk of that. Your hardware sets the ceiling, not a shared VPN service.
7. Streaming and Access to Global Content
TunnelBear: Streaming sites are the weak spot. Netflix often returns a proxy error, and Amazon Prime Video and Hulu are hit or miss. Smaller platforms work more often, and the free version’s data limit rules out long sessions anyway.
OpenVPN: A self-hosted tunnel points at your own IP address, so it does not help you access global content. To unblock a catalogue you need a commercial VPN service with residential exit points.
8. Device Support and Mobile Apps
TunnelBear: Polished apps cover Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, plus Chrome and Firefox browser extensions. Older Windows mobile devices and Linux are not supported, and routers are out. One paid account covers many devices simultaneously.
OpenVPN: OpenVPN clients exist for all major operating systems, and the same VPN tunnel also secures IoT gear. Mobile devices work, though the experience is less polished than a consumer app. Router support puts the tunnel on hardware TunnelBear cannot reach.
9. Customer Support
TunnelBear: Customer support runs through a web form and email, available around the clock but slow in practice. There is no live chat support. The FAQ library on the TunnelBear site solves most common problems without the support team.
OpenVPN: Paid plans get ticket support from the OpenVPN company. Free and Community Edition users lean on documentation and community forums. Answers are technical, which helps admins and frustrates beginners.
10. Pricing & Cost
Here are both price lists side by side.
| Plan Level | TunnelBear | OpenVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Testing and Limited usage | $0 |
| Individual / Growth | Unlimited $3.33/mo | Growth $7/month |
| Business | Teams $5.75/user per month | Enterprise: Custom |
TunnelBear: The TunnelBear cost of $3.33/mo buys unlimited data and unlimited devices. There is no refund window, so test the free plan first.
OpenVPN: At $7/month the hosted plan is pricier on paper, but it replaces separate remote access tooling. OpenVPN free stays genuinely free if you host it.
Different Scenarios
| If You Need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A cheap personal VPN | TunnelBear | Half the monthly price |
| Remote access to a company network | OpenVPN | Built for private networks |
| Protection on public Wi-Fi | TunnelBear | Two clicks, no setup |
| Full control of encryption keys | OpenVPN | You own the VPN server |
| A VPN on your router | OpenVPN | TunnelBear blocks router installs |
| Beginner-friendly apps | TunnelBear | Gentlest learning curve |
💰 Your Budget
TunnelBear’s paid tier is the cheaper line item every month. OpenVPN can be free forever if you already run a server and do not mind the work.
🔌 Your Tech Stack
Linux boxes, routers, and IoT hardware point straight at OpenVPN. A laptop and a phone point at TunnelBear.
🎓 Your Experience Level
Power users enjoy tuning an OpenVPN server. Everyone else wants an app that already works.
🛡️ Your Privacy Bar
If you want nobody between you and the internet, self-hosting wins. If an audited no-logs promise is enough, TunnelBear clears that bar.
🆓 Free Trials and Demos
Both let you start without paying, which matters because neither offers refunds. Run each one for a week before you commit.
🛟 Support Options
Neither vendor offers live chat, so expect ticket queues. OpenVPN’s community forums often answer faster than either official channel.
Switching Guide
Already running one of them? Here is what changes.
🔄 Switching from TunnelBear to OpenVPN?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Router, Linux, and IoT coverage
- Control over encryption ciphers and logging
- Site-to-site links between offices
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Ready-made server locations in 47 countries
- One-click country switching for geo-blocked sites
- The friendly app and browser extensions
📋 How to switch:
- Cancel the TunnelBear paid subscription before renewal
- Spin up an OpenVPN Access Server or a hosted plan
- Add ovpn profiles to OpenVPN Connect on each device
🔄 Switching from OpenVPN to TunnelBear?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- No server to patch or maintain
- Country hopping for region-locked content
- Unlimited device connections on one bill
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Router and Linux support
- Your own logging and certificate policy
- Zero trust access rules for staff
📋 How to switch:
- Export any config you still need, then retire the server
- Open a free TunnelBear account and test the data cap
- Upgrade to Unlimited and install on every device
What Our Review Didn’t Cover
We did not run our own speed benchmarks, and we did not test for DNS leaks or other data leaks on either product. Enterprise pricing, custom contracts, and large zero trust rollouts sit outside this comparison. Everything here reflects the September 2026 versions and our current pricing record. If you manage hundreds of seats, your priorities will look different from a home user’s.
Final Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing | TunnelBear |
| 👶 Ease of Use | TunnelBear |
| 🔐 Security Control | OpenVPN |
| 🌍 Server Locations | TunnelBear |
| ⚡ Speed Ceiling | OpenVPN |
| 🖥️ Device Coverage | OpenVPN |
| 🛟 Support | TunnelBear |
| 🏆 Overall Winner | TunnelBear |
🏆 WINNER: TUNNELBEAR
TunnelBear wins 4 of 7 categories.
Best for: public Wi-Fi safety, first-time VPN users, households covering many devices at once
TunnelBear wins because most people asking this question want a working VPN today, not a networking project. It is cheaper, it installs in minutes, and its audit history is public.
OpenVPN is the stronger engineering choice, and it is the protocol TunnelBear itself relies on. If you run infrastructure, need router coverage, or want every encryption setting in your own hands, pick it without hesitation.
One caution for both: neither refunds you, and TunnelBear’s streaming record is poor. It is still a good VPN for everyday browsing, so start on the free tiers.
More of TunnelBear Compared
Here is how TunnelBear lands against other VPN services people shortlist beside it:
TunnelBear wins on: lower monthly price, unlimited simultaneous connections, a gentler first-run experience
NordVPN wins on: a far larger server count, dependable Netflix access, a 30-day refund window
TunnelBear wins on: price, a usable free tier, device count on one plan
ExpressVPN wins on: raw speed, router firmware, unblocking streaming sites reliably
TunnelBear vs Surfshark VPN
TunnelBear wins on: the free account, audit history length, interface simplicity
Surfshark VPN wins on: 100 countries, ad blocking, money-back guarantee
TunnelBear wins on: cheaper paid tier, simpler apps, unlimited devices
ProtonVPN wins on: unlimited free data, Swiss jurisdiction outside Five Eyes, Linux clients
More of OpenVPN Compared
Here is how OpenVPN compares with the consumer services that ship it:
OpenVPN wins on: zero licence cost when self-hosted, full control of logs, business remote access features
NordVPN wins on: thousands of ready servers, faster NordLynx tunnels, no maintenance on your side
OpenVPN wins on: configuration depth, site-to-site networking, per-connection pricing for teams
ExpressVPN wins on: pre-configured OpenVPN endpoints, high speeds without tuning, 24/7 live help
OpenVPN vs Private Internet Access
OpenVPN wins on: owning the server, custom certificate policy, enterprise access controls
Private Internet Access wins on: selectable encryption levels in-app, huge IP pool, low yearly price
OpenVPN vs CyberGhost
OpenVPN wins on: transparency of code, no third-party trust needed, IoT and router reach
CyberGhost wins on: an easy interface for switching to OpenVPN, streaming-tuned servers, 45-day refunds
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TunnelBear really free?
Yes, the free tier is permanent and needs no card. It caps you at 500 MB monthly, which promotions can lift to 2 GB. Unlimited data requires the paid plan.
Is TunnelBear blocked by Netflix?
Often, yes. Netflix usually returns a proxy error, and Amazon Prime and Hulu block it too. Smaller platforms work more reliably. Pick another service if streaming is your main goal.
What is the difference between VPN and OpenVPN?
A VPN is the service you subscribe to. OpenVPN is the tunneling protocol that carries the traffic. Many commercial providers run OpenVPN underneath their own apps.
Is OpenVPN free and safe?
The Community Edition is free, and how OpenVPN works is open to public inspection, so flaws get patched quickly. Safety then depends on how carefully your server is configured.
Which VPN is better than TunnelBear?
For streaming and speed, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark all rank higher. For simplicity on a small budget with unlimited devices, the bear is still hard to beat.
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