⚡ Quick Verdict:
- Pricing: PrivadoVPN starts at $1.11/month on the 24 month plan. TunnelBear cost starts at $3.33/mo on Unlimited.
- Best for: PrivadoVPN suits streaming sites and multi-device homes. TunnelBear suits VPN newbies who want a simple free account.
- Key difference: PrivadoVPN supports WireGuard, SOCKS5 and 10 simultaneous connections. TunnelBear offers unlimited device connections but a smaller feature set.
- Our pick: PrivadoVPN for most people, because the entry price is lower and the free version gives 10GB per month.
Two cheap VPNs. Two very different personalities.
TunnelBear wraps online privacy in bear puns and a world map.
PrivadoVPN keeps the interface plain and hands you more servers per dollar.
Both run a free service with a data limit attached.
Both sit at the cheap end of the VPN market.
Both also cost far less than the big VPN companies.
Here is how the two stack up before you spend anything.
Overview
This TunnelBear vs PrivadoVPN comparison covers pricing, server network, speeds, streaming and security features.
Our writer spent hands-on time inside the PrivadoVPN app.
Notes on TunnelBear come from published specs, its privacy policy and user reviews.
Every price below is taken straight from the plan pages of both VPN providers.
By the end you will know which VPN service fits your devices and budget.
What is PrivadoVPN?
PrivadoVPN is a Swiss VPN service run by Privado Networks AG.
It hides your real IP address and encrypts web traffic on any internet connection.
The company runs about 330 servers across 46 to 49 countries.
That is a small server network next to NordVPN or Proton VPN.
Its free version is the draw: 10GB of data every 30 days.
Paid plans lift that to unlimited data on 10 devices simultaneously.
Watch the walkthrough below before you judge the interface.
🏆 Winner: PrivadoVPN
Ten connections, WireGuard speeds and a 10GB free plan. The cheapest safe VPN pick in this matchup.
PrivadoVPN Pricing
Here is what a paid subscription costs. The long plans carry the discount.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Month Unlimited VPN+ 3 free | $1.11/month | Lowest cost per month |
| 12 Month Unlimited VPN+ 3 free | $1.33/month | A one-year commitment |
| 1 Month Plan | $10.99/month | Short trips and testing |
Pricing verified September 2026.
Free trial: No card needed. The free plan gives 10GB every 30 days, one device and 12 free servers.
Money-back guarantee: 30 days on paid plans. Payment runs through cards, PayPal or crypto.
📌 Note: Every paid tier includes unlimited data and 10 simultaneous connections. The bundled months in the “+3 free” plans are added at checkout.
⚠️ Price check: Some review sites list the annual plan at $2.50/month and the two-year plan at $1.99/month, renewing at $4.99 and $3.99. Promo prices change often, so confirm the exact rate and the renewal price at checkout.
Key Benefits of PrivadoVPN
Here is what you get for the money:
- Best free vpns shortlist: 10GB per month beats almost every rival free plan. Free users can even reach US Netflix.
- Ten connections: Cover all your devices on one paid account. The free plan allows one device only.
- Multiple security protocols: WireGuard sits beside OpenVPN and IKEv2 in the settings menu.
- Swiss base: Privado Networks AG answers to Swiss consumer privacy law, outside the Five Eyes group.
- Streaming capabilities: US Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video all load on the right VPN server.
- Extra tools: SOCKS5 proxy, SmartRoute split tunneling and the Privado Sentry antivirus add-on for malware protection.
- PhantomMode: A 2026 addition that keeps system-level protection active if the VPN connection drops briefly.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer signed up for PrivadoVPN and used it across Windows and Android for everyday browsing. Here is what stood out from that hands-on time:
PrivadoVPN Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Free plan gives 10GB of data every 30 days
- Up to 10 simultaneous connections on paid plans
- Unblocks US Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video
- WireGuard hit 830-880 Mbps in published speed tests
- 30-day money back guarantee on every paid plan
❌ Cons
- No third-party audit of the no logs claims
- Around 330 servers, far below the 1,600 average
- No split tunneling on the iOS app or macOS
- No multi-hop, dedicated IPs or map view for server locations
What is TunnelBear?
TunnelBear is a Canadian VPN owned by McAfee since 2018.
It encrypts your internet traffic and swaps your originating IP address for a server one.
The TunnelBear site lists servers in 47 countries.
Everything runs from a cartoon world map instead of a long list.
That design is why VPN newbies keep picking it.
Paid users get unlimited simultaneous connections, which few VPN companies still allow.
The video below shows the app in daily use.
TunnelBear
The friendliest VPN app you can install today. Audited since 2016 and open to unlimited devices.
TunnelBear Pricing
Three tiers, and one of them costs nothing.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Testing and Limited usage | Trying the app before you purchase TunnelBear |
| Unlimited | $3.33/mo | One person with unlimited data needs |
| Teams | $5.75/user per month | Small teams with a shared billing account |
Pricing verified September 2026.
Free trial: No trial on paid tiers. The TunnelBear free plan caps you at 500MB per month instead.
Money-back guarantee: None advertised. Payment is credit card only since Bitcoin was dropped.
📌 Note: TunnelBear’s Twitter promo has bumped free accounts to 2GB in the past. It is a bonus, not a standing offer.
⚠️ Price check: Some review sites list $9.99 monthly, $39.99 yearly and $120 for three years, with the yearly plan renewing at $59.88. Confirm the current rate at checkout. With no money back guarantee, the monthly option is the safer first purchase.
Key Benefits of TunnelBear
Here is where TunnelBear’s features earn their keep:
- Security audits: Cure53 has run a security audit on TunnelBear every year since 2016. Critical and high-severity findings were published and fixed.
- Unlimited devices: One paid account covers all your devices with no seat count.
- VigilantBear: This VPN kill switch blocks incoming and outgoing traffic until the tunnel returns.
- GhostBear: An obfuscation layer that disguises VPN traffic in heavily censored countries.
- SplitBear: Split tunneling that lets you route only chosen apps through the tunnel.
- Transparency reports: TunnelBear publishes data requests received and has had nothing to hand over.
- Browser extensions: Light extensions protect browser traffic without routing the whole operating system.
What Our Team Noticed
Note: we have not had extended hands-on time with TunnelBear yet. The points above come from its documentation, its published transparency reports and public user reviews.
TunnelBear Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Independent Cure53 security audits every year since 2016
- Unlimited simultaneous connections on the premium plan
- The map interface is the easiest we have seen
- No logs of IP addresses, DNS queries or browsing history
❌ Cons
- No money back guarantee on any paid subscription
- Speeds averaged around 40% of the base download speed
- Netflix and Amazon Prime usually return a proxy error
- No router or Linux support and no live chat support
Feature Comparison
Ten rounds, scored on what each VPN service actually ships. The table gives you the short version, then we open each one up.
| Feature | PrivadoVPN | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $1.11/month | $3.33/mo |
| Free Plan | ✅ 10GB / 30 days | ✅ 500MB / month |
| Simultaneous Connections | ✅ 10 | ✅ Unlimited |
| WireGuard Protocol | ✅ | ❌ Disputed |
| Unblocks US Netflix | ✅ | ❌ |
| Split Tunneling | ✅ Windows, Android | ✅ SplitBear |
| Independent Security Audit | ❌ | ✅ Cure53 |
| Money Back Guarantee | ✅ 30 days | ❌ |
| Live Chat Support | ✅ | ❌ |
| Best For | Streaming on many devices | Simple, audited privacy |
1. Server Network and Server Locations
PrivadoVPN: PrivadoVPN’s server network sits at roughly 330 servers in 46 to 49 countries. The industry average is closer to 1,600, so this is a small server network by any measure. Free users reach 12 of PrivadoVPN’s servers; paid users reach every location.
TunnelBear: How many servers you get is not published clearly. TunnelBear’s servers cover 47 countries, listed elsewhere as 48 server locations. A Canada server sits close to head office, and picking the nearest server on the map is one tap.
⚠️ Warning: Neither brand splits out physical servers from virtual servers. If you need more servers and more extensive server networks, look at NordVPN or Surfshark instead.
2. Download Speeds and Performance
PrivadoVPN: The WireGuard VPN protocol reached 830-880 Mbps in published tests. Local servers lost only 8-15% of the base internet connection. One harsher test set showed a 48% average loss, with upload speeds down 58.6% and latency up 83%.
TunnelBear: TunnelBear’s performance is the weak spot. Download speeds averaged around 40% of the base rate, and different servers varied widely. Distant locations drag, GhostBear drags harder, and connections can take over 10 seconds to establish.
3. Streaming Sites and Netflix Libraries
PrivadoVPN: US Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video load on the right server. Even the free tier can reach US Netflix, which is rare. It fails on Disney Plus and on Netflix libraries in Australia, Canada and Japan, and BBC iPlayer access is hit or miss.
TunnelBear: Netflix usually answers with a proxy error. The big streaming services block it too, though smaller streaming sites still work. GhostBear can sometimes push past a block, but it cuts your speed badly while you access global content.
⚠️ Warning: Streaming capabilities change monthly. Test with the free plan before you pay for a year of either one.
4. Encryption and VPN Protocols
PrivadoVPN: AES-256 protects your encrypted data. You can switch between OpenVPN and IKEv2 or move to WireGuard for speed. Those multiple security protocols cover both older routers and modern phones.
TunnelBear: Also AES-256, with the same no-logging promise behind it. Protocol support is the muddy part. Some sources list WireGuard alongside OpenVPN and IKEv2, others say WireGuard is missing, and slower speeds point to the second version.
5. Kill Switch and DNS Leak Protection
PrivadoVPN: The kill switch feature cuts your internet the moment the VPN connection drops, which stops data leaks. The Android app includes it; the iOS build does not. DNS leak protection keeps dns requests inside the tunnel.
TunnelBear: VigilantBear is the VPN kill switch here, and it blocks all internet traffic until the tunnel is back. It is on by default in the desktop apps. DNS leaks were part of what Cure53 checked in the audits.
6. Split Tunneling and SOCKS5 Proxy
PrivadoVPN: SmartRoute handles split tunneling on Windows and Android. It is absent on iOS and macOS, which is a real gap for Apple households. A SOCKS5 proxy is included for torrent clients, though port forwarding is not offered.
The SOCKS5 option lives one level deeper in the app.
TunnelBear: SplitBear does the same job and lets you keep banking apps off the tunnel. Look in the settings menu if you want the app to automatically connect at startup. Auto connect on untrusted Wi-Fi is the setting most people turn on first.
7. Privacy, Logging and Security Audits
PrivadoVPN: The strict no logs policy covers browsing history, IP addresses, dns queries and traffic destinations. It still stores email addresses and device identifiers, and some data may be kept indefinitely. No third-party audit, no transparency report, no warrant canary and no RAM-only servers, only disk encryption.
TunnelBear: This is TunnelBear’s strongest round. It keeps no record of your ip address, DNS queries or browsing history, and Cure53 has verified that yearly. It does collect operational data such as the OS version, the TunnelBear app version and monthly data used. Canada is the home country TunnelBear operates from, which places it inside Five Eyes.
8. Free Version and Data Limits
PrivadoVPN: PrivadoVPN’s free version gives 10GB every 30 days on one device. That is enough for a few evenings of HD video. It ranks on most best free VPNs lists for exactly that reason.
TunnelBear: A free account gets 500MB per month, occasionally raised to 2GB. That data limit is a sampler, not a free service you can live on. Paid plans lift you to unlimited data.
✅ Result: Free users get roughly 20 times more data from PrivadoVPN. Among free VPNs, that gap decides most downloads.
9. Apps, Ease of Use and Device Support
PrivadoVPN: Native apps cover Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Fire TV and Android TV. The PrivadoVPN app uses a plain country list with no map view, and the Windows window cannot be resized. Privado Sentry adds optional malware protection, though neither VPN filters malicious websites by default.
TunnelBear: The Windows app, Mac app, iOS app and Android app all share the bear map, and browser extensions cover browser traffic only. There is no router or Linux support, and neither provider ships for Apple TV. Both sets of mobile apps install in about a minute, and the VPN apps look near identical on iOS and Android.
This short tutorial walks through the TunnelBear app on desktop.
10. Pricing & Cost
Now the money, side by side.
| Plan | PrivadoVPN | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 10GB per 30 days | Testing and Limited usage |
| Monthly | $10.99/month | — |
| Annual | $1.33/month | — |
| Two-year | $1.11/month | — |
| Unlimited | — | $3.33/mo |
| Teams | — | $5.75/user per month |
PrivadoVPN: The 24 month plan at $1.11/month is the cheapest route, and it carries a 30-day refund window. The one-month plan at $10.99 is pricey, so treat it as a trial month. Cards, PayPal and crypto are all accepted.
TunnelBear: Curious about TunnelBear cost over a year? Unlimited runs $3.33/mo and Teams runs $5.75/user per month for shared billing. There is no refund policy, so the free plan is your only safety net.
Different Scenarios
| If You Need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The lowest yearly price | PrivadoVPN | $1.11/month on 24 months |
| Netflix and iPlayer | PrivadoVPN | TunnelBear returns proxy errors |
| Audited no-logs proof | TunnelBear | Cure53 audits since 2016 |
| Endless devices | TunnelBear | Unlimited device connections |
| A big free plan | PrivadoVPN | 10GB versus 500MB |
| The simplest app | TunnelBear | One-tap world map |
💰 Your Budget
PrivadoVPN costs a third of TunnelBear on its longest plan. If you only want one month, TunnelBear is the cheaper short-term buy.
🔌 Your Tech Stack
Fire TV and Android TV users are better served by PrivadoVPN. Mac and iOS households lose split tunneling there, which tilts things back to TunnelBear.
📺 Your Streaming Habits
If streaming is the reason you want a VPN, this is not close. PrivadoVPN streams in Ultra HD on local servers while TunnelBear stalls at the Netflix gate.
🎓 Your Experience Level
Total beginners rarely get lost in TunnelBear. Power users will find both apps thin and should look at NordVPN or Proton VPN.
🆓 Free Trials and Demos
Neither one offers a paid trial, so run the free tiers first. PrivadoVPN adds a 30-day refund if the paid plan disappoints.
🛟 Support Options
PrivadoVPN has live chat support and email, though the help site is thin and 24/7 chat coverage is disputed. TunnelBear customer support runs on a web form and email only, and its support team has drawn complaints over slow replies.
Switching Guide
Already paying for one of them? Here is what changes.
🔄 Switching from PrivadoVPN to TunnelBear?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Yearly Cure53 audits and public transparency reports
- Unlimited simultaneous connections instead of a 10 device cap
- GhostBear obfuscation for censored networks
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Netflix and BBC iPlayer access
- The 10GB free tier and the 30-day refund
- SOCKS5 proxy and the Sentry antivirus add-on
📋 How to switch:
- Cancel auto-renewal inside your PrivadoVPN account page
- Create a free TunnelBear account and test 500MB first
- Upgrade to Unlimited, then reinstall on every device
🔄 Switching from TunnelBear to PrivadoVPN?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Faster WireGuard speeds and working streaming servers
- A far larger free plan at 10GB per month
- A 30-day refund window and crypto payment options
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Independent audit history
- Unlimited device connections
- The map interface and browser extensions
📋 How to switch:
- Turn off TunnelBear renewal before the next billing date
- Start on the PrivadoVPN free plan and test your streaming sites
- Pick the 24 month plan and sign in on up to 10 devices
What Our Review Didn’t Cover
We focused on home users on Windows, Android and iOS. Router setups, Linux boxes, torrenting at scale and business rollouts sat outside this comparison. Speed figures come from published test data, not from a lab we ran, and VPN performance shifts with your own internet connection.
Final Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing | PrivadoVPN |
| 🚀 Server Network | PrivadoVPN |
| ⚡ Speed | PrivadoVPN |
| 📺 Streaming | PrivadoVPN |
| 🔐 Privacy Proof | TunnelBear |
| 👶 Ease of Use | TunnelBear |
| 🔌 Device Support | Tie |
| 🏆 Overall Winner | PrivadoVPN |
🏆 WINNER: PRIVADOVPN
PrivadoVPN wins 4 of 7 categories.
Best for: streaming, multi-device homes, tight budgets, heavy free plan use
These two VPNs chase different buyers. PrivadoVPN sells capability per dollar: WireGuard speed, working Netflix servers and 10GB free every month.
TunnelBear sells trust and simplicity. The audit record is real, the no-logging policy is verified, and nobody gets confused by the map.
If audited privacy matters more than anything else, TunnelBear earns the money. For everyone else, PrivadoVPN does more for less.
More of PrivadoVPN Compared
Still weighing other VPN providers? Here is where PrivadoVPN lands against three of them.
PrivadoVPN wins on: entry price, a genuinely usable free tier, crypto payments
NordVPN wins on: thousands of VPN servers, audited no-logs claims, multi-hop and dedicated IPs
PrivadoVPN wins on: 10 connections versus fewer, cheaper long plans, Fire TV and Android TV apps
Proton VPN wins on: unlimited free data, open-source audited apps, Secure Core routing
PrivadoVPN wins on: a free plan Surfshark lacks, Swiss base, SOCKS5 proxy access
Surfshark VPN wins on: unlimited devices, far more server locations, ad and tracker blocking
More of TunnelBear Compared
And here is TunnelBear against three other VPN services.
TunnelBear wins on: unlimited connections, a free tier, a gentler learning curve
NordVPN wins on: raw download speeds, reliable streaming access, Linux and router support
TunnelBear vs McAfee VPN
TunnelBear wins on: standalone pricing, published audits, GhostBear obfuscation
McAfee VPN wins on: antivirus bundling, identity monitoring extras, family plan value
TunnelBear vs ExpressVPN
TunnelBear wins on: price per month, unlimited devices, free plan availability
ExpressVPN wins on: speed consistency, streaming unblocking, 24/7 live chat and router firmware
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TunnelBear really free?
Yes. The free tier caps you at 500MB per month, sometimes 2GB through promos. There is no time limit, but video will burn that quota fast.
Is PrivadoVPN completely free?
There is a free tier with 10GB every 30 days on one device. Paid plans unlock unlimited data, every location and 10 simultaneous connections.
Is TunnelBear blocked by Netflix?
Usually yes. Netflix returns a proxy error on most servers, and Amazon Prime behaves the same way. Streaming is the weakest part of the service.
Which VPN is better than TunnelBear?
For streaming and price, PrivadoVPN. For bigger networks and faster speeds, NordVPN or Proton VPN. TunnelBear still leads on audit history and device count.
Is PrivadoVPN safe to use?
It uses AES-256 encryption, a kill switch and a strict no logs policy. No independent audit exists yet, so trust rests on the Swiss privacy policy.
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