Proton VPN vs TunnelBear
Side-by-side comparison based on Reddit & Twitter discussions
Community Pick
Proton VPN
Based on community sentiment and discussions
Proton VPN
Winner
Approval Rate
71%
493 recommend · 203 warn
Data Quality
High
Reviews
1,012
Reviewers
836
Best for:
People who want a good free VPN that doesn’t feel sketchy
Privacy-focused users who like the Proton ecosystem
Folks who want optional anonymous payments
Everyday users who want a reliable VPN for general browsing
Proton VPN has a solid reputation as a privacy-focused VPN, and a lot of people like it because it feels trustworthy and reliable day to day. The free plan gets praised a lot as one of the better “act...
Approval Rate
54%
20 recommend · 17 warn
Data Quality
High
Reviews
53
Reviewers
51
Best for:
Beginners who want a simple VPN that’s easy to install
People who mainly need light browsing protection on public Wi‑Fi
Anyone who prefers using a browser extension instead of a full VPN app
Casual users who don’t mind upgrading if they hit limits
TunnelBear has a friendly reputation as an easy, no-fuss VPN that a lot of people recommend when someone just needs something that “works.” It’s often mentioned as a quick download for basic browsing,...
Performance by Use Case
| Use Case | Proton VPN | Winner | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming | 74% (64) | ← | 50% (4) |
| Torrenting | 74% (37) | ← | - |
| Privacy | 67% (397) | ← | 50% (8) |
| Censorship | 60% (73) | ← | 33% (7) |
| Gaming | 44% (9) | ← | 50% (2) |
| Travel | 83% (7) | ← | - |
| Work | 100% (3) | ← | - |
| Router | 67% (4) | ← | - |
| Mobile | 100% (2) | - | - |
| Price | 73% (52) | ← | 33% (7) |
Proton VPN
Strengths
- Strong privacy reputation
- Best-in-class free tier
- No-logs and audit-focused image
- Anonymous payment options
- Good reliability overall
Weaknesses
- Can be slower than competitors
- Port forwarding can be annoying for torrenting setups
- Auto-connect behavior can be frustrating
- Not everyone trusts it as much as top privacy rivals
TunnelBear
Strengths
- Easy to use
- Handy Chrome browser extension
- Good for basic browsing
- Sometimes works when other VPNs don’t
- Decent option for quick, simple setup
Weaknesses
- Free plan feels very limited
- Some locations require paying
- Servers can be unreliable for some people
- Streaming results can be inconsistent
- Occasional browser extension glitches