TunnelBear Review

Community-sourced VPN review based on real Reddit & Twitter discussions

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Community Verdict
Mixed Reviews

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,...

54%
positive
53
reviews
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
54% Positive Reviews
20 recommend, 17 warn
High Data Quality
53 reviews from 51 people
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
Approval Rate
54% positive
20 recommend · 17 warn
Reviews
53
27 Reddit · 24 Twitter
Unique Reviewers
51
Data Quality
High

What the Community Says

Community Rating 7.5/10

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, and the Chrome extension gets a lot of love for simple, everyday use. Some people even say it helps in situations where other VPNs (including paid ones) don’t, like redeeming region-specific purchases.

The biggest frustration is the free plan: it can feel more like a limited demo than a true everyday VPN, and people complain about running into restrictions unless they pay. Server access also seems to shift over time, with some getting annoyed when certain locations (like Canada or Japan) are no longer available on free. On top of that, reliability can be hit-or-miss for some folks, especially for streaming channels and occasional browser extension issues.

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
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
Not ideal for: People who want a truly usable free VPN for daily, heavy use Anyone who needs specific countries (like Japan) without paying Streaming-first users who want consistent access to every channel People who need rock-solid reliability for long sessions

Summary generated 1 week ago from 53 community mentions

What People Are Saying

27 reviews

"Tunnelbear is best."

r/pakistanitech 1 week ago View on Reddit →

"Tunnelbear Review for 2026: Is It Good? I’ve been using TunnelBear as my VPN this year and thought I’d share my experience. Online security is important, and I picked TunnelBear because I heard it was simple and fun to use. So, is TunnelBear good? In my opinion, yes! The bear-themed design makes the app enjoyable and super user-friendly. Setup was quick, and it’s worked smoothly for browsing, streaming, and gaming. I was also happy with the speed my internet didn’t slow down, which was a big plus. I appreciate that TunnelBear is transparent about what data they collect. They also ha..."

r/vpn_question 3 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"Use tunnel bear, that’s how I redeem Argentina keys. For some reason the free service works where paid vpns fail."

r/forzahorizon 2 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"Pra jogos funciona normalmente ainda sim. Recomendo usar a extensão TunnelBear do chrome."

r/xboxbrasil 1 week ago View on Reddit →

"Windscribe is good. I personally don't use Tunnelbear cause its servers frequently do not work for me. X-VPN is also great in speed but it has ads."

r/vpn_reviewer 2 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"As someone who sticks to free tools, most free VPNs feel like demos. TunnelBear especially. X-VPN is the only one I didn’t uninstall right away because it stayed usable without constant nags."

r/vpn_reviewer 1 month ago View on Reddit →

"31 bees I need help still can’t defeat tunnel bear Can someone help me with my hive I know it’s horrible but I can’t kill anything with it so can someone tell me what I should do "

r/beeswarmsimulator 1 month ago View on Reddit →

"Very few rewards from tunnel bear I've only ever seen a line with at least 8-10 rewards, this is my first time getting so few. Is it a glitch or does it just happen sometimes? "

r/beeswarmsimulator 2 months ago View on Reddit →

"Recommended by the earlier video: TunnelBear, Mullvad (Mozilla VPN), IVPN, VyprVPN, Proton VPN I use PIAVPN as my trusted VPN, the only internet service I currently pay for. Very simple install on Linux with additional useful features, designating programs to use VPN while others do not, multiple devices etc. [https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/](https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/)"

r/linux4noobs 1 month ago View on Reddit →

"I still keep TunnelBear installed just in case. If I need to quickly check a link or bypass a restriction once or twice a month, it gets the job done."

r/vpn_reviewer 2 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"Vpn Now tunnelbear need to pay to use thier vpn. Any other recommendations for free vpn to go to Indonesia server?"

r/pogoandroidspoofing 3 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"Tunnelbear. Він українцям дає безкоштовні гігабайти."

r/reddituatalks 3 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"Issue from VPN extension in your browser. Same issue with ProtonVPN, Windsribe, TunnelBear."

r/piratedgames 3 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"any actually good free vpn for daily use? kinda confused what to try so ive been trying different free vpns like proton free, windscribe free, tunnelbear, hotspot shield free and honestly most of them kinda suck for daily use… either too slow or too limited. right now im testing X-VPN just to see if its any better. they give access to 10+ countries even on free plan which i didn’t really expect, and their privacy policy looks way more transparent than the usual free vpns. speed seems fine for normal browsing but idk if it’s stable long term. anyone here used x-vpn for a while? is it..."

r/vpnreviews 2 months ago View on Reddit →

"I tried TunnelBear’s browser extension once but felt like it was slower compared to Windscribe, especially for streaming or loading bigger sites."

r/vpn_reviewer 2 months ago View on Reddit →

"Tunnelbeat VPN Review in 2026: How Was It? I gave TunnelBear a try recently when I needed a free VPN in a hurry to open a site that was blocked where I live. It was a travel blog this time, nothing serious. I remembered seeing TunnelBear mentioned a lot in free VPN Reddit posts, so I installed it on my tablet, signed up, and connected to a Canada server within seconds. The setup was surprisingly fast. I did not expect the app to look so playful, but it was actually nice and easy to understand. The site loaded without any issues and I did not notice slow speeds while browsing. The downside sh..."

r/vpn_reviewer 2 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"Best free VPN for everyday privacy use right now? i've been testing a bunch of free VPNs lately (Proton free, Windscribe free, TunnelBear, Hotspot Shield free) and most of them feel too limited for daily use. Either the speeds drop hard on free servers, data caps hit quickly, or you're forced into a single crowded location. I installed X-VPN recently just to compare. What stood out is that the free tier doesn't require creating an account, and you're not locked to just one server location. I could switch between several countries and speeds were fine for basic things like browsing, messaging,..."

r/vpn_reviewer 1 month ago View on Reddit →

"i’ve tried most of the common free VPNs and honestly they all have compromises. What made X-VPN stand out for me was not being forced into a single server. It’s still a free product, but it felt less restrictive than Proton or TunnelBear."

r/vpn_reviewer 1 month ago View on Reddit →

"NordVPN. Good functionality but they tried to gouge me at renewal time. I resisted and they cut the price by 50% on another two year contract. I do have a little buyer’s remorse and wish I had switched to Mullvad or Tunnelbear."

r/firewalla 2 months ago View on Reddit →

"Not all are created equal. One company bought up several. Not all are slow. Just get one with the Wireguard protocol. I leave it running all the time and can even max my 500gb home connection speed downloading mirror files from my seedbox simultaneously and it never slows down. Mullvad for the win. I used Mullvad. Proton is also good. You want one with no logging. .* Mullvad (you can even do it without giving up email, just pay (can even use crypto) and you have an account number and that's it. (Best for privacy) " Proton (solid but inconsistent speeds when I recently tried it again). ..."

r/stlouis 1 month ago View on Reddit →

"NordVPN owned by Nord Security of Lithuania through a Panamanian Co. Offered bug bounties and helped form VPN Trust Initiative. Offers post-quantum encryption support for Linux. 2025 launched NordWhisper, VPN that mimics normal data to blend in on sensitive networks Surfshark merged with them in 2022, RAM only servers PrivateVPN based in Sweden owned by Miss Group backed by Private Equity Firm Perwyn in web hosting, domain registration and related PureVPN based in the BVI (British Virgin Islands) Turned over logs in 2017 to FBI, then switched to No Logs and completed 2 audits. RAM only ..."

r/homenetworking 2 months ago View on Reddit →

"I was just playing and I saw tunnel bear jump behind science bear I don’t know if this is a weird bug or an Easter egg Images: https://external-preview.redd.it/9AXuU92i7MJWFZz3qL7CfGlzlW4BEZ0VsDALmrRZZAI.png?auto=webp&s=f9e2d2b04ec01366914da46f7b2703a1d317b3e2 "

r/beeswarmsimulator 1 month ago View on Reddit →

"Has anyone ever seen someone get a bear bee egg from tunnel bear before? Images: https://preview.redd.it/exubqewcth8g1.jpeg?auto=webp&s=72762c86c5a44519a425f0bf686bf66a1694cc9d "

r/beeswarmsimulator 1 month ago View on Reddit →

"I got a gifted silver egg from tunnel bear what do i do with it? thanks! :)"

r/beeswarmsimulator 2 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"TunnelBear reviews 2026? Any thoughts? I'm a total beginner when it comes to VPNs, and I really like the look and feel of TunnelBear. The cute bear theme makes it seem really user-friendly, which is exactly what I need. But I was doing some research and saw that they were acquired by McAfee a few years ago. Since McAfee is a US company, I'm worried about what that means for my data privacy, especially since I'm trying to avoid US jurisdiction for a VPN.I need something safe for public wifi and streaming, but I don't want to install something sketchy that's going to compromise my privacy. Has ..."

r/vpn_reviewer 1 week ago View on Reddit →

"Search doesn't help when I don't remember what to search for so I use folders to organize myself. For instance, I have a folder for all the financial things I have to do each month like credit cards and mortgage to pay. So I open the bitwarden app, open that folder and just go down them one by one clicking on launch website. Same thing with sites for my kid's school. I don't remember infinite canvas or campus or qustodio their sports things like teamsnap or family controls for windows or android usage, etc. So I just open the manage family folder and I can see just those entries and don't have..."

r/bitwarden 3 weeks ago View on Reddit →

"tunnelbear, 100 gb free"

r/reddituatalks 3 weeks ago View on Reddit →