TunnelBear is a product of McAfee, a renowned US internet security company. The company has a reputation for protecting its users’ online security with award-winning antivirus. The company introduced its VPN provider to ensure users browse the web safely. However, the company always falls into the gray area because of its invasive jurisdiction. Users are often worried about their digital privacy with this VPN.
TunnelBear VPN is a versatile VPN provider that offers free and premium versions. It uses strong encryption, a verified no-log policy, and fundamental security and privacy-boosting features that ensure a secure user experience. The following table gives a quick overview of the VPN provider, so have a look:
Security and Privacy
Encryption
- AES-256 bit encryption
- SHA-256 for data authentication
- 2048, 3072, or 4096-bit DH group for handshake encryption
Jurisdiction
- Canada
Log Policy
- Follows a no-log policy with security audits
Security Features
- Vigilant Bear
- SplitBear
- GhostBear
Streaming and Torrenting
List of Compatible Streaming Platforms
- Netflix
List of Torrenting Features
- SplitBear
- Torrent IP leak protection
User-friendliness
No. of Servers
- Multiple servers in 47+ countries
Pricing
- $3.33/m for an unlimited plan
- $5.75/m for the team’s plan
Customer Support
- Email support
- Live chat support
- Online resources
Compatible Devices
- Android
- iOS
- macOS
- Windows
TunnelBear VPN emerges as a solid VPN provider with much to offer users. However, it’s crucial to know that the VPN is honest with its claims. This TunnelBear VPN review investigates if the VPN is honest with all its claims, so let’s get started with this.
Security and Privacy
The most crucial elements are security and privacy when choosing a VPN provider. A VPN must maintain users’ online privacy using the industry’s highest encryption standards and secure tunneling protocols. In addition, a VPN is responsible for keeping your online activities anonymous.
Hence, it must comply with a strict no-log policy followed by security and log audits to prove that they are honest with its words. The VPN must belong to a secure jurisdiction and possess a clean historical background, free of any security incidents. Having extra privacy and security-boosting features is an added benefit that further improves your digital presence and lets you browse the web more privately.
What type of Encryption does tunnel bear VPN use
TunnelBear is a secure VPN provider to use. Whether you use the free or premium version, it uses standard encryption to protect your data traffic. The VPN uses:
- AES-256 for data encryption
- SHA-256 for data authentication
- 2048, 3072, or 4096-bit DH group for handshake encryption.
The 2048-bit DH is used for the Windows platform, 3072-bi DH for MacOS and iOS, and the 4096-bit DH for Android platforms. The encryption standard TunnelBear VPN uses enough to protect your data traffic which is a good sign. Besides this, TunnelBear VPN uses perfect forward secrecy and private DNS servers. They ensure your digital security isn’t compromised, and no one can intercept your online communications.
Moreover, TunnelBear VPN used perfect forward secrecy and private DNS servers. They ensure your digital security isn’t compromised, and no one can intercept your online communications.
Jurisdiction of TunnelBear VPN
Two individuals, Daniel Kaldor and Ryan Dochuk, established the TunnelBear VPN provider in 2011 in Canada. The VPN operated from Canada until 2018 the US internet security company McAfee bought it. However, the VPN is still a separate brand from Canada within the same McAfee team.
In short, TunnelBear has its headquarters in Canada, is a leading member of the five eyes alliance, and is subjected to invasive Canadian laws. But, because of its new ownership, the US data laws also apply to the TunnelBear users.
Both countries follow anti-privacy and data logging laws; they are not the ideal VPN jurisdiction. This concerns the users because they worry about recording and sharing their data.
Logging Policy – Does it Keep logs?
TunnelBear VPN claims to follow a strict zero-log policy. It keeps all your browsing activities private by not recording your IP address, DNS requests, and browsing data.
However, TunnelBear VPN’s privacy policy gives mixed signals and, on various occasions, hints that the company might use your data according to Canadian laws.
The VPN provider also accepts that it collects your email address in its privacy policy. It also records your bandwidth, OS version, app version, monthly data used, and other information. But it does give the reasons for doing so.
Furthermore, TunnelBear VPN has undergone various independent security audits to prove its commitment to providing robust online privacy.
Byte 255, in January 2017, tested the TunnelBear code and concluded that the VPN was free from privacy flaws. Also, it confirmed that the VPN doesn’t collect data or violate users’ privacy.
The company hired the well-known Cure53 to perform four-yearly independent security audits in 2016. The prime objective for these audits was to look into Tunnelbear’s apps, infrastructure, and codes.
In 2019, the company found 12 vulnerabilities of different levels and soon helped the TunnelBear VPN fix them. They discovered two low, high, and medium-risk vulnerabilities the following year. The TunnelBear VPN immediately fixed the high-risk vulnerability and guarantees maximum security.
Besides this, the company also issues annual transparency reports informing users about government requests for users’ data. The yearly security audits and transparency reports show that the VPN provider is committed to providing a top-notch level of online security.
But there’s no mention of the VPN service offering the same level of privacy in the free version. So, to enjoy better and enhanced privacy, opting for the premium version of TunnelBear VPN is best.
Which Tunneling Protocols does it offer?
TunnelBear VPN uses different tunneling protocols for different devices to protect your data. According to its website, connect to the OpenVPN protocol if you are using an Android, Mac, or Windows device. While if you’re using an iOS device, use the IPSec protocol. Both protocols are considered reliable to use.
OpenVPN is an open-source protocol that uses AES-256-bit encryption with an Open SSL library. It offers a perfect balance between speed and security and doesn’t have significant drawbacks except for its complicated manual configuration.
The IPSec protocol is used with IKEv2 and is one of the best protocols for iOS devices. It proves to be handy when switching between the Wi-Fi network and mobile data. Also, IPSec uses different secure algorithms and ciphers that guarantee maximum online security.
However, like other VPNs in the industry, TunnelBear VPN doesn’t support the WireGuard protocol. It is an advanced protocol that offers the utmost security and stable internet speed. The protocol uses a smaller codebase, takes up less bandwidth, and offers fast speed. Additionally, it utilizes strong encryption ciphers that secure your activities and online data traffic.
TunnelBear VPN must consider introducing the WireGuard protocol across all supported devices best suited for fast speeds and maximum security. Similarly, it must consider expanding existing tunneling protocols on all platforms and operating systems.
How good is tunnel bear VPN in bypassing censorship
TunnelBear VPN offers an impressive stealth VPN (obfuscation feature) known as GhostBear. It hides your VPN traffic and helps get around internet restrictions and deep inspection packets. Hence, enabling this feature allows you to browse the web freely and even access the blocked streaming services and sites.
The VPN provider also provides the Encrypted Server Name Indicator (ESNI) TLS extension in their Android apps. The extension encrypts the SNI field so that it can’t be read by a sensor or any third party, making it easy for users to bypass censorship.
Moreover, TunnelBear VPN has introduced OpenVPN3 with pluggable transport that helps deploy new anti-censorship technologies. By supporting the Pluggable Transport API and making extensions in the OpenVPN protocol, TunnelBear significantly improved its “connection failures” issues, specifically for Android users.
On the downside, TunnelBear VPN doesn’t offer servers in highly restrictive countries like Russia, UAE, or Turkey. But the VPN has servers in Singapore, so you can connect to it and use the VPN in China to access the blocked websites and services. However, since the exact number of servers is not revealed, predicting the performance is hard.
Extra Privacy and Security features by tunnel bear VPN
It is crucial to see if the VPN offers any extra privacy and security features since these features enhance user experience and online privacy. The more features a VPN offers; the better it performs and the more reliable it is. Unfortunately, TunnelBear VPN has limited features compared to top-rated VPN providers like NordVPN, Surfshark, or ProtonVPN. Here’s the summary of the features provided by TunnelBear VPN:
SplitBear
SplitBear is the TunnelBear VPN’s split tunneling feature that gives you complete control over your network traffic. It lets you exclude apps and websites you don’t want to encrypt with a VPN while all other traffic remains protected. It is a handy feature during torrenting and improves your downloading speed.
However, this feature is only available for Android and iOS devices with limited functionality. For instance, on Android devices, it allows you to select apps from your TunnelBear connection, while on iOS devices, you can choose certain websites that you want to encrypt.
GhostBear
Another impressive feature of TunnelBear VPN is that it makes your data and activities less traceable to ISPs, governments, and surveillance agencies. It disguises your VPN traffic as non-VPN traffic using unique algorithms and encryption. Doing so helps bypass censorship blocks and gives you unrestricted access to the web.
However, turning off this feature when you don’t need to use it is better because it can make your connection slower.
You can use this feature on your Android, MacOS, and Windows devices. To enable this feature Go to Settings/ Preferences > Security > Toggle on the GhostBear option.
Vigilant Bear
TunnelBear’s kill switch feature is called a vigilant bear. In case of connection drops, it disconnects you from the internet and protects your IP address from leaking until the VPN connection establishes again. Besides this, TunnelBear VPN doesn’t expose your IP address, DNS requests, and WebRTC leaks. It offers built-in protection against VPN leaks and boosts your online security.
This security-enhancing feature is available on Android, Windows, and MacOS devices. To enable this feature, Go to Settings/Preferences > Security > Tap on the Vigilant Bear option.
Unfortunately, the VPN provider lacks advanced features like the double VPN or port forwarding feature. Also, the available feature offers limited device compatibility, meaning TunnelBear isn’t very configurable.
Streaming and Torrenting
A VPN’s popularity also stems from its ability to unblock the streaming content from all popular platforms and unlimitedly download torrents. Both activities are full of privacy risks. For instance, if you get caught while torrenting, you can get warning letters from the courts or, in extreme situations, even lead to hefty fines.
Also, you have zero anonymity and protection in the P2P swarm, and there’s a high risk of downloading bogus or fake files. Similarly, while accessing the geo-blocked content, the streaming platform can block your IP address and make it impossible to watch your favorite content. Thus, using a reliable VPN for torrenting and streaming is crucial.
Compatible Streaming Platforms
Many people use a VPN to access blocked streaming content. TunnelBear VPN lets users watch geo-blocked content in free and premium versions.
With TunnelBear VPN, you can watch your favorite TV shows and movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime. However, the VPN doesn’t work perfectly well on other streaming sites like BBC iPlayer, Hulu, DAZN, and DisneyPlus. One reason for this is the limited server network and slow speeds. Also, the VPN doesn’t offer the Smart Play feature that allows you to watch streaming content on streaming devices and gaming consoles.
Is tunnelBear VPN good For Torrenting?
TunnelBear VPN allows unlimited torrenting in the premium version. You can use the VPN for P2P file sharing and downloading torrents. The VPN uses secure encryption, protects from IP leaks, and doesn’t log your data which keeps your torrent traffic secured. In addition, TunnelBear uses the split bear and vigilant bear feature that boosts your security while downloading torrents.
However, speeds can be an issue while torrenting because the VPN provider has a limited server network. It’s recommended to connect to the OpenVPN protocol for stable downloading speeds.
TunnelBear VPN operates in Canada, but its parent company belongs to the US. Both countries have strict laws for downloading and sharing copyrighted content. This makes TunnelBear VPN not an ideal option for downloading torrents. Follow this link if you’re looking for the best P2P file-sharing and torrenting VPN.
How fast is TunnelBear VPN
TunnelBear VPN is not at all the fastest VPN provider. It offers a pretty average connection speed that is stable enough to carry out routine activities. You can get most of the speeds when using the OpenVPN protocol. Similarly, if you’re using the TunnelBear VPN on your mobile device, the IKEv2 protocol can ensure reliable internet speed.
Meanwhile, if you’re using the TunnelBear free version, you get 500 MB monthly. For this reason, the VPN offers a slow speed full of connection drops with limited data while using the free version. However, to improve the connection speed and allow users to enjoy the fastest speed across all the available servers, TunnelBear VPN is considering introducing the WireGuard protocol and adding more servers to its network.
A limited server network is one prominent reason you might experience average or above-average speed while browsing, streaming, and torrenting while using TunnelBear VPN.
User-Friendliness
TunnelBear VPN offers native apps for all supported devices and operating systems. The apps are simple in design and easy to use and download. The VPN also has a clean and intuitive interface with limited customization features.
The number of servers TunnelBear VPN provides
TunnelBear VPN doesn’t disclose the exact number of servers it comprises. There’s no information about the number of servers on its website except that you can connect to servers in 47+ countries.
The VPN provider does offer servers in all central and famous locations. You can find TunnelBear servers in countries like:
- Australia
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- UK
- US
One impressive feature of TunnelBear VPN is the fastest tunnel that connects you to the best fastest location close to you. However, the VPN still seems to have a minimal server network because it offers no servers in countries including Vietnam, UAE, and Turkey. Also, it lacks specialty servers specially designed for seamless streaming and downloading experience.
TunnelBear VPN must expand its server network to compete with other top VPN providers. If you’re looking for a VPN with a vast server network, consider ExpressVPN or CyberGhost VPN.
How good is tunnel bear VPN customer support
While using a VPN provider, the best way to resolve it is to connect with the support team. TunnelBear offers limited methods to get live assistance. You can connect with the customer support team member via email or live chat. However, email support doesn’t provide a quick response, and it might take a few hours or days to get a reply.
On the downside, users must have a TunnelBear user account to initiate the live chat. If you’re an existing user, you can take advantage of this feature, but if you’re a potential user and want immediate assistance, this option won’t work for you. It is also important to note that the VPN has made no claims about whether the free version users can use the live chat feature.
Besides this, the VPN provider has vast online resources to help confused users. You can find various blog articles, FAQs, news, and troubleshooting. Also, you can connect to the support team on Twitter and tell them about your issue. Overall, TunnelBear VPN offers decent customer support service, but it needs to improve on providing better live assistance.
What devices is tunnel bear VPN Compatible with
TunnelBear VPN is compatible and available for download on the following devices:
- Android
- iOS
- MacOS
- Windows
However, people have shared mixed reviews about the TunnelBear VPN apps. Some say the VPN worked well on Android and Mac, while others disagree. A user has criticized the Windows app slows down the speed and often causes DNS leaks, while the Mac app gives stable connection speed. Similarly, the iOS app gives mediocre speeds that sometimes aren’t enough to perform regular activities.
The VPN offers no support for Linux or routers. Also, there are no apps for FireStick TV or other streaming devices and gaming consoles. In other words, you can’t use TunnelBear VPN on your smart TV, which is another major drawback and might distract users from using it.
Conclusion
TunnelBear VPN is an excellent choice for newcomers or if you want to use it for a limited time. It uses strong encryption, features like a kill switch, and even protects from VPN leaks.
However, TunnelBear VPN doesn’t meet entertainment needs. It doesn’t work with popular streaming sites, which is a big drawback. Also, its small server network and limited device compatibility feature don’t make it a great option. Its jurisdiction puts a big question on its reliability, but the regular security audits and transparency reports prove that you can trust the service provider. If TunnelBear VPN wants to attract advanced users, it must work on its weak areas.
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About the Author
Rebecca James is an IT consultant with forward thinking approach toward developing IT infrastructures of SMEs. She writes to engage with individuals and raise awareness of digital security, privacy, and better IT infrastructure.
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