Proton VPN vs TunnelBear in 2026: Free Plans, Privacy and Price Compared

Proton VPN and TunnelBear are the two VPNs people usually try first, because both have a free plan that doesn’t bury you in ads. TunnelBear has the cute bear and the friendliest app on the market. Proton has the Swiss privacy pitch. Which one should you actually use, free or paid?

In our scoring database it isn’t close: Proton VPN 4.24/5, TunnelBear 3.17/5. But the reasons are worth seeing, because they change depending on whether you plan to pay.

The short answer

For a free VPN, Proton wins easily: no data cap against TunnelBear’s 2 GB a month. For a paid VPN, Proton wins too, on speed, server count, jurisdiction and streaming. TunnelBear’s real strengths are its simplicity and a slightly lower 1-year price. That’s not enough to beat Proton on value once you factor in what you get.

Proton VPN vs TunnelBear: head-to-head table

All figures come from our comparison database, scored out of 5.

Free plans: Proton wins by a mile

This is the comparison most people searching for these two names actually care about.

Proton VPN Free has no data limit and no ads, according to Proton’s own free plan page. You get one device and no choice of specific server: the app connects you to a free location automatically. It doesn’t support streaming. Still, for public Wi-Fi, travel and hiding your browsing from your internet provider, an uncapped free plan from an audited provider is about as good as free gets.

TunnelBear Free gives you 2 GB a month. In January 2026 TunnelBear also removed server selection and split tunneling for free users, citing infrastructure and audit costs. Free users are now connected to the best available location automatically. Two gigabytes is enough for a few days of email and messaging on the go. It’s not enough for a week of normal browsing, let alone video.

Both free plans are honest about what they are, which is more than many free VPNs. But Proton’s is simply more usable. We rank all the safe options in our best free VPN guide, and explain when it’s worth paying in free vs paid VPN.

Privacy: Proton is in a different tier

Both providers protect against leaks properly (5/5 each in our tests), and TunnelBear actually scores higher on encryption (5/5 against 4/5) thanks to its handshake settings. After that, Proton takes over.

Jurisdiction. Proton is Swiss and outside the Fourteen Eyes, which we score 5/5. TunnelBear is Canadian, a Five Eyes country, so 4/5. It’s also owned by McAfee, a US company, since 2018.

Audits. Proton’s no-logs policy has been audited by KPMG (5/5). TunnelBear has had security audits by Cure53, which we score 4/5, but our notes flag that its 2018 audit “doesn’t prove no-logging claims”. We dig into that in does TunnelBear keep logs?

RAM-only servers. Proton runs RAM-only servers (5/5). TunnelBear doesn’t in our data (0/5).

Bug bounty. Proton runs one (3/5), TunnelBear doesn’t (0/5).

Net result: Proton’s security subtotal is 4.8/5 against 3.6/5 for TunnelBear.

Speed: TunnelBear’s biggest weakness

Proton scores 5/5 on speed in our testing. TunnelBear scores 1/5, the lowest possible above zero and one of the weakest results in our whole database.

Part of that is protocol support. Proton offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 and its own Stealth protocol. TunnelBear relies on OpenVPN and IKEv2 in our data, with no WireGuard. On a fast home connection the difference is obvious.

If you just want to secure a café connection for some browsing, TunnelBear’s speed is acceptable. For large downloads, gaming or 4K streaming, it isn’t.

Streaming: Proton is better, neither is the best

Proton scores 4/5 on streaming in our tests: Very Good on Netflix, Good on Prime Video and HBO Max, Variable on Disney+, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and Peacock.

TunnelBear scores 3/5: Good on Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video, Variable on the rest.

So Proton is the better streamer, and TunnelBear is surprisingly decent on Disney+. Neither free plan supports streaming at all.

Try Proton VPN Plus with its 30-day money-back guarantee

Price: closer than you’d think

Both cost $9.99 for a single month.

On the 1-year plan TunnelBear is cheaper: $39.96 (about $3.33 a month) against $47.88 for Proton (about $3.99 a month). That’s a saving of about $8 a year.

On the 2-year plan Proton is cheaper: $71.76 (about $2.99 a month) against $79.95 for TunnelBear. Here Proton saves you about $8 over two years.

The bigger difference is the safety net. Proton offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. TunnelBear’s refunds are handled case by case in our data, so don’t count on getting money back if it doesn’t work out. Prices change often; check the live numbers before you buy.

Want to compare all VPNs side by side? Check our full VPN comparison table with scores across 18 criteria.

Apps and ease of use

This is where TunnelBear earns its fans. Its apps are colourful, simple and almost impossible to get wrong, which makes it a good first VPN for a parent or a teenager. It covers Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, and adds browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. There’s no Linux app in our data.

Proton covers Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and smart TVs, but has no browser extensions in our data. Its apps are clean, and Proton says the redesigned Windows app is coming to macOS, iOS and Linux. Both include an ad and tracker blocker (5/5 each).

Support is a small win for Proton (3/5 against 2/5). Neither offers 24/7 live chat.

Ownership and transparency

Both companies are open about who owns them. TunnelBear scores 5/5 on ownership transparency: it was founded in Toronto and has been part of McAfee since 2018. Proton scores 4/5: it’s run by Proton AG in Geneva, the company behind Proton Mail, with its ownership structure published on its website.

The difference worth thinking about is incentives. TunnelBear is one product inside a large antivirus company. Proton’s whole business is privacy services, and the VPN shares infrastructure and policies with Proton Mail and Drive. Neither is a red flag, but if you prefer a provider whose main business is privacy, Proton fits better.

Three real-world scenarios

You want a free VPN for public Wi-Fi and travel. Proton VPN Free. Unlimited data means you won’t run dry mid-trip.

You’re setting up a VPN for someone who’s not technical. TunnelBear is the friendliest, and the paid plan’s speed is fine for browsing. Proton is still the better product, but this is the one case where the bear has a point.

You want one paid VPN that does privacy, speed and some streaming. Proton VPN Plus. It’s the higher-rated VPN in nearly every category that matters.

Who should choose which?

Choose Proton VPN if you:

• want the best free plan, with no data cap
• care about jurisdiction, RAM-only servers and audited no-logs
• have a fast connection or stream regularly

Choose TunnelBear if you:

• want the simplest possible app, with browser extensions
• only need light use on a paid 1-year plan

Our full Proton VPN review and TunnelBear review go into more detail on each.