NordVPN vs. TunnelBear in 2024

At first glance, NordVPN vs. TunnelBear hardly seems like a fair comparison. The latter provider is beloved by users favoring free VPNs, though it also comes with a premium plan that extends its capabilities. However, TunnerBear is also known for its lack of security features, fewer servers, and functionalities than most competitors. Still, the VPN provider persists and, in fact, commands quite a good user base.

Meanwhile, NordVPN is known as the greatest player in this competitive industry. It’s exceptional at bypassing geo-blocks thanks to the VPN’s colossal global distribution. Moreover, NordVPN users receive a robust suite of security – like obfuscated servers, split tunneling, and a kill switch, among others.

Is a comparison of the two providers really that fair? In this article, we assess NordVPN and premium TunnelBear to make a just comparison. The evaluation is based on the specific criteria of safety, privacy, speed, ease of use, streaming, price, and other essentials.

NordVPN vs. TunnelBear: specifications

While TunnelBear’s premium variant does hold its ground enough to be deserving of users’ recognition, we must admit, it falters against NordVPN’s prowess. The latter provider still goes balls-to-the-wall, introducing numerous improvements upon an already-established formula.

At a fairly similar price, both VPNs already show differences in general specifications, with NordVPN emerging triumphant.

NordVPN vs. TunnelBear: pricing

Is TunnelBear free? Yes, and that’s a big argument against NordVPN. However, users are limited to one device and 2 GB per month, which can be upgraded to 1 GB if you write a tweet about this provider. Even with the upgrade, the free version feels more like a free trial without a time limit unless you use the internet mostly for browsing.

The situation changes drastically when we move to the premium section. TunnelBear has slightly cheaper monthly and annual plans, but NordVPN catches up with the 2-year offer. Plus, NordVPN discount codes make the pricing even better during certain times of the year.

NordVPN accepts multiple payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, AliPay, and cryptocurrencies, among others. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out risk-free. TunnelBear accepts credit cards and Bitcoin only and doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee, which is a huge drawback, especially compared to NordVPN.

Given the number of features that NordVPN offers, there’s no way that TunnelBear could offer a better deal. Honestly, if you decided to buy a VPN, would you go for one that doesn’t unblock Netflix, doesn’t allow torrenting, and doesn’t have live chat support? TunnelBear’s major advantage is the free version, but NordVPN undoubtedly wins this round.

NordVPN pricing

NordVPN offers a plethora of subscription options that can be categorized into tiers. The Standard selection includes:

• $12.99/month for the monthly plan
• $4.59/month for the annual plan
• $2.99/month for the two-year plan

The Standard plan grants only the VPN service. However, the company offers two additional tiers – Plus and Complete. The former adds the NordPass password manager and a data breach scanner, while the latter throws 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage on top. The pricing varies accordingly, but not by much.

TunnelBear pricing

TunnelBear comes with fewer subscription options compared to NordVPN – three in total:

• $9.99/month for the monthly plan
• $4.99/month for the annual plan
• $3.33/month for the three-year plan

The important difference between the two providers is the free plan option. However, cost-wise TunnelBear requires just a bit more than NordVPN when it comes to the annual plan. Though this provider has a cheaper monthly plan and a 3-year plan instead of a 2-year, it does offer much less in terms of service compared to its competitor.

Speed comparison

NordVPN is faster than TunnelBear by about two times. TunnelBear does have WireGuard, which provides much better speeds than any other protocol available, but VPN’s speed remains abysmal compared to NordVPN. However, looking at the provider alone, the connection speed is adequate. For more details, check our comparison of the fastest VPN providers.

TunnelBear’s download speeds seem fast until we compare them with NordVPN’s. What’s more, the upload, though not that important, is really sluggish. Finally, the ping of TunnelBear in Germany was way too high.

NordVPN vs. TunnelBear: which is more secure?

In terms of similarities, both NordVPN and TunnelBear are equipped with the necessary VPN features:

• AES-256 bit encryption
• IP and DNS leak protection
• Reliable kill switch

Is TunnelBear safe? For starters, TunnelBear doesn’t use RAM-only servers, which means their servers aren’t protected from nefarious third parties like hackers. All servers in NordVPN’s tow are RAM-only. There’s no point in asking this about NordVPN, which is a clear winner of this round.

In terms of security features, TunnelBear brings nothing new to the table. It offers a system-level kill switch only, and apart from OpenVPN, it supports IKEv2 and WireGuard protocols. Sure, it offers an ad blocker, GhostBear, and SplitBear features for extra security, but they are not particularly robust.

In comparison, NordVPN goes a few steps further, introducing an app kill switch. It can, therefore, be programmed to work only on particular apps rather than the whole system. The VPN connection is powered by the in-house NordLynx built around WireGuard. Moreover, NordVPN provides obfuscated servers for more encryption and other features like Threat Protection for elevated security

Privacy

Many turn to VPNs to secure their privacy, so it’s crucial that a provider lives up to that expectation. TunnelBear is based in Canada but has been bought by McAfee, a cybersecurity giant from the US. Both countries are members of the Five Eyes alliance, which is a bright red flag for political activists and journalists working on sensitive topics.

NordVPN operates under Panama’s jurisdiction, a country that doesn’t have data retention laws and doesn’t have ties to the Fourteen Eyes surveillance alliance. NordVPN continues a long history of success in terms of user privacy. Basically, your personal information stays private and fully protected from any prying eyes.

Logging

TunnelBear claims not to store any logs. However, the tricky part is that TunnelBear clearly states that they keep quite a bunch of your personal data. For instance, the data includes your email address, OS version, total data used this month, and cardholder’s last name, among other things. Seeing how things stand, we are not eager to trust their no-logs policy.

Meanwhile, NordVPN is one of the best VPNs with a zero-logging policy. The server was audited three times, and no logging activity was detected. So, NordVPN stores zero logs of online activities, IP addresses, DNS requests, geolocation, connection information, and other relevant data. You can be sure it can’t track you online or connect your activities with your identity in any way. Plus, remember that the provider’s servers are RAM-only.

Servers location

The size of a VPN server fleet equals the overall performance of the service. The fewer servers the provider has, the more likely that servers will be congested. Thus, the connection is significantly slower. What’s more, the number of countries is also of the essence, as broad global coverage allows users to access more content worldwide.

To avoid limitations and enjoy access to content in most parts of the world, I advise choosing NordVPN. It offers its clients a whooping number of over 7000 servers in118+ countries. Though TunnelBear isn’t the worst in terms of global coverage, it does grant only 1800+ servers in 48+ countries. The latter quite falters in the face of NordVPN.

Besides, NordVPN’s servers are confirmed to be RAM-only, which eliminate any data stored in them upon each frequent restart. Plus, the provider has been upgrading its fleet to 10 Gbps servers for better connectivity and the advent of 5G technology. In short, NordVPN beats this round with ease.

Features comparison

TunnelBear proves to hold its ground in this category, however, NordVPN again doesn’t break a sweat being a clear winner.

Smart DNS

VPN is often used to bypass geo-blocks to stream content. For this reason, it’s important that the service could be available on as many devices and streaming peripherals as possible. Unfortunately, not all of them support VPNs. That’s where the SmartDNS feature comes into play. This functionality allows connecting devices that don’t support VPNs natively to the service without needing an app.

With TunnelBear, your case is doomed if you desire to view content on a device that doesn’t support the service since the provider doesn’t have any kind of SmartDNS feature. Luckily, NordVPN employs SmartPlay – the feature that ensures you access streaming content without extra steps or hassle.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is one of the most beneficial features as it allows you to route your web traffic through certain channels to increase performance. Of course, this handy functionality costs the loss of encryption in certain areas. Now, both providers have split tunneling in their arsenal, making them relatively equal.

The main difference between NordVPN and TunnelBear’s split tunneling is the supported operating systems that the feature works on. That shouldn’t be overlooked in case this feature is necessary for users. To put it simply, TunnelBear’s split tunneling – called SplitBear – is available on Androids only, while NordVPN offers it for both Android and Windows devices.

Ad & malware blocker

No one likes ads, especially for malware to infect their devices. While ads are annoying, they also often collect user data that can later be sold to third parties. With VPN being a cybersecurity tool, ad & malware blocker features are a must-have. Again, both providers appear to meet expectations here. However, let’s take a look at just how effectively they do, shall we?

TunnelBear’s Blocker operates as an extension that doesn’t even require an account. But the only browser supported at the moment is Chrome. As such, this feature blocks most types of malware, ads, WebRTC, microphone access, and other things. It covers the basics of ad blocking and protection against malware.

NordVPN boasts a Threat Protection feature that blocks ads, malware, and phishing domains from infecting your devices. It is also able to inspect the files you download, looking for anything dangerous. If an infected file is discovered, it is removed instantly before any harm can be done. On top of that, Threat Protection even protects traffic that doesn’t pass through a VPN server.

Specialized servers

Top-grade VPNs usually offer specialty servers suitable for specific roles and purposes. However, TunnelBear brings few specialized servers to the table, while NordVPN offers a plethora of those. Let’s take a more detailed look.

NordVPN includes:

• Obfuscated servers. They make your VPN traffic look like non-VPN HTTPS traffic so you can get around heavy internet censorship in countries like China or Iran.
• Dedicated IP servers. You are assigned your very own IP address for use by the VPN. No one else can access this IP, which is a perfect feature for certain purposes.
• Onion over VPN servers. These servers allow you to pass your traffic through the Tor network for an extra layer of anonymity.
• Double VPN servers. Servers with this functionality are perfect for those who want complete untraceability since they route web traffic via two VPN servers simultaneously.
• P2P-optimized servers. Perfect for torrenting since these servers allow sharing large files at high speeds while also keeping your identity safe and secure.

TunnelBear includes:

• GhostBear. Basically, they are obfuscated servers that use specially designed algorithms to make your traffic look as if it were regular non-VPN traffic.

Unfortunately, TunnelBear doesn’t compare at all to NordVPN regarding specialized servers. It’s quite regrettable since users who opt for the former premium VPN are granted very few options. Meanwhile, NordVPN offers servers for a variety of purposes, from extra encryption to VPN torrenting. Consequently, NordVPN wins this round.

Netflix and streaming comparison

NordVPN has earned the title of the best VPN for streaming and also the best all-around VPN for Netflix. Thanks to the colossal global distribution and its effective geo-block bypassing capabilities, the provider can unlock most streaming services. Moreover, the VPN is supported on most streaming devices, including Firestick TV, Apple TV, and Roku.

Where most other VPNs get blocked by streaming platforms, NordVPN continues to deliver. Not only does the VPN bypass restrictions and unlock content, but it also most often secures optimal viewing experience. Since NordVPN is powered by the NordLynx protocol, getting UHD (4K) quality videos is no struggle.

TunnelBear, unfortunately, doesn’t do well with Netflix or any other streaming platform really. Although some users have reported having managed to unlock Netflix US and Amazon Prime on several very rare occasions, the streaming quality was gruesome. Other than that, the provider fails to unlock streaming services.

Most importantly, TunnelBear only gives us one server to use in the US, which is a guarantee for congestion and slow speeds. Plus, the VPN doesn’t provide any other options should Netflix block the server, which alone makes streaming impossible on practically all services.

NordVPN remains the absolute beast when it comes to unlocking streaming services and securing the best viewing experience. Sadly, TunnelBear is not even an option when it comes to streaming.

Device compatibility

NordVPN supports an extensive variety of operating systems and offers a user-friendly interface. It’s a superb option if you want to set up a VPN on your desktop, mobile, or smart TV. Plus, you can set NordVPN up manually on a router for broader device coverage.

In comparison, TunnelBear supports only Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS out of major operating systems. Sadly, it offers no support for other dedicated devices. Moreover, the VPN allows fewer browser extensions than NordVPN and no manual setup. The good news is that TunnelBear grants unlimited simultaneous connections, while NordVPN offers only 10. Regardless, you can install the latter on your router for full coverage of household devices.

Though NordVPN is easy to use, TunnelBear is easy and fun to use. Also, we have to say that it has the best mascot in the VPN industry. Regardless, NordVPN boasts a much more versatile and broad device compatibility, single-handedly defeating the competitor.

Desktop applications

Although TunnelBear can be proud of its entertaining and great desktop app interface, there isn’t too much under that. For instance, Linux is not supported by the provider, so your only chance is to use the service via a terminal. Meanwhile, NordVPN recently began supporting IPv6 on Linux.

As for Windows and Mac applications, TunnelBear and NordVPN offer the same interface, respectively. Naturally, Windows users are spoiled the most when it comes to providers’ attention to detail on an interface, as the apps look the most feature-rich and appealing.

As for macOS users, they also get nice-looking interfaces from both providers. However, NordVPN users do lose the split tunneling feature. Though TunnelBear offers the same features for macOS users, its app can be accessed from the tray, while NordVPN fellows can download the app from the Apple app store and the provider’s website.

Mobile applications

Both providers support Android and iOS devices, so the TunnelBear vs. NordVPN showdown here depends on the quality of the apps. In general, NordVPN offers a better interface on both mobile systems. TunnelBear does well on desktop apps but lags behind when it comes to mobile integration.

Though Android users do get the split tunneling feature, NordVPN found a way to console iOS users – they are given other features. For instance, dark web monitoring informs a user about any data leaks. It’s a respectable move on the provider’s behalf to even out the VPN experience for users by granting different features.

In contrast, TunnelBear handles mobile apps differently. First of all, it’s noted by users that VPN’s mobile applications need serious improvement. For one, the menu is cluttered and the maps load too slowly. Also, while Android users get an encrypted server name indicator and kill switch, it doesn’t seem that iOS users aren’t compensated for that in any way.

Torrenting

Regarding P2P VPNs, torrent fans are well-aware that security and speed are top priorities. So, when it comes to torrenting, which one is better, NordVPN or TunnelBear? The answer is simple – NordVPN is the best VPN for torrenting.

NordVPN is located in privacy-friendly Panama and has two great kill switches as well as no leaks. Additionally, the service has P2P-optimized servers that provide fast connections, especially if you’re using the NordLynx protocol. While it has split tunneling on Windows and Android only, you can use its free SOCKS5 proxy to protect only your P2P traffic.

You shouldn’t use TunnelBear for P2P, though. While it may work, P2P is not officially supported. Furthermore, Canada’s laws require all VPNs and ISPs to log identifiable user data. That’s why not even a kill switch or having no leaks can help you.

As you can see, NordVPN is the clear winner of this round. No other service can compete with NordVPN in terms of security and speed, which are the two key criteria for P2P enthusiasts.

China

Another round, another win for NordVPN, which is the best VPN for China. While TunnelBear does work in China, thanks to obfuscated servers, it’s not exactly a reliable service.

Both VPNs have the so-called stealth VPN feature. NordVPN named it Obfuscated servers, and TunnelBear went for GhostBear. When turned on, this feature makes your traffic look like you’re not using a VPN, allowing you to bypass China’s Deep Packet Inspection.

Using stealth VPN significantly reduces your connection speed, though this shouldn’t be an issue because TunnelBear and NordVPN are fast enough. However, the latter is both faster and more reliable. Finally, NordVPN officially supports Tor over VPN which provides extra anonymity, which is always good when you’re online in China or any other surveillance-loving country.

Customer support

Whether you’re a tech-savvy VPN user or a newbie to this technology, there may come the point where you need help with the service or simply clarify certain points. For this reason, VPN customer support is a vital aspect of the whole service.

Both providers have support available via email. Also, both TunnelBear and NordVPN customer support specialists answer as fast as possible but keep in mind that it may take several hours at times. Ultimately, both VPN services have informative FAQs on their official websites.

However, NordVPN, unlike its competitor, has a 24/7 live chat. We have tested that specialists respond to the first inquiry in less than a minute. It’s especially neat if you have an urgent matter to resolve or discuss.

It’s no surprise that NordVPN leaves this round victorious, considering that the provider is fully equipped to help users answer their inquiries urgently.

NordVPN vs. TunnelBear: which is better?

NordVPN is a superior tool for your privacy and security. Winning all ten rounds, it provides military-grade encryption, 24/7 live chat support, and best-in-the-industry connection speeds. That’s a lot of value for money – something that its competitor lacks clearly.

TunnelBear’s biggest asset is its free version. There’s virtually no reason to spend money on this fun and easy-to-use but not exactly great VPN. I can recommend it only if you’re a big fan of whimsical bears and not really into torrenting or streaming.

While I love doing VPN comparisons, I couldn’t put everything in one article. Therefore, if you’re keen to learn more about the winner, read our NordVPN review. And if you’re a big fan of bears who’s not really into streaming or torrenting, check out the TunnelBear review.

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ExpressVPN vs. NordVPN
Surfshark vs. NordVPN
Proton VPN vs. NordVPN
NordVPN vs. CyberGhost

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FAQ

Which is better: NordVPN or TunnelBear?

NordVPN is the better VPN. Compared to TunnelBear, the provider offers a wider array of features and broader device compatibility. The VPN unlocks most streaming services and supports torrenting, while TunnelBear does not perform well with either. Overall, NordVPN beats TunnelBear in every aspect.

What is TunnelBear good for?

TunnelBear is famous for its free version. Though the provider does not make it to the top of the best VPNs list, TunnelBear has its unique encrypted server name indicator feature, which is great for restricted countries. Moreover, it nets obfuscated servers, a kill switch, and other features.

Does TunnelBear work in China?

TunnelBear does work in China. The provider has obfuscated servers, which allow access to use VPN in restricted locations. Such servers operate on specially designed algorithms to make your traffic look as if it were regular non-VPN traffic. However, TunnelBear is known to work poorly in China.

Is NordVPN faster than TunnelBear VPN?

NordVPN is two times faster than TunnelBear. The former employs the proprietary NordLynx protocol to facilitate high speeds, and a colossal fleet of servers with broad global distribution helps with performance. Meanwhile, premium TunnelBear offers so-so speed even though it has WireGuard.