Quick answer: TunnelBear is still available in October 2026 from TunnelBear LLC in Toronto, Canada. McAfee bought the company in 2018. It has a free plan with 2 GB of data a month and a paid Unlimited plan covering unlimited devices. TunnelBear is known for its simple apps and for publishing yearly independent security audits. Its free plan is too small for regular streaming, and it is a Canadian company, which matters to some privacy-minded buyers.
Do you want a VPN mainly for privacy, or mainly for streaming? TunnelBear has always aimed at the first group, with friendly apps and clear policies. This review describes it from TunnelBear’s own website, its privacy policy and published audit reports. We have not tested the service ourselves. An earlier version of this article said TunnelBear gave “100% security and privacy”. No VPN can promise that, so we have removed the claim. We have also removed a Netflix test result that we could not source.
About the company
- Founded: 2011, in Toronto, Canada.
- Owner: McAfee acquired TunnelBear in 2018, as reported at the time. Reviews in 2025 still list McAfee as the owner. The service is run by TunnelBear LLC, and its website signs off from Toronto.
- Where data is kept: TunnelBear’s privacy policy says that, although its servers are in many countries, it does not store personal data outside Canada and handles it under Canadian law.
- Network: TunnelBear’s features page lists more than 8,000 servers in 46+ countries. The original article said “20 to 24 countries” and that TunnelBear did not disclose server numbers; both points are out of date.
Canada and the Five Eyes
Canada is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, with the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The original article said this means TunnelBear is “forced to share your data with the government”. That overstates it. A provider can only hand over data it actually holds. Canadian law applies to TunnelBear, so the question that matters is what it logs, covered next.
What TunnelBear logs
TunnelBear says it does not log the activity of customers connected to its service. Its privacy policy lists the operational data it does collect:
- your operating system version and TunnelBear app version;
- whether your account was active this month;
- the total data you used this month, which is reset to zero at the end of each month and used to enforce the free data limit;
- account events, such as creating an account or making a payment.
TunnelBear’s policy says it does not collect, store or log your IP address when you connect, DNS queries while connected, or the apps and websites you use, and it keeps no login timestamps. For card payments, it keeps limited fraud-prevention details, such as the cardholder’s last name and the last four card digits, but never the full card number.
Independent audits
TunnelBear says it commissions an independent security audit every year and publishes the results. The German firm Cure53 first tested its systems and code in late 2016 and early 2017, and Cure53 has published later TunnelBear reports, including one in 2023. These are security audits of apps and infrastructure, which complement, rather than replace, a specific no-logs audit.
Features TunnelBear documents today
- VigilantBear: a kill switch that blocks unsecured traffic until the VPN reconnects. A kill switch matters most when a sudden drop would expose your real IP address.
- SplitBear: split tunnelling, which lets you choose which apps and websites use the VPN. The original article said this was available only on Android; check the current apps for your platform.
- GhostBear: makes VPN traffic harder to detect on networks that block VPNs.
- Protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2. The original article listed IKEv2 and OpenVPN; WireGuard is a newer addition.
- Encryption: AES 256-bit by default. TunnelBear says weaker encryption is not an option.
- P2P: TunnelBear lists P2P-friendly servers, but its terms of service forbid distributing copyright-protected material through its servers.
- Unlimited devices: no limit on the number of devices per account.
Pricing (as of October 2026)
As of October 2026, per TunnelBear’s pricing page (US dollars; prices shown in India may differ):
| Plan | Price shown | Main limits and features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 2 GB of secure browsing a month |
| Unlimited | From $3.33 a month | Unlimited data and devices, country selection, split tunnelling, premium servers, city-level selection, priority support |
| Teams | $5.75 per user a month | Unlimited features plus central billing and admin tools |
The original article said the free version allowed 500 MB a month. TunnelBear now lists 2 GB. The “from” price for Unlimited depends on the term you choose, so check the full amount at checkout.
Streaming
The original article said TunnelBear could not unblock Netflix in its tests. We have not tested it, and streaming access changes often. TunnelBear’s pitch is privacy and simplicity rather than streaming. Getting around a streaming service’s regional licence can also break its terms of use.
Beyond the VPN
TunnelBear also launched RememBear, a password manager. RememBear has since been discontinued. TunnelBear announced its closure in 2022, so ignore older advice about its pricing. TunnelBear still offers browser extensions and an ad and tracker blocker called Blocker, according to its website.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free plan with 2 GB a month and no card needed.
- Simple apps and a clear privacy policy.
- Yearly independent security audits, published.
- Unlimited devices on paid plans.
Cons
- The free allowance is small for streaming or large downloads.
- Canadian jurisdiction and McAfee ownership may concern some privacy buyers.
- Smaller country list than the largest providers.
For other free options, see our reviews of Proton VPN, which has no data cap on its free plan, and Windscribe. Our list of VPN software for Windows covers more choices. VPN legality varies by country. In India, directions issued in April 2022 by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) require VPN providers to keep customer records for five years.
Frequently asked questions
Is TunnelBear free?
Yes. TunnelBear’s free plan gives 2 GB of data a month, according to its pricing page in October 2026. Unlimited data needs a paid plan.
Who owns TunnelBear?
McAfee bought TunnelBear in 2018. The service is run by TunnelBear LLC in Toronto, Canada.
Does TunnelBear keep logs?
It says it does not log user activity, DNS queries, login timestamps or your IP address when you connect. It keeps operational data such as your app version and total data used this month.
Does TunnelBear have a kill switch?
Yes. It is called VigilantBear and blocks unsecured traffic until the VPN reconnects.
Is RememBear still available?
No. TunnelBear announced in 2022 that it was closing its RememBear password manager.
Checked in October 2026 against TunnelBear’s pricing and features pages, privacy policy and terms of service, Cure53’s published TunnelBear reports, and reporting on McAfee’s 2018 purchase and RememBear’s closure. We have not tested TunnelBear ourselves, so confirm current prices and features on its website before you sign up.
