However, given the small number of server locations, this is a non-issue with TunnelBear. Typically, with other providers, we see options to organize server lists, such as by city or favorites. Alternatively, you can use the dropdown list to select your country. Just hold and drag to get to your desired location, click the icon, and select Yes to connect. If you’d rather choose a location, you can do so by clicking one of the “honeypot” icons in the country of your choice. By default, in the Auto mode, you’ll be connected with the server that will give you the best performance. At the top is a toggle to connect or disconnect to the VPN. Once you’re logged in to the app, you’ll see a series of welcome windows giving tips on how to use the client. Note that we’re using the premium version for our testing. The only difference in the free version is you’ll see how much data you’ve used and an upgrade button at the bottom of the app. The desktop client is the same whether you’re using the free or paid version of TunnelBear. Moving on, let’s take a look at the apps. It might seem cute to some, but could be annoying to others. They’re seemingly everywhere, scattered within the website information, feature names, and install notifications this provider just can’t seem to get enough. One thing worth noting before we get to the apps: no matter what operating system you use, you should be prepared for many, many bear puns. To start, download the correct app for your operating system, install it where appropriate, and launch the app. For this review, we’ve been testing out the Windows desktop client and the iOS mobile app. They’re easy to set up and straightforward to use. When it comes to apps, TunnelBear keeps things simple. Plans also include an ad blocker that works with the Chrome browser. TunnelBear provides native client apps for the following platforms:īrowser extensions are available for Chrome and Firefox, although these only protect your browser traffic and don’t cover your entire device. I connected to a nearby server to insure fast ping times and everything went smoothly – no lags, no disconnects. TunnelBear doesn’t support routers at this time, so I had to share the VPN connection from my computer with my gaming console. I also tested TunnelBear’s performance with online gaming. The speed results I got with WireGuard were excellent and you shouldn’t feel a speed hit, even with a very fast connection. All of these protocols are considered secure but I’d stick with the first three just to be on the safe side. TunnelBear supports WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 and IPsec. The tests were conducted using the WireGuard protocol. North America (where I’m located): 434 Mbps.Here are the averages speeds for North America, Europe, and Asia: This is a step up from the last time we reviewed the service, so it’s nice to see that TunnelBear is improving. But TunnelBear provided good speeds across all of the regions I tested. As is typically the case, the servers closest to my actual location were the fastest ones. I found that TunnelBear performed quite well in my speed tests. Doesn’t play nice with most streaming sites.How does TunnelBear compare to other popular VPNs? * Average speed over multiple global locations based across multiple speed tests per day. TunnelBear key data OVERALL RANK: #33 of 75 VPNs TunnelBear may not be perfect, but you could easily do much, much worse. The downsides are its spotty streaming support and slow customer service, with no live chat option. It also provides its users with little extras, like an adblocker and browser extensions. TunnelBear also works in China – which is no small feat these days. It supports secure VPN protocols and offers native apps for all its supported platforms. It provides fast speeds, adheres to a strict no-logging policy, and has a very comprehensive and transparent privacy policy. In general, I think TunnelBear is a good VPN provider. If you’re curious, you can read more on the criteria I used to test TunnelBear and our wider VPN testing methodology. If you don’t have time for that right now, you can go ahead and read a summary of my thoughts below. If you have the time, I recommend reading the full review to get all the details.
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