Lantern vs TunnelBear (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lantern grades higher than TunnelBear: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Lantern grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lantern
Nonprofit, open-source VPN built to get past censorship
TunnelBear
McAfee-owned VPN with a 2GB free plan and pay-once multi-year plans
Which one is for you
Pick Lantern if
- Fits if you live somewhere that blocks sites and apps and need something free to try first
- Works for people who want a VPN from a nonprofit and are fine with open-source code
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free VPN with a stated data allowance, because the daily limit isn't given
- Not for you if you want everything tunnelled out of the box, since Full Tunnel is a setting you turn on
- Tight if you're staying free: server choice, faster speeds, ad blocking and 5 devices are all Pro
- Watch out: the 2-year price doesn't say what it renews at, and the yearly total is shown as a calculated figure
Pick TunnelBear if
- Fits if you'd rather pay once for two or three years than face auto-renewals
- Works for small teams at $5.75 a user a month, billed yearly, with an admin console
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Linux, as the download page lists no app for it
- Not for you if you're in India, where TunnelBear says it can no longer be bought
- Too light for anyone who needs servers in lots of countries, with 46+ on offer
- Tight if you stay free: 2GB, and the page doesn't say how often it resets
- Watch out: the pricing page shows only "from $3.33/mo"; term prices appear at checkout, and ad blocking is a separate extension
How we grade them
| 2.6GPALanternGood | 2.4GPATunnelBearFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$3.63 a month on the 2-year Pro plan and $4 a month billed yearly, which is inside the cheaper quarter of VPNs ($3.99). The monthly plan is $12, and the page doesn't say whether the 2-year price renews the same. | CTwo years of Unlimited are $99.99 paid once, about $4.17 a month, between the cheaper quarter of VPNs and the middle. Three years for $120 is $3.33 a month. Neither renews by itself, and a single year is $69.99. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree forever with no sign-up, on all five platforms. But there's a daily data limit in most countries and the pricing page doesn't say how much, so you'll find the edge by hitting it. | CA free plan with 2GB of browsing, which TunnelBear itself pitches at testing and light use, and the page doesn't say how often it resets. Fine for café Wi-Fi now and then, gone fast if you stream. |
| Features | CSmart Routing, switching between protocols when one is blocked, an optional private-server mode and ad blocking on Pro. The gap is that it only protects blocked and sensitive traffic until you turn on Full Tunnel. | CThe basics: unlimited devices, a kill switch, split tunneling, GhostBear to get past VPN blocks, and yearly audits. But the network covers 46+ countries, far fewer than most rivals, and ad blocking is a separate Chrome extension. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but it's an app you install and use with no account. Pick a mode and connect. | B4.67 from about 85,000 App Store ratings, a hair under the 4.7 an A needs. Pick a country and you're connected. |
| Platforms and integrations | BAndroid, iOS, Windows, Mac and Linux. Phones and computers covered, but no API or integrations are listed. | BWindows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and Chrome, but the download page lists no Linux app. There's no integration list or API on record either. |
| Best for | a free VPN for getting past blocked sites | a simple VPN you can pay for once |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Lantern and TunnelBear. How we grade
Price against what you get
Lantern starts at $3.63 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. TunnelBear starts at $3.33 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and TunnelBear starts $0.30 a month lower. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 2 score higher than Lantern for less, and 2 score higher than TunnelBear for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Lantern is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Lantern | TunnelBear | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.63 per month on the 2-year Pro plan, billed every 2 years | $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once) |
| Free plan | Free forever with no sign-up. In most countries it has a daily data limit; the pricing page does not give the amount, and the vendor says the free version is not capped where paying is blocked or unsafe. | 2GB of secure browsing for testing and light use. The pricing page does not say how often the allowance resets. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of TunnelBear for Teams |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Brave New Software Project, Inc. | TunnelBear LLC |
| Price read from | lantern.io | tunnelbear.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lantern
- The free version has a daily data limit in most countries, and the pricing page does not state it.
- Server selection, ad blocking and use on up to 5 devices need Pro.
- By default Lantern protects only blocked and sensitive traffic; Full Tunnel has to be switched on to cover everything.
- Payment depends on where the app came from: Google Play and the App Store use in-app purchases, while desktop and direct Android downloads use cards or UnionPay through Stripe.
TunnelBear
- The pricing page shows only "from $3.33/mo"; the term prices here come from the price list the site loads for its checkout.
- The free plan is limited to 2GB, and the download page lists no Linux app.
- TunnelBear says it can no longer be bought by users in India because of CERT-In regulations.
- Teams is billed annually per user, with additions and removals pro-rated.
Key features
Lantern
- Smart Routing
- Sends blocked and sensitive traffic through Lantern and lets everything else connect directly. A Full Tunnel mode routes all traffic.
- Censorship circumvention
- Supports several protocols and switches automatically when one is blocked, which is what the product is built for.
- Private Server mode
- Lets you run Lantern on your own hardware or cloud account, paying only your own server costs.
- Built-in ad blocking
- Pro includes blocking of ads and trackers inside the app.
- Open source
- The code is public on GitHub, and the vendor says it keeps no logs of browsing activity and has been reviewed by independent security experts.
TunnelBear
- Unlimited devices
- There is no limit on how many devices can use one TunnelBear account.
- Network in 46+ countries
- Over 8,000 servers physically located in the countries you pick, with city-level choice on paid plans.
- GhostBear
- Makes encrypted VPN traffic harder for governments, businesses and ISPs to detect, to get past VPN blocking.
- VigilantBear and SplitBear
- VigilantBear blocks unsecured traffic if the connection drops, and SplitBear chooses which apps and sites go through the VPN.
- Annual security audits
- TunnelBear has independent security firms audit it every year and publishes the results.
- TunnelBear Blocker
- A separate free Chrome extension that blocks ads and online tracking.
Plans
Lantern
Free$0
Secure VPN with a daily data allowance and the anti-censorship protocols, on all five platforms.
Pro, 1 month$12
per month
Server location choice, faster speeds and unlimited bandwidth, premium servers, up to 5 devices and built-in ad blocking.
Pro, 1 year$4
per month, billed yearly
The same Pro plan billed once a year; the page shows the yearly total as a calculated amount, not a fixed figure.
Pro, 2 years$3.63
per month, billed every 2 years
The same Pro plan billed every 2 years. The page does not say whether it renews at the same price.
TunnelBear
Free$0
2GB of secure browsing, aimed at testing and limited use.
Unlimited, 1 month$10.99
per month
Unlimited data on unlimited devices, country and city selection, split tunneling and priority support. Renews monthly.
Unlimited, 1 year$69.99
per year
The same Unlimited plan, renewing every year at $69.99.
Unlimited, 2 years$99.99
for 2 years, paid once, with no renewal
Two years of Unlimited for a single payment; it does not renew by itself.
Unlimited, 3 years$120
for 3 years, paid once, with no renewal
Works out to $3.33 a month, the "from" price on the pricing page. A single payment that does not renew by itself.
Teams$5.75
per user / month, billed annually
Unlimited plan features for 2 or more users, with one annual team invoice, an admin console and pro-rated changes.
Ways to pay less
Lantern
- Annual discount
Longer Pro terms cost less per month
Pro is $12 a month, $4 a month billed yearly and $3.63 a month billed every 2 years.
TunnelBear
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lantern or TunnelBear?
As of Nov 12, 2026, TunnelBear is cheaper to start with: $3.33 a month, against $3.63 a month for Lantern. Lantern starts at $3.63 per month on the 2-year Pro plan, billed every 2 years, and TunnelBear starts at $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once).
Which has a free plan, Lantern or TunnelBear?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Lantern and TunnelBear have a free plan.
Which platforms do Lantern and TunnelBear run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Lantern lists a Linux app and only TunnelBear lists a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.