PrivadoVPN vs TunnelBear
We give PrivadoVPN a 2.8 GPA and TunnelBear a 2.4, out of 4.0. PrivadoVPN grades higher on value for money and features. TunnelBear grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PrivadoVPN
VPN with a 10GB free plan and ad blocking on paid plans
TunnelBear
McAfee-owned VPN with a 2GB free plan and pay-once multi-year plans
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAPrivadoVPNGood | 2.4GPATunnelBearFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe 24-month plan is $1.11 a month for the first 27 months, about $30 in all, so two years cost about $1.25 a month, well under the $2 an A needs. The renewal price isn't stated, so check it before month 27. Monthly is $10.99. | 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, which is nice, and a single year is $69.99. |
| Free plan and trial | C10GB every 30 days on one device, with a subset of servers. Fine for café Wi-Fi and the odd trip, but streaming will burn through 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 | BUnlimited data, 10 connections at once on any number of installs, an ad and tracker blocker, threat protection, parental controls, a SOCKS5 proxy, a kill switch, split tunneling and smart DNS. It covers the whole job; antivirus is $1.99 a month extra. | CThe basics, done properly: 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 | C3.99 from about 740 App Store ratings, below most VPNs here and well short of the 4.5 a B needs. | 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 | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and browser extensions. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. | 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 | the cheapest first two years of VPN | 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: PrivadoVPN and TunnelBear. How we grade
Price against what you get
PrivadoVPN starts at $1.11 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 PrivadoVPN starts $2.22 a month lower. Of the other VPNs on the chart, none scores higher than PrivadoVPN 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
- PrivadoVPN starts at $1.11 per month for a first 27 months (24-month plan); renewal price not stated. TunnelBear starts at $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once).
- Only PrivadoVPN lists a Linux app.
At a glance
| PrivadoVPN | TunnelBear | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $1.11 per month for a first 27 months (24-month plan); renewal price not stated | $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once) |
| Free plan | 10GB of data every 30 days on one device, with access to a subset of servers. | 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 | Privado Networks ehf | TunnelBear LLC |
| Price read from | privadovpn.com | tunnelbear.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
PrivadoVPN
- Light users who need a few gigabytes of VPN a month for free
- Buyers who want an ad blocker and parental controls with the VPN
- Households with many devices on one account
TunnelBear
- Occasional users who need a VPN for a few gigabytes
- People who want to pay once for several years with no auto-renewal
- Small teams that want one annual invoice for everyone
Worth knowing
PrivadoVPN
- The pricing page gives the 24- and 12-month plans only as a monthly rate and does not say what they renew at; the terms say renewals use the then-current price.
- Antivirus costs $1.99 a month extra on the 12- and 24-month plans.
- The pricing page calls PrivadoVPN Switzerland-based, but its terms name Privado Networks ehf of Iceland as the provider since May 1, 2026.
- The terms allow personal, non-commercial use only, and there is no free trial of paid features.
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
PrivadoVPN
- Ad blocker and threat protection
- Paid plans block ads and trackers and warn about phishing and malware sites.
- Parental controls
- Listed on every paid plan, and the homepage pairs them with social filters.
- 10 connections, unlimited installs
- Paid accounts can be installed on any number of devices and connect 10 at once; free accounts connect one.
- SOCKS5 proxy and kill switch
- A SOCKS5 proxy is included alongside the VPN, and a kill switch cuts traffic if the VPN connection drops.
- Smart DNS and split tunneling
- Control Tower smart DNS and split tunneling, which lets chosen traffic bypass the VPN, are part of the feature set along with VPN SmartRoute.
- Apps for TVs and browsers
- Apps for Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Wear OS, plus proxy extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Brave.
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
PrivadoVPN
Free$0
10GB every 30 days on one device.
24 Month Plan$1.11
per month for a first term of 27 months; renewal price not stated
24 months plus 3 free. Unlimited data, 10 connections, ad blocker, threat protection and parental controls. Shown as 90% off the monthly plan.
12 Month Plan$1.33
per month for a first term of 15 months; renewal price not stated
12 months plus 3 free, with the same features. Shown as 88% off the monthly plan.
1 Month Plan$10.99
per month
The same features billed monthly, with no saving.
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
PrivadoVPN
- Other savings
24-month plan plus 3 free months at $1.11 a month
The first 27 months are priced at $1.11 a month, shown as 90% off the $10.99 monthly plan. The page does not state the renewal price.
- Other savings
12-month plan plus 3 free months at $1.33 a month
The first 15 months are priced at $1.33 a month, shown as 88% off the monthly plan. The page does not state the renewal price.
TunnelBear
No public discounts listed.
