Psiphon vs TunnelBear (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Psiphon grades higher than TunnelBear: 2.8 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
Psiphon grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Psiphon
Free, open-source circumvention VPN with an ad-free paid tier
TunnelBear
McAfee-owned VPN with a 2GB free plan and pay-once multi-year plans
Which one is for you
Pick Psiphon if
- Fits if you're on a network that blocks VPNs and need a free one with no sign-up
- Works for phone users who want ads gone for a low monthly price
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're on a Mac, as the native app is still in development
- Too light for everything-on-the-device cover on iOS, where the browser only tunnels what it loads
- Tight if you stay free, because of the ads and the reduced features
- Watch out: the Plus price has no billing term and the page doesn't list what Plus adds
- Watch out: the Windows app is labelled a legacy client with some newer features missing
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
| 2.8GPAPsiphonGood | 2.4GPATunnelBearFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus is shown as 'from $2.88 a month', which is inside the cheaper quarter ($3.99), but no billing term is given and there's no plan table. | 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 | BPsiphon Basic is free with no account. It shows ads and has reduced features, and the vendor says it is free without limits where paying is hard. | 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 | CIt tries several protocols on its own, has 50,000 servers in 33 countries and a Conduit sharing option. The gaps: no native Mac app, a legacy Windows client, and the iOS browser only tunnels its own traffic. | 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 you install it and connect without an account or any protocol to pick. | 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 and Windows. Phones and a computer, but no Mac or Linux and no API. | 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 that keeps working on blocked networks | 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: Psiphon and TunnelBear. How we grade
Price against what you get
Psiphon starts at $2.88 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 Psiphon starts $0.45 a month lower. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 1 scores higher than Psiphon 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
- Psiphon is open source, according to its own site.
- TunnelBear also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Psiphon | TunnelBear | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $2.88 per month and up for Psiphon Plus; the billing term is not stated | $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once) |
| Free plan | Psiphon Basic is free with no account: ad-supported, with reduced features. The vendor says it is free and without limits where payment restrictions make subscribing difficult. | 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 | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Psiphon Inc. | TunnelBear LLC |
| Price read from | psiphon.ca | tunnelbear.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Psiphon
- The free version shows ads and has reduced features; the page does not list which features Plus adds.
- The Plus price is shown only as "from $2.88 USD per month", with no billing term or plan table.
- There is no native Mac app yet (listed as in development), and the Windows app is labeled a legacy client with some newer features missing.
- On iOS, Psiphon Browser tunnels only traffic loaded inside the browser, not other apps.
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
Psiphon
- Automatic connection methods
- The app tries several protocols and obfuscation techniques in turn, with no protocol to pick, so it can keep working where VPN traffic is blocked.
- No account needed
- You install the app and connect without giving an email address.
- Large server network
- The vendor says its network spans more than 50,000 servers in 33 countries.
- Conduit
- Volunteers can share spare connection capacity from their own devices to help others connect; the vendor lists a Conduit station as an unlimited access route, on Android only for now.
- Open source and audits
- Clients and core tunnelling code are open source, and the vendor publishes independent security reviews, naming Cure53.
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
Psiphon
Psiphon Basic$0
Free, ad-supported and with reduced features; no account needed.
Psiphon Plus$2.88
per month and up; billing term not stated on the page
The full network with no ads and every feature, no account needed. The page says only "from $2.88 USD per month".
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Psiphon or TunnelBear?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Psiphon is cheaper to start with: $2.88 a month, against $3.33 a month for TunnelBear. Psiphon starts at $2.88 per month and up for Psiphon Plus; the billing term is not stated, and TunnelBear starts at $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once).
Which has a free plan, Psiphon or TunnelBear?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Psiphon and TunnelBear have a free plan.
Which platforms do Psiphon and TunnelBear run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only TunnelBear lists a macOS app and a browser extension. Both list 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.