TunnelBear vs Urban VPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, TunnelBear and Urban VPN share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and TunnelBear starts cheaper, at $3.33 a month against $4.95 a month when paid by the year.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
TunnelBear grades higher on ease of use. Urban VPN grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
TunnelBear
McAfee-owned VPN with a 2GB free plan and pay-once multi-year plans
Urban VPN
Free VPN extension and apps, with a paid Premium plan
Which one is for you
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
Pick Urban VPN if
- Fits if you only need a free VPN extension in your browser
- Works for Windows users who want a free app with no bandwidth cap
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want it for work, as free use is non-commercial only
- Tight if you use Android free, since it stops at 100MB a day
- Watch out: the pricing page offers 30 days on the yearly plan, while the Premium page says no guarantee
- Watch out: the 3-day trial is Android and iOS on the yearly plan only, not Windows or the website
- Skip it if you want iOS free, as iOS needs Premium
How we grade them
| 2.4GPATunnelBearFair | 2.4GPAUrban VPNFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CPremium is $59.40 a year, $4.95 a month, between the category's cheapest quarter and middle. Monthly is $12.99. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BThe extension and Windows app are free with no bandwidth limit, but only for non-commercial use, and Android stops at 100MB a day. |
| Features | 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. | CPremium servers, up to 8 devices, double VPN, kill switch and an adblocker. Free covers only the extension and Windows app. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record, and the listing shows nothing to set up beyond installing an app. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BExtension, Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, though iOS is Premium only. |
| Best for | a simple VPN you can pay for once | a free browser VPN with a paid upgrade |
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: TunnelBear and Urban VPN. How we grade
Price against what you get
TunnelBear starts at $3.33 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Urban VPN starts at $4.95 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
TunnelBear scores higher and starts $1.62 a month lower. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 2 score higher than TunnelBear for less, and 15 score higher than Urban VPN 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
At a glance
| TunnelBear | Urban VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once) | $59.40 per year; $12.99 on the monthly plan |
| Free plan | 2GB of secure browsing for testing and light use. The pricing page does not say how often the allowance resets. | Browser extension and Windows app with no bandwidth limit; Android is free up to 100MB a day. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of TunnelBear for Teams | 3-day free trial on the 1-year plan, Android and iOS only. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | TunnelBear LLC | Urban VPN |
| Price read from | tunnelbear.com | urban-vpn.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Urban VPN
- Free use is limited to non-commercial purposes; iOS is available only to Premium users.
- Android's free connection stops at 100MB a day, per the vendor's why-free page.
- Refund wording conflicts: the pricing page offers 30 days on the yearly plan, the Premium page says no guarantee.
- The 3-day trial is not available on Windows or through the website.
Key features
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.
Urban VPN
- Free extension and Windows app
- The vendor says the browser extension and Windows app stay free, with no bandwidth limit, for non-commercial use.
- Premium servers
- Premium unlocks 652+ servers in 89 countries, reserved for paying users, with WireGuard and AES-256 encryption.
- Up to 8 devices
- One Premium account covers up to 8 devices at once, with a My Premium Account console to manage them.
- Double VPN and kill switch
- The pricing page lists Double VPN and a kill switch among Premium protections.
- Urban Adblocker
- A separate browser extension for blocking ads, offered free alongside the VPN.
- Free tools
- Includes a password generator, IP location check, and DNS and WebRTC leak tests on the site.
Plans
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.
Urban VPN
Free$0
Browser extension and Windows app, with no bandwidth limit. Free for non-commercial use.
Premium 1 year$59.40
per year
Shown as $4.95 a month, 68% off $12.99. Dedicated servers, up to 8 devices and Premium support.
Premium 6 months$41.88
for 6 months
Shown as $6.98 a month, 47% off $12.99. Same Premium features as the yearly plan.
Premium 1 month$12.99
per month
Monthly Premium with the same features. The 30-day money-back note applies to the yearly plan only.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, TunnelBear or Urban VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, TunnelBear is cheaper to start with: $3.33 a month, against $4.95 a month when paid by the year for Urban VPN. TunnelBear starts at $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once), and Urban VPN starts at $59.40 per year; $12.99 on the monthly plan.
Which has a free plan, TunnelBear or Urban VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both TunnelBear and Urban VPN have a free plan.
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.