TunnelBear vs Zoog VPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, TunnelBear and Zoog VPN share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and Zoog VPN starts cheaper, at $2.49 a month against $3.33 a month.
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. Zoog VPN grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, 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
Zoog VPN
VPN with a 10GB free plan and cheap multi-year terms
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 Zoog VPN if
- Fits if you stay under 10GB a month on one device
- Works for households that want one Premium account on up to 10 devices
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stream, because free is 10GB, 1 device and limited speed
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $9.99 against $2.49 on the 2-year term
- Watch out: the pricing page shows first-term prices only, and renewals fall under other conditions
- Watch out: the 2-year plan bills $59.99 at once for 27 months
- Watch out: the 7-day refund covers new subscriptions only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPATunnelBearFair | 2.4GPAZoog 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. | B$2.49 a month on the 27-month plan ($59.99 up front) and $3.39 on 12 months, inside the category's cheapest quarter ($3.99). Monthly is $9.99, and renewal prices are not stated. |
| 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. | CFree is 10GB a month on 1 device, 5 locations and limited speed, which a regular user will outgrow. |
| 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. | CAd blocker, kill switch, P2P servers, streaming access and a free tier. The free plan is only basic 128-bit encryption. |
| 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. | BWindows, Mac, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Android TV and browser extensions. |
| Best for | a simple VPN you can pay for once | a cheap long-term VPN or a light free one |
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 Zoog 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. Zoog VPN starts at $2.49 a month and scores 2.3.
TunnelBear scores higher, and starts $0.84 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 2 score higher than TunnelBear for less, and 2 score higher than Zoog 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 | Zoog VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once) | $2.49 per month, billed $59.99 for the first 27 months |
| Free plan | 2GB of secure browsing for testing and light use. The pricing page does not say how often the allowance resets. | 10GB of traffic a month, 5 locations, 1 device, basic 128-bit encryption and limited speed. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of TunnelBear for Teams | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | TunnelBear LLC | Zoog Services IKE |
| Price read from | tunnelbear.com | zoogvpn.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.
Zoog VPN
- The pricing page shows only first-term prices; the 7-day refund covers new subscriptions, while renewals fall under other conditions.
- The free plan is limited to 1 device, 10GB a month and 5 locations.
- The 2-year plan bills 27 months at once, so the up-front cost is $59.99.
- Apps are listed for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Fire TV and Android TV, plus Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions.
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.
Zoog VPN
- Free plan
- 10GB of traffic a month on one device with 5 locations. Premium lifts the cap, adds locations and raises encryption to 256-bit.
- Ad Blocker
- A built-in blocker for ads, trackers and harmful sites, described on its own feature page.
- Kill switch
- The desktop apps cut traffic if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.
- Shadow protocol
- Aimed at countries that block VPNs; the vendor names Russia, China, the UAE and Iran, and supplies a manual IP to connect.
- P2P servers
- Servers marked P2P allow torrenting, and the vendor says it keeps no logs.
- Streaming access
- Premium lists access to 20 Netflix regions, Hulu, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer.
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.
Zoog VPN
Free$0
10GB a month on 1 device, 5 locations, limited speed, and partial access to streaming services.
Premium 2 years$59.99
for 27 months, first term; renewal price not stated
$2.49 a month over 24 months plus 3 free months, shown as 75% off $9.99 a month.
Premium 1 year$39.99
for 12 months, first term; renewal price not stated
$3.39 a month, shown as 66% off $9.99 a month. Unlimited traffic, up to 10 devices.
Premium 1 month$9.99
per month
Billed $9.99 for 1 month. Same Premium features as the longer terms.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, TunnelBear or Zoog VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zoog VPN is cheaper to start with: $2.49 a month, against $3.33 a month for TunnelBear. TunnelBear starts at $3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once), and Zoog VPN starts at $2.49 per month, billed $59.99 for the first 27 months.
Which has a free plan, TunnelBear or Zoog VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both TunnelBear and Zoog 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.