TunnelBear VPN Review - Is Legit, Safe or Scam? | Complaints
Absolutely, TunnelBear can be trusted and authentic. This review will show you how we came to the conclusion that TunnelBear is a reliable and stable VPN service.
If you're searching for the top and most honest TunnelBear reviews, you've come to the right spot.
What is TunnelBear?
Have you heard of man's greatest friend is his dog? TunnelBear TunnelBear aren't convinced. For them, the man's most loyal companion is the bear with fluffy fur.
TunnelBear is an VPN service provider. And as with every VPN service, they provide users access to security and privacy online. They accomplish this by encrypting your data so that anyone who is watching can't see what you're doing. They also replace your actual location by some of their locations, so that the monitoring devices don't be able to determine your actual location. It sounds a bit complex, isn't it?
TunnelBear came into the picture to help make VPN unusable and enjoyable. When you use TunnelBear VPN, everything is bear-related in a playful way. For instance, the address for the company has the name "the bear cave", employees are "the bears", server locations are "the tunnel", the VPN features include GhostBear, VigilanteBear, SplitBear and many more. Through TunnelBear VPN, you can receive VPN security and enjoy yourself while doing it.
RECOMMENDED TOP 3 BEST VPN ALTERNATIVES:
- Ipvanish.com
- Expressvpn.com
- Purevpn.com
Note: As you have no risk and nothing to lose, it's best to sign up using this link so that we are able to help you get contact with them should you encounter any issues later on. We are able to make them correct their errors. But, we are unable to take action if you attempt to evade the system. Be sure to comply with the rules and regulations of the organization to assist us.
This review will aid us in determining whether this beer-loving VPN service is just adorable or if they are able to allow us to browse the web in complete anonymity and provide whatever the VPN provider in the year 2018 can be able to provide.
Is TunnelBear safe?
TunnelBear is secure, as when we wrote this review we've tested and analyzed TunnelBear and are able to confirm that it is secure and safe to use. Your privacy and information are secure and safe. Nobody has complained about their information being disclosed.
Is TunnelBear Legit or Scam?
TunnelBear is an VPN network that offers mixed experience among its customers. However, TunnelBear is legitimate, you can purchase their services and avail of it with no issues. It is true that TunnelBear is secure to use. However, we cannot guarantee that you'll enjoy a pleasant experience. Check out some of the comments and reviews below to find out what you can be expecting from the TunnelBear VPN service.
Tunnelbear Complaints And Feedback:
John says:
"Used to be a good thing, however, since BBC launched enhanced security they aren't interested any more. The problem is that this occurred within a month of having signed up for a second year. This appears to be the same pattern. Companies provide good services to grow their customer base, but then simply get unproductive. My experience with Tunnel Bear. I would suggest that you have an IP address that is dedicated or at least the capability to select from a variety of UK IP addresses. Recently, I realized that I was being directed to the US even though it was saying UK. "Support" couldn't be bothered. AVOID."
Jennifer says:
"started off well, but I'm thinking they may now be sitting on their laurels. The first two years were great. Recently, however things have gotten worse quickly. Since December, I've put four requests for help and received not a single response. The issue I'm having is I'm experiencing that BBC iPlayer is consistently blocked by their servers on a daily basis. Additionally, Tunnel Bear constantly logs me out of my Windows machine, and refuses to allow me to login, stating that my password is not valid. It's not because I am able to connect to my Mac and everything works fine. After being neglected by them for more than an entire month I'm trying to find an alternative VPN for when my year of subscription is out in the coming months."
Samuel says:
"I've always found TunnelBear great and the customer support team helpful and quick to respond"
James states:
"A extremely user-friendly VPN but with limited options. It works flawlessly and does what it is supposed to! I would prefer to find additional servers available in the near future However, it's overall a excellent VPN!"
Tunnelbear Features
Supported Devices:
TunnelBear has a client available to Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. There are extension for browsers such as Chrome as well as Opera. TunnelBear could be more effective in this regard and there exist VPN services that cover all five major operating systems (Linux as well).
Ease of Use:
TunnelBear states that they're "app is so thoughtfully designed, a bear could use it". However, if I'm the sole person who isn't aware that technological devices and services are utilized in non-human animal worlds and that the last sentence is most likely an exaggeration that is used to create an impression. The first of the story, that the app is well-thought-out, is factual. The TunnelBear application is designed with the On/Off feature,
The main interface is very user easy to use and features a colorful globe map that allows users to see the connection. The interface lets you fly with VPN security at the press. TunnelBear's TunnelBear "Auto Tunnel" feature uses servers pings to link you with the VPN server that is closest to your. Once you are connected, you receive an email and a cute animation and, on Android the bear's growl.
Ghost Bear
VPN providers encrypt your data so that companies, governments, ISPs (internet service providers) and other monitoring entities do not know the activities you conduct on the internet, but they will be aware that you're using VPN. In the end, numerous governments that are restrictive (like China) and businesses (like Netflix) identify and block VPN traffic entirely. That's why certain VPNs aren't able to pass through China Great Wall as well as Netflix blocking.
TunnelBear comes with a secret feature known as Ghost Bear that makes your encrypted data harder to detect through your network, resulting in it being more difficult to block. It is because Ghost Bear disguises your traffic to make it appear not like VPN traffic, and is more like regular traffic. The monitoring components will recognize your traffic in the same way as usual and let it flow through the network.
However it is true that the Ghost Bear, like every stealth technology, can make the connection slow. TunnelBear suggests that you use Ghost Bear Ghost Bear either when you cannot connect or maintain the connection (as this could indicate that encryption techniques is being detected and the connection has been blocked or blocked or throttled).
Trusted Network Feature
It is an TunnelBear feature that can be used when connected to Wi-Fi. It allows you to make an inventory of Wi-Fi networks you believe to be safe or reliable (such as your office or home network). If you're on a reliable network, you are able to remove from the VPN service, however when you leave the network you are on the service will connect automatically to ensure that your internet browsing is safe.
P2P Activity
P2P allows one to connect with peers in order for downloading files. The past was when TunnelBear VPN clearly did not permit torrenting. However, it has been reported in various sources that TunnelBear is now a torrenting partner; it's not listed on their website. Be aware that VPN providers that fully endorse torrenting are listed on their website as one of their many features. They even recommend users to use VPN services to allow users of the VPN service to stream securely.
In the TunnelBear's Terms of Service, among the numerous things that are prohibited includes "distribute copyright-protected material through our servers". It's not difficult to argue that a lot of the files that are shared on BitTorrent is in this category.
It is therefore possible to conclude that TunnelBear isn't the best VPN to use for torrenting. This is a major downfall to our adorable Bear since torrenting is among the main reasons why people use VPN services.
Streaming
TunnelBear is a VPN which still grants you access to Netflix's massive resources. But, it should be noted that there are not all server locations that can be used with Netflix and that obtaining an account with Netflix is merely playing a connect-and-check game, connecting to one server after the other and then looking to see whether it allows Netflix. Although some of TunnelBear's locations were able to open the doors to Netflix but there are VPNs with better streaming capabilities.
Tunnelbear Server Network
TunnelBear VPN does not explicitly specify the number of servers the service has; they simply highlight the number countries they run their servers from that is, 20+ countries.
The server count, which is glaringly absent is a crucial information people are looking for to assess whether an VPN servers network strong enough to meet their requirements. For instance, a VPN service with servers in 25 countries offers only 100 servers; however, another VPN service which covers 25 countries has over 2000 servers. While they cover the exact amount of locations, the second VPN service with more connectivity points will provide more privacy and better performance. Better anonymity is due to having more options to spoof your location. Better performance is due to being less likely to be able to connect to overloaded servers.
What number of servers do TunnelBear have in its 20plus countries? 100 1,000, 10,000? It's up to you. It is evident that they've got more than 20 servers.
Additionally also, it is important to note that the TunnelBear server network isn't fully worldwide. The countries that are covered include North as well as South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania However, the entirety of Africa as well as in the Middle East is neglected.
Packages And Pricing
Packages:
TunnelBear VPN has two plans that include a paid plan as well as an unpaid plan (which I'll discuss in the future). The paid plan offers two options for billing - each month and annually. Additionally, you have access to all features included in the VPN service, regardless of the choice of billing.
A monthly membership (which TunnelBear calls Giant) is priced at $9.99 and the one-year contract (which TunnelBear calls Grizzly) costs $59.99 which equates in to $4.99 per month, which is an additional 50% savings.
If you'd like to save money, opt for the one-year membership for TunnelBear VPN; this follows the pricing system within the VPN world, where longer-term contracts are markedly discounted. TunnelBear doesn't offer an option for a mid-term contract that is in between the month-long and annual offer, however this would be a great idea since it is ideal for users who require more than one month of VPN security but don't need the commitment of a whole year.
TunnelBear VPN prices are not particularly different; the cost for our Bear's Giant (monthly subscription) is comparable to rates of the most popular players and our Bear's Grizzly (yearly subscription) is priced more than the most expensive deals of the players (who offer the most affordable deals starting at $3.50).
TunnelBear allows payment to be made easy by providing regular payment options, such as debit cards, credit cards, and PayPal. It also allows users to pay in a secure manner using cash or bitcoin (what they refer to as "jars of honey"). To pay with cash you must include your email address for registration in the envelope and send it in the Bear Cave (TunnelBear Canada office)
Through TunnelBear VPN's paid plans, you are able to use unlimited bandwidth. you also have the ability to connect as many as five devices using single account. This is a huge benefit since there are VPNs with premium features which allow just three concurrent connections. This means you will be able to secure multiple devices, and also extend VPN security to family members or your friends without spending more.
Free Version:
TunnelBear is among the only a few VPN services that provide an unpaid plan that lets you test the service without the need to commit to any financial investment. For me, this is an excellent thing for our adorable Bear.
TunnelBear calls their free plan "little". The title is appropriate since this plan's free version is extremely restricted. That's the kind of thing you'll get with the free plan. Moreover, it's not a VPN service that provides the full feature plan. What is the limit of our beautiful Teddy Bear's little. Little?
Monthly data usage is limited at 500MB. You could get an additional 1GB by posting tweets about the beautiful Bear. But that's a lot given that there's a VPN service that provides an unlimited 10GB monthly version.
Security And Privacy Features
VPN Protocol and Encryption:
TunnelBear VPN uses the popular VPN protocols: Open Virtual Private Network (OpenVPN), Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) along with Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)or Internet Protocol Security (IPsec).
Android devices can utilize OpenVPN; iOS devices get to choose between IKEv2 or L2TP/IPsec (whichever is most compatible with your iOS device) While Windows and Mac OS X devices get to connect using either OpenVPN or IKEv2 (whichever of them is first connected). This means that a third-party OpenVPN client is required to be used OpenVPN for iOS.
While several other VPN services offer their users with the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) as well as other protocols; our adorable Bear does not utilize it. PPTP protocol. This is because PPTP is the simplest method to set up, however it's not up-to-date and is thought as the least secure. TunnelBear claims the following "weaker encryption isn't even an option".
TunnelBear VPN uses strong AES encryption with 256 bits by default. Data authentication is done using the SHA-256 algorithm (only old versions of iOS employ the SHA-1 algorithm) The handshake encryption is Diffie-Hellman, 2,048 bits in Android and iOS and 4,096 bits Diffie-Hellman in Windows as well as macOS.
The top-quality industry-level encryption guarantees that your data is secure The only drawback is that TunnelBear doesn't permit you to alter levels of encryption.
Kill Switch:
TunnelBear VPN is designed in the way that, if the VPN is disconnected due to reasons of any kind, it will automatically reconnects as soon as it recognizes that the internet is there. But, during the period between when the VPN connection dropping and reconnecting, your internet data would be open, and anyone watching you would have everything they needed. TunnelBear offers VigilantBear to guard you in those times when your VPN connection fails to connect.
This feature is commonly referred to as the kill switch, however TunnelBear having it as TunnelBear is known as "VigilantBear". It is the VigilantBear is always alert to the VPN connection. When it notices there is an indication that there is an indication that VPN connection is at risk of being cut off it shuts off the internet connections, ensuring that no data is transmitted information even if VPN service is down. VPN service is not working.
Protection against DNS leaks
The majority of VPN providers offer an option to switch on or off protection against DNS leaks. TunnelBear is not equipped with the option to do this, not just because our Bear doesn't fix DNS leaks but because our Bear recognize how plugging DNS leaks needs to be a necessity and not an alternative.
Indeed, I've frequently thought of the an option to block DNS leaks in the event that DNS leaks pose privacy and privacy dangers that could permit ISPs to monitor and observe the activities of internet users.
TunnelBear is able to protect you from DNS leaks, and more important, there aren't any additional steps in order to "enable" DNS leak protection (once connected, all leaks are have been closed, and you are protected). I checked for DNS leaks, but every test was positive. TunnelBear VPN effectively plugs DNS leaks.
Logging Policy
The recording and storage of user's data can be a risk to their privacy. TunnelBear acknowledges this, stating that they do not have a logging policy, as your privacy is of paramount importance.
They claim: "TunnelBear does NOT log any of the activities of customers who connect with our services. Period".
If it's not enough clear, they provide:
- TunnelBear specifically does not keep, store, or record the following information:
- IP addresses visiting our website
- IP addresses upon service connection
- DNS Queries when connected
Any information we have about the apps or services our users access while using our Service.
This is something that will please those who are concerned about privacy. But I did a thorough review of the privacy policy of TunnelBear to see whether our lovely Bear is among the VPN providers that claim that they're a non-logging service however, they have fine print (privacy policy) which suggest otherwise.
The fine print reveals that TunnelBear gathers some personal information and describe it as "the minimal amount of information required to operate the service". For instance, when you create your TunnelBear account they gather the email you use, information regarding whether you're paying or free user, as well as the paid subscribers' expiry date. This isn't out of the norm; most VPN services will collect personal information to allow them to provide their services. It is also important to mention this: despite collecting some personal data, Tunnel Bear remain focused on the privacy of users. They've demonstrated that by not taking users' full names in the account creation process.
TunnelBear declares that, if they're provided with a legal document and the law in force demands that they adhere, the amount of disclosure is restricted only to Personal Data listed. This shouldn't be an issue since the information doesn't compromise privacy rights of the users.
TunnelBear also collects what they refer to as "operational data", and they claim it is necessary to run their service, and also to ensure satisfaction of customers. It includes your device's information (OS version) as well as the TunnelBear app's version and the bandwidth you use. Although the two first categories don't cause privacy concerns for users but that isn't the case about third (data use). The good news is that TunnelBear has taken measures to make sure that gathering this information does not violate users ' privacy. Contrary to VPN services which record the usage of data per session, TunnelBear employ a monthly data usage measurement because it doesn't require collecting login timestamps. They also make sure that no record of historical usage is stored by setting the monthly total usage to '0' at close of every month. As a sign of trust, TunnelBear provide you with the option of deleting all of your Personal Data with them.
In conclusion, it is possible to conclude that TunnelBear privacy policies are reassuring that the absence of logs will not compromise your privacy.
In light of the lack of trust the VPN industry has faced in recent years, TunnelBear saw the need to go further in proving to their customers that their VPN service is reliable. They enlisted a reputable security firm (Cure 53) to conduct an exhaustive review on their servers, applications and infrastructure. Then, in an open manner the company (TunnelBear) made public the results even though the report included a number of vulnerabilities which they weren't happy about. This is why TunnelBear claims to be the only VPN around the globe who has published an independently-conducted security audit.
Jurisdiction
The location where the VPN is located is always brought in discussions regarding the privacy features of the VPN service. This is due to the fact that the VPN service is bound by lawful requirements of the country where they reside. If there are laws that prohibit privacy (such as those that require retention of data) and there are serious risks to users' privacy.
TunnelBear VPN is based in Toronto, Canada. That means that it is subject to Canadian laws. Furthermore, according to Canadian laws it is required to provide user information to law enforcement agencies with an appropriate warrant. But, this shouldn't be cause for worry since TunnelBear does not store the logs of users that would compromise their privacy.
Another cause of concern is the fact that TunnelBear VPN has been acquired by an American company (McAfee). This means that they'll be subject to certain American laws. A lot of VPN users would prefer not to use their VPN services available in U.S. U.S. because; anti-privacy laws have been enacted in the U.S. that permit the data of users to be transferred to third-party companies and certain methods used in the past by U.S. intelligence agencies (NSA and FBI) in the past have been invading. In addition it is worth noting that there is the fact that both U.S. and Canada are members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance which has expanded to include 14 other countries around the globe. The countries that are members of this alliance cooperate to gather, spy and exchange information. This means that if the members of the alliance is snooping on you, you're dependent on agents of intelligence from all 14 countries , including those of non-official members.
Speed
However much security the VPN service offers its users, it can only provide happy customers if it offers significant speed. Customers don't want to be interrupted due to slow speeds. Speed performance for TunnelBear VPN was done by testing the impact the VPN service affected browsing speed even without the use of a VPN connection. In the event that the VPN service decreased speed to levels that are unacceptably this is considered slow. If the drop in speed cannot be identified, it's rapid.
TunnelBear claims in their site that they offer lightning-fast speeds. However , my testing of the service is not in agreement with this claim. On average, TunnelBear VPN increased latency by 248%, which will place the service at an average speed in their log. The average upload speeds were reduced by 54%, and the average download speed decreased by 61 percent. The results give TunnelBear the same ranking as the latency test.
Customer Support
TunnelBear VPN has a help center that will help you resolve some of the issues you face on your own. The help centre is organized into categories, such as starting out with troubleshooting, as well as Bills and payments. There's also a FAQs section , where you can get answers to a few of the questions frequently asked by users over the years.
TunnelBear can also provide direct communication; you can send a message detailing your problem and a Support bear (a TunnelBear customer support staff) will contact you with the assistance you require. It can take about 24 hours for answers to questions, which is a decent amount.
TunnelBear is a service that only supports the email service. I was unable to not help but notice that it's SupportBear symbol (a bear with headset) implies support via phone, which TunnelBear doesn't have. They don't even have live chat, that premium VPNs are adding to their support arsenal. I would love to see our lovely fluffy Bear launch live chat and/or a phone support service. These two options make for an extremely modern 24 hour support.
Conclusion
TunnelBear VPN is a VPN that blends technology and entertainment. The theme of their bear and puns are simply adorable and come with an easy-to-use interface. remarkable is that it doesn't diminish the privacy and security features offered. The VPN uses only the safest VPN protocols and utilizes high-level industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption. It is equipped with features that guard the user in case their VPN connection is lost and also features that stop DNS leaks. Additionally, they don't keep logs that could be harmful to privacy of users; and they have a privacy-friendly policy that gives users confidence. It would be a crime to not note that TunnelBear offers a free version.
However, I am not a fan of TunnelBear's silence regarding how many servers are that are part of their network, as well as on whether torrenting is allowed. Additionally, this is the 21st century and live chat that provides real-time support should be available with every support service that is 21st century.