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Government · head to head

Granicus vs TunnelBear

Granicus logo

Granicus

Government

Digital Government Experiences Platform

From
$500/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
T

TunnelBear

Cybersecurity

Consumer VPN with a limited free tier and a bear-themed, beginner-friendly app

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only TunnelBear has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Granicus pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly available; TunnelBear free plan's data cap is small compared to competitors offering more generous free allowances.
  • They diverge on capability: Granicus covers Citizen Communications, TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Granicus and TunnelBear actually diverge.

Attributes where Granicus and TunnelBear differ
AttributeGranicusTunnelBear
Starting price$500/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobilewindows, mac, linux, ios, android
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded1999Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Granicus

  • Citizen Communications
  • Meeting Management
  • Digital Forms
  • Website Management
  • Records Management
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft 365
  • Google Workspace

Only in TunnelBear

  • Encrypted VPN tunnel
  • Server location switching
  • GhostBear obfuscation
  • Browser extensions
  • Teams account management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Granicus

  • Citizen Servicesnot TunnelBear
  • Records Managementnot TunnelBear
  • Public Safetynot TunnelBear
  • Civic Engagementnot TunnelBear

TunnelBear

  • Casual browsing protection on public Wi-Finot Granicus
  • Occasional geo-unblocking with a light free allowancenot Granicus
  • Bypassing network-level VPN blocking via obfuscationnot Granicus
  • Managing VPN access for a small team with centralized billingnot Granicus

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Granicus

  • Pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly available
  • Complex sales process for government agencies
  • Integration with legacy government systems can be challenging

TunnelBear

  • Free plan's data cap is small compared to competitors offering more generous free allowances.
  • Lacks advanced features like dedicated IP addresses or split-tunneling controls found in some rival VPNs.
  • Server network is smaller than large competitors like NordVPN or ExpressVPN.
  • No standalone router-level app, limiting whole-network protection options.

Pricing, plan by plan

Granicus

$500/month
  • Government Starter$500/month
    • Communications Cloud
    • Meeting Management
    • Digital Services

TunnelBear

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2GB of data per month
    • Access to VPN servers
    • Unlimited devices
  • Unlimited$9.99/month
    • Unlimited monthly data
    • All server locations
    • Cheaper on annual/3-year billing
  • Teams$undefined/month
    • Unlimited data
    • 5 connected devices per user
    • Dedicated account manager

Which should you pick?

Choose Granicus if

  • You need citizen communications.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want meeting management.
Granicus review

Choose TunnelBear if

  • You need encrypted vpn tunnel.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
  • You also want server location switching.
TunnelBear review

Questions people ask

Is Granicus or TunnelBear better?
Neither clearly leads. Granicus starts at $500/month and TunnelBear at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Granicus or TunnelBear?
TunnelBear has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/month for Granicus and Free for TunnelBear.
Does Granicus or TunnelBear run on more platforms?
Granicus runs on Web, Mobile. TunnelBear runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
Can I use TunnelBear for free?
Yes. TunnelBear has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Granicus starts at $500/month.
What is Granicus best used for?
Granicus is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what TunnelBear is typically brought in for.
What can Granicus do that TunnelBear cannot?
Granicus covers Citizen Communications, Meeting Management, Digital Forms, Website Management. TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel, Server location switching, GhostBear obfuscation, Browser extensions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Granicus: How many government agencies use Granicus?

Over 5,500 federal, state, and local government agencies use Granicus, reaching more than 300 million citizen subscribers.

Source
Granicus: What does Granicus Engagement Cloud provide?

Granicus Engagement Cloud combines government communications, website management, meeting and agenda management, records management, and citizen service digitization.

Source
Granicus: What are the main features of Granicus?

Granicus provides tools for managing public communications, citizen feedback collection, community event management, online surveys, event registration, and live-streaming capabilities.

Source
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