Security & Cybersecurity · head to head
Mullvad VPN vs TunnelBear
Mullvad VPN
Security & Cybersecurity
Privacy-first VPN with one flat price and no email required to sign up
- From
- $5/month
- Rated
- -
TunnelBear
Security & Cybersecurity
Consumer VPN with a limited free tier and a bear-themed, beginner-friendly app
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only TunnelBear has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Mullvad VPN offers no free trial or free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors.; TunnelBear free plan's data cap is small compared to competitors offering more generous free allowances.
- They diverge on capability: Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing, TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mullvad VPN and TunnelBear actually diverge.
| Attribute | Mullvad VPN | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $5/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 2009 | Unknown |
Identical on both: platforms (windows, mac, linux, ios, android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Security & Cybersecurity).
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 Mullvad VPN
- Flat single pricing
- Account-number signup
- Cash and crypto payments
- WireGuard support
- Independent audits
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.
Mullvad VPN
- Paying for a VPN anonymously with cash or cryptocurrencynot TunnelBear
- Avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plannot TunnelBear
- Signing up without providing an email addressnot TunnelBear
- Verifying a provider's privacy claims via independent auditsnot TunnelBear
TunnelBear
- Casual browsing protection on public Wi-Finot Mullvad VPN
- Occasional geo-unblocking with a light free allowancenot Mullvad VPN
- Bypassing network-level VPN blocking via obfuscationnot Mullvad VPN
- Managing VPN access for a small team with centralized billingnot Mullvad VPN
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Mullvad VPN
- Offers no free trial or free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors.
- Lacks a bundled tiered structure, so there is no cheaper limited plan for occasional users.
- Server network and streaming-unblocking performance is smaller than large mainstream VPN providers.
- No annual discount, meaning long-term subscribers pay the same monthly rate as short-term users.
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
Mullvad VPN
$5/month- Mullvad VPN$5/month
- Flat rate regardless of subscription length
- 5 simultaneous devices
- No email required
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 Mullvad VPN if
- You need flat single pricing.
- You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
- You also want account-number signup.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Mullvad VPN or TunnelBear better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mullvad VPN starts at $5/month and TunnelBear at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mullvad VPN or TunnelBear?
- TunnelBear has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5/month for Mullvad VPN and Free for TunnelBear.
- Does Mullvad VPN or TunnelBear run on more platforms?
- Both run on windows, mac, linux, ios, android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use TunnelBear for free?
- Yes. TunnelBear has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mullvad VPN starts at $5/month.
- What is Mullvad VPN best used for?
- Mullvad VPN is most often used for paying for a vpn anonymously with cash or cryptocurrency, avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plan, signing up without providing an email address, verifying a provider's privacy claims via independent audits. Of those, paying for a vpn anonymously with cash or cryptocurrency and avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plan are not what TunnelBear is typically brought in for.
- What can Mullvad VPN do that TunnelBear cannot?
- Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing, Account-number signup, Cash and crypto payments, WireGuard support. TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel, Server location switching, GhostBear obfuscation, Browser extensions.
Related pages
More on Mullvad VPN
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