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Government · head to head

NEXGEN Asset Management vs TunnelBear

NEXGEN Asset Management logo

NEXGEN Asset Management

Government

Combined EAM and CMMS for utilities and municipalities with Esri GIS at the centre of the asset register

From
On request
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: NEXGEN Asset Management pricing keys off asset count, so a routine GIS resegmentation that splits mains into more records can raise your subscription without adding a single user or work order.; TunnelBear free plan's data cap is small compared to competitors offering more generous free allowances.
  • They diverge on capability: NEXGEN Asset Management covers Esri GIS integration, TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NEXGEN Asset Management and TunnelBear actually diverge.

Attributes where NEXGEN Asset Management and TunnelBear differ
AttributeNEXGEN Asset ManagementTunnelBear
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Androidwindows, mac, linux, ios, android
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity

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 NEXGEN Asset Management

  • Esri GIS integration
  • Risk and criticality
  • Condition assessment
  • Capital planning
  • Work orders
  • Mobile field app
  • Service requests
  • Inventory and purchasing

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.

NEXGEN Asset Management

  • A water utility that must show a board why a specific main is being replaced this year rather than nextnot TunnelBear
  • A city public works department consolidating a GIS asset inventory and a paper work order process into one systemnot TunnelBear
  • An airport authority tracking condition assessments across airside and landside assets with capital forecastingnot TunnelBear
  • A district that needs citizen service requests to become tracked work orders with an auditable historynot TunnelBear

TunnelBear

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

Where each one falls short

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

NEXGEN Asset Management

  • Pricing keys off asset count, so a routine GIS resegmentation that splits mains into more records can raise your subscription without adding a single user or work order.
  • Nothing is published and the vendor is small, so the reference set you can call is limited and mostly Californian and North American public agencies.
  • The interface is dated compared with modern CMMS products, which hurts adoption among field crews who compare it to consumer apps on their own phones.
  • GIS integration is the product strength and also its dependency; agencies without a maintained ArcGIS asset layer face a data preparation project before NEXGEN is useful.
  • As a small vendor it carries acquisition risk, and in this segment acquisitions have repeatedly meant a product frozen while it is folded into a larger portfolio.

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

NEXGEN Asset Management

On request
  • NEXGEN Asset Management$undefined/year
    • Tiered pricing based on the number of assets under management
    • Implementation, GIS integration and data migration quoted separately
    • Mobile module licensed alongside the core platform

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 NEXGEN Asset Management if

  • You need esri gis integration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want risk and criticality.
NEXGEN Asset Management 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 NEXGEN Asset Management or TunnelBear better?
Neither clearly leads. NEXGEN Asset Management starts at On request and TunnelBear at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NEXGEN Asset Management or TunnelBear?
TunnelBear has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for NEXGEN Asset Management and Free for TunnelBear.
Does NEXGEN Asset Management or TunnelBear run on more platforms?
NEXGEN Asset Management runs on Web, iOS, Android. 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. NEXGEN Asset Management starts at On request.
What is NEXGEN Asset Management best used for?
NEXGEN Asset Management is most often used for a water utility that must show a board why a specific main is being replaced this year rather than next, a city public works department consolidating a gis asset inventory and a paper work order process into one system, an airport authority tracking condition assessments across airside and landside assets with capital forecasting, a district that needs citizen service requests to become tracked work orders with an auditable history. Of those, a water utility that must show a board why a specific main is being replaced this year rather than next and a city public works department consolidating a gis asset inventory and a paper work order process into one system are not what TunnelBear is typically brought in for.
What can NEXGEN Asset Management do that TunnelBear cannot?
NEXGEN Asset Management covers Esri GIS integration, Risk and criticality, Condition assessment, Capital planning. TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel, Server location switching, GhostBear obfuscation, Browser extensions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NEXGEN Asset Management: How is NEXGEN priced?

On a tiered model based on the number of assets under management, quoted per agency. Nothing is published.

NEXGEN Asset Management: Do we need Esri ArcGIS?

Not strictly, but the product is designed around it and most of the value assumes a maintained GIS asset layer.

NEXGEN Asset Management: Does it handle capital planning?

Yes. Risk, criticality and condition scores feed multi-year renewal forecasts intended for board and council submissions.

NEXGEN Asset Management: Is there a mobile app?

Yes, a map-based field application with offline capability, licensed alongside the core platform.

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