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Marketing · head to head

Plausible vs TunnelBear

Plausible logo

Plausible

Marketing

Simple, privacy-friendly analytics

From
$9/month
Rated
-
T

TunnelBear

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: Plausible there is no free tier, only a 30 day trial; TunnelBear free plan's data cap is small compared to competitors offering more generous free allowances.
  • They diverge on capability: Plausible covers Page view tracking, TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Plausible and TunnelBear actually diverge.

Attributes where Plausible and TunnelBear differ
AttributePlausibleTunnelBear
Starting price$9/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebwindows, mac, linux, ios, android
CategoryMarketingCybersecurity
Founded2018Unknown

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 Plausible

  • Page view tracking
  • Goal tracking
  • Real-time analytics
  • Outbound link click tracking
  • Privacy-focused
  • No cookies
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

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.

Plausible

  • Privacy-focused web analytics without cookies or personal datanot TunnelBear
  • A Google Analytics replacement that needs no consent bannernot TunnelBear
  • Self-hosted analytics on your own infrastructurenot TunnelBear
  • EU-hosted measurement for data residency requirementsnot TunnelBear

TunnelBear

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

Where each one falls short

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

Plausible

  • There is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
  • Paid plans are metered on monthly pageviews, so a traffic spike moves you up a plan
  • Self-hosting is possible but means running and updating the service yourself
  • Deliberately simple, so there are no user-level profiles or funnel-by-individual reports the way a cookie-based analytics tool provides

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

Plausible

$9/month
  • Starter$9/month
    • Up to 10k monthly pageviews
    • 1 site
    • 3 years data retention
  • Growth$14/month
    • Up to 3 sites
    • Up to 3 team members
  • Business$19/month
    • Up to 10 sites
    • Up to 10 team members
    • 5 years data retention
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • 10+ sites
    • Custom pricing

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 Plausible if

  • You need page view tracking.
  • You also want goal tracking.

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 Plausible or TunnelBear better?
Neither clearly leads. Plausible starts at $9/month and TunnelBear at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Plausible or TunnelBear?
TunnelBear has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9/month for Plausible and Free for TunnelBear.
Does Plausible or TunnelBear run on more platforms?
Plausible runs on Web. 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. Plausible starts at $9/month.
What is Plausible best used for?
Plausible is most often used for privacy-focused web analytics without cookies or personal data, a google analytics replacement that needs no consent banner, self-hosted analytics on your own infrastructure, eu-hosted measurement for data residency requirements. Of those, privacy-focused web analytics without cookies or personal data and a google analytics replacement that needs no consent banner are not what TunnelBear is typically brought in for.
What can Plausible do that TunnelBear cannot?
Plausible covers Page view tracking, Goal tracking, Real-time analytics, Outbound link click tracking. TunnelBear covers Encrypted VPN tunnel, Server location switching, GhostBear obfuscation, Browser extensions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Plausible: How much does Plausible Analytics cost?

Plausible offers plans starting at $9/month for the Starter tier, $14/month for Growth, and $19/month for Business. Enterprise pricing is custom. All plans include a 30-day free trial without requiring a credit card.

Source
Plausible: Is there a free version of Plausible?

Plausible does not offer a free plan; however, all paid plans include a 30-day free trial with full access to features.

Source
Plausible: What is the difference between Plausible's pricing tiers?

The Starter plan covers up to 10k monthly pageviews for 1 site. Growth adds up to 3 sites and 3 team members. Business expands to 10 sites, 10 team members, and includes advanced features like API access and 5 years data retention.

Source
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