The more server locations a service has, the more options you have for spoofing your location. TunnelBear VPN's Servers and Server Locations A TunnelBear representative tells us that the company is looking to implement WireGuard in a future release, which is fine considering how new this technology is, but it's not ideal. Many of the best VPNs we've reviewed, including NordVPN and Mullvad, have begun deploying the next generation, open-source WireGuard VPN protocol. You can't change which protocol TunnelBear uses in its app-it's handled automatically-but that's fine for most users.
IKEv2 is also available for the iOS and Windows clients. This is our preferred protocol, as it is open source and available to be picked over for any potential vulnerabilities. TunnelBear secures your connection with the OpenVPN protocol for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. What VPN Protocols Does TunnelBear VPN Offer?
We highly recommend that everyone enable two-factor authentication wherever possible, use antivirus software, and create unique passwords with a password manager. A VPN will also do precious little to protect you against phishing and malware. We recommend making use of the privacy tools built into most modern browsers, and a tracker blocker like the EFF's Privacy Badger or TunnelBear's standalone Blocker. VPNs do a great job of keeping your online activity private, even from your ISP, but there are many advanced ways to track your movements online. A subscription to RememBear is bundled with the three-year TunnelBear subscription.
It's free to use on one device, but if you want the convenience of syncing across all your devices, you must pay $36 per year (or $60 every two years). TunnelBear has stayed focused on VPN protection but does offer the RememBear password manager. Hotspot Shield grants access to a whole suite of privacy services, while NordVPN now offers subscriptions for a file locker and a password manager. Some VPNs have expanded their purview beyond securing web traffic. It does not, however, include split tunneling, which lets you designate what traffic should pass through the VPN or bypass the VPN.
You can now use it to torrent over VPN to your heart's content.
Previously, TunnelBear forbade the use of its services for P2P file sharing or BitTorrenting. A few grant push-button access to the free Tor anonymization network. Editors' Choice winners IVPN, NordVPN and ProtonVPN are among the few VPNs that offer multi-hop connections, which use a second VPN server for extra security. TunnelBear's biggest drawback is that it doesn't offer much beyond VPN protection. (Note that IPVanish and are owned by J2 Global, the parent company of PCMag's publisher, Ziff Davis.) Avira Phantom VPN, VPN, Ghostery Midnight, IPVanish VPN, Surfshark VPN, and Windscribe VPN place no limit on the number of devices you can use simultaneously. That's average for VPNs, but an increasing number of VPNs are abandoning this restrictive model. With either a free or a paid account, you can use up to five devices on a single TunnelBear account.
TunnelBear says it will accept jars of honey, but this method of payment may prove to be a challenge in practice. Other VPN services such as Editors' Choice-winner Mullvad go further by accepting numerous payments, including cash. Bitcoin is an option, but only for the one-year plan. You can pay for TunnelBear using major credit cards. While TunnelBear is an excellent value, we highly recommend starting with the company's free or monthly plans, so you can test out TunnelBear for yourself and make sure it will work for you. Both are significantly less than the average of $72.33 per year among VPNs we've tested. TunnelBear also has longer term subscriptions: an annual plan that costs $59.88 and a three-year plan that runs $120. Hotspot Shield, by comparison, costs $12.99 per month, while Mullvad is a mere $5.54 per month. An Unlimited plan costs $9.99 per month, just three pennies above the $9.96 per month average for a VPN we've tested. If you decide to pay for TunnelBear, it won't break the bank.
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