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Is TunnelBear safe? Its audit record is one of the strongest in the market: Cure53 has audited it every year since 2017, according to our audit table. It has belonged to McAfee since March 2018 and operates from Toronto, inside the Five Eyes. The weak points are platform gaps rather than trust: GhostBear obfuscation is missing on iOS and the latest Mac app, and split tunnelling varies by device.
This guide covers the audits, ownership, jurisdiction, features and the settings that make it safer.
Is TunnelBear Safe? The Audit Record
Our audit table records annual Cure53 audits since 2017, a longer unbroken run than most rivals. For comparison, the table counts six audits for NordVPN, five for Proton VPN and two for Surfshark. Our VPN audit tracker explains what audits check.
Ownership and Jurisdiction
McAfee bought TunnelBear in March 2018. TunnelBear operates from Toronto, so Canadian law applies, inside the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group, with a US parent. Audits matter more than jurisdiction here, since they test what the service actually keeps. Our VPN ownership guide maps the groups.
Security Features
TunnelBear offers WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2, with IKEv2 missing on Android, Tom’s Guide notes. VigilantBear is its kill switch. GhostBear disguises traffic on networks that block VPNs, on Windows and Android over OpenVPN. Two-factor authentication arrived in January 2025.
Our kill switch guide explains why VigilantBear should stay on.
Where It Is Weaker
GhostBear is missing on iOS and the latest Mac app, so those users have no obfuscation. Split tunnelling covers apps and websites on Windows, apps on Android and websites only on Mac and iOS. There are no TV apps, Holafly notes, and no port forwarding or dedicated IPs. Our TunnelBear Mac guide covers the Mac gaps.
The Free Plan
The free plan gives 2 GB a month and assigns your server automatically since early 2026, TheBestVPN reports. It runs on the same service the audits cover. Our TunnelBear free guide covers the limits.
Is TunnelBear Safe for Torrenting?
TunnelBear has no port forwarding, which limits seeding, and our TunnelBear guides record no SOCKS5 option. With VigilantBear on, downloads stop if the tunnel drops. For heavy torrenting, our torrenting VPN guide compares providers built for it.
Is TunnelBear Safe on Public Wi-Fi?
For café and hotel networks, TunnelBear’s apps encrypt every program on the device, and the free plan covers light use. Turn VigilantBear on before connecting to an unfamiliar network. Our public Wi-Fi guide explains the risks.
Is TunnelBear Safe for Families?
Unlimited sets no device limit, according to our device table, so one plan covers every phone and laptop in a home. The apps keep settings simple, which helps less technical relatives. Turn on VigilantBear on each device, and use two-factor authentication on the shared account.
Is TunnelBear Safe in Restrictive Countries?
GhostBear helps on networks that block VPNs, but only on Windows and Android. iPhone and Mac users have no obfuscation, which matters in countries that filter VPN traffic. Check the law where you are, and our obfuscation guide explains how disguised traffic works.
What Would Make It Safer
Feature parity across platforms would help most: GhostBear and app-based split tunnelling on Mac and iOS. Until then, TunnelBear is safest on Windows and Android, where every feature is present.
Our Answer in Short
Is TunnelBear safe enough for everyday privacy? Yes, for most users, thanks to its audit record. Is TunnelBear safe for high-risk use on an iPhone or Mac in a filtering country? Less so, because obfuscation is missing there.
Safety Compared With Free Rivals
Among free plans, TunnelBear’s audit record stands out. Proton VPN’s free plan has five Securitum audits in our table and no data cap, which makes it the main free alternative. PrivadoVPN’s free plan has no independent audit. Our TunnelBear free alternatives guide compares them.
Before You Rely on It
Check that the features you need exist on your device, then test them. On iPhone and Mac, that means accepting no obfuscation. On Windows and Android, every TunnelBear safety feature is present. Keep the app updated, since new versions fix bugs and add protections. We put the two side by side in our IPVanish vs TunnelBear comparison.
Testing It Yourself
After connecting, confirm the address with our VPN test page and run our DNS leak guide. Repeat after app updates.
Settings Worth Turning On
Turn on VigilantBear, enable two-factor authentication on your account, and use GhostBear on blocking networks where your platform supports it. Choose WireGuard for everyday speed. Our TunnelBear Windows guide covers the fullest app.
Refunds and Price
TunnelBear’s terms limit the 30-day guarantee to the first year of annual plans bought directly. The TunnelBear pricing guide on our site covers the plans.
How It Compares
Our Surfshark safety guide and NordVPN safety guide cover two rivals; NordVPN and Surfshark share an owner, Nord Security.
Our guide to VPN safety covers the general questions.
How We Research
This page draws on Tom’s Guide’s TunnelBear review, Holafly, TheBestVPN, TunnelBear’s terms and our audit, ownership and refund tables. We cross-checked these sources against each other, and where they conflict or something can’t be verified, we say so in the text rather than guessing. We checked time-sensitive figures, including prices in US dollars, on 7 October 2026. The main source we relied on is Tom’s Guide’s TunnelBear review. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Is TunnelBear Safe? FAQ
Annually by Cure53 since 2017, per our audit table.
McAfee, since March 2018.
TunnelBear operates from Canada; its audits test what it keeps regardless of jurisdiction.
The free plan shares the same audits; the limit is 2 GB a month.
It does: VigilantBear.
The Verdict
Is TunnelBear safe? On trust, yes: annual audits since 2017 are a strong record. Its weak points are platform gaps, so check that the features you need exist on your device.