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Mullvad vs TunnelBear compares two providers that both let Cure53 examine them and publish what it finds. TunnelBear has done so every year since 2017; Mullvad has more than ten published audits, many from the same firm. On verification, few pairs in the market are this evenly matched.
What separates them is who each is built for. Mullvad is built for people who want the provider to know nothing about them: no email, cash accepted, a flat €5 a month. TunnelBear is built for people installing their first VPN: the friendliest app in the category, a free tier and unlimited devices.
Mullvad vs TunnelBear: The Short Answer
Choose Mullvad over TunnelBear for anonymity and independence. It rates 4.2 in our Mullvad review, asks for no email, and in 2023 survived a police search that found no customer data.
Choose TunnelBear for simplicity, a household or a lower long-term price. It rates 4.0 in our TunnelBear review, allows unlimited devices, offers 2 GB a month free, and costs about $160 over four years in our table.
Neither streams well or offers port forwarding. Both are privacy tools first.
Verification: Evenly Matched
TunnelBear’s audit run is the longest unbroken one we know of. Its first Cure53 report, published in 2017, listed two critical and five high-rated issues, and it published it anyway. Eight annual rounds had followed by 2024.
Mullvad has more than ten published audits, from firms including Cure53 and Assured AB, and a practical test on top: Swedish police arrived with a warrant in April 2023 and left with nothing. Our audit tracker sets both records against the rest of the market.
| Provider | No-logs audits | Auditor | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 6 | PwC, Deloitte | Panama |
| Surfshark | 2 | Deloitte | Netherlands (9 Eyes) |
| ExpressVPN | 3 | KPMG (28 security reports in total) | British Virgin Islands, Kape-owned |
| CyberGhost | 3 | Deloitte | Romania, Kape-owned |
| PureVPN | 4 | KPMG | BVI, operated from Pakistan |
| IPVanish | 2 | Leviathan, Schellman | United States (Five Eyes), Ziff Davis-owned |
| Windscribe | 1 | Packetlabs, production infrastructure | Canada (Five Eyes); Greek case dismissed, no data to give |
| Proton VPN | 5 | Securitum | Switzerland, moving infrastructure to EU |
| Private Internet Access | 3 | Deloitte | United States (Five Eyes), Kape-owned |
| Mullvad | 10+ | Cure53, Assured AB | Sweden (14 Eyes) |
| TunnelBear | Annual since 2017 | Cure53 | Canada (Five Eyes), US parent |
| Norton VPN | 2 | VerSprite | United States (Five Eyes) |
| Hotspot Shield | 0 | protocol audited, policy not | United States (Five Eyes) |
| AirVPN | 0 | none — the client is open source instead | Italy (14 Eyes) |
| IVPN | 8, annual since inception | Cure53 | Gibraltar (status disputed) |
| Hide.me | 1 modern, in 2024 | Securitum, though one source names Altius IT | Malaysia (outside the alliances) |
| PrivadoVPN | 0 | none in six years of operation | Iceland (moved from Switzerland, 2026) |
| TorGuard | 0 | none; settled a lawsuit without disclosing records | United States (Five Eyes) |
| FastestVPN | 1, in 2023 | Altius IT | Cayman Islands (outside the alliances) |
| StrongVPN | 0 | none in over two decades | United States (Five Eyes), Ziff Davis-owned |
| VyprVPN | 1, in 2018 | Leviathan Security, before the 2023 sale | United States (Five Eyes), Certida-owned since 2023 |
| PrivateVPN | 0 | none; support says there is nothing to audit | Sweden (14 Eyes), ownership disputed |
| ZoogVPN | 0 | none; support describes one as planned | Greece (outside the alliances), run from Ukraine |
| Malwarebytes Privacy VPN | 1, in 2026 | X41 D-Sec, white-box over two months | United States (Five Eyes), runs AzireVPN infrastructure |
| Astrill | 0 | — | Disputed: Seychelles or Liechtenstein |
Anonymity and Ownership
Mullvad knows almost nothing about you. You get a random account number, it requests no email, and you can pay in cash by post. It belongs to Amagicom AB, which owns nothing else in the market, and operates from Sweden, a Fourteen Eyes member.
TunnelBear runs a normal account and has belonged to McAfee, a publicly traded US company, since March 2018. Its team stayed in Toronto, and Canada is a Five Eyes member. Our ownership guide and our privacy guide explain why sign-up and ownership both matter.
Mullvad vs TunnelBear on Price
Mullvad charges €5 a month, about $5.40, with no discount and no renewal jump; our four-year table puts it near $260.
TunnelBear costs around $3.33 a month on its three-year plan, and our four-year table puts it near $160. Our renewal price table compares both.
| Provider | 4-year total |
|---|---|
| PureVPN | ~$142 |
| CyberGhost | ~$152–161 |
| TunnelBear | ~$160 |
| Surfshark | ~$205 |
| Proton VPN | ~$240 |
| Mullvad | ~$260 |
| ExpressVPN | ~$267 |
| Norton VPN | ~$280 |
| Hotspot Shield | ~$290–360 |
| NordVPN | ~$335 |
| Astrill | ~$600 |
⚠️ Refunds differ. Mullvad gives 30 days and returns unused time. TunnelBear has no standard guarantee and considers refunds case by case, so its free tier is the real trial. Our refund guide covers both.
Mullvad vs TunnelBear on Features
Devices: TunnelBear allows unlimited devices on paid plans; Mullvad allows five. Our multi-device guide compares the limits.
Free tier: TunnelBear offers 2 GB a month; Mullvad has none. Our free VPN guide lists the free tiers worth trusting.
Ease of use: TunnelBear scores 5 in our review, the top mark. Mullvad’s apps are clean but assume you know what you want.
Restrictive networks: TunnelBear’s GhostBear mode disguises VPN traffic, as our obfuscation guide explains. Neither offers port forwarding; Mullvad removed it in 2023.
What Each One Lacks
Mullvad lacks a free tier and room for more than five devices. It also has no discounts, so the monthly price is the only price.
TunnelBear lacks anonymity, independence and a refund guarantee. Its network, at around 47 countries, is also smaller, and its streaming rates 2.5 in our review.
Both lack streaming strength and port forwarding. For either, our port forwarding guide lists alternatives, and our no-logs guide explains why their audit records still put them ahead of most rivals.
Which One
Mullvad if the provider should know as little about you as possible, and you prefer an independent company with a flat price.
TunnelBear for a first VPN, a family of devices, or occasional free use, backed by what our review calls the longest unbroken audit record of any VPN. PIA vs Mullvad and Proton VPN vs TunnelBear set each against another rival.
How We Research
Mullvad’s audits, raid, sign-up and pricing come from our Mullvad review and tables, and TunnelBear’s audit history, ownership, free tier, refund policy and pricing from our TunnelBear review and tables. Prices are as recorded in our tables in September 2026, and Mullvad’s dollar figure converts its €5 price. We do not run our own tests. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Mullvad vs TunnelBear FAQ
In Mullvad vs TunnelBear, Mullvad wins on anonymity and independence, rating 4.2 against 4.0. TunnelBear wins on ease of use, devices, a free tier and four-year price.
Yes. TunnelBear has published a Cure53 audit every year since 2017. Mullvad has more than ten published audits, and a 2023 police search found no customer data.
Mullvad. It asks for no email and accepts cash by post. TunnelBear uses a normal account and belongs to McAfee.
TunnelBear over four years, at about $160 in our table, against about $260 for Mullvad’s flat €5 a month.
Only TunnelBear, with 2 GB a month. Mullvad has no free plan.
The Verdict
Mullvad vs TunnelBear is a choice of user, not of quality. Both have strong, published verification.
Choose Mullvad if you want to stay anonymous and support an independent provider. Choose TunnelBear if you want the simplest app, unlimited devices and a lower price, and test its free tier first, since refunds are not guaranteed.