ProtonVPN Wins
Winner
VS
Score Comparison
Criteria
ProtonVPN
TunnelBear
Overall Score
8.7
7.7
Security
9.5
8.2
Speed
8.2
7.5
Features
8.5
7.0
Pricing/Value
8.5
7.5
Ease of Use
8.5
9.0
Pricing & Features
Specification
ProtonVPN
TunnelBear
Starting Price
Free / $4.99/mo
Free / $3.33/mo
Free Tier
Pricing Model
Freemium
Freemium
Making Your Decision
When to Choose ProtonVPN
Privacy advocates who trust the Proton brand and want a free option
ProtonVPN offers the best free VPN tier available with no catches, backed by Swiss privacy laws and the trusted Proton name, making it ideal for privacy-focused users on any budget.
Strengths
- Genuinely free tier with no data limits or ads
- Swiss-based with strong privacy laws
- All apps are open-source and independently audited
- Secure Core servers route through privacy-friendly countries
Limitations
- Free tier limited to 3 server locations
- Speeds can be slower than premium competitors
- Streaming features only on higher-tier plans
When to Choose TunnelBear
VPN beginners who want the simplest, most approachable experience
TunnelBear makes VPN usage approachable and fun with its bear-themed design and dead-simple interface, though power users will find its feature set and speeds limiting.
Strengths
- Exceptionally user-friendly with charming bear-themed design
- Free tier available with 2GB/month data
- Annual independent security audits published publicly
- Strong encryption with no-logs policy
Limitations
- Free tier has very limited data (2GB/month)
- Slower speeds compared to premium competitors
- Limited advanced features for power users
