Compare speeds, free options, subscription prices and renewal terms to see which VPN fits your needs.
| Speed | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Paid · Download | No data | No data |
| Paid · Upload | No data | No data |
| Free · Download | No data | No data |
| Free · Upload | No data | No data |
| Free options | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Free options | No permanent free plan. New customers can try the VPN for 7 days when choosing an annual or two-year subscription. Payment details are required; cancel before the trial ends to avoid a charge. The trial allows three simultaneous devices, compared with unlimited VPN connections after payment. | The free plan includes 2 GB per month without ads. Standard free accounts cannot choose a country manually or use SplitBear; participants in the separate Bandwidth Program retain those features. |
| Pricing | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plan | Surfshark Starter | Unlimited |
| 1 month | 1 month / $16.45 $16.45 per month At renewal: 1 month / $16.45 $16.45 per month (Same monthly price) | 1 month / $9.99 $9.99 per month At renewal: 1 month / $9.99 $9.99 per month (Same monthly price) |
| 1 year | 15 months / $50.85 $3.39 per month At renewal: 12 months / $79.00 $6.58 per month (+94%) | 12 months / $69.99 $5.83 per month At renewal: 12 months / $69.99 $5.83 per month (Same monthly price) |
| 2 years | 27 months / $67.23 $2.49 per month At renewal: 12 months / $79.00 $6.58 per month (+164%) | No plan for this term |
| 3 years | No plan for this term | 36 months / $120.00 $3.33 per month At renewal: One-time purchase. Buy again to continue. |
Direct purchases only. Monthly equivalents include bonus time; the full amount is charged upfront. Taxes and eligibility may differ.
| Managing your subscription | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic renewal | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN websiteCredit card Renews automatically. For plans other than monthly subscriptions, a renewal notice is sent 30 days before expiry. Your card may be pre-authorized before the subscription expires. Subscriptions purchased through App Store and Google PlayRenews automatically. | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website, App Store, and Google Play1 month · 12 months · Credit card Renews automatically. Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website36 months · Credit card No automatic renewal. Another paid period requires a manual payment. Access ends when the purchased term expires. |
| How to turn off renewal | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN websiteCredit card In your VPN account
Subscriptions purchased through App Store and Google Play If you purchased through the App Store or Google Play, open the subscription settings in that store, select the VPN and cancel the subscription. | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website1 month · 12 months · Credit card In your VPN account
Canceling your subscription does not automatically request a refund. Subscriptions purchased through App Store and Google Play If you purchased through the App Store or Google Play, open the subscription settings in that store, select the VPN and cancel the subscription. |
| Access after cancellation | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website, App Store, and Google PlayCredit card Available until the paid period ends. | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website, App Store, and Google Play1 month · 12 months · Credit card Available until the paid period ends. |
| Removing a card from your VPN account | Removing the card requires deleting the VPN account. | It is unknown whether the saved card can be removed. |
| When to cancel | The exact cancellation deadline is not specified. Cancel well before the next renewal charge to avoid being charged again. | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website1 month · 12 months · Credit card Before the next charge. |
| Refund conditions | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| What can be refunded and under what conditions | Purchases on the VPN websiteCredit card The provider’s refund guarantee applies subject to conditions. Within 30 days Starting from your initial purchase If you start with the direct seven-day trial, the window begins with the first paid charge. Important limitations We could not confirm how non-refundable extras affect the refund amount for a bundle. Conditions Only one refund is available per service. How to request a refund
App Store & Google Play purchasesIf you paid through the App Store or Google Play, you can request a refund through that store. Requests are assessed under the store’s rules; approval is not guaranteed. Additional conditions from the VPN provider Subscriptions purchased through Google PlayThe provider’s refund guarantee applies subject to conditions. Within 30 days Starting from your initial purchase Important limitations We could not confirm how non-refundable extras affect the refund amount for a bundle. Conditions Only one refund is available per service. Exclusions Renewal payments are not covered by the provider’s guarantee. Prepaid and gift-card purchases are excluded. Trials lasting 30 days or longer are excluded. Purchases that violate the terms of service are excluded. Some extras, including Anonymous Dedicated IP and Alternative ID-related purchases, are excluded. How to request a refund
| Purchases on the VPN website12 months · Credit card The provider’s refund guarantee applies subject to conditions. Within 30 days Starting from your initial purchase Refund amount & fees Taxes, shipping and handling charges are not refunded. How to request a refund
1 month · Credit card You can request a refund for individual consideration. Approval is not guaranteed. Important limitations TunnelBear may consider a refund at its discretion, outside the guarantee. How to request a refund
36 months · Credit card Refund eligibility is not established for this purchase. Important limitations The guarantee refers to annual subscriptions. We could not confirm whether it covers a three-year purchase. How to request a refund
App Store & Google Play purchasesIf you paid through the App Store or Google Play, you can request a refund through that store. Requests are assessed under the store’s rules; approval is not guaranteed. |
| What is not covered by refunds | Purchases on the VPN websiteCredit card Renewal payments are not covered by the provider’s guarantee. Prepaid and gift-card purchases are excluded. Trials lasting 30 days or longer are excluded. Purchases that violate the terms of service are excluded. Some extras, including Anonymous Dedicated IP and Alternative ID-related purchases, are excluded. | Purchases on the VPN website12 months · Credit card Renewal payments are not covered by the provider’s guarantee. 1 month · Credit card The provider’s refund guarantee does not apply to this purchase. 36 months · Credit card Renewal payments are not explicitly covered by the money-back guarantee. |
| Ownership & jurisdiction | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs the VPN? | Surfshark B.V. (registered in Netherlands) is the company named as providing the VPN service. Direct consumer VPN contracting entity; separate bundled-service operators not assigned. | TunnelBear LLC (registered in United States) is the company named as providing the VPN service. Current Terms cover TunnelBear services; store-specific contractual distinctions not independently reviewed. |
| Which laws apply? | The terms specify British Virgin Islands law and courts. Mandatory consumer protections in your country of residence still apply. | The privacy policy specifies Canadian law for the use of your data. We could not confirm which law governs the subscription contract. |
Each audit covers particular systems and a particular point in time. A provider announcement is distinct from a publicly available audit report.
| Audits | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| No-logs policy | No-logs review Deloitte Lietuva UAB · 2025 What was checked: No-logs server configuration and supporting operations, examined in May–June 2025. Findings: The reasonable-assurance report supported compliance with the described no-logs setup. Limitations: The audited setup allows temporary user IDs and connection timestamps, deleted within 15 minutes after disconnection. Read the audit report | No independent audit found for this area. |
| App security | Application security SecuRing · 2025 What was checked: Desktop and mobile apps and browser extensions, tested from February to April 2025. Findings: The public attestation reports no critical vulnerabilities. It does not publish the full finding list or confirm that all findings were fixed. Read the auditor’s summary | Application and infrastructure security Cure53 · 2024 What was checked: Apps, backend systems, APIs and server configurations, tested in October–November. Findings: The provider reports 13 vulnerabilities, including 10 rated medium or higher, plus 10 hardening suggestions. It says the vulnerabilities were acknowledged, addressed or mitigated; no auditor report is linked. An auditor report is not publicly available. Application and infrastructure security Cure53 · 2023 What was checked: Apps, backend systems, APIs and server configurations, tested in October–November. Findings: The 2023 report lists 13 findings, including two high-severity issues. Fixes: The report documents verified fixes and partial mitigations. It also notes that some findings from earlier assessments remained unresolved at the time. Limitations: These findings describe the tested versions at that time, not the current state of every app or server. Read the audit report |
| Infrastructure security | Server and infrastructure security SecuRing · December 2025 What was checked: Selected VPN infrastructure, tested in December 2025. Findings: The report found a medium-severity TLS configuration issue and recommended improving HTTP redirects. Fixes: The public material does not confirm whether the reported issue was subsequently fixed. Limitations: These findings describe the tested versions at that time, not the current state of every app or server. Read the audit reportDausos protocol security Cure53 · 2026 What was checked: The Dausos VPN protocol and related components, tested in February–March 2026. Findings: Ten findings were reported. The eight within the protocol scope were medium severity or lower; the two most severe concerned external hosting infrastructure. Fixes: The summary says most findings were addressed and submitted for verification; it does not establish that every fix was verified. Read the auditor’s summary | Application and infrastructure security Cure53 · 2024 What was checked: Apps, backend systems, APIs and server configurations, tested in October–November. Findings: The provider reports 13 vulnerabilities, including 10 rated medium or higher, plus 10 hardening suggestions. It says the vulnerabilities were acknowledged, addressed or mitigated; no auditor report is linked. An auditor report is not publicly available. Application and infrastructure security Cure53 · 2023 What was checked: Apps, backend systems, APIs and server configurations, tested in October–November. Findings: The 2023 report lists 13 findings, including two high-severity issues. Fixes: The report documents verified fixes and partial mitigations. It also notes that some findings from earlier assessments remained unresolved at the time. Limitations: These findings describe the tested versions at that time, not the current state of every app or server. Read the audit report |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Computers & mobile devices | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
| TV devices | Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV | Not supported |
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Firefox, Edge | Chrome, Firefox, Edge |
| Manual setup | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers, Raspberry Pi, NAS | Linux |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous connections | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| WireGuard | Supported | Supported |
| OpenVPN | Supported | Supported |
| IKEv2/IPsec | Supported (Not available in: Windows app) | Supported (Not available in: Android app) |
| Provider-specific technologies | Dausos | — |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Servers | 4,500+ | More than 8,000 |
| Countries | 100 | 47 |
| Locations | No data | No data |
| Features | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-connect | Supported | Supported |
| Kill Switch | Supported | Supported (VigilantBear) |
| Split tunneling | Supported (Bypasser) | Supported (SplitBear) |
| VPN traffic obfuscation | Supported | Supported (GhostBear) |
| Multi-hop | Supported (Dynamic MultiHop) | Not supported |
| Tor over VPN | Not supported | Not supported |
| P2P / torrenting | Supported | Supported |
| Ad blocking | Supported (CleanWeb) | Not supported |
| Tracker blocking | Supported (CleanWeb) | Not supported |
| Malicious website blocking | Supported (CleanWeb) | Not supported |
| Port forwarding | Not supported | Not supported |
| Dedicated IP | Supported (Paid add-on) | Not supported |
| Shared static IP | Supported | Not supported |
| Automatic IP rotation | Supported (Rotating IP) | Not supported |
Based on providers’ published information. “Not supported” means the service was not listed in the reviewed materials; playback has not been tested.
| Features | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Supported | Not supported |
| Amazon Prime Video | Supported | Not supported |
| Disney+ | Supported | Not supported |
| HBO Max | Supported | Not supported |
| Hulu | Supported | Not supported |
| Crunchyroll | Supported | Not supported |
| BBC iPlayer | Supported | Not supported |
| Features | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Paramount+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Apple TV+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Peacock | Not supported | Not supported |
| YouTube TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| iQIYI | Not supported | Not supported |
| WeTV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Viki | Not supported | Not supported |
| DAZN | Not supported | Not supported |
| ESPN+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| F1 TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| beIN Sports | Not supported | Not supported |
| fuboTV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Kayo Sports | Not supported | Not supported |
| JioHotstar | Not supported | Not supported |
| ZEE5 | Not supported | Not supported |
| SonyLIV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Vidio | Not supported | Not supported |
| Canal+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| ITVX | Not supported | Not supported |
| Channel 4 | Not supported | Not supported |
| NOW TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| France.tv | Not supported | Not supported |
| TF1+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| RTL+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Joyn | Not supported | Not supported |
| ARD | Not supported | Not supported |
| ZDF | Not supported | Not supported |
| RaiPlay | Not supported | Not supported |
| Mediaset Infinity | Not supported | Not supported |
| Movistar Plus+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| RTVE Play | Not supported | Not supported |
| Viaplay | Not supported | Not supported |
| U-next | Not supported | Not supported |
| TVING | Not supported | Not supported |
| Coupang Play | Not supported | Not supported |
| Wavve | Not supported | Not supported |
| FPT Play | Not supported | Not supported |
| VieON | Not supported | Not supported |
| VTV Go | Not supported | Not supported |
| Vision+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| RCTI+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Exxen | Not supported | Not supported |
| puhutv | Not supported | Not supported |
| M6+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Videoland | Not supported | Not supported |
| NPO Start | Not supported | Not supported |
| Ziggo Go | Not supported | Not supported |
| RTÉ Player | Not supported | Not supported |
| RTBF Auvio | Not supported | Not supported |
Relevant mainly where VPN services are blocked
If you are in the US, a European country, or elsewhere and VPN services are not blocked on your network, these results need not rule this VPN out of your purchase decision. A failed test under blocking in Russia does not, by itself, mean the VPN is poor quality or will not work where you live. Consider its speed, features and price for your needs.
| Censorship | Surfshark | TunnelBear |
|---|---|---|
| Does it work on restricted networks? | In our tests in Russia, we could not establish a working VPN connection that allowed data transfer under VPN blocking. | In our tests in Russia, we could not establish a working VPN connection that allowed data transfer under VPN blocking. |