▓▒░ TESTING: TUNNELBEAR ░▒▓

Is TunnelBear working?

TunnelBear has the longest continuous audit history of any consumer VPN (Cure53 annually since 2017). Owned by McAfee since 2018. GhostBear obfuscation defeats DPI. Run the live test below.

★ isvpnworking.com - Live Status Window
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⚡ live status check ⚡
checking . . .
running 3 tests on your connection, hold tight
FYI we're checking your IP, location, and 3 types of leaks. all in your browser, nothing sent to us.
visible IP →
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they think you're in →
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VPN brand detected →
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tested at →
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┌─ LEAK DETECTION RESULTS ─┐
▸ webrtc test peer-to-peer ip leak
running…
▸ dns test domain query leak
running…
▸ ipv6 test protocol exposure
running…
★ How to verify TunnelBear is working
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Open the TunnelBear app, hit Connect, then run the test widget at the top of this page. Three checks tell you whether TunnelBear is doing its job:

  1. Visible IP changed - the IP shown above should differ from your real ISP IP. If unchanged, the tunnel is not routing traffic.
  2. Country matches your selected server - if TunnelBear says you're connected to "Germany" but our checker shows your real country, the tunnel is broken.
  3. All three leak rows show SAFE - WebRTC, DNS, IPv6. If any row reads LEAK / EXPOSED, your real IP is escaping the tunnel.

Specific TunnelBear settings to verify: VigilantBear (kill switch), GhostBear, SplitBear (split tunneling). Look for those terms in the app menu - they're the TunnelBear-specific names for the protections we're testing.

★ Common TunnelBear connection issues
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"Free tier 500MB exhausts in 1 day"

Fix: Tier is for occasional use, not daily. Upgrade or use Windscribe (10GB free) / ProtonVPN (unlimited free).

"Streaming inconsistent"

Fix: TunnelBear isn't optimized for unblocking. Use NordVPN or Surfshark for streaming; TunnelBear for casual privacy.

"GhostBear obfuscation slow"

Fix: GhostBear adds significant overhead. Disable at home, enable only in restrictive networks (school/work/foreign country).

★ TunnelBear's leak protection - what we found
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Run the widget above with TunnelBear connected. Our automated check evaluates four signals: VPN brand detection (via proxycheck.io + org-name heuristic), WebRTC peer-to-peer leak, DNS routing, and IPv6 exposure.

Based on TunnelBear's default configuration:

  • WebRTC: OS firewall block
  • DNS handling: TunnelBear-operated, no separate ad blocker
  • IPv6: blocked
  • Kill switch: available, off by default
  • Port forwarding: no
  • Obfuscation: GhostBear

Notable incident in TunnelBear's history: Cure53 audits 2017-2024 (annual, longest in industry) - all findings published

Tested with our checker: WebRTC and IPv6 rows depend on your individual TunnelBear setup (server choice, kill-switch state). DNS row is a stub right now (real server-side test in progress) - so the strict checks are WebRTC and IPv6. Cross-check by running the test with TunnelBear disconnected, then again with it connected.

Notes last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Settings and defaults change over time; verify in the app if it's been months.

★ TunnelBear vs alternatives
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How TunnelBear compares to its closest competitors on the dimensions our checker tests:

Dimension TunnelBearWindscribeProtonVPN
Headline price $3.33/mo (3-year)$5.75/mo (1-year)$4.99/mo (2-year Plus)
Jurisdiction Canada (5 Eyes); US parent (McAfee)Canada (5 Eyes member)Switzerland (outside Eyes alliances)
Audit Cure53 2017-2024 (annual)no public no-logs audit; warrant canary publishedSEC Consult 2019, Securitum 2022+2024
Devices unlimitedunlimited10
Port forwarding ✗✓✓
IPv6 blocksblockstunnels
Free tier 500MB/mo (no email needed)10GB/mo (with email confirm)unlimited data, 3 countries

Reality check: Audit history (8 years annual) is genuinely impressive. McAfee ownership concerns some users; auditors don't see what auditors don't see.

Verdict: Pick if you value audit transparency and don't need streaming or torrenting. Avoid free tier if expecting daily use.

Compare directly: Is Windscribe working? · Is ProtonVPN working?

try TunnelBear ↗
FAQ - TunnelBear
Is TunnelBear safe?[+]

Audited annually by Cure53 since 2017 - the longest continuous audit history of any consumer VPN. Canadian jurisdiction with US parent (McAfee).

Does TunnelBear keep logs?[+]

No activity logs, no connection logs per audits. Total bytes per month tracked for usage limits (free tier).

Why is TunnelBear cute branding suspicious?[+]

It isn't, but the friendly UI hides genuinely strong infrastructure. Cure53 audits cover apps + servers. The bear theme is just marketing.

CHECK ANOTHER VPN
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