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TunnelBear alternative · Honest take · No activity logs
TunnelBear does plenty right, and we will not pretend otherwise. If you want a free way in, modern stealth protocols and a clear no-activity-logs promise, here is how ROOT VPN compares, trade-offs included.
Free forever plan. No card, unlimited data, up to 10 devices.
TunnelBear is a capable VPN. TunnelBear is the friendliest VPN to hand a nervous first-timer: a cheerful, simple app, plain-English explanations, and a rare commitment to annual independent security audits. For privacy basics done gently, it is lovely. But it is not for everyone, and the usual reasons people go looking elsewhere are clear: the tiny 2GB free cap, weaker streaming, or wanting a bigger network and modern protocols.
In plain terms, the sticking point is often this: The free tier is tiny at around 2GB a month, the server network is smaller than the big names, and it is weaker for reliable streaming. If that is what pushed you here, it is worth seeing what a different approach looks like.
Not more features for the sake of it, a different set of priorities.
Unlimited data and time on the free plan, no card and no trial countdown. It is funded by an optional community program you can switch off, not by logging you.
REALITY, Shadowsocks and Hysteria2 look like ordinary web traffic, so ROOT connects on school, office and country networks that block TunnelBear and most other VPNs.
ROOT keeps no record of the sites you visit or what you stream, across a growing server network. Nothing stored, nothing to hand over, nothing to sell.
The honest side by side. For the full breakdown, see ROOT VPN vs TunnelBear.
| ROOT VPN | TunnelBear | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, then £3.99/mo | Free tier, paid varies |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| No activity logs | Yes | Yes |
| Protocols | WireGuard, REALITY, Shadowsocks, Hysteria2 | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 |
| Devices | 10 | Unlimited |
| Streaming | Good | Mixed |
| Jurisdiction | Independent, no activity logs | Canada |
TunnelBear is the friendliest VPN to hand a nervous first-timer: a cheerful, simple app, plain-English explanations, and a rare commitment to annual independent security audits. For privacy basics done gently, it is lovely. If that is central to how you use a VPN, it may still be the right call.
Free to start with unlimited data, four protocols including REALITY and Hysteria2 for restrictive networks, and no activity logs. For a free start, restrictive networks and a simple privacy promise, ROOT is the easier yes.
Browse more, or see every option on the alternatives hub and the comparison hub.
Create a free ROOT VPN account and connect in under a minute. No card, unlimited data.
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