Ariel Hochstadt
Ex-Google, International tech speaker
TunnelBear and Hide.me are among the most popular VPN services on the market. They both operate small networks of servers, with TunnelBear offering 20+ in the same number of countries and Hide.me offering 100+ in 35 countries. Both providers also offer a free limited version of their VPN service, only Hide.me offers a money-back guarantee on subscription plans. And although these two providers are both known for offering unlimited bandwidth on their paid plans, a closer look reveals that Hide.me has a 75GB limit on one of its paid subscriptions.
You should expect to find the usual perks that come with popular VPNs with either of these providers, including 256-bit encryption and dedicated apps for all major desktop and mobile operating systems. TunnelBear and Hide.me also both allow a maximum of five simultaneous connections. Read on for a summary of our detailed analysis of both providers to see which one is truly better.
Features
8.0
Pricing
7.6
Ease of Use
8.4
Reliability & Support
8.4
Features
9.0
Pricing
7.5
Ease of Use
8.4
Reliability & Support
9.0
Rating
Features
8.0
9.0
0.0
Pricing
7.6
7.5
0.0
Ease of Use
8.4
8.4
0.0
Reliability & Support
8.4
9.0
0.0
Reviews
Review by our expert
Ariel Hochstadt
Ex-Google, International tech speaker
8.2
hide.me is known for speed, security, and transparency. They do not keep logs, which their privacy policy reasonably reliable. Also, with apps for almost all major platforms, they remain a favorite among millions of users. I'll dive into this more further into the review.
It also joined the i2Coalition, further evidence of its commitment to internet safety. The i2Coalition is a group of VPN pro...
Smooth experienceWorks pretty fast on my macOS Big Sur, previously had it on my Windows laptop, and was blazing fast tbh. I never had any problems, except one time the connection was getting way too slow on an EU server, but after quickly switching to another server, it worked very well. I do not see any reason to switch to another provider, hide.me is as good as a top provider.
Latest negative user review
Penki
2.0
Not working with my Asus RT-AX88UWill not work with Asus routers - Hide.me Service has no Interest in compatibility with Routers.
I had to change the Provider from Hide.me to NordVPN and its all OK now.
I had a Bad Time and now the sun shines on the VPN Sky - thanks NordVPN.
TunnelBear’s team does an excellent job in branding the VPN but is that all it takes to create a great service? With over 300 VPNs out there, the competition is fierce so I had to take it for a test and see if there’s more to it.
I looked into its privacy policy and security features to see if it’s really safe. I ran many tests on its servers, checked the speeds, how many streaming platf...
It works great all the time for me!No problems at all using netflix through the VPN! I have had the error message appear in previous VNPs such as Disconnect, but no problems at all with Tunnelbear, not in the paid version or even in the free version, and this is without even using their Ghostbear feature that is supposed to solve these kind of problems (or if you are in China for example).
Latest negative user review
David Ross
2.0
DANGEROUS for CANADIANSI live in the GTA, everything was fine "until" I installed TunnelBear on one of my 7 devices, now I can no longer watch any USA TV stations on line on any of my other 6 devices, this company is scum, they hid something in there that disabled all my other devices unless I buy their VPN, well, not going to buy their garbage, can't believe how much it slowed my device, I would rather wipe all my drives than give TunnelBear one cent!
hide.me is known for speed, security, and transparency. They do not keep logs, which their privacy policy reasonably reliable. Also, with apps for almost all major platforms, they remain a favorite among millions of users. I'll dive into this more further into the review.
It also joined the i2Coalition, further evidence of its commitment to internet safety. The i2Coalition is a group of VPN pro...
TunnelBear’s team does an excellent job in branding the VPN but is that all it takes to create a great service? With over 300 VPNs out there, the competition is fierce so I had to take it for a test and see if there’s more to it.
I looked into its privacy policy and security features to see if it’s really safe. I ran many tests on its servers, checked the speeds, how many streaming platf...
Smooth experienceWorks pretty fast on my macOS Big Sur, previously had it on my Windows laptop, and was blazing fast tbh. I never had any problems, except one time the connection was getting way too slow on an EU server, but after quickly switching to another server, it worked very well. I do not see any reason to switch to another provider, hide.me is as good as a top provider.
Ignacio
10.0
It works great all the time for me!No problems at all using netflix through the VPN! I have had the error message appear in previous VNPs such as Disconnect, but no problems at all with Tunnelbear, not in the paid version or even in the free version, and this is without even using their Ghostbear feature that is supposed to solve these kind of problems (or if you are in China for example).
Latest negative user review
Penki
2.0
Not working with my Asus RT-AX88UWill not work with Asus routers - Hide.me Service has no Interest in compatibility with Routers.
I had to change the Provider from Hide.me to NordVPN and its all OK now.
I had a Bad Time and now the sun shines on the VPN Sky - thanks NordVPN.
David Ross
2.0
DANGEROUS for CANADIANSI live in the GTA, everything was fine "until" I installed TunnelBear on one of my 7 devices, now I can no longer watch any USA TV stations on line on any of my other 6 devices, this company is scum, they hid something in there that disabled all my other devices unless I buy their VPN, well, not going to buy their garbage, can't believe how much it slowed my device, I would rather wipe all my drives than give TunnelBear one cent!
TunnelBear offers a well-rounded service that combines decent pricing, fast servers, and ease of use. Hide.me also offers a reliable service with many advanced features and access to 150 servers in 35 countries.
TunnelBear offers a well-rounded service that combines decent pricing, fast servers, and ease of use. Hide.me also offers a reliable service with many advanced features and access to 150 servers in 35 countries.
TunnelBear users can torrent anonymously without any special configurations. The service also offers decent speeds when downloading torrents. Hide.me also supports torrenting on its servers, but requires users to turn on the uPnP feature in its apps to start torrenting anonymously.
TunnelBear users can torrent anonymously without any special configurations. The service also offers decent speeds when downloading torrents. Hide.me also supports torrenting on its servers, but requires users to turn on the uPnP feature in its apps to start torrenting anonymously.
Hide.me offers a very intuitive Windows app that’s quite secure, with built-in features like IPv6 leak protection and unlimited server switching. TunnelBear, on the other hand, has a dedicated Windows app that features WiFi protection and ad blocking.
Hide.me offers a very intuitive Windows app that’s quite secure, with built-in features like IPv6 leak protection and unlimited server switching. TunnelBear, on the other hand, has a dedicated Windows app that features WiFi protection and ad blocking.
TunnelBear’s Android app is easy to set up and features reliable WiFi and third-party tracking protection. Meanwhile, Android users would also enjoy using Hide.me’s dedicated app, with its beautiful design and the access it provides to features like auto server selection and a VoIP unblocker.
TunnelBear’s Android app is easy to set up and features reliable WiFi and third-party tracking protection. Meanwhile, Android users would also enjoy using Hide.me’s dedicated app, with its beautiful design and the access it provides to features like auto server selection and a VoIP unblocker.
TunnelBear for MacOS is very secure and features strong encryption, tracking protection, and the provider’s unique GhostBear technology for bypassing tough geoblocks. Hide.me also has a very user-friendly MacOS app with access to exciting features like dynamic port forwarding and even dedicated IP addresses.
TunnelBear for MacOS is very secure and features strong encryption, tracking protection, and the provider’s unique GhostBear technology for bypassing tough geoblocks. Hide.me also has a very user-friendly MacOS app with access to exciting features like dynamic port forwarding and even dedicated IP addresses.
With a dedicated app and features like public hotspot protection, DoubleVPN technology, free VPN service (500 MB monthly limit), and access to servers in 20+ countries, TunnelBear offers a very reliable service for iOS users. With Hide.me’s dedicated iOS app, users can expect to find access to the provider’s entire network, IP leak protection, a kill switch, and dedicated IPs (depending on subscription plan).
With a dedicated app and features like public hotspot protection, DoubleVPN technology, free VPN service (500 MB monthly limit), and access to servers in 20+ countries, TunnelBear offers a very reliable service for iOS users. With Hide.me’s dedicated iOS app, users can expect to find access to the provider’s entire network, IP leak protection, a kill switch, and dedicated IPs (depending on subscription plan).
TunnelBear has dedicated US servers for bypassing tough geoblocks on websites and services based in the country. It is, however, inconsistent with Netflix-US and may not always unblock the service. Hide.me, on the other hand, does not unblock USA Netflix but offers servers for accessing other American websites that are not so hard to crack.
TunnelBear has dedicated US servers for bypassing tough geoblocks on websites and services based in the country. It is, however, inconsistent with Netflix-US and may not always unblock the service. Hide.me, on the other hand, does not unblock USA Netflix but offers servers for accessing other American websites that are not so hard to crack.
By offering more value for your money and a more practical service overall, TunnelBear edges out Hide.me as the winner. While both providers offer unique and innovative apps and features, it’s TunnelBear’s overall reliability in areas like bypassing geoblocks and simplicity of apps that make it the winner in the end.
There is a difference between being better and being the best, however, as our comparisons between TunnelBear and elite providers like NordVPN and ExpressVPN show.
Honesty and transparency – our two core values – make the internet a friendly place. Our reviews are written by users themselves, and are not influenced by VPN companies. When you purchase a VPN, we sometimes earn affiliate commissions that support our work. Here is an explanation of exactly what we do and how to support our work.