Ariel Hochstadt
Ex-Google, International tech speaker
HMA is a well-established VPN provider with an exceptional service built around a network of 900+ servers in over 190 countries. TunnelBear is also a popular VPN provider, with a smaller network of around 20 servers in 20 countries. TunnelBear does not offer refunds on subscription plans, whereas HMA provides a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, TunnelBear does offer a free limited version of its service, so you can try it out before subscribing. When it comes to security, both VPN providers offer a kill switch, strong 256-bit encryption, and support for multiple protocols including OpenVPN and IKEv2. These VPNs differ in their advanced security features, however, with HMA providing IPv6 leak protection, while TunnelBear competes with a DoubleVPN feature. Support for P2P activities is only available with HMA. Furthermore, If you need to reach out to these providers for assistance, you’ll find that HMA provides 24/7 live chat support, whereas TunnelBear users have to rely on email and support tickets. However, the TunnelBear website does include many helpful support articles. We’ve provided a more detailed analysis of these two providers below to settle the matter of which one is better.
Features
9.4
Pricing
8.8
Ease of Use
9.4
Reliability & Support
8.0
Features
9.0
Pricing
7.5
Ease of Use
8.4
Reliability & Support
9.0
Rating
Features
9.4
9.0
0.0
Pricing
8.8
7.5
0.0
Ease of Use
9.4
8.4
0.0
Reliability & Support
8.0
9.0
0.0
Reviews
Review by our expert
Katie Kasunic
Technology Researcher
8.2
HMA is a popular VPN provider with a large network of 1,100+ servers in 190+ countries.
Some of this VPN’s biggest strengths are its user-friendly interface, impressive speeds, and ability to bypass geoblocks (even Netflix's!)
It's newest update, HMA Version 5, includes new design features and an auto-generated diagnostics mode. Arguably the most impressive update is its Lightning-mode feat...
Working perfectI like this excellent service a lot. It is working absolutely perfect. I have been using it for a couple of weeks, in my PC, in my mobile and also in an Asus router.
It is easy to order and setup, no matter which device.
Latest negative user review
Peter Novak
2.0
That's not trueThat's not true. You can see on their web page, that they don't store logs. Their recently announced no-log policy. And they are not USA based company, but from the UK. Can't tell more about the rest. Have a nice day.
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!
HMA is a popular VPN provider with a large network of 1,100+ servers in 190+ countries.
Some of this VPN’s biggest strengths are its user-friendly interface, impressive speeds, and ability to bypass geoblocks (even Netflix's!)
It's newest update, HMA Version 5, includes new design features and an auto-generated diagnostics mode. Arguably the most impressive update is its Lightning-mode feat...
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...
Working perfectI like this excellent service a lot. It is working absolutely perfect. I have been using it for a couple of weeks, in my PC, in my mobile and also in an Asus router.
It is easy to order and setup, no matter which device.
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
Peter Novak
2.0
That's not trueThat's not true. You can see on their web page, that they don't store logs. Their recently announced no-log policy. And they are not USA based company, but from the UK. Can't tell more about the rest. Have a nice day.
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!
HMA offers an exceptional VPN service with one of the largest server networks available and a proven ability to bypass tough geoblocks from any location worldwide. TunnelBear also offers a reliable VPN service, with strong security features and straightforward apps for all major platforms.
HMA offers an exceptional VPN service with one of the largest server networks available and a proven ability to bypass tough geoblocks from any location worldwide. TunnelBear also offers a reliable VPN service, with strong security features and straightforward apps for all major platforms.
HMA offers dedicated high-speed servers optimized for P2P file-sharing activities, and is our recommended choice for downloading torrents anonymously. TunnelBear also allows torrenting on its servers, but it’s worth noting that its terms of service are not favorable to P2P file sharing, and the provider has outright blocked torrenting across its network in the past.
HMA offers dedicated high-speed servers optimized for P2P file-sharing activities, and is our recommended choice for downloading torrents anonymously. TunnelBear also allows torrenting on its servers, but it’s worth noting that its terms of service are not favorable to P2P file sharing, and the provider has outright blocked torrenting across its network in the past.
The key strengths of HMA’s VPN app for Windows are its advanced security measures, including a kill switch and advanced leak protection. You can also access 24/7 customer support from within the app. TunnelBear competes with a Windows app that features a simple design and access to its DoubleVPN encryption feature.
The key strengths of HMA’s VPN app for Windows are its advanced security measures, including a kill switch and advanced leak protection. You can also access 24/7 customer support from within the app. TunnelBear competes with a Windows app that features a simple design and access to its DoubleVPN encryption feature.
HMA is our recommended VPN choice for Android users, as the app gives you access to 900+ high-speed servers in 190 countries, and includes a kill switch and protection from tracking. Public wi-fi protection and DoubleVPN encryption are two of the best things about TunnelBear’s dedicated Android app.
HMA is our recommended VPN choice for Android users, as the app gives you access to 900+ high-speed servers in 190 countries, and includes a kill switch and protection from tracking. Public wi-fi protection and DoubleVPN encryption are two of the best things about TunnelBear’s dedicated Android app.
HMA has a dedicated MacOS app that supports multiple VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, and includes strong encryption and IPv6 leak protection. Meanwhile, TunnelBear’s MacOS app features the provider’s unique GhostBear technology for bypassing tough geoblocks and firewalls, as well as a kill switch.
HMA has a dedicated MacOS app that supports multiple VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, and includes strong encryption and IPv6 leak protection. Meanwhile, TunnelBear’s MacOS app features the provider’s unique GhostBear technology for bypassing tough geoblocks and firewalls, as well as a kill switch.
HMA operates an exceptional VPN service for iOS, with a dedicated app that can be easily set up within minutes. The app boasts features like an automatic kill switch and protection from ISP tracking. TunnelBear’s dedicated app for iOS features strong encryption and access to the free limited version of the VPN.
HMA operates an exceptional VPN service for iOS, with a dedicated app that can be easily set up within minutes. The app boasts features like an automatic kill switch and protection from ISP tracking. TunnelBear’s dedicated app for iOS features strong encryption and access to the free limited version of the VPN.
With hundreds of dedicated high-speed US servers that reliably unblock Netflix and hundreds of other geoblocked sites and services, HMA Gets our vote as an ideal VPN for the USA. Although TunnelBear is capable of bypassing geoblocks from numerous US websites and apps, the provider does not guarantee that the service can reliably unblock Netflix.
With hundreds of dedicated high-speed US servers that reliably unblock Netflix and hundreds of other geoblocked sites and services, HMA Gets our vote as an ideal VPN for the USA. Although TunnelBear is capable of bypassing geoblocks from numerous US websites and apps, the provider does not guarantee that the service can reliably unblock Netflix.
HMA wins this contest by providing an exceptional service that includes a far larger network of servers and access to more features than you can get with TunnelBear. HMA also provides excellent 24/7 support via live chat, a service not available with TunnelBear. The fact that it more reliably unblocks Netflix-USA seals HMA’s victory. That being said, TunnelBear remains a very good VPN provider that maintains a very public, transparent profile, something that few VPN companies do and that we greatly admire.
Interestingly, if you compare HMA VPN with VPN4All, which is our top ranked vpn, you'll see that HMA VPN can learn a lot from VPN4All. Compare HMA VPN with VPN4All
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.