TunnelBear vs CyberGhost: which VPN is better?
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TunnelBear vs CyberGhost couldn’t be more different. CyberGhost is a heavyweight in the VPN world, boasting an impressive server network, robust security, and stellar streaming performance. TunnelBear, on the other hand, keeps things simple – it offers solid privacy protections and a free tier, but its features are more limited compared to its rivals. Both have their merits, but the real question is: which one comes out on top for your needs?
In this TunnelBear vs CyberGhost comparison, our research team and I evaluated both VPNs in terms of speed, security, streaming, pricing, and overall usability. We tested multiple servers, checked connection stability, analyzed privacy policies, and checked each provider’s unique features. Our goal was to give a clear, unbiased picture of how these two VPNs perform in real-world scenarios.
So, whether you’re looking for a VPN that’s perfect for streaming your favorite shows or a lightweight, secure option with a free plan, this guide has you covered. Keep reading as we break down the strengths and weaknesses of TunnelBear vs CyberGhost, helping you decide which VPN deserves your download.
TunnelBear vs CyberGhost: overview
Both VPNs are one of the best VPNs you can find. However, compared to TunnelBear, CyberGhost offers a three times bigger server selection and compatibility with more platforms at a cheaper price point. Its customer support is also more readily available since it offers 24/7 live chat. In contrast, TunnelBear offers unlimited simultaneous connections (compared to CyberGhost’s 7). Yet, CyberGhost exceeds in more areas, becoming the clear winner.
| CyberGhost VPN | TunnelBear | |
| ⭐ Rating: | ||
| 🥇 Overall rank: | #5 out of #41 | #34 out of #41 |
| 🖥️ Servers: | 9,800+ servers in 100 countries | 8,000+ servers in 45 countries |
| 📖 No logs policy: | Independently-audited | No logs |
| 💵 Price: | From $1.59/month | From $3.33/month |
| 🔥 Coupons: | CyberGhost VPN coupon 88% OFF | Cybernews VPN Coupons |
| 🔒 VPN protocols: | WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) | OpenVPN, IKEv2 |
| 🍿 Streaming services: | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube |
| 🖥️ Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS |
| 📥 Simultaneous connections: | 7 | Unlimited |
| 💁🏻 Support: | 24/7 live chat, Knowledge base, FAQs | Knowledge base, FAQs, support tickets |
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Key differences between TunnelBear and CyberGhost
When comparing TunnelBear vs CyberGhost, it’s clear that these VPNs cater to different types of users. Here’s a quick breakdown to help you decide which one fits your needs best.
Choose CyberGhost if:
- You want top-tier streaming access. CyberGhost easily unblocks Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer, thanks to its specialized streaming servers.
- Security and privacy are priorities. With RAM-only servers, AES-256 encryption, a verified no-logs policy, and a base outside the 5-Eyes alliance, CyberGhost keeps your data safer.
- You need more servers and device compatibility. Over 9,800 servers in 100 countries, plus support for Android TV, Fire devices, and multiple browsers, make CyberGhost highly versatile.
Choose TunnelBear if:
- You want a free plan. TunnelBear offers a limited but functional free VPN option for casual users or those who want to test before buying.
- Unlimited simultaneous connections matter. Unlike CyberGhost’s 7-device limit, TunnelBear allows unlimited connections across your devices.
- You value a simple, user-friendly interface. TunnelBear’s apps are cute, intuitive, and easy to navigate, perfect for VPN beginners.
Speed comparison: TunnelBear vs CyberGhost
For the TunnelBear vs CyberGhost speed comparison, our research team and I conducted tests with Speedtest by Ookla on a baseline connection of 930 Mbps download and 600 Mbps upload. Each VPN was set to its fastest protocol, WireGuard, to maximize performance. We measured multiple locations across the globe, including local servers, London, New York, Perth, and Tokyo, tracking download speeds, latency, and overall speed retention.
TunnelBear speed test results
| Server location | Speed retention | Download speed | Ping |
| Local | 51% | 257Mbps | 2ms |
| London, the UK | 83% | 418Mbps | 38ms |
| New York, the US | 39% | 196Mbps | 116ms |
| Perth, Australia | 3% | 19Mbps | 342ms |
| Tokyo, Japan | 51% | 257Mbps | 281ms |
CyberGhost speed test results
| Server location | Speed retention | Download speed | Ping |
| Local | 79% | 741Mbps | 6ms |
| London, the UK | 91% | 855Mbps | 39ms |
| New York, the US | 63% | 593Mbps | 120ms |
| Perth, Australia | 64% | 601Mbps | 257ms |
| Tokyo, Japan | 51% | 475Mbps | 270ms |
From the above, you can see that CyberGhost is way faster than TunnelBear. CyberGhost outperformed TunnelBear in most major locations – local servers, the UK, the US, and Australia. Only in Japan did they perform exactly the same, with a speed retention rate of 51%.
Netflix and streaming performance
| Platform | CyberGhost | TunnelBear |
| Netflix | ✅ | ✅ (selected libraries) |
| HBO Max | ✅ | ✅ |
| BBC iPlayer | ✅ | ✅ |
| YouTube | ✅ | ✅ |
| Amazon Prime Video | ✅ | ✅ |
| Disney+ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hulu | ✅ | ❌ |
CyberGhost leads the TunnelBear vs CyberGhost VPN battle in terms of streaming. The VPN service effortlessly unblocked every streaming site during our tests. This includes the notoriously-stubborn Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+.
It’s also worth noting that CyberGhost has specialized servers for streaming. While this means that you may need to switch servers when you’re streaming from different platforms, it’s going to be much easier to find the right server.
In contrast, TunnelBear’s streaming experience is less impressive. For starters, TunnelBear’s ability to unblock Netflix is iffy at best. During our tests, we had no difficulty unblocking Netflix US but struggled to access other countries’ Netflix content libraries, such as Netflix UK, Australia, Singapore, and Canada.
TunnelBear did better in bypassing geo-blocks imposed by other streaming services like BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video. However, sadly, even this win is tainted by subpar video quality and lagging.
Torrenting
CyberGhost is a solid candidate if you’re looking for a VPN for torrenting. In fact, it even has specialized servers for P2P file sharing. However, CyberGhost’s torrenting speeds are on the slower side. During our tests, the speed lingered around 40 Mbps, which could indicate the presence of a throttling measure.
On the other hand, torrenting is an impossible endeavor with TunnelBear. Despite switching server locations several times, we failed to torrent pretty much everything. So if torrenting is what you need a VPN for, pick a more reliable torrenting VPN.
Plans and pricing
CyberGhost is the cheaper VPN but both providers offer flexible pricing options. Like with most VPNs, the longer the subscription the lower the price.
The upside of TunnelBear is that it provides a free plan. While CyberGhost doesn’t, its longer-term plans offer an impressive 45-day money-back guarantee.
At the same time, Tunnelbear doesn’t have an official money-back guarantee. That’s because each case is evaluated individually by the customer support team.
| Plans | CyberGhost | TunnelBear |
| Free plan | – | $0.00 |
| 6-month plan | $6.99/month | – |
| 1-year plan | – | $4.99/month |
| 2-year plan | $1.59/month | $4.17/month |
| 3-year plan | – | $3.33/month |
CyberGhost has a 6-month as well as 2-year subscription options. Naturally, the 2-year plan is the best solution to save money, as it costs $1.59/month.
Meanwhile, TunnelBear even has a free plan. However, the bare-bones plan only comes with the most basic features. To access all the features, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium subscription. CyberGhost doesn't come without free stuff either. There are free CyberGhost trials available for different devices – 7 days for iOS, 3 days for Android, and 1 day for Windows and macOS devices.
Speaking of TunnelBear’s premium subscriptions, both its 1-year and 2-year plans aren’t exactly cheap. In fact, TunnelBear’s 2-year plan is almost double the price of CyberGhost’s 2-year plan. And the 3-year plan yields the cheapest price at $3.33/month – still more expensive than CyberGhost’s longest subscription.
Server locations
| CyberGhost | TunnelBear | |
| Servers | 9,800+ | 8,000+ |
| Countries | 100 | 45 |
| Virtual locations | Yes | No |
| Specialty servers | Yes | No |
It’s a clear path to victory for CyberGhost if we compare CyberGhost vs TunnelBear server locations. CyberGhost has a staggering 9,800+ servers, which is threefold more than TunnelBear’s 8,000+ servers.
Additionally, CyberGhost’s servers are also more geographically-dispersed – covering 100 countries around the world. In contrast, TunnelBear only has servers in 45 countries.
Numbers aside, CyberGhost has multiple specialty servers for streaming, torrenting, and gaming, too. This is something not offered by TunnelBear.
Features overview
Both CyberGhost and TunnelBear are relatively loaded with features. CyberGhost has the basics well-covered with functional core features, but the VPN also offers many additional advanced features to make it worth your while.
The situation is similar with TunnelBear – while it doesn’t have as many features, it covers the essentials needed with every VPN.
Split tunneling
Split tunneling is a very useful feature that lets you pick specific apps that go through the VPN tunnel and the ones that don’t.
In CyberGhost’s case, split tunneling isn’t available as a standalone feature except on its Android app. For Windows and macOS, you can do virtually the same thing with its incredibly functional Smart Rules feature that helps to automate the VPN.
With Smart Rules, you can exclude specific websites from the VPN connections – not unlike split tunneling. Other configuration options include automation connections and Wi-Fi protection options.
Meanwhile, SplitBear is TunnelBear’s answer to split tunneling. With SplitBear, you can include/exclude the apps that are tunneled through its encrypted connection. Unfortunately, the feature is only available on Android and iOS for now.
Kill switch
The two also include a kill switch in their respective feature lineups. So, if the VPN connection is disrupted or dropped, they will kill the Internet connection to protect your IP address.
CyberGhost’s kill switch is automatically integrated when you connect to its VPN servers. The feature will be triggered if it detects a disruption in your connection. Then, all internet traffic will be blocked for 120 seconds. You’re free to disable the kill switch on desktop apps but not on mobile devices.
Meanwhile, TunnelBear’s kill switch feature is called VigilantBear. It’s currently only available on Windows, macOS, and Android apps.
Just be aware that if the feature is activated, you won’t be notified.
Other features
On top of those mentioned above, both providers have tons more features in their arsenal. For instance, CyberGhost includes specialized servers for streaming, gaming, and torrenting. Then, there’s also NoSpy servers. Located in a data center in CyberGhost’s Romanian HQ, these servers offer enhanced privacy and more bandwidth.
It’s also worth noting that CyberGhost provides you with a SmartDNS feature. It unblocks geo-restricted content on devices that don’t support VPN. For instance, game consoles and certain smart TVs. Last but not least, there’s an ad blocker available. It’s a built-in feature that CyberGhost promises will block ads, malicious websites, online tracking, and more.
As for TunnelBear, GhostBear is a noteworthy feature. In other words, it’s traffic obfuscation that helps you to bypass geo-blocks for unrestricted access. It’s currently not available for iOS users.
There’s also a TunnelBear blocker that helps block ads, pixel tracking, WebRTC, and more. You also have the option to add to the list of blocked items.
TunnelBear vs CyberGhost: which is more secure?
| CyberGhost | TunnelBear | |
| Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| Hash | SHA-256 | SHA-256 |
| RAM-only servers | Yes | No |
| A member of the 5-Eyes | No | Yes |
| No-logs policy | Audited | Audited |
| Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
| DNS leak protection | Yes | Yes |
CyberGhost is the more secure VPN provider. That said, it’s clear that both CyberGhost and TunnelBear are committed to putting security first. In fact, they share many similarities in this regard.
For starters, CyberGhost and TunnelBear both use AES-256 to encrypt your data. This is a NASA-grade cipher that’s virtually uncrackable. Additionally, their no-logs policies have been verified and confirmed during independent audits by third-party firms. Moreover, the pair also has all the core security features like a kill switch and DNS leak protection.
However, CyberGhost has a few advantages in this security faceoff. For starters, it uses RAM-only servers for better security and privacy. Additionally, CyberGhost is incorporated in a country outside the 5-Eyes alliance. Meanwhile, TunnelBear is based in Canada, which is part of the alliance.
Infrastructure
To turn security and privacy up a notch, CyberGhost uses RAM-only servers. Here, all your data is stored using volatile memory rather than hard disks. So, once a server is reset, all the data stored will be wiped. This way, you can be sure that your data won’t be tampered with or accessed without your authorization.Unfortunately, TunnelBear has yet to embrace RAM-only technology.
Privacy
CyberGhost is based in Romania – a privacy-friendly country that isn’t part of the global surveillance alliance. This is good news for those who are particularly worried about privacy, surveillance, and intelligence sharing.
Additionally, as a show of its commitment to anonymity and privacy, CyberGhost also accepts cryptocurrency as a payment method. This way you can stay anonymous and ensure that minimum personal data is connected to your account.
In sharp contrast, TunnelBear isn’t as bothered about being privacy-friendly. For starters, the VPN provider is based in Canada – a card-carrying member of the 5-Eyes alliance. So, TunnelBear is legally required to cooperate with intelligence agencies and share user data/logs if requested.
Additionally, TunnelBear’s only accepted payment method is credit cards. This effectively leaves it without any anonymous payment options.
Logging
Both VPNs are very vocal about not logging your data. In CyberGhost’s case, it has been independently audited by Deloitte in 2022. The Big Four firm confirmed CyberGhost’s adherence to its no-logs policy.
Additionally, CyberGhost also releases quarterly transparency reports. The reports cover things like DMCA complaints, malware activity flags, and police requests.
Meanwhile, things are less clear-cut with TunnelBear. It promises that it doesn’t keep logs but it also makes it clear that there are exceptions to this promise. So, while TunnelBear doesn’t log your online activities, you can expect it to collect personal data like email address, operating system used, and cardholder’s last name.
Platforms, interface and ease of use
| CyberGhost | TunnelBear | |
| Supported platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS |
| Other software and devices | Android TVs, Fire devices | – |
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera | Chrome, Firefox |
| Simultaneous connections | 7 | Unlimited |
In terms of TunnelBear vs CyberGhost for compatibility, both providers support all the major platforms. However, CyberGhost is compatible with a longer list of browsers and other devices. This includes Edge and Opera browser extensions as well as Android TV or Fire devices.
At the same time, TunnelBear’s one saving grace here is that it allows unlimited simultaneous connections.
Desktop apps
CyberGhost’s Windows and Mac apps look somewhat alike. Both apps are intuitive and well-designed for convenience. However, oddly enough, CyberGhost’s Mac app bucks the trend and offers slightly more features than its Windows version. For instance, the Mac app has the additional option to enable data compression to slash download size.
Unfortunately, things are less rosy with CyberGhost’s Linux app. To start, the installation process is complex and time-consuming. Additionally, the app is prone to crashing.
Similarly, TunnelBear is more trouble than it’s worth on Linux, too. No client for Linux, limited support, and manual configuration mean that you’d do better to find a Linux VPN specifically.
Meanwhile, TunnelBear’s Windows and Mac apps are certainly cute because of the animations. And the apps are still convenient, functional, and intuitive – which are all the things you’d want to see in a VPN app.
Mobile apps
CyberGhost’s Android and iOS apps are identical to each other. Both are minimalistic and offer the same features. The only difference here is the tunneling protocols available. The Android version supports OpenVPN and WireGuard while the iOS app uses WireGuard and IKEv2.
As for TunnelBear, its mobile apps are more cluttered compared to CyberGhost’s versions. However, just like CyberGhost, TunnelBear’s Android and iOS apps look rather similar to each other, too.
Between the two, its Android version is more functional while its iOS app is missing some core features like a kill switch.
Customer support
| CyberGhost | TunnelBear | |
| 24/7 live chat | ✅ | ❌ |
| ✅ | ✅ | |
| Phone line | ❌ | ❌ |
| Guides or articles | ✅ | ✅ |
| FAQs | ✅ | ✅ |
CyberGhost comes out on top again in the TunnelBear vs CyberGhost comparison because its support team is readily available 24/7 via live chat. Besides that, it has email support, too. For those who prefer to do self-reading instead, it also has heaps of resources like articles, guides, and FAQs.
TunnelBear, on the other hand, lacks 24/7 support options. Instead, you can only submit a support ticket and expect a reply via email. Fortunately, it also has a well-stocked knowledge base where you can find articles and guides on all things VPN.
TunnelBear vs CyberGhost – which one wins?
Both TunnelBear and CyberGhost are solid VPNs with strong security and core features. However, after testing across streaming, speed, privacy, servers, pricing, and usability, CyberGhost comes out as the overall winner.
CyberGhost stands out with superior streaming performance, faster speeds, more extensive server coverage, and stronger privacy protections, making it ideal for users who want an all-around VPN experience. TunnelBear shines for its free plan, unlimited simultaneous connections, and beginner-friendly apps, making it a good choice for casual users or those new to VPNs.
| Category | TunnelBear | CyberGhost | Verdict |
| Pricing | CyberGhost is cheaper long-term, with flexible plans and trials for multiple devices | ||
| Speed | CyberGhost delivers faster, more consistent download and upload speeds worldwide | ||
| Privacy | CyberGhost’s RAM-only servers and Romanian jurisdiction give it a privacy edge over TunnelBear | ||
| Features | Both cover core features; CyberGhost adds specialty servers, SmartDNS, and ad blocking | ||
| Streaming | CyberGhost unblocks all major streaming platforms effortlessly; TunnelBear is limited | ||
| Torrenting | CyberGhost supports P2P with dedicated servers; TunnelBear cannot torrent reliably | ||
| Servers | CyberGhost has 9,800+ servers in 100 countries vs TunnelBear’s 8,000+ in 45 countries | ||
| Ease of use | Both are user-friendly; TunnelBear is simpler, CyberGhost has more options and device support | ||
| Customer support | CyberGhost offers 24/7 live chat and email; TunnelBear only provides ticket-based support |
FAQ
Is CyberGhost a good VPN?
Yes, CyberGhost is a good VPN. Aside from its affordable pricing, CyberGhost brings plenty to the table, including incredible streaming capabilities, robust security, rich features, excellent speeds, helpful customer support, and easy-to-use interface.
TunnelBear vs CyberGhost – which is better?
CyberGhost is better than TunnelBear. CyberGhost is better at bypassing geo-restrictions, cheaper, and more secure. Besides that, CyberGhost also has a bigger server network as well as better features and customer support.
What VPN is better than CyberGhost?
NordVPN is a market-leading VPN that is much better than CyberGhost. While CyberGhost undeniably provides high-quality services, NordVPN outdo it with even more stellar offerings in various areas like features, streaming and torrenting capabilities, and more. You can find out which VPN is better at what in our NordVPN vs CyberGhost comparison.
Can CyberGhost be traced?
No, CyberGhost can’t be traced. The VPN provider has taken all the necessary steps to protect your privacy. For instance, it’s based in privacy-friendly Romania and has a strict no-logs policy that has been audited by a third-party security firm. Moreover, it also encrypts your traffic with top-of-the-line AES-256 cipher.
