Making a choice, regardless of the situation, can be kind of stressful. How do you know that you’ll pick the right option? This is especially true for the VPN industry, especially when new and totally valid competition enters the market. Windscribe and TunnelBear are two such providers, new services that don’t want to play by the book. And while they’re not the most obvious choices, the truth is that they both deliver unique services that have proved to be worthy of confidence. With attractive clients and browser extensions simple to use, strong security measures and quality server networks, these two are proof that the biggest names are not always the best choices.
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Windscribe
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TunnelBear
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Brand/logo
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Visit brand site
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Read review
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Rating
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Bandwidth
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10GB/Unlimited
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Unlimited
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# connected devices
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1/ Unlimited
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Unlimited
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Kill switch
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Countries
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US, UK, CA, HK, FR, DE, LU, NL...
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US, UK, AU, CA, DE, FR, SE,..
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# countries
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25
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40+
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# servers
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26
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# IPs
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Founded in Canada in 2015, Windscribe quickly rose up to become a solid provider, delivering a good service for an attractive price. The VPN reaches an unlimited number of devices, not only on computers and mobile but via manual configurations for routers, too.
Its browser extension is also worth mentioning, featuring the same interface as the desktop client and including useful tools like a great ad-blocker and the ability to generate a secure link. Cruise Control and Double Hop are two of the most interesting features, the first ensuring that the best location is automatically chosen while the second one allows for a proxy connection via the VPN through to a second server.
Windscribe’s VPN network is not exactly the largest, but the company has come a long way since it debuted, and already offers servers in 50 countries including some rarities like Libya, Vietnam or Taiwan. Strong encryptions are ensured by an AES-256 cipher with SHA512 authentication and a 4096-bit RSA key. The best price comes in at is $4.08 per month for the annual plan, which is billed once a year at $49, but there’s also a free forever version that functions with restrictions on features.
Also headquartered in Canada is one of the most amusing VPN providers in the world. Founded in 2011, TunnelBear has made its way up the charts thanks to a very humorous client that displays VPN connections as bears literally moving around underground tunnels.
The love for this furry animal is noticeable throughout the service, but the whole concept of treating the VPN business in a playful way clearly works for the company, as this is one of those services that people will remember whether they choose to keep it or not. The joyful client can be installed on computers and mobile, while the browser extension also helps bears travelling privately around the internet. Likewise, it’s possible to install an ad blocker for Chrome, which works best when used alongside the VPN.
The love for this furry animal is noticeable throughout the service, but the whole concept of treating the VPN business in a playful way clearly works for the company, as this is one of those services that people will remember whether they choose to keep it or not. The joyful client can be installed on computers and mobile, while the browser extension also helps bears travelling privately around the internet. Likewise, it’s possible to install an ad blocker for Chrome, which works best when used alongside the VPN.
Security is capable through the standard AES 256-bit encryption, but its protocols are limited to only OpenVPN and IPSec. By default, the program will recommend the best server, but it’s only possible to choose between 20 countries, though its speeds are acceptable even on overseas servers. The most popular plan is called Grizzly, billed at $49.88 per year – the equivalent of paying $4.16 per month – but users can try the program first using the free version, which is functional only with data limits.
Windscribe and TunnelBear are not your ordinary VPN providers, especially the latter with its play on bear jokes and a joyful attitude to its business. But they both compare in being able to provide a trustworthy service that rarely disappoints. Windscribe, despite being younger, offers a larger VPN network for around the same price, while TunnelBear’s speeds and consistency are more than suitable for watching a movie online without issues.
If you don’t require more advanced VPN features and simply want to unblock sites and stay anonymous, then either Windscribe and TunnelBear are both great alternatives to the more expensive companies, though picking between the two might be tough.
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