Both publish annual independent audit reports — Mullvad's are downloadable without account, TunnelBear's are fully public. Mullvad is independently owned and built around collecting as little user data as possible. TunnelBear is owned by McAfee and built around the lowest onboarding friction.

What you get that Mullvad doesn't offer

Interface designed for zero VPN experience required. Annual audit reports fully public without account login. Free tier with 2GB monthly. McAfee commercial backing. Streaming access is supported; Mullvad doesn't position around geo-unblocking.

What you give up

Canada is a 5-eyes member; Sweden is 14-eyes but Mullvad's 2023 raid outcome is a concrete verification event TunnelBear has no equivalent to. McAfee owns TunnelBear — Mullvad has no parent company. Account creation requires personal information; Mullvad requires none. Cash payment not accepted. Mullvad's minimization architecture is a structural design choice; TunnelBear's trust model rests on policy and audit.

What you get that TunnelBear doesn't offer

Account creation with no personal data — number only, no email. Physical cash accepted. 2023 police office search: hardware seized, zero data recovered — architecture verified beyond audit. Independent ownership with no parent company. Sweden outside 5-eyes (14-eyes). Flat pricing with no plan tiers.

What you give up

TunnelBear's interface assumes no prior VPN knowledge — the product is designed for zero configuration friction. TunnelBear's audit reports are slightly more accessible: fully public without account. Free tier with 2GB monthly at TunnelBear. Five connections at both services — equal on this dimension. McAfee ownership provides commercial backing that Mullvad's independent structure doesn't have.