TunnelBear vs PrivateVPN

TunnelBear and PrivateVPN are easiest to separate by asking which friction you want gone. One side is easier across many personal devices; the other is the clearer choice when the router itself has to carry the VPN.

Paid plans do not make you count devices

TunnelBear's paid plans do not make you count simultaneous devices. PrivateVPN uses a connection cap rather than an unlimited-device model. If the service ends up on a pile of personal devices, that is a recurring convenience rather than a one-time setup win.

Split tunneling is confirmed too

TunnelBear has split tunneling on at least part of its supported platform set. Split tunneling is not confirmed as available for PrivateVPN. That matters when some apps or local devices need to stay outside the tunnel while the rest of the connection remains protected.

Router setup is actually documented

PrivateVPN officially documents router setup. TunnelBear does not currently provide an official router-configuration path. If the VPN needs to live at the network level, that is a hard practical difference rather than a matter of taste.

Mainstream streaming support points this way too

PrivateVPN currently supports access to major streaming platforms. Reliable major-platform streaming is not confirmed for TunnelBear. If streaming is a normal use case, that can outweigh the other side's device-count convenience.