Top 10 Ngrok alternatives in 2026

Ngrok has long been the default choice for developers who need to expose local services to the internet. It’s powerful and feature-rich, but its pricing, bandwidth caps, and mandatory sign-up process have pushed many developers to look elsewhere.

Whether you need a simpler setup, unlimited bandwidth, UDP support, or just a free option that works out of the box there’s a strong Ngrok alternative for every use case. In this article, we compare the best 10 alternatives to Ngrok in 2026, breaking down features, ease of use, and pricing to help you pick the right tool.

List of top 10 Ngrok alternatives in 2026

1. Pinggy
2. LocalXpose
3. Localtunnel
4. Zrok
5. localhost.run
6. Inlets
7. Cloudflare Tunnel
8. Playit.gg
9. Tailscale
10. LocalCan

Overview of Ngrok

Before jumping into the alternatives for Ngrok, we will have a brief overview of Ngrok itself.

Ngrok provides tunnels for ingress through its programmable network edge. It offers HTTPS, TCP, and TLS tunnels. It provides observability as well as the ability to change traffic parameters such as headers on the go to your apps with no code changes. In order to use Ngrok you must download the Ngrok client and sign up to get an account. In the paid plans you get features such as webhook verification, OAuth authentication, custom domain, persistent TCP port, etc.

Pros of Ngrok

• Multiple authentication options (Basic Auth, OAuth 2.0, JWT, mTLS)
• Request inspection and replay
• Webhook verification for popular services
• Advanced routing and global load balancing
• Kubernetes support

Cons of Ngrok

• No UDP tunnel support
• 5GB/month bandwidth cap on entry paid plan
• Does not support root (apex) domain
• Requires sign-in and client download

Pricing

Starts at $10/month (5GB bandwidth, 1 persistent domain/TCP port). Pro plan is $20/month with more features and $0.10/GB for extra bandwidth.

1. Pinggy.io

Pinggy.io stands out because of its unlimited bandwidth and the fact that it gives allows you to start a tunnel without downloading anything. A single command gives users access to your website / app hosted in localhost without configuring the cloud, or any port forwarding, or DNS, or VPN. It also supports UDP tunnels which Ngrok lacks. The Pro plan is for 3 USD per month, that is less than half of Ngrok.

To get how simple it is to open a tunnel, here is an example. If you want to share your React app running on localhost:3000, you can do so using pinggy with the command.

Run this command to start tunnel:

ssh -p 443 -R0:localhost:3000 a.pinggy.io

Pinggy is one of the Ngrok alternatives which you can try out for free without signing up for an account. Over Ngrok, it provides features such as QR codes for tunnel URLs and an HTTP request / response inspection tool within the terminal.

Pros of Pinggy

• No need to download anything.
• Unlimited bandwidth
• Supports UDP tunnels
• Provides a terminal user interface with QR codes and request inspector.
• Built-in web-debugger to monitor, inspect, modify, and replay HTTP requests.
• Works on Mac / PC / Linux / Docker.
• Supports custom domains including root (apex) domain.
• HTTP basic authentication and Bearer token authentication.
• Allows you to remotely manage the tunnels on your device.
• No need to sign up to get test tunnels - just visit https://pinggy.io to get the command.
• Cheaper than Ngrok.

Cons of Pinggy

• No OAuth 2.0 authentication for tunnel visitors.
• No global server load balancing or edge routing.

Price of Pinggy

Pinggy is one of the cheaper Ngrok alternatives. It has a free tier, and the paid tier starts at $2.5 per month (billed annually). It offers all features including custom domains, persistent TCP ports, live header manipulation, in this plan.

Comparing Ngrok and Pinggy:

2. LocalXpose

LocalXpose is a reverse proxy tool that provides a public URL to localhost. This is one of the most feature complete alternatives of Ngrok. By simply downloading their client you can create HTTP / HTTPS tunnels, and also TCP / TLS as well as UDP tunnels. Among the three it is the only one that supports UDP traffic. LocalXpose also provides a built-in file server to share your files instantly.

Pros of LocalXpose

• UDP tunnel support
• Wildcard custom domains
• File server built in
• Request response viewer and editor
• Client offers a GUI, making it easier to use

Cons of LocalXpose

• Need to download the client in order to start a tunnel
• No support for being used as a library / plugin
• No OAuth 2.0 authentication for tunnel visitors.

Price of LocalXpose

LoxalXpose starts at $6 per month for 10 tunnels.

3. Localtunnel

Localtunnel is a Ngrok alternative that comes as an npm package. The package lets you create http / https tunnels to localhost. It provides a random subdomain when you run it through your terminal. Being a node package, localtunnel can be integrated to your applications as a library and you can use it to test your nodejs apps.

Pros of localtunnel

• NPM Package, can be used as a JS library
• Works on Mac / PC / Linux.
• Simple to use

Cons of localtunnel

• No tcp tunnels
• No tls tunnels
• No custom domain or subdomain support.
• Being a node package it cannot be used without installing nodejs, or in IoT like environments that do not support nodejs

Price of localtunnel

Localtunnel is free and it does not have a paid tier. It does not provide custom domain or subdomains or TCP tunnels.

4. Zrok

Zrok is an impressive open source Ngrok alternative that operates on the principles of zero trust networking. Built on top of OpenZiti, a programmable zero trust network overlay, zrok provides users with a secure and efficient way to share resources both publicly and privately.

Users can download zrok from GitHub https://github.com/openziti/zrok/releases/latest. It is one of the best self-hosted alternatives of Ngrok.

Pros of Zrok

• Open source
• Self-hosted
• Private network sharing
• Built-in file server
• UDP tunnels

Cons of Zrok

• Traffic introspection and replay features are not available.
• Initial setup process is tedious.

Price of Zrok

Zrok is open source and you need to host in a server.

5. localhost.run

localhost.run is possibly the simplest tunneling tool which is client-less and can instantly make a locally running application available on an internet accessible URL.

Just run the following command to create a tunnel to port 3000:

ssh -R 80:localhost:8080 localhost.run

Pros of localhost.run

• Simplicity: Localhost.run offers a straightforward and simple setup process. You only need to execute a single command in your terminal to start the tunneling process, making it easy for developers to get started quickly.
• No installation required: Unlike Ngrok, which requires installation and configuration, localhost.run doesn’t need any software installation. You can use it directly from the command line, which can be convenient, especially for quick testing or prototyping.
• Free to use: localhost.run offers a free tier, allowing you to use the service without any cost.

Cons of localhost.run

• Limited features: Compared to Ngrok and other alternatives such as Pinggy, localhost.run may have a significantly more limited set of features. For example, it may not provide advanced functionalities such as custom domains, request inspection, or TCP tunneling.

6. Inlets

Inlets is a cloud-native tunnel that combines the best features of tunnels and VPNs. It’s designed to work seamlessly from development to production, supporting HTTP, HTTPS, websockets, and TCP traffic. Unlike SaaS tunneling solutions, Inlets is self-hosted software that gives you complete control over your infrastructure.

Inlets works well on bare-metal, in containers, and on Kubernetes, with built-in support for Prometheus metrics. It can expose services publicly or create private VPN-like tunnels. The tool is particularly popular among developers who need to test webhooks from services like Stripe, GitHub, and Slack without deploying to production.

Pros of Inlets

• Self-hosted with complete data sovereignty
• No bandwidth limits or rate-limiting
• Supports HTTP, HTTPS, websockets, and TCP tunnels
• Kubernetes integration with LoadBalancer support
• Works through NAT, firewalls, and corporate proxies
• Built-in OAuth authentication for HTTP tunnels
• Prometheus metrics for monitoring
• Can expose services publicly or keep them private

Cons of Inlets

• Commercial license required (not free/open source)
• Requires setting up your own server infrastructure
• Steeper learning curve compared to SaaS solutions
• Higher initial cost for personal use
• No free tier available

Price of Inlets

Inlets offers subscription-based pricing. The Personal license starts at $25/month for 5 tunnels ($5 per tunnel). The Business license is $25/month per tunnel with commercial use rights and email support. For SaaS companies needing to connect customer services, Inlets Uplink starts at $250/month for 10 tunnels plus a platform fee.

7. Cloudflare Tunnel

Cloudflare Tunnel (formerly Argo Tunnel) lets you connect applications and services to Cloudflare’s global network without needing a public IP address. It works by running a lightweight daemon called cloudflared on your machine, which establishes an outbound-only connection to Cloudflare’s edge. This means your origin server is never directly exposed to the internet, providing strong protection against DDoS attacks and other threats.

As part of Cloudflare’s broader Zero Trust platform, Cloudflare Tunnels enable organizations to implement Internet-native Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for HTTP web servers, SSH servers, remote desktops, and more. Learn more about it here.

Pros of Cloudflare Tunnel

• Completely free to use with no bandwidth limits
• Leverages Cloudflare’s global CDN network for fast performance
• No need to expose public IP addresses or open firewall ports
• Built-in DDoS protection and security features
• Supports multiple protocols (HTTP, SSH, RDP, etc.)
• Easy integration with Cloudflare Zero Trust services
• Reliable infrastructure backed by Cloudflare

Cons of Cloudflare Tunnel

• Requires a Cloudflare account and domain setup
• More complex initial configuration compared to simple tunneling tools
• Requires installing and running the cloudflared daemon
• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• Tied to Cloudflare ecosystem
• No UDP or TCP tunnels

Price of Cloudflare Tunnel

Cloudflare Tunnel is completely free to use. There are no bandwidth limits or usage restrictions. Advanced features are available through Cloudflare Zero Trust plans, but basic tunneling functionality remains free.

8. Playit.gg

Playit.gg is a tunneling tool built with gamers in mind. It provides both TCP and UDP tunnels, making it a go-to choice for hosting game servers like Minecraft, Terraria, and other multiplayer titles. Beyond gaming, it also supports custom domains and subdomains for general-purpose tunneling.

Getting started requires downloading the Playit.gg client, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The client application is open source, adding transparency and trust. The generous free tier includes up to 4 TCP tunnels and 4 UDP tunnels, while the paid plan starts at just $3/month for custom domains and dedicated IP addresses.

Pros of Playit.gg

• Supports both TCP and UDP tunnels (great for gaming)
• Free tier with 4 TCP and 4 UDP tunnels
• Cross-platform support (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Open source client application
• Custom domains and subdomains support
• Specifically optimized for gaming use cases
• Very affordable paid tier

Cons of Playit.gg

• Primarily focused on gaming, less suitable for web development
• Limited tunnels on free tier
• Smaller community compared to general-purpose tools
• Less documentation for non-gaming use cases
• May not be ideal for professional development workflows

Price of Playit.gg

Playit.gg offers a free tier with up to 4 TCP tunnels and 4 UDP tunnels. The paid version (Playit Plus) costs $3 USD per month or $30 per year, and includes custom domains, dedicated IP addresses, and additional tunnels.

9. Tailscale

Tailscale takes a fundamentally different approach compared to traditional tunneling tools. Rather than exposing a single service through a tunnel, Tailscale creates a peer-to-peer mesh VPN built on the WireGuard protocol. Traffic flows directly between devices without passing through a central server, which results in lower latency, higher throughput, and better reliability.

Where Tailscale becomes relevant as an Ngrok alternative is through its Tailscale Funnel feature. Funnel allows you to route external internet traffic to specific nodes on your Tailscale network, effectively making a local service publicly accessible similar to what Ngrok does, but within the context of a full mesh VPN.

Pros of Tailscale

• Zero-config mesh VPN with WireGuard protocol
• Point-to-point connectivity with no single point of failure
• Excellent NAT traversal capabilities
• Works across multiple platforms and cloud providers
• Free for personal use (up to 100 devices)
• Built-in MagicDNS for easy device naming
• ACL-based access control

Cons of Tailscale

• Not a direct tunneling solution like Ngrok
• Requires installation on all devices that need to connect
• More complex setup for simple use cases
• Tailscale Funnel feature is less mature than dedicated tunneling tools
• Limited to VPN-style connectivity rather than public URL exposure
• Funnel can listen on limited public ports 443, 8443, and 10000
• No TCP or UDP tunnels

Price of Tailscale

Tailscale offers a generous free tier for personal use (up to 100 devices). The paid plans start at $5/month for teams, with enterprise pricing available for larger organizations.

10. LocalCan

LocalCan is a desktop-native Ngrok alternative designed primarily for macOS and Windows users who prefer a graphical interface over command-line tools. It specializes in two things: providing .local domains for HTTPS testing on your local network, and generating persistent public URLs to share localhost projects with anyone on the internet.

For developers who frequently demo work to clients, test OAuth callbacks, or need HTTPS locally for development, LocalCan streamlines the entire workflow through a clean GUI no terminal commands required.

Pros of LocalCan

• Native macOS and Windows application with simple UI
• Unlimited .local domains for local network testing
• Persistent public URLs that don’t change
• Automatic HTTPS certificate generation
• No command-line knowledge required
• Perfect for testing on multiple devices over Wi-Fi
• Great for webhook testing and OAuth integrations

Cons of LocalCan

• Limited to macOS and Windows only (no Linux support)
• Paid software with no free tier
• Smaller community compared to more established tools
• Less suitable for production use cases
• Higher upfront cost compared to subscription-based alternatives

Price of LocalCan

LocalCan is a paid application with a one-time purchase model. The single license costs $89, while the personal license (for 2 devices) is $119. For teams, there’s a subscription option at $45/month.

Top 5 Open Source Ngrok alternatives

If you are looking for only open source ngrok alternatives, here is a list:

1. frp
2. sshuttle
3. chisel
4. bore
5. OpenZiti (Ziti)

1. frp (Fast Reverse Proxy)

frp is a fast and reliable reverse proxy tool. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, and WebSocket protocols, making it one of the most versatile open-source alternatives to Ngrok. It allows developers to expose their local services to the internet without complex configuration.

Key Features:

• Supports TCP, UDP, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols.
• Allows custom subdomains and domains.
• Supports token-based authentication for added security.
• Traffic compression and encryption.
• Load balancing and multiplexing.
• Can be self-hosted for maximum control.

Pros:

• Highly customizable and suitable for complex setups.
• Lightweight and resource-efficient.
• Robust documentation and an active community.

Cons:

• Requires manual setup of the server component.

2. sshuttle

sshuttle is a unique tool that works like a VPN over SSH. It is particularly suited for developers looking to access local or remote networks securely. While not a direct tunneling tool like Ngrok, it can be adapted for similar use cases.

Key Features:

• Acts as a proxy to forward traffic over SSH.
• Works without requiring administrative privileges.
• Supports TCP and DNS forwarding.
• Compatible with Linux, macOS, and some versions of Windows.

Pros:

• No client installation needed for the remote machine.
• Secure and encrypted connections.
• Useful for tunneling into private networks.

Cons:

• Requires an SSH server on the remote end.
• Less user-friendly for beginners.

3. Chisel

chisel is a fast and modern tunneling tool that leverages WebSockets for its connections. It’s lightweight, easy to use, and suitable for both developers and system administrators.

Key Features:

• Uses WebSocket for tunneling TCP and UDP traffic.
• Lightweight and portable binary.
• Built-in TLS encryption for secure connections.
• Ideal for reverse proxy setups.

Pros:

• Minimal configuration required.
• Supports both HTTP and raw TCP/UDP tunneling.
• Small binary size (single executable).

Cons:

• Requires self-hosting for advanced use cases.
• Limited community support compared to larger projects.

4. Bore

bore is a simple and user-friendly open-source tunneling tool. Designed with minimalism in mind, it helps developers quickly expose local services to the internet without the complexity of larger solutions.

Key Features:

• Extremely lightweight and fast.
• Supports TCP traffic tunneling.
• Simple command-line interface.

Pros:

• Easy to install and set up.
• No bloated features-straightforward and effective.
• Ideal for basic use cases.

Cons:

• Limited to TCP tunnels.
• Fewer advanced features compared to alternatives.

5. OpenZiti (Ziti)

OpenZiti (Ziti) is an open-source, programmable zero-trust overlay network. It allows for secure resource sharing without exposing public endpoints.

Key Features:

• Provides private and public network sharing.
• Built on zero-trust networking principles.
• Self-hosted with advanced configuration options.

Pros:

Secure, open-source, and highly customizable.

Cons:
Complex initial setup for beginners.

Conclusion

The tunneling landscape in 2026 offers plenty of strong alternatives to Ngrok, each catering to different needs. If you want the simplest possible setup with no downloads required, Pinggy and localhost.run let you start a tunnel with a single SSH command. For feature-rich tunneling with GUI support, LocalXpose is a solid pick. Developers who prefer self-hosted, open-source solutions will find Zrok and the open-source tools listed above worth exploring. And if you’re already invested in the Cloudflare ecosystem, Cloudflare Tunnel provides a free, production-grade option. The right choice depends on your specific workflow but one thing is clear: you’re no longer limited to Ngrok.