Best ngrok Alternatives for 2026

ngrok is a globally distributed reverse proxy fronting your web services, running in any cloud or private network, or your machine. It allows you to reach your localhost behind a NAT or firewall from the internet.

In this comprehensive 2026 guide, we explore eight of the best ngrok alternatives available today. We’ll examine their current features, pricing, and capabilities to help you make an informed decision for your tunneling needs.

ngrok: A quick overview

ngrok is the programmable network edge that adds connectivity, security, and observability to your apps with no code changes.

ngrok provides both a cloud-hosted and a self-hosted versions, but these two versions are functionally different. The Self-hosted ngrok was open source in version one, but became proprietary software more than 6 years ago.

Here are some of its top features (though not all are free)…

• Protect services with OAuth, SAML and OIDC.
• Support for HTTP, TLS, and TCP based protocol.
• Automatic certificates and an A+ SSL report card with no config.
• Use custom ngrok subdomain or your own custom domain.
• Support for wildcard domain.
• Cross-platform, one executable, Any OS, any CPU architecture.
• Runs as a background service.

Pricing:

As of 2026, ngrok offers multiple pricing tiers: Free (limited), Personal ($8/month), Pro ($20/month), and Enterprise ($39/month), with pay-as-you-go options for production workloads starting at $18/month. Pricing has evolved significantly with usage-based models for higher-volume applications.

Why Developers Look for ngrok Alternatives

Several limitations push developers to explore ngrok alternatives despite its popularity.

The free tier caps bandwidth at 1GB monthly with only 1 active endpoint, which disappears quickly during active development. Even the $10/month Personal plan limits you to 5GB with $0.10/GB overage charges that add up really fast.

ngrok also doesn’t support UDP tunnels, blocking use cases like game servers, VoIP applications, and IoT devices requiring protocols like CoAP or DTLS. This protocol gap forces developers working with real-time applications to look elsewhere.

The limited free tier means you can’t test multiple services simultaneously without upgrading.

Additionally, random subdomain URLs on free accounts break webhook integrations that normally need stable endpoints.

For production use or teams needing always-on tunnels, competitors offer better value with unlimited bandwidth, UDP support, and more generous free tiers.

So now that you know a bit about what ngrok has to offer, let’s explore eight top ngrok alternatives that may be a better fit for your specific needs and budget.

Best ngrok Alternatives

1. LocalXpose
2. Cloudflare Tunnel
3. Tailscale
4. Expose
5. inlets
6. Pagekite
7. Serveo
8. Boringproxy

1. LocalXpose

LocalXpose is a powerful reverse proxy solution that enables you to expose your localhost behind a NAT or firewall to the internet instantly. With no need for complex cloud configuration, port forwarding, dynamic DNS, or VPN setup, LocalXpose gets you connected with just one command.

What sets LocalXpose apart is comprehensive protocol support that ngrok lacks. While ngrok stops at HTTP/HTTPS, TCP, and TLS, LocalXpose adds full UDP support—critical for game servers, VoIP applications, and IoT devices using protocols like CoAP or DTLS.

Starting a tunnel takes one command: loclx tunnel http --to 3000. You get traffic logging, webhook replay capabilities, and stable URLs that persist across sessions.

What makes LocalXpose different?

• Complete Protocol Support: Full support for HTTP(S), TLS, TCP, and UDP protocols
• Unlimited Bandwidth: No caps on data transfer for paid plans—no overage charges like ngrok’s $0.10/GB
• UDP Tunnels: Run Minecraft servers, test VoIP apps, or connect IoT devices with UDP protocols
• Advanced Security: Key and basic authentication, IP whitelisting, rate limiting
• Automatic SSL: Let’s Encrypt certificates generated automatically
• Custom Domains: Use your own custom domain with wildcard support
• Cross-Platform: Single executable works on any OS and CPU architecture
• GUI & CLI: Both graphical interface and command-line options available
• Real-time Monitoring: Comprehensive request logging and inspection tools
• Background Service: Can run as a system service for always-on tunnels
• Built-in File Server: Share files and directories directly

LocalXpose vs ngrok

Feature	LocalXpose (Pro)	Ngrok (Personal)
Pricing	$8/month	$10/month
HTTP(S) and TCP Tunnels	Yes	Yes
UDP Tunnels	Yes	No
TLS Tunnels	Yes	No
Custom Domains	Yes	Only subdomains, no root/apex domains
Bandwidth	Unlimited	5GB per month + overages
Request Inspection	Yes	Yes
IP Whitelisting	Yes	No
Load Balancing	No	Yes
GUI App	Yes	No

Pricing:

LocalXpose offers straightforward pricing with a generous free tier and a Pro plan at $8/month ($96/year) that includes 10 active tunnels, no bandwidth caps, and 24/7 availability. This makes it one of the most cost-effective solutions in the market, especially for developers and small teams who need reliable tunneling without complex pricing tiers or surprise overage charges.

Get Started: Sign up for free and start tunneling in under a minute with no credit card required.

2. Cloudflare Tunnel

Cloudflare Tunnel creates secure, outbound-only connections between your services and Cloudflare’s edge network. It’s part of Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform and provides enterprise-grade security and performance.

Main Features:

• Zero Trust network access model
• No inbound ports required
• Built-in DDoS protection and WAF
• Global edge network for low latency
• Integration with Cloudflare’s security services
• Support for HTTP/S and TCP protocols
• Load balancing and failover capabilities

Pricing:

Cloudflare Tunnel is free for up to 50 users as part of Cloudflare Zero Trust. Paid plans start at $7/user/month for teams requiring additional features and higher user limits.

3. Tailscale

Tailscale creates secure networks between your devices using WireGuard. While primarily a VPN solution, it offers features that can serve as tunneling alternatives for certain use cases, particularly for private access scenarios where every participant can install the Tailscale client and accept an invitation to the network.

Main Features:

• WireGuard-based mesh VPN
• Zero-config networking
• ACL-based access control
• MagicDNS for easy device discovery
• Subnet routing capabilities
• Cross-platform support
• Integration with identity providers

Pricing:

Tailscale offers a free tier for personal use (up to 3 users, 100 devices). Paid plans start at $6/user/month for teams, with enterprise options available for larger organizations. Note that Tailscale Funnel is currently in beta.

4. Expose

Expose is a tunnel application that allows you to share your local sites and applications with others on the internet. Built with PHP, it offers both cloud-hosted and self-hosted versions with identical functionality.

Main Features:

• Support for HTTP/s and TCP protocols
• Basic authentication protection
• Custom Expose subdomain
• Automatic TLS/SSL certificates
• Impressive UI for HTTP requests inspection
• Self-hosted option available

Pricing:

Expose offers several pricing tiers including a free hobby plan and paid options. However, specific current pricing should be verified on their website as it may vary based on usage and requirements.

5. inlets

inlets makes it easy to connect to services in any network conditions, including NAT, firewalls, HTTP proxies, containers and kubernetes.

Main Features:

• Supports HTTP/s and TCP protocols
• Automatic Let’s Encrypt certificates
• Custom domains
• Native Kubernetes support
• Self-hosted option
• Cloud integration capabilities

Pricing:

inlets offers multiple pricing options including Personal and Business plans. For current pricing information, check their official website as costs may vary based on usage requirements and deployment options.

6. Pagekite

Pagekite is a system for connecting your localhost servers to the public Internet, giving them names and making them globally accessible. It works on most common operating systems and it doesn’t matter what kind of Internet connection you have.

Main Features:

• Support for HTTP/s and TCP protocols.
• Custom Pagekite subdomain.
• Basic authentication protection.

Pricing:

Pagekite offers a simple pricing model. Check their website for current rates and plan details.

7. Serveo

Serveo is an SSH-based tunneling service that requires no client installation.

The approach works for developers who already have SSH and want zero installation overhead. Custom subdomains are also supported.

Main Features:

• SSH-based tunneling (no client to install)
• Custom subdomain support
• HTTP/S and TCP protocol support
• Free tier with 3 active tunnels

Pros:

• Zero installation if you have SSH
• Simple one-command setup
• Works across all platforms with SSH clients

Cons:

• No traffic inspection or debugging tools
• Reliability issues
• No UDP support
• Won’t work in environments that block SSH

Pricing:

Free tier supports 3 SSH tunnels. Pro plan at $6/month offers unlimited tunnels and removes interstitial warnings.

8. Boringproxy

Boringproxy is a self-hosted reverse proxy designed for exposing services on private networks. The single executable contains both server and client components, using SSH for secure tunneling.

The tool targets self-hosters running services like Nextcloud or Jellyfin on home networks. It automates HTTPS certificates, NAT traversal, and secure tunneling while providing a web interface for tunnel management.

Main Features:

• Single binary containing server and client
• Automatic Let’s Encrypt certificates
• Web UI for tunnel management
• Cross-platform support (Linux, Windows, macOS, ARM)
• SSH-based secure tunneling

Pros:

• Minimal configuration required
• Automatic HTTPS certificate management
• Works behind NAT or dynamic IPs

Cons:

• Requires running and maintaining your own server
• Smaller community and limited documentation
• No advanced access controls

Pricing:

Free and open source.

Free ngrok Alternatives

Several free options exist for developers who don’t need paid features or want to test tunneling solutions before committing.

LocalXpose offers a free tier with 2 active HTTP tunnels and persistent subdomains.

Localtunnel provides zero-config HTTP/HTTPS tunneling with no account required. The limitations are protocol support (HTTP/HTTPS only) and reliability.

Serveo requires only SSH for HTTP/HTTPS and TCP tunneling. The free tier supports 3 active tunnels with custom subdomains. But outages are pretty common.

Open-source self-hosted options like frp, chisel, and bore are free but require your own server infrastructure. You must handle setup, maintenance, and hosting costs.

Quick Comparison

Feature	LocalXpose	Cloudflare Tunnel	Tailscale	ngrok	Expose
Free Tier	✅ 2 HTTP tunnels	✅ Up to 50 users	✅ 3 users	✅ Limited	✅ Available
Pricing	$8/month	$7/user/month	$6/user/month	$8-39/month	Varies
Protocols	HTTP/S, TCP, TLS, UDP	HTTP/S, TCP	All (VPN)	HTTP/S, TCP, TLS	HTTP/S, TCP
Custom Domains	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅
Unlimited Bandwidth	✅ (Pro)	✅	✅	❌	Varies
GUI Interface	✅	✅ (Dashboard)	✅	❌	❌
Self-hosted Option	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅

Best Open Source ngrok Alternatives

For developers who need complete control, these open-source alternatives let you self-host your own tunneling infrastructure.

frp (Fast Reverse Proxy)

frp is the most popular self-hosted reverse proxy with over 100,000 GitHub stars and active maintenance. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, and WebSocket protocols. The configuration uses TOML files for both server and client components.

Best for: Production self-hosted deployments requiring comprehensive protocol support and active community backing.

Chisel

Chisel tunnels traffic over WebSocket connections, making it effective in restricted corporate networks. Ships as a single executable with built-in TLS encryption for secure connections.

Best for: Environments with restrictive firewalls where standard tunneling protocols are blocked.

Bore

Bore focuses on minimal setup with a straightforward command-line interface. Limited to TCP tunneling but extremely lightweight and fast for basic use cases.

Best for: Simple TCP tunneling needs without configuration overhead.

sish

sish provides HTTP/TCP/WebSocket reverse proxying using SSH for authentication. No client installation required beyond standard SSH, supporting custom domains and load balancing.

Best for: Teams already using SSH infrastructure who want tunneling without additional client software.

rathole

rathole is a Rust-based solution focused on performance and low resource usage. Supports TCP and UDP with minimal overhead, suitable for resource-constrained environments.

Best for: IoT deployments or systems where resource efficiency is critical.

ngrok Alternatives FAQs

What is the best alternative to ngrok?

It depends on your specific needs. For production use with UDP support and unlimited bandwidth, LocalXpose at $8/month offers good value. Cloudflare Tunnel is completely free but requires more setup. Tailscale works well for team infrastructure access. For quick testing, Localtunnel gets you a public URL fastest. Self-hosters should consider frp or boringproxy.

Is ngrok open source?

No. ngrok is proprietary closed-source software. If you need open-source alternatives, frp is the most popular with over 100,000 GitHub stars and supports HTTP/HTTPS, TCP, and UDP. Chisel works well in restrictive networks, bore provides minimal TCP tunneling, and sish uses SSH for authentication without custom clients.

Does ngrok support UDP tunnels?

No. ngrok doesn’t support UDP as of 2026, which blocks use cases like Minecraft servers, VoIP applications, and IoT devices using protocols like CoAP or DTLS. LocalXpose and Tailscale both offer full UDP support. Self-hosted options like frp also handle UDP traffic.

What are free ngrok alternatives?

Cloudflare Tunnel is completely free with no bandwidth caps, though setup is more involved. LocalXpose offers 2 HTTP tunnels on the free tier with traffic inspection. Localtunnel provides unlimited HTTP/HTTPS tunneling but with random URLs and reliability issues. For self-hosting, frp, chisel, and bore are all open source.

Can I self-host an ngrok alternative?

Yes. frp is the most feature-complete self-hosted option with multi-protocol support and active maintenance. Chisel works through restrictive firewalls using WebSockets. bore keeps things minimal for basic TCP tunneling. sish uses SSH for authentication. Boringproxy provides a web UI for managing tunnels. You’ll need your own server and handle the setup yourself.

Why do developers look for ngrok alternatives?

The 1GB free bandwidth cap runs out quickly during active development. Personal plan at $10/month only gives 5GB with $0.10/GB overages. No UDP support eliminates game servers, VoIP, and many IoT use cases. Some developers want open-source solutions they can audit and self-host. Others need features like unlimited bandwidth or simpler pricing without usage-based surprises.

Conclusion

Choosing the right ngrok alternative depends on your specific needs, budget, and technical requirements. LocalXpose stands out for its comprehensive feature set, competitive pricing, and ease of use, making it an excellent choice for developers and teams of all sizes. Whether you need simple HTTP tunneling or complex UDP/TCP forwarding with custom domains, there’s a solution in this list that can meet your requirements.

When evaluating these alternatives, consider factors like pricing transparency, protocol support, ease of setup, reliability, and the specific features that matter most to your use case. Many of these tools offer free tiers, so you can test them before committing to a paid plan.

We hope this comprehensive guide has helped you discover the perfect tunneling solution for your project.