Alternatives to ngrok

A tunnelling agent and gateway that exposes a local app to the internet with request inspection. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as ngrok.

  • smee.io

    A free webhook payload delivery service that forwards events to an application running on localhost.

    FreeProprietaryWebCommand line

    smee.io is a free service that forwards webhook payloads to localhost via a local client, without a tunnel, but is limited to development webhook traffic.

  • Hookdeck

    A hosted webhook gateway that receives, queues, filters and routes webhooks and external events.

    FreemiumProprietaryWebCommand line

    Hookdeck is a hosted webhook gateway with a CLI for testing against localhost, adding queueing, filtering and routing but not general tunnelling, SSH or RDP.

  • Pinggy

    A tunneling service that gives localhost a public URL over SSH, with a web debugger for traffic.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxWebCommand line

    Pinggy works over plain SSH with no client to install and supports HTTP, TCP, UDP and TLS tunnels, but free URLs change on reconnect and it cannot be self-hosted.

  • LocalXpose

    A hosted tunneling service with a client binary that exposes local servers to the internet.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    LocalXpose is also a hosted, closed-source tunneling service with a single client binary and automatic TLS certificates, and it requires an account like ngrok does.

  • Tunnelmole

    An open-source tunneling tool that gives a server running on localhost a public HTTPS URL.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hostedCommand line

    Tunnelmole is open source and can be self-hosted, gives a local port a public HTTPS URL with one command, and installs via a script or npm.

  • zrok

    An open-source tunneling tool for sharing local services and files publicly or privately, built on OpenZiti.

    FreemiumOpen sourceSelf-hostedCommand line

    zrok is open source, built on OpenZiti, supports private sharing and file sharing, and can be self-hosted, though it needs an invite and environment setup first.

  • Expose

    A tunneling service with an open-source client that gives local sites a public URL.

    FreemiumOpen sourceCommand line

    Expose has an open-source client and receives webhooks locally, but its hosted tunnels depend on the Beyond Code service and some features need a paid Pro plan.

Also worth comparing

These listings name ngrok as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • bore

    Forward a local TCP port through a remote server.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    ngrok gives a public URL in one command with request inspection and no server to run, but it is closed source and routes traffic through its service.

  • Cloudflare Tunnel

    Exposes a service on your machine to the internet through Cloudflare without opening a single port in your firewall.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    ngrok gives a public URL for a local app with request inspection and SSH and RDP access, but it is closed source and traffic passes through ngrok.

  • frp

    Reach private network services through a reverse proxy.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    ngrok gives a public URL for a local app in one command with request inspection, but it is closed source and traffic is routed through ngrok's service.

  • LocalCan

    A macOS app that gives localhost a stable public URL for testing webhooks and sharing previews.

    PaidProprietarymacOSCommand line

    ngrok runs on Windows and macOS as well, with a free tier and request inspection, but traffic routes through ngrok's broader commercial platform.

  • localhost.run

    A tunneling service that exposes a local web server to the internet using ordinary SSH.

    FreemiumProprietaryCommand line

    ngrok uses its own agent installed on Windows or macOS instead of plain SSH, and adds request inspection plus SSH and RDP access on a larger commercial platform.

  • Webhook Relay

    A webhook gateway that receives, transforms and forwards webhooks to public URLs, private servers or localhost.

    FreemiumProprietaryWebCommand line

    ngrok exposes a local app through a public URL tunnel with request inspection, rather than relaying webhooks, and also covers SSH and RDP access.

  • wstunnel

    Carry network traffic through a WebSocket tunnel.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    ngrok gives a public URL for a local app in one command with request inspection, but it is closed source, freemium, and routes traffic through ngrok's service.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.