Alternatives to Pinggy

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

  • localhost.run

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

    FreemiumProprietaryCommand line

    localhost.run also works over standard SSH with no sign-up for free tunnels and automatic HTTPS, but lacks Pinggy's web debugger and UDP tunnels.

  • ngrok

    A tunnelling agent and gateway that exposes a local app to the internet with request inspection.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSCommand line

    ngrok gives a local app a public URL in one command and covers SSH and RDP access, but it needs its agent installed and is a broad commercial platform.

  • 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 on OpenZiti, supports private sharing and files, and can be self-hosted, but needs an invite and environment setup before sharing.

  • 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 optionally self-hostable, giving a local port a public HTTPS URL, though Windows without WSL requires Node.js.

  • LocalXpose

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

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    LocalXpose uses a single client binary with automatic TLS certificates, requires an account and depends on its hosted service, like Pinggy.

  • 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 works through firewalls and VPNs, with hosted tunnels from Beyond Code and some features in a paid Pro plan.

  • LocalCan

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

    PaidProprietarymacOSCommand line

    LocalCan is a paid macOS app offering stable public URLs and a request inspector with replay, but it does not run on Windows or Linux.

Also worth comparing

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

  • Cloudflare Tunnel

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

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    Pinggy works over plain SSH with HTTP, TCP, UDP and TLS tunnels and a web debugger, but free URLs change on reconnect.

  • smee.io

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

    FreeProprietaryWebCommand line

    Pinggy opens a tunnel over plain SSH without installing a client and includes a web debugger to inspect and replay requests, though free URLs change on reconnect.

  • Webhook Relay

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

    FreemiumProprietaryWebCommand line

    Pinggy gives localhost a public URL over plain SSH with a web debugger for replaying requests, but free URLs change on reconnect and there are no payload transforms.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.