Free Localhost Tunnels and ngrok Alternatives
Which localhost tunnel tools a startup can share a local app or test webhooks with for free today, whether the free plan gives a fixed or custom domain, how many tunnels and how much traffic it allows, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Tunnel tools change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
Localhost tunnel tools a startup can use for free today include ngrok (Free plan: $5 one-time usage, 3 endpoints), localtunnel (Open source public server), zrok (Free: 5 GB a day, 25 environments), Pinggy (Free for life, random subdomains), and localhost.run (Free: temporary domains, no signup). Each of the 9 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, whether a fixed or custom domain is included, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Showing a client a feature running on your laptop, testing a payment webhook or letting a teammate try a local build all need a public URL for localhost. Tunnel tools give you one in a single command, most with a free plan, and open-source tunnels run on your own server.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free URLs are often random and change on every start, sessions time out, and some free plans show an interstitial warning page before your app. Each tool below shows what is free, its main limit, whether a fixed or custom domain is included, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which tools we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which tools are listed or where.
Localhost tunnels with a free plan
Expose a local server to the internet in one command, free to start.
- 1
ngrok
The best-known tunnel, with a one-time usage credit
ngrok's Free plan costs $0 and includes a $5 one-time usage credit, 3 online endpoints and an assigned dev domain. TCP endpoints need a verified card that ngrok does not charge.
- Fixed or custom domain
- Assigned dev domain only (source: ngrok.com)
- Payment card
- Card only for TCP endpoints (source: ngrok.com)
- First paid plan
- Hobbyist: $10 a month (source: ngrok.com)
- 2
zrok
Free sharing with a daily data allowance and no card
zrok's Free plan gives 5 GB a day and 25 environments with no credit card required. Public shares show an interstitial page until a card is added.
- Fixed or custom domain
- zrok.io share URL, like myshare.zrok.io (source: zrok.io)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: zrok.io)
- 3
Pinggy
Unlimited data for short sessions, from an SSH command
Pinggy's free plan is free for life. Its tunnels time out after 60 minutes, and a permanent URL or your own domain needs Pinggy Pro.
- Fixed or custom domain
- Own domain and fixed URL need Pro (source: pinggy.io)
- 4
localhost.run
A public HTTPS URL with no download and no signup
localhost.run's Free plan gives temporary domains for quick testing or sharing. Free domains change after a few hours, and a Custom Domain costs $9 a month, billed annually.
- Fixed or custom domain
- Temporary domain, not fixed (source: localhost.run)
Start free at localhost.runTerms read on localhost.run on localhost.run: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Cloudflare Tunnel
A quick public URL with no Cloudflare account
Cloudflare Quick Tunnels create a temporary trycloudflare.com URL for a local service, with no Cloudflare account or domain. Each Quick Tunnel supports up to 200 in-flight requests, and its hostname changes each time.
- Fixed or custom domain
- Random trycloudflare.com URL, changes each run (source: developers.cloudflare.com)
Start free at CloudflareTerms read on developers.cloudflare.com on Cloudflare Tunnel: the free allowance and how to start - 6
LocalXpose
Two live tunnels with no card
LocalXpose's Starter plan is $0 with no credit card required, and allows 2 active HTTP and HTTPS tunnels on unique subdomains. Its PRO plan is $8 a month, or $96 a year billed annually.
- Fixed or custom domain
- Unique subdomain, no custom domain (source: localxpose.io)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: localxpose.io)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $8 a month, or $96 a year (source: localxpose.io)
Start free at LocalXposeTerms read on localxpose.io on LocalXpose: the free allowance and how to start - 7
Serveo
Three live tunnels with custom subdomains over SSH
Serveo's Free plan gives 3 active tunnels and custom subdomains for $0 a month, with an interstitial warning. Its Pro plan is $6 a month or $60 a year.
- Fixed or custom domain
- Custom subdomains (source: serveo.net)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $6 a month, or $60 a year (source: serveo.net)
- 8
Expose
A free account for sharing sites and receiving webhooks
Expose's free plan runs on a server in Germany, with random URLs and a time limit, and needs no card. Custom domains and subdomains are on its paid plans.
- Fixed or custom domain
- Random URLs, custom domains on Pro (source: expose.dev)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: expose.dev)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $79 per user a year (source: expose.dev)
Open-source tunnels you can self-host
Run your own tunnel server on your own domain, free.
- 1
localtunnel
A zero-setup public URL from an npm command
localtunnel exposes your localhost to the world for easy testing and sharing. It requests a named subdomain, but you may not receive that name.
- Fixed or custom domain
- Random subdomain, named one not promised (source: github.com)
Start free at localtunnelTerms read on github.com on localtunnel: the free allowance and how to start
Also useful for founders
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
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How this comparison is built
The list covers localhost tunnel tools a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each tool's terms. Every term comes from the tool's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A random URL that changes on every start, a cap on tunnels, bandwidth or requests, custom domains kept for paid plans can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these tools pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a tool appears, and no tool pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free ngrok alternative?
It depends on what you test. By the terms each provider states, Cloudflare Quick Tunnels need no account or domain, Pinggy is free for life with random subdomains and 60-minute tunnels, zrok's free plan gives 5 GB a day, and localhost.run gives temporary domains with no signup.
Is ngrok free?
ngrok's free plan includes $5 of one-time usage and 3 endpoints on an assigned dev domain, with an interstitial page on web endpoints; its Hobbyist plan is $10 a month.
Which free tunnel gives a fixed URL?
Most free plans give random or temporary URLs. Serveo's free plan offers custom subdomains, while Pinggy and localhost.run keep fixed URLs and custom domains for paid plans.
Is there an open-source localhost tunnel?
Yes. localtunnel is open source and comes with a free public server; the URL stays up for your session.
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