Why Developers Look for a Free ngrok Alternative
Why are developers looking beyond ngrok? Four pain points keep coming up: strict free tier limits, high scaling costs, closed source code, and no UDP support. In 2026, several tools remove all of these restrictions — and they are completely free.
ngrok remains the most recognizable tunneling tool, but its free plan is capped at one agent, assigns a random domain on every restart, and enforces rate limits on connections per minute. A team of two already needs to pay $16/mo, and a team of five faces $40/mo. On top of that, ngrok’s source code is fully closed — you cannot audit its security or verify what happens to your traffic.
If you need an ngrok alternative free of rate limits, with TCP and UDP support, and open source code, this article will help you choose. We compare six alternatives across 9 criteria and provide a step-by-step migration guide.
Comparison Table: 6 Free ngrok Alternatives
Here is a side-by-side comparison of all six alternatives alongside ngrok itself.
| Criterion | ngrok | fxTunnel | Cloudflare Tunnel | LocalTunnel | Bore | Telebit | zrok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Freemium (from $8/mo) | Free (from $5/mo for extras) | Free (CF DNS required) | Free | Free (self-host) | Free | Free (self-host) |
| Open source | No | Yes (fully) | Partial (client) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Protocols | HTTP, TCP | HTTP, TCP, UDP | HTTP (TCP on paid) | HTTP only | TCP only | HTTP, TCP | HTTP, TCP |
| Rate limits (free) | Yes (strict) | No | No | No (unstable) | No | Yes | No |
| Custom domains | From $8/mo | From $5/mo (any DNS) | Yes (CF DNS only) | No | No | Paid | Yes (self-host) |
| Inspector + Replay | From $8/mo | From $5/mo (no limits) | No | No | No | No | No |
| CLI UX | Good | Excellent (1 command) | Average (YAML) | Good | Good | Average | Complex |
| Stability | High | High | Very high | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Detailed Review of Each ngrok Alternative
Let us walk through each tool — strengths, limitations, and CLI examples. The ngrok vs Cloudflare vs fxTunnel comparison covers the top three in more depth.
fxTunnel — Open Source, All Protocols, No Limits
fxTunnel is an open-source tunneling tool written in Go. Install it in 30 seconds, run a single command, and you have a public URL. The free tier has no limits on traffic, connections, or agents. Paid plans start at $5/mo with custom domains, a traffic inspector, and replay.
What sets fxTunnel apart:
- Free tier with no rate limits, no agent caps, no connection restrictions
- HTTP + TCP + UDP — the only alternative that supports all three protocols
- Fully open source — audit the code yourself or self-host on your own VPS
- Traffic inspector with replay from $5/mo (ngrok charges $8/mo with limits)
- Custom domains via any DNS provider from $5/mo (ngrok charges $8/mo)
Limitations: younger project — the integration ecosystem is actively growing.
# Install
curl -fsSL https://fxtun.dev/install.sh | bash
# HTTP tunnel
fxtunnel http 8080
# → https://abc123.fxtun.dev → localhost:8080
# TCP tunnel (PostgreSQL, SSH)
fxtunnel tcp 5432
# UDP tunnel (game server, VoIP)
fxtunnel udp 27015
Cloudflare Tunnel — Free but DNS-Locked
Cloudflare Tunnel is free for HTTP traffic and provides DDoS protection out of the box. However, it requires your domain to be managed by Cloudflare DNS, does not support UDP, and takes 10+ minutes to configure.
Pros: free HTTP with no traffic limits, DDoS protection, CDN, Zero Trust integration.
Cons: hard DNS lock-in to Cloudflare, no UDP, TCP only on paid plans, complex YAML configuration, proprietary server side.
brew install cloudflared
cloudflared tunnel login
cloudflared tunnel create my-tunnel
cloudflared tunnel run my-tunnel
LocalTunnel — Simple HTTP Tunnels via npm
LocalTunnel is an npm package for creating HTTP tunnels with no registration required. Install it with one command, minimal configuration. Best suited for throwaway demos.
Pros: npm install, no sign-up needed, open source, subdomain requests.
Cons: HTTP only, unreliable (public server is frequently overloaded), no uptime guarantees, no traffic inspector.
npm install -g localtunnel
lt --port 8080 --subdomain myapp
Bore — Minimalist TCP Tunnel in Rust
Bore is a compact open-source tool for TCP tunnels, written in Rust. Single binary, minimal configuration. A good fit when you only need raw TCP.
Pros: written in Rust, single binary, self-hosted option, minimalist design.
Cons: TCP only (no HTTP features, no UDP), no built-in TLS, minimal documentation, small community.
cargo install bore-cli
bore local 8080 --to bore.pub
Telebit — Tunnel for IoT Devices
Telebit positions itself as a tunnel for IoT and home servers. It supports HTTP and TCP with built-in ACME for automatic SSL certificates.
Pros: ACME/Let’s Encrypt out of the box, HTTP + TCP, IoT-focused, open source.
Cons: unstable public relay, limited documentation, no UDP, rate limits on the free tier, slow development pace.
curl https://get.telebit.io/ | bash
telebit http 8080
zrok — Peer-to-Peer Tunneling on OpenZiti
zrok is an open-source tunneling solution built on the OpenZiti platform. It supports peer-to-peer connections, public and private sharing, HTTP and TCP.
Pros: built on OpenZiti (Zero Trust), peer-to-peer, HTTP + TCP, open source, self-hosted.
Cons: complex installation and setup, requires deploying OpenZiti infrastructure for self-hosting, no UDP, steep learning curve, young project.
# Install (Linux)
curl -sSf https://get.openziti.io/install.bash | bash
zrok invite # Register
zrok enable # Activate environment
zrok share public localhost:8080
Decision Matrix: Which ngrok Alternative Fits Your Use Case
Which tool fits your scenario? Here are recommendations for specific use cases. A broader overview is available in the tunneling tools guide.
| Scenario | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Webhook testing | fxTunnel | Free, no rate limits, 30 seconds, inspector + replay |
| Team of 5+ developers | fxTunnel | $0 vs $40/mo with ngrok, no agent limits |
| TCP + UDP (games, VoIP, IoT) | fxTunnel | The only alternative with UDP support |
| Production behind NAT | fxTunnel or CF Tunnel | fxTunnel: any DNS, all protocols. CF: DDoS protection, but DNS lock-in |
| Domain already on Cloudflare | Cloudflare Tunnel | Free HTTP, DDoS, CDN out of the box |
| One-off demo (5 minutes) | fxTunnel or LocalTunnel | fxTunnel is more stable; LocalTunnel needs no install (npm) |
| Minimal TCP tunnel | Bore | Single binary, minimalism |
| Zero Trust / peer-to-peer | zrok | OpenZiti, private sharing |
| Maximum independence | fxTunnel (self-host) | Open source, deploy your own server |
Migrating from ngrok to fxTunnel: Step-by-Step
Switching takes less than two minutes. The CLI commands are nearly identical — replace ngrok with fxtunnel and your tunnels work without rate limits. More on exposing local services in how to expose localhost to the internet.
Step 1: Install fxTunnel
# Uninstall ngrok (optional)
# brew uninstall ngrok
# Install fxTunnel
curl -fsSL https://fxtun.dev/install.sh | bash
Step 2: Replace Your Commands
# Before (ngrok)
ngrok http 8080
# After (fxTunnel) — no sign-up, no rate limits
fxtunnel http 8080
Step 3: Use TCP and UDP (Not Available in ngrok)
# TCP tunnel for a database — free
fxtunnel tcp 5432
# UDP tunnel for a game server — free
fxtunnel udp 27015
Step 4: Attach a Custom Domain (Optional, from $5/mo)
# Custom domain via any DNS provider
fxtunnel http 8080 --domain app.example.com
Step 5: Use the Traffic Inspector with Replay (from $5/mo)
# Start a tunnel with the inspector enabled
fxtunnel http 8080 --inspect
# Open the inspector web UI
# → http://localhost:7070
The whole process takes under two minutes, and you walk away with TCP and UDP support, open-source code, and the option for custom domains via any DNS provider.
FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions About Free ngrok Alternatives
If you are new to tunneling in general, start with what tunneling is. For a broader tool overview, see the tunneling tools guide.
What is the best free ngrok alternative without rate limits?
fxTunnel stands out here: the free tier places no caps on traffic, connections, or agents, and it covers HTTP, TCP, and UDP — all open source. If you need custom domains or the traffic inspector with replay, paid plans start at $5/mo.
Why are developers leaving ngrok?
It boils down to four friction points: the free tier caps you at 1 agent with rate limits and random domains, scaling costs $8/mo per user, the source code is closed, and UDP is not supported at all. Alternatives like fxTunnel address every one of those issues.
Can I migrate from ngrok to fxTunnel in under 5 minutes?
Easily — most people finish in under two minutes. Install with curl -fsSL https://fxtun.dev/install.sh | bash, swap ngrok http 8080 for fxtunnel http 8080, and your tunnel is live. You immediately gain TCP/UDP support with no rate limits.
Which free tunnels support TCP and UDP?
Among the six alternatives in this article, fxTunnel is the only one that handles HTTP, TCP, and UDP on the free tier. Bore covers TCP only; the rest are HTTP-only. Worth noting: ngrok does not support UDP at all, not even on paid plans.
Is there an open-source ngrok alternative I can self-host?
Three of the six qualify: fxTunnel, Bore, and zrok. fxTunnel offers the broadest feature set (HTTP + TCP + UDP, traffic inspector, custom domains). Bore is strictly TCP, and zrok demands a more involved infrastructure setup with OpenZiti.