Open-source ngrok alternatives

Twelve tools with open-source code you can run or host yourself, with their licenses, latest releases, and who can reach the app.

To run the whole stack on your own server, frp covers TCP, UDP, HTTP and HTTPS, and Pangolin adds SSO and expiring share links. zrok can be self-hosted or used as a service. To skip the server and keep the app off a public URL, the qURL™ CLI is MIT-licensed and needs no account.

Facts checked October 1, 2026, each value linked to its source. Full dataset.

Why people look for ngrok alternatives

The alternatives at a glance

License and release metadata checked October 14, 2026.

Each alternative

1. qURL CLIMade by LayerV

   Best for: An MIT-licensed CLI that shares an app with no account, no server and no public URL.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: The CLI is open source; the service it connects to is LayerV’s. No raw TCP.

   Command to the first shareable URLqurl publish http://127.0.0.1:3000 qurl share <CRID>

   All qURL CLI facts →

2. frp

   Best for: A full self-hosted reverse proxy for TCP, UDP, HTTP and HTTPS.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: You run frps on a server with a public IP; visitor access is basic auth on HTTP proxies.

   Command to the first shareable URL./frps -c ./frps.toml (on the server) ./frpc -c ./frpc.toml

   qURL vs frp →

3. zrok (free)

   Best for: Public or private shares, self-hosted or on the zrok.io service.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: The service needs an account; public shares from unverified free accounts show a warning page.

   Command to the first shareable URLzrok2 enable <TOKEN> zrok2 share public 8080

   qURL vs zrok (free) →

4. Pangolin

   Best for: A self-hosted reverse proxy with SSO, PIN codes, email one-time codes and expiring share links.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: You run the server and a site connector; the Community Edition is AGPL-3.0.

   Command to the first shareable URLpangolin up site --id <ID> --secret <SECRET> --endpoint https://app.pangolin.net Then add a public HTTPS resource in the dashboard

   qURL vs Pangolin →

5. sish

   Best for: Self-hosted tunnels over plain ssh -R, with nothing to install on the client.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: You run the server; the managed tuns.sh is a paid service.

   Command to the first shareable URLdocker run ... antoniomika/sish:latest --domain=example.com (on your server) ssh -p 2222 -R 80:localhost:8080 example.com

   All sish facts →

6. chisel

   Best for: TCP and UDP tunnels over HTTP, secured with SSH, to a server you run.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: No hosted server and no visitor access control; users authenticate tunnel clients.

   Command to the first shareable URLchisel server --port 8080 --reverse (on your server) chisel client http://<server>:8080 R:3000:localhost:3000

   All chisel facts →

7. Expose (free)

   Best for: PHP developers who want a self-hostable server or the free hosted one.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: The hosted server needs an account; free connections are time-limited.

   Command to the first shareable URLexpose token <TOKEN> expose share http://localhost:3000

   All Expose (free) facts →

8. bore (bore.pub)

   Best for: Forwarding a raw TCP port, through bore.pub or your own server.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: TCP only, with no TLS; anyone who connects to the port reaches it.

   Command to the first shareable URLbore local 8000 --to bore.pub

   All bore (bore.pub) facts →

9. rathole

   Best for: A small, fast NAT-traversal proxy for TCP and UDP.

   Trade-off vs ngrok: You run the server; tokens authenticate clients, not visitors; the latest release is from 2023.

   Command to the first shareable URL./rathole server.toml (on the server) ./rathole client.toml

   All rathole facts →

10. Tunnelmole

    Best for: An HTTPS URL with no account from an npm package, or a self-hosted service.

    Trade-off vs ngrok: HTTP only; the URL is public and contains your IP address.

    Command to the first shareable URLnpx tunnelmole 3000

    All Tunnelmole facts →

11. localtunnel

    Best for: A one-line npx command in a Node.js project.

    Trade-off vs ngrok: Public; visitors are asked for a tunnel password, per the maintainer.

    Command to the first shareable URLnpx localtunnel --port 8000

    qURL vs localtunnel →

12. boringproxy

    Best for: A self-hosted tunnel server with a web UI, automatic HTTPS and optional basic auth.

    Trade-off vs ngrok: You run the server; the latest release is v0.10.0, from 2023.

    Command to the first shareable URLboringproxy server -admin-domain <domain> (on the server) boringproxy client -server <domain> -user <user> -token <token> -client-name <name> Then add a tunnel in the web UI

    All boringproxy facts →

When to keep ngrok

Frequently Asked Questions