# qURL vs localtunnel: A Private localtunnel Alternative > qURL vs localtunnel for sharing localhost: no public loca.lt URL, no tunnel password page, and links that work once and expire within 24 hours. Source: https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-localtunnel/ --- [← All Comparisons](https://layerv.ai/compare/) # qURL™ vs localtunnel Both start with one command. Only one keeps the URL private. localtunnel needs no account: npx localtunnel gives your app a random public loca.lt URL, and its maintainer says browser visitors meet a reminder page that asks for a tunnel password. qURL also needs no account, but the app gets no public URL: qurl share prints a link that works once and expires within 24 hours. Facts checked October 1, 2026 against each vendor’s documentation. [Download the data](https://layerv.ai/data/localhost-tunnels/tunnels.json) localtunnel is an open-source Node.js package backed by a public server at loca.lt. qURL is a CLI that publishes a local app without a public route. Both start without an account. ## How qURL and localtunnel differ The localtunnel client connects to the loca.lt server, which assigns a random subdomain (you can ask for one with --subdomain, but it is not guaranteed) and forwards anyone who requests it to your app while the client stays connected. The project documents no visitor access control, and its maintainer says browser visitors see a reminder page that asks for a tunnel password: the public IP address of the machine running the tunnel. qURL connects out from your machine too, but it gives the app no public address. qurl publish registers the app and prints its CRID, the app’s stable ID; qurl share turns the CRID into an access link for one recipient. Opening the link admits that recipient’s network address for the session; by protocol design, other addresses get no response. ## From a running app to a link you can send qURL CLI ``` qurl publish http://127.0.0.1:3000 qurl share ``` localtunnel ``` npx localtunnel --port 8000 ``` ## qURL and localtunnel, side by side __qURL CLI compared with localtunnel, with the source for each value__ | Question | qURL CLI | localtunnel | | ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Account needed before the first URL | No. The first publish creates the device identity [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | No [github.com](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel) | | What the URL looks like | A qurl.link access link per recipient; the app answers at r\_.qurl.site, a name absent from Certificate Transparency logs [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | Random \*.loca.lt subdomain (optional --subdomain, not guaranteed) [loca.lt](https://loca.lt/) | | Who can reach it | No one until a link is opened; then the opener’s public IP for that session, including other devices behind that IP [layerv.ai](https://layerv.ai/docs/qurls.md) | Public: anyone with the URL [github.com](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel) | | Warning page shown to visitors | None [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | Reminder page that asks for a tunnel password (the creator’s public IP), per the service’s maintainer [github.com, unofficial](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel/issues/598) | | Visitor access control | Single-use access link by default; link and session lifetimes. IP allow and deny lists and other rules can gate links through the API, not the CLI [layerv.ai](https://layerv.ai/docs/qurls.md) | Not documented [github.com](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel) | | Link expiry | Yes. qurl share returned a 24-hour link in our no-account test; no-account links are capped at 24 hours [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | Active while the lt client stays connected; no expiry setting [github.com](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel) | | Single-use links | Yes, the default for qurl share [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | Not documented [github.com](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel) | | Protocols | HTTP(S), WebSocket, SSE; no raw TCP [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | HTTP(S) [github.com](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel) | | Free-tier limits | Without an account: up to 3 active resources, with links that last up to 24 hours [github.com](https://github.com/layervai/qurl-integrations/blob/main/apps/cli/README.md) | Not documented [github.com](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel) | ## Which one to use ### Choose qURL to Show a client or teammate your app without putting it on a public URL, or let your coding agent share it. Each recipient gets a link that works once and expires on its own, with no password page in front. ### When localtunnel is the better choice Choose localtunnel when you want a public URL straight from npx with nothing else to install, for example so a webhook sender can reach the app. qURL is not built for webhooks. ## Frequently Asked Questions What is the localtunnel password? According to the maintainer of the public loca.lt server, the reminder page asks for the public IP address of the machine running the tunnel. The maintainer also says the page appears only for standard browser User-Agents, and that a bypass-tunnel-reminder request header skips it. Is a localtunnel URL private? No. Anyone who has the URL can reach the app while the client is connected, and localtunnel documents no way to restrict visitors. A qURL link is single-use by default and expires within 24 hours. Who can open a qURL link? Whoever holds it, once: with no flags, qurl share prints a single-use link. Opening it admits the network address it was opened from for the session, which lasts 1 hour by default for an app published from the CLI. Other devices on the same public IP address, such as an office or café network, can reach the app until the session ends, so keep your app’s own sign-in for anything sensitive. By default a link admits whoever opens it; access rules set through the API, such as IP allow and deny lists, can restrict that. Can my coding agent share my app with qURL? Yes. Give Claude Code, Cursor, or Windsurf the qURL skill (https://layerv.ai/skills/qurl/SKILL.md) and ask it to share the app: it installs the qurl CLI, publishes the app privately, and gives you an address to send. The agent applies the private access rules you choose. For named recipients, give it their email addresses so it can send invitations. Recipients verify their email in the browser and save a passkey; they never send you their email verification code. The agent checks policy support before sharing and keeps the app private if the deployment cannot support it. For one person right away, ask it for a one-time link instead. Codex starts with network access off, so save the skill file for it first. ## Related Resources [Every localhost tunnel, compared →](https://layerv.ai/compare/localhost-tunnels/) [ngrok alternatives →](https://layerv.ai/compare/ngrok-alternatives/) [qURL CLI →](https://layerv.ai/cli/) [localtunnel on GitHub ↗](https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel) [Guide: switch from localtunnel →](https://layerv.ai/guides/switch-from-localtunnel/) [qURL vs localhost.run →](https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-localhost-run/) [qURL vs Serveo →](https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-serveo/) ## Share your app without an account Paste one prompt into your coding agent, or install the qURL CLI and publish the app yourself. No sign-up, no API key. [Get the agent prompt ↗](https://layerv.ai/vibe-coding/) [Install the CLI ↗](https://layerv.ai/cli/) New to qURL? Start at [qurl.link ](https://qurl.link/) --- *This markdown version is auto-generated from [https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-localtunnel/](https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-localtunnel/) for AI agents. Curated agent resources: [llms.txt](https://layerv.ai/llms.txt). For the full interactive experience, visit the HTML version.*