localtunnel vs tunnelmole
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | localtunnel | tunnelmole |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 52 · Fair | 66 · Good |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,486 | ★ 1,892 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | ngrok | ngrok, localtunnel |
What are localtunnel and tunnelmole?
localtunnel
localtunnel exposes a local web server through a public URL without configuring DNS or firewalls. The server component is open source and can be self-hosted.
- Public URL for localhost
- Self-hostable server
- No DNS configuration
- Useful for webhooks
tunnelmole
Tunnelmole is an open-source tunneling tool that gives local web servers a public URL. The client and server are both open source so the entire service can be self-hosted.
- Public URLs for local apps
- Self-hostable server
- No signup needed
- Cross-platform client
localtunnel vs tunnelmole: key differences
Localtunnel is written in JavaScript, while tunnelmole is built with TypeScript. Localtunnel is the more established project (first released 2015), while tunnelmole arrived in 2021. Localtunnel has the considerably larger community, at 22,486 GitHub stars versus 1,892.
Why pick each one
Choose localtunnel if…
- Zero configuration
- Free public URLs
- Self-hostable server
Watch out for
- Public server unreliable
- Limited security controls
Choose tunnelmole if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is localtunnel or tunnelmole better?
Neither is universally better. localtunnel has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are localtunnel and tunnelmole free and open-source?
Yes. localtunnel is licensed under MIT and tunnelmole under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run localtunnel and tunnelmole with Docker?
localtunnel: yes. tunnelmole: yes.