localtunnel vs pgrok
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 | pgrok |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 52 · Fair | 79 · Good |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,486 | ★ 3,649 |
| First released | 2015 | 2023 |
| Replaces | ngrok | ngrok |
What are localtunnel and pgrok?
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
pgrok
pgrok is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to ngrok for exposing local web servers to the internet via secure tunnels. It uses SSH for transport and is simple to deploy.
- SSH-based tunneling
- Self-hosted server
- Custom subdomains
- Lightweight Go binary
localtunnel vs pgrok: key differences
Localtunnel is written in JavaScript, while pgrok is built with Go. Pgrok is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for localtunnel. Localtunnel is the more established project (first released 2015), while pgrok arrived in 2023. Localtunnel has the considerably larger community, at 22,486 GitHub stars versus 3,649.
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 pgrok if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is localtunnel or pgrok better?
localtunnel is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider pgrok if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are localtunnel and pgrok free and open-source?
Yes. localtunnel is licensed under MIT and pgrok under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run localtunnel and pgrok with Docker?
localtunnel: yes. pgrok: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, localtunnel or pgrok?
pgrok has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for localtunnel. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.