localtunnel vs Pritunl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
localtunnel
Expose your localhost to the world for testing
VS
Pritunl
Enterprise VPN server built on OpenVPN and WireGuard
| Feature | localtunnel | Pritunl |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,440 | ★ 4,997 |
| First released | 2015 | 2013 |
| Replaces | ngrok | OpenVPN Access Server |
Why pick each one
Choose localtunnel if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 22.4k GitHub stars
Choose Pritunl if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is localtunnel or Pritunl better?
localtunnel is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pritunl if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are localtunnel and Pritunl free and open-source?
Yes. localtunnel is licensed under MIT and Pritunl under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run localtunnel and Pritunl with Docker?
localtunnel: yes. Pritunl: yes.