localtunnel vs trzsz
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
trzsz
File transfer over SSH with progress and resume
| Feature | localtunnel | trzsz |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,440 | ★ 1,439 |
| First released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Replaces | ngrok | lrzsz, SCP |
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 trzsz if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is localtunnel or trzsz 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 trzsz free and open-source?
Yes. localtunnel is licensed under MIT and trzsz under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run localtunnel and trzsz with Docker?
localtunnel: yes. trzsz: check the project docs for container support.