FindAlternative
Back to ngrok

ngrok vs rathole

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.

Compare
ngrok
ngrokSecure ingress and tunneling to connect local and production apps, APIs, and AI models.
Visit
rathole
ratholeHigh-performance reverse proxy for NAT traversal
Visit
Overview
Description

ngrok is developer infrastructure that creates secure tunnels from the public internet to applications, APIs, and AI models running locally or in production. It is best known for instantly exposing a localhost server with a public URL, which makes it a common tool for testing webhooks, demoing work in progress, and connecting local MCP servers for AI development. Beyond simple tunneling, ngrok offers an API gateway with routing, load balancing, and observability, plus enterprise controls like SSO, RBAC, SCIM, and audit logs, and compliance with SOC2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA. Companies like GitHub, Microsoft, Databricks, and OpenAI are listed among its users.

Rathole is a lightweight and high-performance reverse proxy for NAT traversal, written in Rust. It provides an alternative to frp and ngrok, offering a fast and reliable solution for developers and teams. Rathole is designed to simplify the process of exposing local services to the internet, making it easier to collaborate and deploy applications.

Pricing
Freemium
Free
Category
Developer Tools
DevOps & CI/CD
Best for
Developers and teams needing secure tunnels and API routing
Developers and DevOps teams
Specifications
deployment
Cloud/SaaS
Self-hosted
api available
Yes
Yes
support options
Documentation, Email, Priority support (paid)
GitHub Issues, Email
key integrations
Docker, GitHub, Slack, MCP servers
—
open source
—
Yes
github stars
—
13,971
primary language
—
Rust
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Extremely fast setup for exposing a local server publicly
  • Scales from free hobby use to enterprise-grade compliance and SSO
  • Useful beyond tunneling as an API gateway and traffic router
  • Widely adopted, with integrations across popular dev workflows
  • High-performance and scalable
  • Easy to set up and configure
  • Secure and reliable
  • Free and open-source
Cons
  • Free tier is limited to 3 endpoints and modest usage
  • Paid tiers add usage-based costs on top of the base subscription
  • Some advanced networking features require the higher-priced plans
  • Limited documentation and support
  • Requires technical expertise for advanced configuration
  • May require additional setup for complex use cases
Community & Metrics
Upvotes
0
0
User rating
Not enough data
Not enough data

More alternatives & similar tools

Alternatives to ngrok

View all →
rathole
rathole

High-performance reverse proxy for NAT traversal

Compare

Alternatives to rathole

View all →
salt
salt

Software to automate the management and configuration of infrastructure and applications at scale.

Compare
NPS
NPS

Lightweight Intranet Penetration Proxy Server

Compare
frp
frp

Fast, open-source reverse proxy for NAT traversal and firewall bypass

Compare
SafeLine
SafeLine

Self-hosted WAF and reverse proxy for web app protection

Compare

The Verdict

AI-generated from listing data

rathole offers a free, self‑hosted high‑performance reverse proxy for teams that can manage their own infrastructure, while ngrok provides a cloud SaaS tunnel/API gateway with quick setup but limited free usage and paid tiers for advanced features.

Key differences

  • •Deployment model: rathole is self‑hosted; ngrok runs as a cloud SaaS service.
  • •Cost: rathole is completely free and open‑source; ngrok uses a freemium model with usage limits and paid plans.
  • •Setup speed: ngrok creates public URLs in seconds; rathole requires manual installation and configuration.
  • •Support & documentation: ngrok offers formal docs and paid priority support; rathole relies on GitHub issues and limited docs.
  • •Feature focus: rathole is a pure reverse proxy with load balancing; ngrok adds tunneling, API gateway, compliance, and integrations.
DimensionWinner

Pricing & value

rathole is free open‑source; ngrok’s free tier is limited and paid tiers add usage costs.

rathole

Ease of use / learning curve

ngrok provides instant public URLs with minimal config; rathole needs self‑hosting and technical setup.

ngrok

Features & depth

Both are strong in their domains: rathole excels at reverse proxy/load‑balancing; ngrok adds tunneling, API gateway, compliance.

Tie

Integrations & ecosystem

ngrok lists integrations with Docker, GitHub, Slack, and MCP servers; rathole has no listed integrations.

ngrok

Support

ngrok offers documentation, email, and paid priority support; rathole only provides GitHub issues and email.

ngrok

Security & privacy

ngrok meets SOC2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA compliance; rathole provides TLS but no listed certifications.

ngrok

Choose ngrok if…

Developers needing instant public URLs, API‑gateway features, or enterprise compliance without managing infrastructure.

Choose rathole if…

Teams comfortable self‑hosting who need a free, high‑performance reverse proxy and can handle limited docs.

Common questions

Can I use rathole for production traffic without paying?

Yes, rathole is free and open‑source; you host it yourself and it supports load balancing and TLS.

What limits does ngrok’s free tier have?

The free tier allows only 3 concurrent endpoints and modest usage; higher usage requires a paid plan.

Which tool offers more enterprise‑grade security compliance?

ngrok, which meets SOC2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA; rathole has TLS but no listed compliance certifications.