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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to btunnel

No more localhost, welcome to the internet

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. btunnel launched in 2023; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    No more localhost, Welcome to the Internet

    2024 · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    A fast SOCKS5 proxy that tunnels your traffic through what looks like normal SMTP email, bypassing Deep Packet Inspection firewalls. How it works: - Client runs a local SOCKS5 proxy (127.0.0.1:1080) - Traffic is sent to server disguised as SMTP (EHLO, STARTTLS, AUTH) - DPI sees legitimate email session, not a VPN/proxy Features: - One-liner install on any Linux VPS - Multi-user with per-user secrets and IP whitelists - Auto-generated client packages (just double-click to run) - Auto-reconnect on connection loss - Works with any app that supports SOCKS5 Tech: Python/asyncio, TLS…

    Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    cotunnel▲133

    Remote access and tunnels to your local device.

    2020 · cotunnel.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    build network tunnels over WebRTC. Contribute to rtctunnel/rtctunnel development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    Expose localhost to the internet with a public URL

    2020 · tunnelto.dev · its alternatives →

  6. 6

    Side project tunneling a TCP port through WhatsApp, can be useful on airplanes or any WiFi/carrier that has unlimited social network data limits. Appreciate feedback :)

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7
    Pinggy▲282

    Public URLs for localhost without downloading any binary

    2024 · pinggy.io · its alternatives →

  8. 8

    Secure your data and hide your IP address behind a bear.

    2014 · tunnelbear.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    Keep your browsing secure with the handsome new TunnelBear

    2016 · tunnelbear.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    Fast VPN that unblocks internet and protects your privacy

    2016 · anyip.io · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    Expose your local web server to the internet with a public URL

    2020 · tunnelto.dev · its alternatives →

  12. 12
  13. 13

    Hi Hacker News, I’d like to introduce PipeGate, a lightweight, self-hosted proxy built with FastAPI. I created PipeGate as a fun little exercise to understand how tunneling services work under the hood. PipeGate allows you to expose your local servers to the internet, giving you full control over your setup.

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    This program can be used to tunnel TCP connections through a file. People have used it for interesting things: - Bridging connections which would otherwise be blocked by a firewall - Tunneling through RDP (similar to an SSH tunnel) - Exposing a localhost web server to others Key features I put effort into: 1. The shared file is restarted every 10 MB, so it doesn't grow indefinitely. 2. Optimisations for latency & bandwidth. (800 Mbps on a Gigabit LAN. 108 Mbps if file tunneling through RDP) 3. Synchronisation between two sides (each side can be started and restarted in any order) I'd love to…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    Expose Your Localhost Securely

    2024 · rabonatunnel.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    Over the past couple of months, I've been working on connet. At this point, it is working pretty smoothly (in what I use it for), so I wanted to share it with more people and see what they think. I know many other similar/reverse proxy solutions exist - like https://github.com/fatedier/frp, https://github.com/rapiz1/rathole, and a bunch more you can find at https://github.com/anderspitman/awesome-tunneling. However, I wanted to try and put my own little peer-to-peer twist on it. Thanks for checking it out, and sharing any…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  17. 17
    Expose▲126

    Share your local sites via secure tunnels

    2021 · expose.dev · its alternatives →

  18. 18PA

    Hey HN! localtunnel's server needs random ports per client. That doesn't work on Fly.io or behind strict firewalls. We rewrote it in TypeScript and added multiplexing over a single port. Open-source and 100% self-hostable. Public instance at *.pipenet.dev if you don't want to self-host. Built at Glama for our MCP Inspector, but it's a generic tunnel with no ties to our infra. https://github.com/punkpeye/pipenet

    Jan 2026 · pipenet.dev · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Bypass network blocks instantly with a secure web proxy

    Jun 2026 · proxytunnel.online · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Simple mDNS based reverse proxy for personal infrastructure. - whytheplatypus/switchboard

    2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

  21. 21
    griq▲14

    Instantly Expose Your Localhost to the Internet!

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Reverse proxy for realtime APIs.

    2015 · pushpin.org · its alternatives →

  23. 23
    Routepath▲108

    Simple HTTPS, routing, and custom domains for your sites

    2020 · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    Pinggy is the simplest way to bring your localhost projects online. It the the fastest way to create secure tunnels to localhost with a public url.

    2023 · pinggy.io · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →