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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Staqlab Tunnel

Expose your localhost to public URL for testing/debugging

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 1 we have checked on their own sites, 1 of them free or with a free tier. Staqlab Tunnel launched in 2020; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    Expose localhost to the internet with a public URL

    2020 · its alternatives →

  2. 2
    Expose▲126

    Share your local sites via secure tunnels

    2021 · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    Pinggy▲282

    Public URLs for localhost without downloading any binary

    2024 · its alternatives →

  4. 4TD
  5. 5

    Expose Your Localhost Securely

    2024 · rabonatunnel.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6
    Tunnel▲127

    Collaborative preview URL for your local web app

    2023 · its alternatives →

  7. 7TT

    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 →

  8. 8
    Expose▲184

    A beautiful, open-source, tunneling service - written in PHP

    2020 · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    Public URLs for localhost — outbound only, no firewall edits

    Jun 2026 · tunnel.to · its alternatives →

  10. 10WT

    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 →

  11. 11
    Tunll▲97

    Tunnels from public internet to localhost for all developers

    2022 · its alternatives →

  12. 12EL
  13. 13ST

    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 →

  14. 14PA

    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 →

  15. 15
    Smuggl▲208

    Share your localhost as an invite only link

    Apr 2026 · smuggl.dev · its alternatives →

  16. 16IM
  17. 17LD

    Hi HN! I'm Jarek, and I've built this tool that allows publishing .local domains on the local network using mDNS. It also has a reverse proxy that handles HTTPS termination and port forwarding. I'm working on adding more features, like an index page with all available domains or allowing proxy redirects, so you could redirect from HTTP to HTTPS. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback!

    2023 · localcan.com · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    Expose your intranet services to the internet.

    2023 · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Turn Localhost Into a Public Link in Seconds

    Feb 2026 · its alternatives →

  20. 20QT
  21. 21IM

    It's been 4 month since I work on Lokal full-time, I finally feel confident to share it publicly on YCombinator. Lokal is a software for Tunneling, Local Development, and HTTP Debugging, It's support HTTP, TCP and UDP Tunnel. The different with other tunneling solution is that Lokal has mDNS support with https enabled by default, while other might be only offer public-facing tunnel service. On the latest version 0.3.0, Lokal support Self-hosted Lokal Tunnel Server, which allow you to use your own domain and your own VPS, allow you to have Premium but self-hosted Tunneling Solution. Download…

    2024 · lokal.so · its alternatives →

  22. 22
    btunnel▲117

    No more localhost, welcome to the internet

    2023 · its alternatives →

  23. 23TW

    Hi Everyone, TunnlTo is a tool for controlling which Windows applications, processes, and IP addresses can use a WireGuard VPN tunnel. Here are some examples of how it could be used: - Route only FireFox through a privacy VPN - Route Slack and Microsoft Office through a work VPN - Route a game through a gaming VPN - Stop a game from routing through a privacy VPN - Stop a browser from routing through a work VPN - Route a specific IP address range through a privacy VPN - Route all traffic through a privacy VPN except a specific IP address range I have been collaborating on this project with…

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  24. 24LS

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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 →