A practical, feature-by-feature comparison to help you choose the right localhost tunneling tool for your workflow in 2025.
| Feature | tunr Recommended | ngrok (Personal) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | Free / $5 Pro | $10/month |
| Open Source CLI | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| Single Binary (No Node/Python) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| HTTPS / WebSocket + HMR | ✓ Full | ✓ Full |
| Custom Subdomains | ✓ Pro | ✓ Personal |
| Custom Domains (root/apex) | ✓ Yes | ⚠️ Subdomains only |
| Bandwidth | ✓ Unlimited | ⚠️ 5 GB/month |
| Freeze Mode (crash protection) | ✓ Exclusive | ✕ |
| Demo Mode (read-only) | ✓ Exclusive | ✕ |
| Feedback Widget Injection | ✓ Exclusive | ✕ |
| QR Code Sharing | ✓ Yes | ✕ |
| Bearer Token Auth | ✓ Yes | ⚠️ Enterprise |
| IP Whitelisting | ✓ Yes | ✕ |
| Header Modification | ✓ Yes | ✕ |
| Auto-Expiring Tunnels (TTL) | ✓ Yes | ✕ |
| MCP / AI Integration | ✓ Yes | ✕ |
| Request Inspector & Replay | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
If you need a simple, secure tunnel with no extra features, both tools work. But tunr is 2x cheaper on the paid tier, open-source, and comes with vibecoder superpowers — freeze mode, demo mode, feedback widgets, QR codes, bearer token auth, IP whitelisting, and full MCP integration — all of which are missing from ngrok's Personal plan.