Pinggy: A Simpler, Faster Alternative to Ngrok in 2025

Ngrok has long been the go-to solution for developers looking to expose local services to the internet. Whether you're testing a webhook, sharing a quick demo, or accessing an internal tool remotely, Ngrok helps you set up secure tunnels with ease.

But in 2025, the question many developers are asking is:
Is there a simpler, more flexible alternative to Ngrok?

Yes—Pinggy.

Ngrok: Still Useful, But Sometimes Overkill

Ngrok has grown into a powerful ingress platform offering features like request inspection, traffic replay, and even load balancing. But as its scope has expanded, it has also become more complex, especially for developers who just want to share a local service quickly.

Common limitations include:

• Mandatory sign-up before usage

• Required client download

• Bandwidth caps on entry-level plans

• Lack of UDP and TLS tunnel support

• Limited custom domain support (no root domains)

These constraints can slow you down when you just need a fast and frictionless way to go live.

Pinggy: Minimal Setup, Maximum Flexibility

Pinggy focuses on doing one thing very well-opening public tunnels to your local apps without the need to install or configure anything.

To create a tunnel, simply run:

ssh -p 443 -R0:localhost:3000 a.pinggy.io

This command instantly exposes your app running on localhost:3000 to a public URL. No accounts, no downloads, no DNS configuration.

Real-World Use: Testing a Local App or Webhook

If you're developing an app or working with a service that needs to reach your local machine, such as a payment gateway or bot platform, Pinggy makes it easy. With a single command, your local service becomes accessible from anywhere.

Feature Comparison: Pinggy vs Ngrok

Here’s a quick side-by-side look at the two tools:

Why Developers Choose Pinggy

Pinggy is particularly useful for:

• Developers behind firewalls, NAT, or CGNAT

• Teams working on local-first apps or IoT devices

• Those needing UDP or TLS support

• Quick demos, webhook testing, or API debugging

• Anyone who wants to avoid extra setup and overhead

You can get started without an account and without installing anything, ideal for scripting, automation, or just getting a job done quickly.

Conclusion

While Ngrok remains a solid option, it may be more than what many developers need. If your goal is to expose a local port with minimal friction, Pinggy is a clear alternative that offers greater flexibility, better pricing, and support for more protocols out of the box.

From quick web demos to real-time device access, Pinggy allows developers to move fast without unnecessary hurdles.

To try it out, head to pinggy.io and copy the ready-to-use SSH command. There’s no sign-up required.

References

• Pinggy vs Ngrok

• SSH Reverse Tunnels Explained

• Why UDP Tunneling Matters for Developers

• Webhook Debugging with Curl and Pinggy

• Top 10 Ngrok alternatives in 2025