hostcngrok alternative: hostc vs ngrok
ngrok is the best-known tunnel and does far more than hostc. If you only want to share a dev server, hostc skips the sign-up and the page visitors click through.
| hostc | ngrok | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Nothing beyond Node.js | ngrok agent |
| Account | None | Required, with an authtoken |
| URL | New on every start, kept across reconnects | One fixed dev domain on the free plan |
| What visitors see | Your app, with no page in front | A warning page in browsers on the free plan |
| Traffic | HTTP, WebSocket, Server-Sent Events | HTTP, TLS and TCP |
| Limits | 256 requests at once, 1024 waiting, no monthly quota | Free plan: 1 GB out and 20,000 requests a month |
From each product's documentation on 2026-11-06. Products change, so check theirs before you decide.
When hostc is the better choice
- You want a public link to a dev server in seconds, on any machine with Node.js.
- You share with people or services that shouldn't need an account or a click-through.
- You use hot reload, WebSockets or Server-Sent Events.
When ngrok is the better choice
- You want a URL that stays the same across restarts.
- You need TCP tunnels, traffic policies or an inspection dashboard.
- You run it in production or need a support contract.
Try hostc
npx hostc@latest 3000