hostcTailscale Funnel alternative: hostc vs Tailscale Funnel
Tailscale Funnel exposes a device on your tailnet to the internet, which is ideal if you already use Tailscale. hostc needs no VPN, account or admin settings, so it also works on a machine that has none of that.
| hostc | Tailscale Funnel | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Nothing beyond Node.js | Tailscale client, MagicDNS and HTTPS on |
| Account | None | A tailnet, with Funnel allowed in its policy |
| URL | New on every start, kept across reconnects | A stable name under your ts.net domain |
| What visitors see | Your app, with no page in front | Your app |
| Traffic | HTTP, WebSocket, Server-Sent Events | TLS on ports 443, 8443 and 10000 |
| Limits | 256 requests at once, 1024 waiting, no monthly quota | In beta, with bandwidth limits you can't change |
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 Tailscale Funnel is the better choice
- You already run Tailscale.
- You want a URL that doesn't change.
- You also want private access to the same machine.
Try hostc
npx hostc@latest 3000