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VERDICT

Should I use Localtonet?

Expose Localhost to Internet — Secure Tunneling - localtonet.com

Depends. A cheap, capable ngrok alternative for self-hosters and developers who need TCP/UDP tunnels behind CGNAT. Skip it for corporate use: security tools flag tunnel traffic, the review base is tiny, and it's a small founder-run company.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 40+ public sources; user review volume is thin.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

$2/mo

Starter

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Basic$5/mo
Pay-as-you-goUsage-based

Best for

  • Self-hosters behind CGNAT
  • Gamers exposing game servers
  • Developers sharing localhost demos
  • Foundry VTT hosts

Not for

  • Enterprises needing SLAs and vetted vendors
  • Corporate networks — security teams flag tunnels
  • Anyone wanting widely-reviewed, battle-tested tooling

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

EDR/IDS tools may block Localtonet traffic as suspected C2 — clear it with IT first.

medium

Pay-as-you-go bills only while tunnels run; forgotten tunnels keep charging.

medium

Public reviews are scarce; little signal on support quality or uptime.

low

Free tier covers limited basic use; limits aren't detailed in reviewed sources.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Multi-protocol: HTTP/HTTPS, TCP, and UDP in one tool
  • Users report 1gbit+ throughput
  • Works behind double NAT and CGNAT setups
  • Very cheap: tiers start at $2/month
  • Extras included: built-in WAF and mesh VPN

Cons

  • Tiny public review base: single Trustpilot review
  • Security tools flag it as possible C2 traffic
  • Founder-run indie product; enterprise support unproven
  • Product security page unreachable at review time
  • Many comparisons are self-published blog posts

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/30/2026 - 11 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; however, security vendors ship detection rules for Localtonet traffic because threat actors abuse tunneling services.

official x3review x6security x2
  • Flagged as potential C2 traffic, ManageEngine publishes a detection rule for Localtonet tunneling communication, used to spot C2 or suspicious domain traffic.
  • Abused by threat actors, Head Mare and Twelve groups used Localtonet among tunneling tools in attacks on Russian entities.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $2/mo

    Starting price

  • 11

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Tiers from $2/mo plus pay-as-you-go
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Windows service, mobile app, homelab guides
  • Feature depth: 4/5. HTTP/S, TCP, UDP, WAF, mesh VPN
  • Support quality. No support evidence found
  • Security posture: 3/5. WAF and DPA exist, but EDRs flag tunnel traffic
  • $2/mo Starting price Starter tier
  • Yes Free tier Basic free use listed
  • 1 Trustpilot reviews Very thin review base
  • HTTP/S, TCP, UDP Protocols Multi-protocol tunneling

Pricing

Starter

$2/mo

  • Entry tunneling tier
  • Listed on Techimply

Basic

$5/mo

  • Higher limits
  • Listed on Techimply

Pay-as-you-go

Usage-based

  • Billed only while tunnels run

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; however, security vendors ship detection rules for Localtonet traffic because threat actors abuse tunneling services.

  • Flagged as potential C2 trafficManageEngine publishes a detection rule for Localtonet tunneling communication, used to spot C2 or suspicious domain traffic.⁹
  • Abused by threat actorsHead Mare and Twelve groups used Localtonet among tunneling tools in attacks on Russian entities.10

What users say

Self-hosters and hobbyists praise it for cheaply exposing TCP/UDP services behind CGNAT at high speeds.

“Best Ngrok Alternative Localtonet.com (Expose localhost to internet”
Reddit, r/FoundryVTT
“localtonet is 1gbit+ capable, so i'm not even”
Reddit, r/selfhosted
“I use Localtonet as a tunnel/forward proxy for”
Reddit, r/selfhosted

Alternatives

Compare Localtonet with each alternative.

  • ngrok

    Category standard with mature docs and paid tiers

  • Cloudflare Tunnel

    Free tunnels backed by a large, trusted vendor

  • Tailscale

    Mesh VPN for private access without public tunnels

    Localtonet vs Tailscale

  • Expose

    Fully open-source ngrok alternative, self-hostable

Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources; user review volume is thin.

Cheap, solid ngrok alternative for homelab tunnels; too unproven for corporate networks.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources; user review volume is thin.

Sources

  1. Localtonet homepagelocaltonet.com
    official
  2. Multi-protocol secure tunneling bloglocaltonet.com
    official
  3. Pay-as-you-go pricing announcementlocaltonet.com
    official
  4. Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  5. Reddit r/selfhosted speed reportreddit.com
    review
  6. Reddit r/selfhosted double NAT UDPreddit.com
    review
  7. Reddit r/FoundryVTT ngrok alternativereddit.com
    review
  8. Techimply pricing listingtechimply.com
    review
  9. ManageEngine detection rulemanageengine.com
    security
  10. Securelist: Head Mare and Twelvesecurelist.com
    security
  11. Awesome tunneling listgithub.com
    review

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