shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use ngrok.com?

ngrok is developer infrastructure that routes and secures traffic to your apps, APIs, and AI models, wherever they run. Start on localhost, ship to prod. - ngrok.com

Depends. Developers and platform teams get real value from ngrok's instant tunnels and enterprise ingress — buy it for dev workflows, webhooks, and customer-network access. Skip it for simple production hosting or if your security team can't tolerate tunnel traffic on the network.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~40 public sources. List prices and review ratings are thin — no dollar figures found; 15 G2 reviews cited.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Paid (per-device/per-customer)Not listed in sources

Best for

  • Developers exposing localhost for demos and webhooks
  • OAuth and Zoom-style app development
  • Teams reaching customer networks without VPNs
  • AI/MCP server exposure with auth

Not for

  • Non-technical users who just want simple site hosting
  • Production apps run on the free plan
  • Orgs whose firewalls block tunneling services outright
  • Budget-sensitive buyers needing cheap always-on tunnels

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

One premium buyer waited nearly a month for a refund response.

medium

Free plan gives random, expiring URLs; static/custom domains require paid tiers.

medium

Idle/always-on tunnels accumulate cost; traffic-policy pricing was only recently cut 10x.

medium

Your links may be flagged by scam checkers and firewalls.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free tier exposes localhost instantly; millions of developers use it.
  • One command starts a tunnel; tutorials span Zoom, Auth0, and MCP.
  • Enterprise features: traffic policy, OAuth, and edges beyond plain tunnels.
  • Approved in the US Department of Veterans Affairs TRM.
  • Raised $50M; venture-backed and actively shipping.

Cons

  • Heavily abused for phishing and malware delivery.
  • Corporate firewalls commonly block ngrok domains.
  • Premium buyer reported month-long unresolved support ticket.
  • Always-on tunnel costs push developers toward pay-per-use rivals.
  • Custom domains gated behind paid plans.

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/25/2026 - 15 sources - Legitimate, VA-approved service — but heavily abused by phishers and malware operators, so security teams often block it.

official x3review x5security x5news x2
  • Phishing abuse, Experts documented attackers using ngrok tunnels in phishing campaigns targeting financial organizations.
  • Named in CISA advisory, CISA's joint advisory on Russian military cyber actors references ngrok[.]com infrastructure.
  • Botnet cover, Malware authors hid cryptomining botnet traffic behind ngrok's ever-shifting proxy domains.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 15

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Strong free tier; idle and paid costs draw complaints.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. One command exposes localhost; huge tutorial base.
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Traffic policy, OAuth, edges, MCP support.
  • Support quality: 2/5. Premium refund reportedly unresolved for a month.
  • Security posture: 3/5. VA-approved with security page; widely abused by threat actors.
  • $50M Funding First fundraise, venture-backed
  • Yes Free tier Includes free static domains per docs
  • 15 G2 reviews Seller reviews on G2
  • 10x cheaper Traffic Policy price Recent ngrok announcement

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Random public URLs
  • Free static domains per docs

Paid (per-device/per-customer)

Not listed in sources

  • Custom domains
  • More client sessions

Security

Legitimate, VA-approved service — but heavily abused by phishers and malware operators, so security teams often block it.

  • Phishing abuseExperts documented attackers using ngrok tunnels in phishing campaigns targeting financial organizations.⁶
  • Named in CISA advisoryCISA's joint advisory on Russian military cyber actors references ngrok[.]com infrastructure.⁷
  • Botnet coverMalware authors hid cryptomining botnet traffic behind ngrok's ever-shifting proxy domains.⁸

What users say

Developers prize the instant localhost tunnels but complain about paid-tier costs, session limits, and slow support.

“I currently use Ngrok for hosting. What are the possible issues I ...”
Reddit, r/admincraft
“What is the number of Client sessions for paid ngrok?”
Reddit, r/selfhosted
“Don't buy the premium - Still waiting for almost a month for ...”
GitHub issue, ngrok repo

Companies that use it

  • Shopify
  • Zoom (developer platform)15
  • Auth0 (marketplace integration)
  • US Department of Veterans Affairs11

Companies that could

  • Shopify Uses Cloudflare (proposed replacement in Shopify CLI issue #1070) instead
Full analysis

Based on ~40 public sources. List prices and review ratings are thin — no dollar figures found; 15 G2 reviews cited.

Fantastic free localhost tunnels for devs; paid costs climb, phishers abuse it, firewalls often block it.

Methodology

Based on ~40 public sources. List prices and review ratings are thin — no dollar figures found; 15 G2 reviews cited.

Sources

  1. ngrok Review (2026): Pricing, Pros & Cons - iTechGuidesitechguides.com
    review
  2. ngrok Products | Read 15 Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  3. Don't buy the premium - Still waiting for almost a month - GitHubgithub.com
    review
  4. Stop Paying for Idle Tunnels: Why Developers Are Moving to PayG Proxiesinstatunnel.my
    review
  5. Localtonet vs ngrok in 2026: A Protocol and Pricing Comparisoninstatunnel.wordpress.com
    review
  6. Hackers abusing the Ngrok platform phishing attackssecurityaffairs.com
    security
  7. Russian Military Cyber Actors Target US and Global Organizations - CISAcisa.gov
    security
  8. Sly malware author hides cryptomining botnet behind ever-shifting proxy servicezdnet.com
    security
  9. Rapid Response: The Ngrok Incident Guide - Sophossophos.com
    security
  10. Cisco firewall not allowing ngrok.comcommunity.cisco.com
    security
  11. ngrok - VA.gov TRMoit.va.gov
    official
  12. Reverse proxy startup ngrok raises $50M in fundingngrok.com
    official
  13. Traffic Policy is now 10x cheaper - ngrok on LinkedInlinkedin.com
    official
  14. Safely expose MCP servers externally with ngrok + ToolHive - Stacklokstacklok.com
    news
  15. Developing Zoom Marketplace Apps w/ ngrokmedium.com
    news

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