ngrok alternative · Localhost tunnels and API gateway
ngrok shares your localhost. artifact.guru shares the finished file.
ngrok puts a server on your machine online in one command, with OAuth or IP rules in front. artifact.guru hosts the finished file instead, so nothing has to keep running, and email links show who opened them.
Checked on October 8, 2026 against ngrok’s own pages. See the sources
Pick ngrok if
- You need to show a live app, API or webhook running on your machine.
- You want OAuth or IP rules in front of your own server, set in one policy.
- You debug webhooks and want to inspect and replay requests.
Pick artifact.guru if
- What you share is a finished file, not a server running on your laptop.
- You’d rather invite people by email address than write an access policy.
- You want Word and PowerPoint files to open right in the browser.
ngrok and artifact.guru, row by row.
| Question | ngrok | artifact.guru |
|---|---|---|
| Publish from AI agents | CLI, SDKs and REST API; skills for coding agents; its MCP server covers docs only | Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Gemini CLI, Grok and any MCP app, over OAuth; no API keys |
| Upload it yourself | Nothing to upload: it forwards a local port, or serves a folder via a file:// URL | Drag in files, or a whole folder for a built site or React app |
| What opens in the browser | Whatever your local app or folder serves over HTTP | HTML, React, Markdown, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, images, diagrams, zipped sites |
| Who can open a link | Basic auth, OAuth (Google, GitHub, Microsoft and 5 more), OIDC, email and IP rules | Private, public or secret code on every plan; email invites (up to 50) on paid plans |
| Who opened it | Traffic Inspector shows requests (24h Free, 72h paid); Identities list who signed in | Paid plans: names on email links; counts, sources and devices on the rest |
| Updates and versions | Same URL always shows the live app; history and rollback not documented | Every change is a new version at the same link; roll back any time (Free keeps 3) |
| Your own domain | Free dev domain on all plans; own domain on Pay-as-you-go, $0.01 per active hour | Your subdomain for public and secret-code links, from $12 a month |
| Team workspace | 1 user on Free and Hobbyist; Pay-as-you-go: 3 users, then $5 each; SSO add-on | Team: one workspace, admins and members, a project per client, comments you can assign |
| Price | Free $0; Hobbyist $10/month or $8/month billed yearly; Pay-as-you-go $20/month plus usage; Enterprise custom | Free $0; Individual $12/month; Team $30/month for 3 editors, then $8 each |
Where ngrok is good
- One command, ngrok http 8080, puts a local app online at a stable dev domain, and free endpoints don’t time out.
- Traffic Policy puts OAuth with Google, GitHub or Microsoft, OIDC, basic auth or IP rules in front of any app, and can limit sign-in to your company’s email domain.
- Traffic Inspector shows each request and can replay it, and ngrok’s skills let coding agents start and secure endpoints for you.
Where artifact.guru is different
- Nothing to keep running. Your agent publishes over MCP from Claude, ChatGPT (Business, Enterprise or Edu), Codex, Gemini CLI or Grok, or you drag files in, and the link is hosted for you.
- Made for finished files: HTML, React, Markdown with Mermaid and Marp slides, PDF, Word and PowerPoint all open in the browser. The original stays downloadable.
- Invite up to 50 email addresses per artifact and see who opened it, when and how often, and who hasn’t yet.
- Every publish or edit is a new version at the same link, and you can roll back any time.
Moving over from ngrok
- 1Export what you were showing as files: a built site folder, HTML, a PDF or slides.
- 2Drag the folder in, or have your agent publish it over MCP.
- 3Send email invites or a secret code instead of a tunnel URL.
Questions about ngrok and artifact.guru
Can artifact.guru share my localhost like ngrok does?
No. ngrok forwards live traffic to a server on your machine. artifact.guru hosts files: pages, React components, built sites, documents and diagrams, so nothing on your side has to stay on.
Which one can require a company login?
ngrok can, with OAuth or OIDC plus an email-domain rule in Traffic Policy. artifact.guru has no viewer SSO: you invite up to 50 email addresses per artifact and each person signs in with that address.
What does each cost for a small team?
ngrok has a Free plan, Hobbyist at $10 a month, and Pay-as-you-go at $20 a month plus usage, with 3 users included and $5 per extra user. artifact.guru is $0, $12 Individual or $30 Team with 3 editors.
Can my AI agent use them?
ngrok publishes skills that let coding agents start and secure endpoints from the terminal. artifact.guru works over MCP from Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Gemini CLI and Grok with no API keys: approve once in the browser. Publishing from ChatGPT needs a Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace.
More comparisons
- VercelWeb app deployment platformBest for teams shipping web apps with previews and instant rollbackVercel vs artifact.guru
- GitHub PagesStatic hosting from a GitHub repoBest for public docs, portfolios and project sites that live in GitGitHub Pages vs artifact.guru
- Cloudflare Pages and AccessStatic hosting with Zero Trust accessBest for free global hosting with identity-aware access rulesCloudflare’s docs now tell new projects to start on WorkersCloudflare Pages and Access vs artifact.guru
Sources
What this page says about ngrok comes from its own pages, checked on October 8, 2026. Plans and prices change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
- ngrok pricing
- ngrok free plan limits
- ngrok pricing and limits
- Pricing changes, July 2026 (ngrok blog)
- OAuth Traffic Policy action
- OpenID Connect Traffic Policy action
- Traffic Identities
- Traffic Inspector
- ngrok domains
- ngrok custom domains
- ngrok agent CLI reference
- ngrok role based access control
- ngrok skills for coding agents (Sep 2026)
- ngrok llms.txt (docs MCP server, key facts)
- ngrok pricing (machine-readable)
- Basic Auth Traffic Policy action