Comparison
A focused ngrok alternative for web app previews
The same first step
If you've shared a local app with a tunnel before, the command will feel familiar:
$ npx localians share 3000You get an HTTPS link to your localhost that anyone can open — no account needed for them, no router or firewall changes for you.
What Localians is built for
- Previews for people, not just traffic. Projects group your previews; the dashboard shows which links are live, their traffic, and lets you stop any of them instantly.
- Password protection built in. Visitors see a sign-in page first, without code changes in your app. Changing the password signs everyone out.
- Dev-server friendly by default. Requests reach your app as
localhost:<port>, so Vite, Angular and similar servers work without host configuration; WebSockets and hot reload pass through. - Guided sharing. The dashboard's Share App page prepares the command for you, including the project and protection.
Which tool fits?
| You want to… | Good fit |
|---|---|
| Show a web app in progress to a client or teammate | Localians |
| Password-protect a preview without changing your app | Localians |
| See who's connected and stop a preview from a dashboard | Localians |
| Tunnel raw TCP or TLS (databases, SSH, game servers) | A general-purpose tunnel such as ngrok |
| Run production traffic or an API gateway | Proper hosting or a production ingress |
Feature sets and plans change; check ngrok's own documentation for its current options. Localians is in beta and free while it grows.
Switching takes a minute
- Create a free account.
- Run
npx localians share <port>next to your running app and approve the login once. - Send the link. Add a password in the dashboard if the work is private.
Questions
Is Localians a drop-in replacement for ngrok?
For sharing a local web app over HTTPS, yes: ngrok http 3000 becomes npx localians share 3000. For TCP or TLS tunnels, production traffic, or other ingress features, keep using a general-purpose tool like ngrok.
Is Localians free?
Yes, to start: every project gets one free 24-hour preview window, within fair-use limits. If a review takes longer, a one-time $5 7-Day Preview Pass adds 7 more days for that project — no subscription.
Can I use both?
Of course. They don't conflict: Localians only connects the port you share, while the command is running.
Share your first preview in about a minute.
Free to start with a 24-hour preview per project. No credit card, nothing to deploy.