// Compare
ingressd vs ngrok.
ngrok runs an agent next to your app and publishes it through ngrok’s cloud, with traffic policies for auth and filtering. ingressd is aimed at services that stay published: the edge is your own VPS, there is no monthly transfer allowance to watch, and UDP works.
// Which to choose
Both are good at different things.
Pick the one that matches where you want your traffic to run.
Choose ngrok if
- You need a quick public URL for development, webhooks or a demo.
- You want a global network you do not run, with an API and SDKs to script it.
- You do not want to look after a server.
Choose ingressd if
- You publish long-running services on your own domain without a paid plan.
- You need UDP, for game servers or voice.
- You want the whole edge to be open source and on servers you control.
// Side by side
The differences that matter.
Taken from the full comparison of ingressd with the alternatives.
| Feature | ingressd | ngrok |
|---|---|---|
| Public edge runs on | Your own VPS nodes | ngrok’s network |
| TLS for web apps ends at | Your node | ngrok, by default |
| Open source | Node, edge and connector: Apache-2.0. The hosted panel is optional and proprietary. | No |
| No inbound ports at the origin | Yes | Yes |
| HTTP and HTTPS apps | Yes | Yes |
| Public TCP | Yes | Yes; a random address on the free plan |
| Public UDP (game servers, VoIP) | Yes | No |
| Your own domain | Yes | Paid plans |
| Failover across several edges | Yes: failover DNS across your nodes | Yes: ngrok’s global network |
| Sign-in in front of apps | Email code, Google, Microsoft, Discord, Steam or passkey | OAuth and OIDC in Traffic Policy |
| Web application firewall | Coraza with the OWASP Core Rule Set, per app | OWASP Core Rule Set actions in Traffic Policy |
| Managed from | A free hosted panel, or one config file and the CLI | ngrok dashboard, API or agent config |
| Cost | Free and open source; you pay for your VPS | Free tier with monthly limits; paid plans |
Checked against each product’s own docs in November 2026. Plans and features change; if something here is out of date, tell us on GitHub. Sources: ngrok pricing and limits, ngrok free plan limits, ngrok OWASP CRS actions.