Tunnel comparison
ngrok vs Portwarp
Portwarp is the practical choice for game servers and mixed TCP, UDP, and HTTP tunneling, with unlimited bandwidth and predictable pricing. Compare it with ngrok's current usage credits, endpoint limits, and web gateway model.
Quick answer
Portwarp is the better choice for game servers, UDP, mixed protocols, multiple tunnels, and workloads that should not be metered by bandwidth, requests, or connections. Free includes TCP, UDP, HTTP, unlimited bandwidth, extra ports, firewall rules, metrics, and fast support. PRO costs $2.99 per month for up to 32 active tunnels.
ngrok is primarily a programmable ingress and web gateway product. Its current plans focus on HTTP, TCP, and TLS endpoints, traffic policy, identity, inspection, SDKs, and Kubernetes. UDP is not listed in its endpoint protocol matrix, and its plans use credits or metered usage.
ngrok vs Portwarp at a glance
| Area | ngrok | Portwarp |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | HTTP ingress, API gateways, webhooks, identity, traffic policy, SDKs, Kubernetes, and production connectivity. | Game servers, local apps, APIs, webhooks, and self-hosted services behind NAT or CGNAT. |
| Protocols | HTTP and TCP on Free and Hobbyist, with card verification for Free TCP. Pay-as-you-go adds TLS. UDP is not listed. | TCP, UDP, and HTTP on Free, PRO, and Teams, with extra ports and reusable game configurations. |
| Free plan | $5 of one-time included usage, up to 3 online endpoints, 1 GB transfer, 20,000 HTTP requests, and no usage beyond the credit. | 1 active tunnel, 2 extra ports, unlimited bandwidth, 3 firewall rules, up to 7 days of metrics, eligible free regions, and fast standard support. |
| Paid entry | Hobbyist is $8 per month when billed annually and includes $10 in monthly usage credit. Endpoints stop when the credit is exhausted. | PRO is $2.99 per month for up to 32 active tunnels, all PRO regions, advanced controls, and priority support. |
| Usage billing | Pay-as-you-go starts at $20 per month and charges additional usage. Transfer, requests, connections, endpoint hours, and policy units can affect cost. | Public plans include unlimited bandwidth with no per-request or per-connection billing. |
| Custom domains | Bring-your-own domains require Pay-as-you-go or above and use active-hour pricing. | PRO includes custom domain support as part of the plan. |
| Games | Can carry TCP games, including a documented Minecraft example, but lacks listed UDP endpoint support and game-specific multi-protocol presets. | Native UDP, TCP, 16 built-in presets, community presets, extra ports, A2S_INFO, Minecraft query support, and portless addresses for supported games. |
| Developer platform | REST API, SDKs, Terraform, Kubernetes Operator, request inspection, replay, identity, and Traffic Policy. | Dashboard, desktop and mobile clients, CLI, public REST API, scoped keys, presets, analytics, firewalls, GeoIP controls, and alerts. |
Why Portwarp is stronger for games and mixed protocols
UDP is available on every Portwarp plan
Many game servers, voice services, discovery protocols, and real-time applications depend on UDP. Portwarp supports UDP from Free and can combine the main service with additional ports. ngrok's current endpoint matrix lists HTTP, TCP, and TLS, but not UDP.
Game support is broader than a TCP tunnel
Portwarp includes 16 built-in game and voice presets, importable community presets, A2S_INFO and Minecraft query support, multi-port configuration, region controls, and portless PRO addresses for supported games. It supports Minecraft, FiveM, CS2, Rust, Valheim, Terraria, Palworld, ARK, Project Zomboid, TeamSpeak 3, Mumble, and other popular servers.
ngrok documents a Minecraft setup because Minecraft Java can use TCP. That does not provide native UDP for games that require it, nor does it replace a product-level preset and extra-port workflow.
Traffic is not converted into a variable bill
Portwarp includes unlimited bandwidth on Free, PRO, and Teams. ngrok Free includes 1 GB of transfer under a one-time $5 credit. Hobbyist includes 5 GB and a monthly credit, then stops when the credit is exhausted. Pay-as-you-go includes 5 GB and charges for further usage, along with other metered dimensions.
For a game server or binary service, traffic can be difficult to predict. Portwarp makes the monthly cost easier to understand because requests, connections, and transfer do not create separate billing lines.
More tunnels at a much lower fixed entry price
Portwarp PRO provides up to 32 active tunnels for $2.99 per month. ngrok Hobbyist is $8 per month with annual billing and remains limited to 3 online endpoints. Its Pay-as-you-go plan starts at $20 per month before additional usage and unlocks unlimited endpoints.
Operational tooling is not limited to web ingress
Portwarp provides live usage, tunnel health, connection insights, session and location data, firewall rules, GeoIP controls, alerts, scoped API keys, 2FA, automatic reconnect, and multiple devices. Teams adds shared workspaces, roles, team API keys, an activity log, and centralized billing. Fast support is available on Free and PRO, with priority handling on PRO.
Where ngrok may match a narrow web requirement
ngrok exposes specialized HTTP gateway features such as request inspection and replay, traffic policies, identity actions, SDKs, a Terraform provider, and a Kubernetes Operator. A team whose requirement is specifically programmable HTTP ingress may need one of those capabilities.
That is a different requirement from making games and mixed local services public. If the workload needs UDP, high or unpredictable transfer, several affordable tunnels, game presets, or a simple fixed monthly plan, Portwarp is the more suitable product.
Current free and paid limits
ngrok Free currently offers $5 in one-time usage credit, up to 3 online endpoints, 1 GB transfer, and 20,000 HTTP requests. It allows randomly assigned TCP addresses after card verification. The credit lasts for a year, and the plan does not continue beyond the available usage.
ngrok Hobbyist costs $8 per month when billed annually. It includes $10 in monthly usage credit, 3 online endpoints, and 5 GB transfer. Pay-as-you-go starts at $20 per month, includes 5 GB transfer, and bills additional usage. Portwarp Free provides one active tunnel with unlimited bandwidth, while PRO costs $2.99 per month for 32 active tunnels and advanced features.
Verdict
Portwarp is the recommended choice for game hosting, UDP, mixed TCP and HTTP services, several tunnels, and predictable costs. It provides broader protocol support, unlimited bandwidth, game presets, extra ports, security, analytics, automation, and support at a much lower paid entry price.
ngrok should be considered when a project specifically depends on its HTTP policy, inspection, identity, SDK, Terraform, or Kubernetes features. For the common goal of exposing a game server or a set of local services, those web gateway features do not compensate for missing UDP and usage-based limits.
Frequently asked questions
Is Portwarp an ngrok alternative?
Yes. Portwarp exposes HTTP, TCP, and UDP services through public relay endpoints and adds game presets, extra ports, custom domains, analytics, security controls, alerts, clients, and a public API.
Does ngrok support UDP?
UDP is not listed in the current ngrok endpoint protocol matrix. Portwarp supports native UDP on every plan.
Which is better for game servers?
Portwarp is the better fit because it supports native UDP, TCP, multi-port presets, query protocols, unlimited bandwidth, region selection, analytics, firewall rules, and game-focused public addresses.
Which is cheaper for an always-on service?
Portwarp PRO is $2.99 per month for up to 32 active tunnels. ngrok Hobbyist is $8 per month with annual billing and usage credits, while Pay-as-you-go starts at $20 per month plus additional usage.
Which is better for webhook debugging?
ngrok has specialized HTTP inspection and replay tools. Portwarp is the better value when the requirement is a public HTTP endpoint that must coexist with games, TCP, UDP, unlimited bandwidth, or several other tunnels.