Jetty vs ngrok
ngrok is the tool everyone reaches for first, and it earned that. Jetty exists because two things kept coming up: sharing more than one server means sending more than one URL, and adding teammates means adding seats.
The short version
If you need an API gateway, OAuth in front of tunnels, or enterprise controls, ngrok is the more mature product. If you share work-in-progress with clients or your crew and want one link for all of it — at one flat price for the whole crew — that is the case Jetty is built for.
Side by side
| Jetty | ngrok | |
|---|---|---|
| Share several servers as one page | Yes — public gallery page | No — one URL per endpoint |
| Pricing model | Flat per crew ($7 or $19/mo) | Per seat, plus usage-based add-ons |
| Free tier | 1 concurrent tunnel, 5 crew members, TLS | Limited endpoints and bandwidth |
| Persistent subdomains | Captain and up | Paid plans |
| Custom domains | Captain and up | Paid plans |
| Request inspection + replay | Captain and up | Yes |
| TCP/UDP tunnels | Captain and up (3), Fleet unconstrained | TCP on paid plans |
| Install | One install.sh, `jetty login` handles auth | Binary download or package manager |
| API gateway / traffic policy | Routing rules and edge functions | Extensive — a core ngrok focus |
Comparisons reflect publicly documented behavior as of August 2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us: support@usejetty.online.
Where ngrok wins
- Maturity and ecosystem — SDKs, agent API, and integrations Jetty does not attempt to match.
- Traffic-policy depth: OAuth/OIDC in front of an endpoint, webhook signature verification, header rewrites as first-class products.
- Enterprise controls at scale — SSO, IP policies, compliance posture for large orgs.
- A bigger global network with more points of presence.
Where Jetty wins
- The gallery: every running server on one shareable page with live status. ngrok has no equivalent.
- Per-crew pricing: one flat price covers the whole crew. No per-seat math when a collaborator joins for a week.
- Request inspection and persistent subdomains land at $7/mo for the entire crew.
- No usage-metering anxiety — plan limits are counts, not metered bandwidth bills.
Common questions
- Can I migrate reserved ngrok domains?
- Custom domains work on Captain and Fleet: point a CNAME at Jetty, verify, done. Reserved subdomain labels replace ngrok reserved domains for most demo workflows.
- Does Jetty have an agent API like ngrok?
- There is a REST API for tunnels, tokens, and crews, and the CLI is scriptable. If your integration depends on ngrok's in-process SDKs, that is a real gap — stay.
See it instead of reading about it
The live demo gallery is the whole pitch. Dinghy is free — no card, no clock.