Expose local services securely without opening firewall ports
Visit WebsiteReviews onG2Capterra
1208 reviews tracked·1 press mentionThe Bottom Line
Entry price
Free plan available, paid tiers above
Biggest pro
Free tier generous for personal use
Biggest con
Adds latency compared to direct connections
TL;DR - Cloudflare Tunnel
- Free secure tunneling to expose local services without opening firewall ports
- Part of Cloudflare Zero Trust - no public IPs or port forwarding needed
- Replaces VPNs and ngrok for secure local service access
Pricing: Free plan available
Best for: Growing teams
4.6/5 across review platforms
What is Cloudflare Tunnel?
Cloudflare Tunnel securely exposes local services to the internet without opening firewall ports. Create outbound-only connections from your origin to Cloudflare's network. Access internal applications, development servers, and self-hosted services from anywhere. No public IPs needed. Features include access policies, authentication, and load balancing. The secure way to put anything on the internet without exposing your infrastructure.
Available on: Web
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free tier generous for personal use
- No need to open firewall ports
- Automatic HTTPS with valid certificates
- Integrates with Cloudflare Zero Trust
- Easy setup with cloudflared CLI
Cons
- Adds latency compared to direct connections
- Dependent on Cloudflare infrastructure
- Complex configuration for advanced use cases
- Limited bandwidth on free tier
- Requires domain on Cloudflare DNS
Ratings Across the Web
4.6(1,208 reviews)
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Key Features
Expose local services to internet without port forwardingEncrypted tunnels with automatic TLS certificatesZero Trust access control integrationWorks behind NAT and firewallsBuilt-in DDoS protectionFree tier for personal and hobby projects
Pricing Plans
Pricing checked Jun 5, 2026
Free
Free
Up to 50 users
- 50 user limit
- Core access control
- Identity provider auth
- Device posture integration
- 24-hour log retention
- Community & Discord support
Most Popular
Pay-as-you-go
$7/user/month
Billed annually
- Unlimited users
- All free features
- Chat & ticket support
- 30-day log retention
- Professional services add-on
Contract
Custom
Enterprise SASE
- Custom pricing per user
- 6-month log retention
- Logpush capability
- Dedicated support
- Full SASE deployment
Reviews
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4.6/5
Across 1,208 verified user reviews on G2, Capterra
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Cloudflare Tunnel FAQ
How does Cloudflare Tunnel enhance security for local services?
Cloudflare Tunnel enhances security by allowing local services to be exposed to the internet without opening firewall ports. It creates outbound-only connections from your origin to Cloudflare's network, meaning no public IP addresses are needed for your infrastructure. This approach helps protect internal applications and development servers.
Which teams benefit most from using Cloudflare Tunnel?
DevOps teams and those managing cloud and infrastructure will find Cloudflare Tunnel particularly beneficial. It provides a secure method to expose development servers and self-hosted services, streamlining access for authorized users. Teams focused on security also benefit from its ability to put anything on the internet without exposing underlying infrastructure.
How is Cloudflare Tunnel priced?
Cloudflare Tunnel is available on a free tier, which is generous for personal use. For users requiring more extensive usage and additional features, paid plans are available to accommodate those needs.
Can Cloudflare Tunnel be used to access internal applications remotely?
Yes, Cloudflare Tunnel allows users to access internal applications, development servers, and self-hosted services from anywhere. It achieves this by securely exposing these local services to the internet through outbound-only connections to Cloudflare's network.
What kind of trade-offs should users consider when implementing Cloudflare Tunnel?
Users should consider that Cloudflare Tunnel may add latency compared to direct connections due to its architecture. Additionally, its functionality is dependent on Cloudflare's infrastructure, and advanced use cases might require complex configuration. The free tier also has limited bandwidth.
How does Cloudflare Tunnel compare to ngrok for exposing local services?
Cloudflare Tunnel, unlike ngrok, integrates directly with Cloudflare Zero Trust and provides automatic HTTPS with valid certificates. It focuses on creating outbound-only connections from your origin to Cloudflare's network, eliminating the need to open firewall ports. Cloudflare Tunnel also requires your domain to be on Cloudflare DNS.
Source: developers.cloudflare.com