Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Localtunnel VS PythonAnywhere

Compare Localtunnel VS PythonAnywhere and see what are their differences

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Localtunnel logo Localtunnel

Expose yourself to the world

PythonAnywhere logo PythonAnywhere

Host, run, and code Python in the cloud: PythonAnywhere
  • Localtunnel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-21
  • PythonAnywhere Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

Localtunnel features and specs

  • Easy Setup
    Localtunnel requires minimal configuration to set up, making it user-friendly for developers who need to quickly expose a local server to the internet.
  • Free Service
    Localtunnel is a free service, allowing developers to expose their local developments to the internet without incurring any cost.
  • Custom Subdomains
    Localtunnel allows users to request specific subdomains, which can be useful for testing purposes or for easy sharing.
  • Cross-Platform
    Localtunnel is platform-independent and can be used across various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Possible disadvantages of Localtunnel

  • Unpredictable Performance
    The performance of Localtunnel can be inconsistent, with potential downtime or slow connections affecting its reliability.
  • Limited Security
    Publicly exposing local servers through Localtunnel may pose security risks, as traffic is not encrypted end-to-end.
  • Temporary URLs
    The assigned subdomains and URLs might change over time, making it less suitable for long-term exposure of a local server.
  • Limited Features
    Localtunnel offers basic features compared to other tunneling solutions, lacking some advanced options like traffic monitoring or access control.

PythonAnywhere features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    PythonAnywhere provides a user-friendly interface with pre-configured settings, which makes it simple for beginners to deploy and manage Python applications without the need to manage server infrastructure.
  • Integrated Development Environment
    It includes an in-browser code editor and Python console, making it convenient to edit and run code on the go without needing to install any software locally.
  • Affordable Pricing
    Offers various pricing tiers, including a free tier, which is very attractive for small projects, prototypes, and learning purposes.
  • Scalability
    Offers options to scale applications as needed, making it suitable for growing projects that may require additional resources over time.
  • Built-in Python Libraries
    Comes pre-installed with many common Python libraries and frameworks, saving users the time and effort of setting up dependencies.
  • Built-in MySQL Support
    Provides built-in support for MySQL databases, making it straightforward to set up and manage databases for your applications.
  • Automated Backups
    Includes automated backup features to help secure your data and provide peace of mind.

Possible disadvantages of PythonAnywhere

  • Limited Customization
    The pre-configured environment limits customization options, which may be a drawback for more advanced users who require specific configurations or installations.
  • Free Tier Limitations
    The free tier has significant limitations, including restricted CPU time and storage space, which can hinder more demanding applications.
  • Performance
    Shared plans might experience slower performance during peak times due to the shared nature of the infrastructure.
  • Lack of Root Access
    Users do not have root access to the underlying system, which can be a limitation for deploying certain types of applications or custom services.
  • Support Limitations
    While it offers community support and documentation, the level of professional support might not meet the needs of all users, especially those on lower-tier plans.
  • Limited Language Support
    Primarily focused on Python, which may not suit all projects, especially those requiring multi-language support.
  • Resource Constraints
    Lower-tier plans have stringent resource limits (CPU, RAM, storage), which can be restrictive for resource-intensive applications.

Analysis of PythonAnywhere

Overall verdict

  • Overall, PythonAnywhere is considered a good option for those seeking a reliable, straightforward, and affordable way to host Python applications. While it might not cater to the needs of very large scale or highly customizable environments, it is well-suited for personal projects, small to medium-sized applications, and educational purposes.

Why this product is good

  • PythonAnywhere is a popular choice for hosting Python applications because it offers a convenient and user-friendly platform for both beginners and experienced developers. Its cloud-based service allows for easy deployment and execution of Python scripts without the need to manage physical servers. The platform supports web development frameworks like Flask and Django, provides a variety of integrations and is equipped with a web-based interactive console, which makes it highly accessible for many users.

Recommended for

    PythonAnywhere is especially recommended for Python developers (beginners and intermediates), educators, students, and hobbyists who are looking for an easy and quick way to deploy and host their Python applications or who need an online python environment for coding practice.

Localtunnel videos

Using LocalTunnel on Windows-10

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Localtunnel Tunneling Tutorial #TutorAfterNgantor
  • Review - Expose Your LocalHost To The World || Localtunnel

PythonAnywhere videos

Python Anywhere with pythonanywhere - Simplified Python VPS hosting

More videos:

  • Review - Deploy Python Flask App on Pythonanywhere.com
  • Review - PythonAnywhere in one minute

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Localtunnel and PythonAnywhere)
Tunnel
100 100%
0% 0
Text Editors
0 0%
100% 100
Localhost Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Localtunnel and PythonAnywhere

Localtunnel Reviews

Localtonet | Best Ngrok Alternatives
While Serveo, Localtunnel, and Pagekite are also viable options, Localtonet stands out with its intuitive user interface, extensive documentation, and helpful support team. Additionally, Localtonet offers a range of tunneling options, including HTTP/s, TCP, UDP, and UDP/TCP, making it a versatile tool for a variety of use cases.
Source: localtonet.com
Best ngrok alternatives for localhost tunnels
Localtunnel is a npm package that lets you create http / https tunnels to localhost. It provides a random subdomain when you run it through your terminal. Being a node package, localtunnel can be integrated to your applications as a library and you can use it to test your nodejs apps.
Source: pinggy.io
7 Ngrok Alternatives & Competitors for App Tunneling, Free & Paid
Localtunnel is a NodeJS package that allows you to easily share a web service on your local development machine without setting up a web server yourself. To start a webserver:
Source: onboardbase.com
Top 4 BEST Ngrok Alternatives In 2021: Review And Comparison
LocaltunnelNo auth token is required. You can simply install the node package and start using it.Supports http/https.Can be simply used through nodejs executable. Example: lt --port 3000Is Free.Free version supports subdomain too. If available it starts subdomain with the given value.
Tunnelling services for exposing localhost to the web
Whatโ€™s interesting about Localtunnel is that there is also a repository you can clone to set up your own localtunnel server, and hence use your own custom domain. This approach requires you have control of a server where you can set up DNS entries, as well as handle incoming TCP connections for any non-root TCP port.
Source: chenhuijing.com

PythonAnywhere Reviews

We have no reviews of PythonAnywhere yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PythonAnywhere seems to be a lot more popular than Localtunnel. While we know about 55 links to PythonAnywhere, we've tracked only 1 mention of Localtunnel. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Localtunnel mentions (1)

  • QA-use-MCP: MCP for E2E testing
    Hey there, been building an MCP to help discover, automate and run E2Es automatically connected to you Cursor / Claude / Codex / etc. Funny enough, one of the most challenging things while building it was to be able to remotely control the browser that runs locally (been using https://localtunnel.me/ for it), while making sure that it does not impact the user too much. Also, I wondered if there's someone that is... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago

PythonAnywhere mentions (55)

  • [Offer] I need someone to set up a webhook in my WordPress site and a Python server with listener + bot
    The website is already built. Each comment will have a reddit post URL, and the bot should leave a comment on that URL. We can use pythonanywhere.com for this to make it easiest. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Flask and web hosting
    If you are learning, use pythonanywhere.com as they specialize in python, and make setup easy. Only $5 a month. Start with a barebones flask app, get it to run, then follow a tutorial. Actually better to build the app locally, easier to test with IDE like Pycharm. Then upload to the net. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Redirecting client to my server via a external server
    Hello, I have a Minecraft server running on a Rpi with Paper. It works great and I use it to play with some of my friends. However, the server's public IP address often changes, meaning that I have to give my friends the new IP address daily. Being a programmer, I feel this could be automated. I don't want to buy a domain, so I want to try and setup a system where the server sends Its IP to my PythonAnywhere... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Question Gallery WebApp Django or Flask?
    Hosting wise, I would reccomend pythonanywhere.com, combined with either https://imagekit.io or https://cloudinary.com. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Cheap Heroku alternative for PHP MySQL app
    So what is the best alternative? I have one Plotly Dash app on pythonanywhere.com where I spend 6 bucks a month so I don't want to spend anymore than 5 dollars per month on the PHP + MySQL. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Localtunnel and PythonAnywhere, you can also consider the following products

ngrok - ngrok enables secure introspectable tunnels to localhost webhook development tool and debugging tool.

Heroku - Agile deployment platform for Ruby, Node.js, Clojure, Java, Python, and Scala. Setup takes only minutes and deploys are instant through git. Leave tedious server maintenance to Heroku and focus on your code.

Pinggy.io - Public URLs for localhost without downloading any binary

Google App Engine - A powerful platform to build web and mobile apps that scale automatically.

frp - A fast reverse proxy to help you expose a local server behind a NAT or firewall to the internet.

DigitalOcean - Simplifying cloud hosting. Deploy an SSD cloud server in 55 seconds.