Beam vs Alternatives

How does Beam compare to other tunneling solutions like ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel, and LocalTunnel? This guide provides an objective comparison across architecture, security, features, and pricing.

Quick Comparison

Service	Architecture	Security	Performance	Cost
Beam	Decentralized	E2E + Tor	~200-500ms*	Free
ngrok	Centralized	TLS	~50-100ms	Freemium
Cloudflare	Edge Network	TLS + WAF	~20-50ms	Free tier
LocalTunnel	Centralized	TLS	~100-200ms	Free
Serveo	Centralized	SSH/TLS	~150-300ms	Free
Tailscale	Mesh VPN	WireGuard	~30-80ms	Freemium

* Tor adds latency for privacy benefits

Each service makes different tradeoffs. Beam prioritizes privacy and decentralization over raw speed. ngrok and Cloudflare optimize for performance and enterprise features. LocalTunnel and Serveo offer simplicity with no account required.

Architecture Differences

Beam: Decentralized via Tor

Beam creates Tor hidden services that route traffic through the Tor network. There is no central server that can inspect, log, or block your traffic. The tradeoff is higher latency (typically 200-500ms) due to Tor multi-hop routing.

Beam Architecture

Client

(Tor)

Tor Network

(3+ relays)

Beam

Daemon

Your App

:3000

ngrok: Centralized SaaS

ngrok routes all traffic through their servers. This enables features like request inspection, replay, and custom domains, but means ngrok can see all your traffic. Performance is excellent (~50ms latency) due to optimized infrastructure.

ngrok Architecture

Client

(HTTPS)

ngrok Cloud

(their servers)

ngrok

Agent

Your App

:3000

Cloudflare Tunnel: Edge Network

Cloudflare Tunnel (formerly Argo Tunnel) connects your server to Cloudflare global edge network. Traffic is proxied through their CDN, enabling excellent performance and DDoS protection. Requires a Cloudflare account and domain.

LocalTunnel/Serveo: Simple Proxies

LocalTunnel and Serveo provide simple, no-account-required tunneling through community servers. Great for quick demos but reliability varies, and there is no guarantee of availability or privacy.

Security Comparison

Security models differ significantly between services:

Traffic Visibility

Beam — No one sees your traffic (Tor encryption)
ngrok — ngrok can inspect traffic at their servers
Cloudflare — Cloudflare terminates TLS, can see traffic
LocalTunnel — Server operator can see traffic

IP Anonymity

Beam — Your IP is hidden behind Tor
ngrok — Your IP visible to ngrok, hidden from clients
Cloudflare — Your IP visible to Cloudflare, hidden from clients
LocalTunnel — Your IP visible to server operator

Data Logging

Beam — No logging (Tor architecture prevents it)
ngrok — Logs requests (check their privacy policy)
Cloudflare — Logs requests and analytics
LocalTunnel — Varies by instance

For most development use cases, all services provide adequate security. Beam advantage is primarily for users who need strong privacy guarantees or censorship resistance.

Performance

Latency varies significantly. Here is what to expect:

Typical Latency (round-trip, approximate)

Cloudflare

20-50ms

Edge network

Tailscale

30-80ms

Direct mesh

ngrok

50-100ms

Optimized servers

LocalTunnel

100-200ms

Community servers

Serveo

150-300ms

SSH overhead

Beam (Tor)

200-500ms

Privacy tradeoff

Beam (Local)

1-5ms

Minimal latency

Tor latency is the price of privacy. Use local mode for fast development.

For development and testing, even 500ms latency is usually acceptable. The real question is what tradeoffs matter to you:

Need fastest possible latency? Use Cloudflare or ngrok
Need privacy and censorship resistance? Use Beam
Need simplest setup? Use LocalTunnel or Serveo
Need to connect private machines? Use Tailscale

Feature Comparison

Feature	Beam	ngrok	Cloudflare	LocalTunnel
HTTPS	✓	✓	✓	✓
WebSockets	✓	✓	✓	✓
Custom domains	✓*	Paid	✓	✓
Request inspection	✓	✓	✓	✗
Persistent URLs	✓	Paid	✓	✗
No account required	✓	✗	✗	✓
Tor hidden services	✓	✗	✗	✗
Local DNS resolution	✓	✗	✗	✗
Offline-first	✓	✗	✗	✗

* Beam uses .onion addresses (persistent) and local domains

Beam-Specific Features

Tor Hidden Services — your .onion address works from any Tor client worldwide
Local DNS — use custom domains like myapp.local on your machine
Dual-mode access — fast local + global Tor access simultaneously
No account required — just install and run

ngrok-Specific Features

Web dashboard — inspect and replay requests in browser
Team accounts — shared tunnels and access control
Custom subdomains — yourname.ngrok.io (paid)
Extensive integrations — works with many development tools

Cloudflare-Specific Features

DDoS protection — Cloudflare WAF and anti-DDoS
CDN caching — cache static assets at the edge
Access policies — integrate with Cloudflare Access
Analytics — traffic analytics and logging

Pricing

Service	Free Tier	Paid Plans
Beam	Unlimited (open source)	N/A
ngrok	1 tunnel, 40 req/min	From $8/mo
Cloudflare	50 users, basic features	From $7/mo/user
LocalTunnel	Unlimited (community)	N/A
Serveo	Unlimited (SSH)	N/A
Tailscale	100 devices, 3 users	From $5/user/mo

Beam is open source and free to use. There is no company to pay because there are no central servers to maintain. You run everything locally and connect through the Tor network.

If you need enterprise features like team management, SLA guarantees, or dedicated support, ngrok and Cloudflare offer robust paid tiers. For individual developers or privacy-focused use cases, Beam free, decentralized model may be more appropriate.

Migrating from ngrok

If you are currently using ngrok and want to try Beam:

Migration from ngrok

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# Install Beam
npm install -g @byronwade/beam
# ngrok command:
ngrok http 3000
# Equivalent Beam command:
beam 3000

Key differences to note:

Beam gives you a .onion address instead of .ngrok.io
Clients need Tor Browser or a Tor proxy to access your tunnel
Initial connection takes longer (10-30 seconds for Tor circuit)
No web dashboard — use --verbose for debugging
Your .onion address persists across restarts

When to Use What

Use Beam when:

Privacy is important (you do not want a company seeing your traffic)
You need censorship resistance
You want a persistent address without paying
You are working on sensitive projects
You prefer open source, self-hosted solutions

Use ngrok when:

You need the lowest latency possible
You want a web dashboard for request inspection
You need team collaboration features
You need integration with enterprise tools

Use Cloudflare Tunnel when:

You are already using Cloudflare for your domain
You need DDoS protection
You want CDN caching for static assets
You need enterprise access controls

Use LocalTunnel/Serveo when:

You need a quick one-off tunnel with no setup
You do not want to create any accounts
You are doing a quick demo and reliability is not critical

Summary

There is no single best tunneling solution — it depends on your priorities:

Best for privacy: Beam (Tor-based, decentralized)
Best for speed: Cloudflare Tunnel (edge network)
Best for features: ngrok (extensive tooling)
Best for simplicity: LocalTunnel (zero setup)