# octelium vs portal-tunnel

> Two self-hosted [ngrok alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/ngrok), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | octelium | portal-tunnel |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 59/100 ✓ | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #22 of 56 in VPN | #15 of 31 in Networking |
| GitHub stars | 4 133 ✓ | 291 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +65 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 ✓ | 20 |
| Latest release | v0.47.0 · 24 Oct 2026 | v2.7.0 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

octelium scores 59/100 against 52/100 for portal-tunnel, so it is the safer default.

octelium ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 20 for portal-tunnel.

If you want the quickest setup, portal-tunnel is easier to run; octelium needs more configuration.

octelium is growing faster right now (+65 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [octelium](https://selfhost.directory/project/octelium) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/octelium.md)
- [portal-tunnel](https://selfhost.directory/project/portal-tunnel) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/portal-tunnel.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/octelium-vs-portal-tunnel