Openport

Overview

Openport is a managed tunnelling service for making local services reachable without opening firewall ports. It suits people who need remote access to devices, particularly teams overseeing IoT fleets. The access controls and API are useful strengths, but the free plan’s tiny transfer allowance makes it a poor fit for regular traffic.

Key features

Openport creates a secure tunnel from a device to the outside world. Its web interface and API let users see which devices are online and manage a fleet; user groups provide a way to restrict device access. Servers around the world are intended to reduce latency, though no particular performance level is promised.

HTTP forwarding assigns a session a hostname that serves a local port over HTTP and HTTPS with a valid certificate. Custom-domain forwarding requires a CNAME record and works over HTTPS only. TLS passthrough keeps TLS termination on the user’s machine, so tunnelled traffic stays encrypted end to end. By default, visitors must click a token link before reaching a forwarded port; the link remains valid for 24 hours. Brute-force blocking and port-scanning detection add further safeguards.

Sessions can forward TCP and, since client 2.3.0, UDP on the same port when the server supports it. Openport also supports WebSocket connections. The privacy policy says personal data is processed under GDPR and stored or transferred only within the EEA. Support is available through the website chat box or a GitHub ticket.

Pricing

The free plan provides one device, one connection, 10 MB of monthly transfer, a one-day connection timeout and no API access. It is suitable for a brief, low-volume trial, not an ongoing service with meaningful traffic or fleet management.

Home costs $5 a month, billed monthly, or $ 50 per year. It covers three devices, three connections per device, 1000 MB of monthly transfer, no connection timeout and full API access. This is the more practical choice for a small home setup, though its transfer cap remains restrictive for heavier use.

Enterprise costs $1 a month per device, billed monthly, with a 30-device minimum. It includes unlimited devices, 20 connections per device, 100000 MB of monthly transfer, no connection timeout and full API access. The minimum means the advertised per-device rate is not a one-device entry price; it is aimed at larger deployments. A 30-day free trial is offered for Enterprise and Home.

Educational pricing is custom pricing. The plan includes 100 devices, five connections per device, 10000 MB of monthly transfer, no connection timeout and full API access. The pricing model is freemium, with paid plans from $1/mo.

Platforms

Openport supports API, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. Downloads cover Windows 7/8/10/11, Mac OS X 10.8+, Debian/Ubuntu AMD64, ARM64 and ARMHF, and 64-bit Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS and Scientific Linux packages. Deployment is managed, and configuration can be done both through a graphical interface and other methods.

Who it's for

Openport is a considered option for remote access to local services and for operators who need visibility and group-based access controls across IoT devices. The Home plan fits a small installation; Enterprise’s higher connection and transfer allowances better suit larger fleets, provided the 30-device minimum is acceptable. The free tier is best treated as a limited introduction rather than a working plan.

Pros and cons

Pros

Access without firewall changes: tunnels make local ports reachable remotely without opening firewall ports.

Useful fleet controls: online-device visibility, group-based access and full API access are included on paid plans.

Flexible forwarding and encryption: HTTP/HTTPS forwarding, custom domains and TLS passthrough cover distinct access needs.

Clear larger-plan allowances: Enterprise specifies connections, transfer, timeout and API access, with a 30-day trial.

Cons

Very limited free transfer: 10 MB per month and one connection leave little room for sustained use.

No free API access: fleet automation requires a paid plan.

Enterprise has a high entry commitment: at least 30 devices are charged, despite the low per-device monthly price.

Custom-domain setup has constraints: it requires a CNAME and is HTTPS-only.

Alternatives

ngrok is worth considering for a small number of online endpoints: its free plan includes up to three endpoints and 1 GB of transfer as one-time usage, rather than Openport’s recurring monthly device and connection allowances.

Pomerium may fit better when the requirement is route- and policy-based access: its free Personal plan specifies 10 users, 10 routes, five policies and two service accounts.

F5 BIG-IP APM is another option for teams evaluating a paid access-management product with a free trial.

PageKite is an alternative for individuals willing to pay $3 USD/month, with service that can be free for non-commercial users.

LocalXpose may suit someone who needs a free HTTP/HTTPS tunnel option: its Starter plan allows two active tunnels, with time limits and an interstitial warning page.

BunkerWeb offers an open-source option under the AGPLv3 license for those seeking a free product rather than a managed tunnel service.

Caddy is another free option; its platform support includes self-hosted deployments.

freenginx is a free, BSD-like licensed choice for Linux, macOS, self-hosted and Windows environments.

For a broader comparison, see Reverse Proxy Software.

Verdict

Choose Openport if you need managed remote access to local ports alongside device visibility, group-based controls and API management—especially for an IoT fleet that can use the paid plans’ larger quotas. Look elsewhere if you need a useful free transfer allowance, free API access or an Enterprise entry point below 30 devices.