Caddy vs LocalXpose
Caddy
caddyserver.comLocalXpose
localxpose.ioSide by side
| Figure | Caddy | LocalXpose |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $25/mo | $8/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 3 |
| Spec score · Reverse Proxy Software | 8.0 (#13) | 8.3 (#7) |
| Integrations | Caddy supports DNS challenge integrations for providers including Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Route 53, and dozens of others through libdns. | The maker describes CLI use in CI pipelines, Docker containers, and scripts, and lists a GitHub Actions resource on its site. |
| Platforms | The maker lists Linux, Windows, macOS, and Android among the operating systems Caddy supports. | The download page lists Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and Docker, with direct downloads and package manager options including Chocolatey, Homebrew, Snapcraft, and npm. |
| Purpose | Caddy is an extensible server platform commonly used as a web server or proxy. | LocalXpose is a reverse proxy that exposes localhost services to the public internet through secure tunnels. |
| Security | The maker says Caddy's TLS defaults meet PCI DSS, NIST, and HIPAA compliance requirements. | The maker says tunnel hosts terminate at its edge with TLS 1.2+ encryption and scoped access tokens; users can configure IP allow lists and authentication plugins. |
| Support | Free community help is available through the forum; paid sponsorship tiers offer private support and other services depending on tier. | The maker says self-serve teams can get help by email, while business and enterprise plans add priority ticketing, 24/7 incident response, and migration assistance. |
Plans
Caddy
- Indie$25 a month
- Indie Pro$50 a month
- Startup$99 a month
- Startup Pro$249 a month
- Business$999 a month
- Business+$2,999 a month
- Enterprise$5,900 a month
- Enterprise+$11,900 a month
In their own words
Caddy
Caddy is an extensible server platform used as a web server or proxy, and it is self-hosted. By default, it obtains and renews TLS certificates for sites and redirects HTTP to HTTPS. Its reverse proxy supports HTTP, HTTPS, WebSockets, gRPC, and FastCGI, along with load balancing and health checks. Configuration options include JSON through a RESTful API, the Caddyfile, and other adapters. Compile-time plugins extend its static binary. DNS challenge integrations include Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Route 53, and other providers through libdns. Caddy can run as a command-line process, system service, container, Kubernetes workload, or embedded component. The software is free, with no paywalled features; sponsorship plans add services and support while leaving the license unchanged. Free community help is available through a forum. Caddy says its TLS defaults meet PCI DSS, NIST, and HIPAA compliance requirements, and that dependencies are verified with Go modules and release artifacts are cryptographically signed.
LocalXpose
LocalXpose is a reverse proxy for making services on a local machine reachable from the public internet through tunnels. It supports HTTP and HTTPS, including WebSockets, alongside TCP, TLS, and UDP. Users can work through a command-line interface or graphical interfaces, including a desktop app for sharing previews. The product includes authentication, rate limiting, IP whitelisting, header editing, and a built-in file server on all plans. Traffic logs cover HTTP, TCP, and UDP, and webhook payloads can be inspected, modified, and replayed. Custom and wildcard domains and automatic Let's Encrypt certificates for custom domains are available. The maker says tunnel hosts terminate at its edge with TLS 1.2+ encryption; users can configure scoped access tokens, IP allow lists, and authentication plugins. Starter is free and allows two active HTTP or HTTPS tunnels, with time limits and an interstitial warning page. PRO costs $8 a month, billed annually at $96/yr, and supports 10 tunnels. LocalXpose runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, web, and self-hosted environments.