frp vs PageKite

frp is a free, self-hosted reverse proxy for making intranet services reachable from the public network through nodes with public IP addresses. It supports TCP, UDP, HTTP, and HTTPS proxying, while client-server communication also supports QUIC, KCP, WebSocket, and other protocols. Its XTCP mode uses P2P hole punching so successful connections send traffic directly rather than through frps, but success depends on the network’s NAT type and cannot be assured. Client and server authentication support tokens and OIDC, with token authentication as the default; encryption is among the project’s listed capabilities. Proxy groups can balance load, and TCP or HTTP health checks can remove failed services from frps. Monitoring can run in memory or through Prometheus, which requires the Dashboard to be enabled. frps has a browser Dashboard for status and proxy statistics, while frpc includes an Admin UI for proxy status and configuration. Configuration supports TOML, YAML, and JSON; INI is still supported but no longer recommended. Written in Go, frp provides platform-specific binaries for cross-platform deployment without additional dependencies. The project is under development and says version 2 will not be compatible with version 1.

PageKite exposes a server running on localhost to the public Internet through global front-end relays, working as a dynamic tunneled reverse proxy. It supports HTTP and HTTPS servers, SSH, and some other TCP-based protocols. The maker lists home-hosted sites, SSH access, embedded-device access, webhooks, APIs, and remote debugging as uses. A single pagekite.py command can make a server visible. Accounts begin with one pagekite.me DNS name, allow unlimited subdomains, and support customer domains through CNAME records. SSL is enabled by default for pagekite.me names, with end-to-end TLS and wildcard relay certificates also supported. Relays are listed in the United States, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Australia, with automatic relay selection. PageKite is open-source software using AGPLv3-or-later for pagekite.py and most releases. Platforms include Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, web, API, and self-hosted deployments. Pricing is freemium, with a free plan, paid plans from $5.99/mo, and a 31-day trial.