CatchHook vs. ngrok
ngrok tunnels traffic. CatchHook catches, inspects, replays, and forwards webhooks — with tunneling built in.
ngrok is the gold standard for localhost tunneling — exposing local servers to the internet. It also includes a traffic inspector with replay capabilities. CatchHook takes a different approach: persistent webhook endpoints with full inspection, search, automatic forwarding, AI debugging, and team collaboration. Tunneling is built into the CatchHook CLI, but it's one piece of a complete webhook debugging workflow rather than the whole product.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | CatchHook | ngrok | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time inspection | ngrok Traffic Inspector | ||
| Request search & filtering | ngrok filters by path, method, status | ||
| One-click replay | ngrok supports replay with request editing | ||
| Automatic forwarding with retries | ngrok forwards in real-time only — no queuing or retries | ||
| Circuit breaker protection | |||
| Localhost tunneling (CLI) | ngrok's core feature | ||
| AI payload summaries | |||
| AI handler code generation | |||
| Multi-channel alerts | |||
| Team access controls | ngrok team features on Pay-as-you-go ($20/mo) | ||
| Persistent webhook endpoints | ngrok URLs change on restart (static domains cost extra) | ||
| Request history & retention | ngrok only shows traffic from the current session | ||
| Webhook signature verification | ngrok verifies 50+ providers via Traffic Policy | ||
| Custom domains | ngrok custom TLS certificates from $200/mo | ||
| API gateway / ingress | ngrok is a full API gateway and Kubernetes ingress |
Where CatchHook Stands Out
Persistent History, Not Just Live Traffic
ngrok only shows requests from the current tunnel session. CatchHook stores every webhook for 60-180 days with full search — debug issues that happened last Tuesday, not just right now.
Automatic Forwarding with Retries
When your tunnel is down, ngrok drops the webhook. CatchHook queues requests and forwards them with automatic retries and circuit breaker protection. No more 'I missed the webhook while restarting.'
AI-Powered Debugging
Get instant plain-English summaries of complex payloads and generate handler code. ngrok shows you raw traffic — CatchHook helps you understand it.
Simpler, Predictable Pricing
ngrok's pay-as-you-go model means costs scale with traffic. CatchHook's flat $10/mo Pro plan includes everything you need for webhook debugging without surprise bills.
Pricing at a Glance
CatchHook
- Pro — $10/mo
- Business — $49/mo
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
ngrok
- Free — $0 (20k requests/mo)
- Hobbyist — $8/mo
- Pay-as-you-go — $20/mo + usage
- Free tier (very limited)
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