Localtonet has a Free plan and pay-as-you-go pricing. You add credit to your Balance, and started tunnels are charged from it by the hour. There is no subscription.
Free and Pay-as-you-go at a glance #
You do not pick a plan. Your account is on the Free plan while your Balance is zero, and a positive Balance removes the Free limits. No credit card is needed to start.
| What | Free | Pay-as-you-go |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 /month | $2 /mo per tunnel |
| Tunnels | 1 tunnel (any type) | Unlimited tunnels |
| Bandwidth | 1 GB bandwidth / month | Unlimited bandwidth |
| Tunnel timeout | 30 min, on some tunnel types | No tunnel timeout |
| Custom domains and ports | No | Yes |
| SSO (Single Sign-On) | No | Yes |
| Team Management | No | Yes |
Both include automatic SSL/TLS certificates, Basic Authentication, API management, Request Inspection, header modification, the Web Application Firewall and the Virtual Private Network (VPN Manager).
The current prices are on the pricing section of the homepage.
Which one am I on? #
- The Balance card on the Dashboard shows your Balance. It carries a Free plan badge while you have no Balance.
- The account menu shows Account Type: Free or Unlimited.
- On the Free plan, the Dashboard and the tunnel pages show a You're on the Free plan strip with your limits. Plan details opens the full explanation.
Free plan limits #
1 tunnel total, shared across all types #
You can create only one tunnel in total on Free, regardless of its type. Delete your existing tunnel before creating another, or add Balance for more tunnels.
When you try to create one tunnel too many, the dashboard answers "You need a total balance of $… to create another tunnel of this type." The same message can appear with a small Balance that does not cover the tunnels you already have plus the new one. Top up until your Balance reaches the total it names, then create the tunnel again.
30 minutes per session #
Some tunnel types stop after 30 minutes on the Free plan. You can start them again.
| Tunnel type | Free session limit |
|---|---|
| HTTP | No time limit |
| File Server | No time limit |
| MCP Gateway | No time limit |
| TCP, UDP, UDP / TCP Mixed | Stops after 30 minutes |
| TLS | Stops after 30 minutes |
| Proxy Server | Stops after 30 minutes |
| Rotating Proxy | Stops after 30 minutes |
A tunnel that was stopped this way shows Session ended in the tunnel list: stopped after 30 minutes on the Free plan. To resume, select Start to begin another session if you have monthly bandwidth left. Keep your Localtonet client connected.
If you started the tunnel with an SSH command instead of the client, get a new SSH command from the tunnel's settings after a limit was reached. See Zero-install SSH.
1 GB per month, across all your tunnels #
The allowance is per user. Restarting or creating tunnels does not reset it. It renews with your usage period of 30 days, not necessarily on the first day of the month.
The Bandwidth card on the Dashboard and the Free plan strip show how much you have used. When the allowance is used up, your tunnels stop and show Monthly limit in the tunnel list. To resume, add Balance, then start your tunnel again, or wait for your next usage period.
Warning page on HTTP tunnels #
Visitors of an HTTP tunnel on an account without Balance see a warning page once. It is there to deter misuse of free hosting. To remove it, send a localtonet-skip-warning request header with any value, or add Balance to your account.
Addresses on the Free plan #
On Free you create tunnels with a Random subdomain. For TCP, UDP and proxy tunnels the port is released when the tunnel stops, so the address can change. See Public addresses and URL types.
Stopped for another reason? Check the tunnel's Activity Log and the client connection. Not every stop is a Free plan limit.
What Balance unlocks #
A positive Balance removes the Free limits on tunnel count, bandwidth and running time. It also unlocks:
- Custom subdomains and custom domains.
- Reserved ports, so a TCP, UDP or proxy tunnel keeps its port across restarts. See Ports.
- IP restrictions. See Access control.
- Single Sign-On.
- Creating a team. See Team Management.
- Adding your own servers with Server Manager.
- Moving a tunnel to another server with Change Server.
A feature that needs Balance answers with a message such as "You need to purchase balance to use this feature." or "Add balance to your account to use this feature." when your Balance is zero.
How charging works #
- By the hour. A standard tunnel costs $0.0028 per hour, which is about $2 for a 720-hour month. Bandwidth is not billed.
- While started. A tunnel is billed while it is started, even if its device is offline. Stop a tunnel to end its charges. A stopped tunnel costs nothing.
- Rotating Proxy. A Rotating Proxy tunnel is charged for each token in its linked groups.
- Client Relay. A tunnel that uses Local as a Server costs $0.00035 per hour.
- Teams. Tunnels of a team are charged from the Balance of the team owner.
- Never negative. Your Balance cannot go below zero.
To see what you spend: the Balance card on the Dashboard shows an estimate for your started tunnels as "About $… per month", and the settings of a tunnel show its Approximate Monthly Usage.
Add Balance #
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Open the Balance page #
Open Balance from the account menu, or select the Balance: amount in the dashboard header. On the Free plan you can also select Add Balance on the Dashboard.
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Choose an amount #
Under Buy Balance, pick an amount from the list. Amounts are in US dollars. If an amount comes with a bonus, the list shows it as "(…% Bonus)", and the bonus is added to your Balance on top of what you pay.
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Choose how to pay #
Select Pay With and choose a method:
Method Notes Credit/Debit Card Card payment through Stripe. PayPal Payment with your PayPal account. Cryptocurrency Payment through NOWPayments. Available for amounts of $10 or more. Before paying, make sure there is a sufficient amount for the payment option you have chosen.
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Complete the payment #
You finish the payment on the page of the payment provider. When it is confirmed, the amount is added to your Total Balance and appears in Balance History. If a limit had stopped your tunnels, start them again.
Saved cards and Auto Charge #
After a card payment, your card is listed on the Credit / Debit Card tab of the Balance page under My Cards, with its last digits and expiry date. Delete removes a card. Without a card the tab says "You do not have a saved card."
Auto Charge tops up your Balance from the saved card before it runs out. Its settings appear on the Buy tab once you have a saved card.
| Setting | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Auto Charge | Turns automatic top-ups on or off. | On or off |
| Auto Charge Amount | The amount withdrawn from the registered card when the Balance total falls to the lower limit. | Whole dollars, at least $2 |
| Auto Charge Lower Limit | The lower limit of the Balance total. An auto charge is made when the Balance total decreases to this value. | Whole dollars, $1 to $100 |
Auto Charge is off until you turn it on and select Save. Switching Auto Charge on only shows the two fields; Save applies the switch and the amounts.
Turning Auto Charge off. The Balance page warns you: if you turn off Auto Charge, your Balance total is no longer increased automatically and your tunnels may be closed.
If an automatic charge fails, Localtonet sends you a "Balance Increase Failed" email. Your active tunnels are stopped when your Balance runs out, so add Balance manually or fix the card.
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Values cannot be Zero! | Enter an amount above zero in both fields. |
| Auto Charge Amount cannot be less than $2. | Raise Auto Charge Amount to $2 or more. |
| Enter whole dollar amounts (no cents). | Remove the cents, for example 10 instead of 10.50. |
Balance History #
The Balance History table on the Balance page lists one row per day and kind of movement:
| Description | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Incoming Money Amount | Balance you added on that day, shown with a plus sign. |
| Daily Usage Amount | What your tunnels were charged on that day, shown with a minus sign. |
Select Detail on a usage row to open Balance Usage Details. It lists every tunnel that was charged on that day with its Tunnel ID, Last Usage time and Amount.
Order History and invoices #
Order History in the account menu lists your payments with their ID, Date, Amount, Status and Payment Method. The Dashboard also shows your last 10 orders.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Paid | The payment is confirmed and the amount is in your Balance. |
| Pending | The payment was started and is not confirmed yet. |
| Canceled, Invalid, Declined | The payment did not go through. Nothing was added to your Balance. |
Download an invoice #
- On a Paid order, select Download in the Invoice column.
- Choose the Invoice Type: Individual or Corporate.
- Fill in the billing details. Full Name is required for an individual invoice, Company Name for a corporate one. Address, ZIP / Postal Code and Country are optional. A corporate invoice can also carry a NIP and a VAT-ID.
- Select Download.
Your billing details are saved. Next time the dialog offers Download right away, or Edit to update the details first.
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The order must be paid and its amount must be above zero. | Invoices exist only for paid orders. |
| You have reached the invoice download limit. Please try again later. | You downloaded too many invoices in a short time. Wait, then try again. |
When your Balance runs out #
- Your Balance stops at zero. It never goes negative.
- The account returns to the Free limits, so running tunnels can stop.
- Tunnels are not deleted. You can start them again after topping up.
Localtonet emails you when your Balance is running out. To avoid the interruption, top up in time or turn on Auto Charge.
Refunds #
Under the Terms of Service, refund requests must be submitted within the first 24 hours. Requests after this period are not accepted. To request a refund, open a support ticket within 24 hours of the payment. When you delete your account, your Balance is not refunded.
