Should You Switch to Usage-Based Billing? Calculate Your ROI First
Bas de Goeingrok allows companies to share apps or services online safely for testing, connecting, and launching, all without having to mess with network settings. Developers use ngrok to create secure tunnels that make locally running apps, APIs, or services instantly accessible from anywhere.
ngrok priced their usage by implementing a flexible billing system. This post explains how ngrok approached pricing, why usage-based models are critical for platforms like it, and how Orb powers the infrastructure underneath.
ngrok pricing in 2025 ranges from a Free plan for personal testing to paid tiers starting at $8/month and enterprise solutions with custom pricing. Paid plans increase data, requests, and endpoint capacity, and unlock advanced security and collaboration features. Usage-based add-ons let teams scale as workloads grow.
Note: Prices shown here are subject to change at any time. For the most up-to-date pricing, visit ngrok’s official pricing page. Plan details may change over time.
ngrok’s purpose and features vary by plan, but each tier is designed to support a specific stage of development or production, from solo testing to secure enterprise-grade tunnels. Let’s break down the ngrok features and benefits by plan.
The ngrok free tier does not require a credit card to sign up. It’s a lightweight version designed for testing and personal use.
ngrok free plan features:
These ngrok paid plans are meant for individuals and small teams who need more than the free tier offers but aren’t yet running production traffic.
Key features:
Key features:
Production plans are priced differently. They’re usage-based, built for real traffic, and often used in CI/CD pipelines, API gateways, and client-facing services.
Usage-based pricing:
Add-ons:
Key features:
ngrok’s model combines tiered plans with usage-based add-ons, allowing users to match costs to actual demand. Core features like tunneling and endpoint access are bundled into tiers, while advanced capabilities (traffic shaping, observability, identity) can be added as needed.
This modular structure supports a wide range of use cases, from solo developers running quick tests to enterprises operating mission-critical workloads.
Remember: Pricing, plans, and features are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to ngrok’s official pricing page.
Developer platforms and infrastructure services are shifting away from pure subscriptions. Traditional seat-based or flat-rate models don’t align with how teams consume bandwidth, requests, or endpoints.
Usage-based billing aligns cost with value. Customers pay for what they use, providers protect margins, and both sides can adapt as workloads change.
For businesses, it supports sustainable growth: attract entry-level users with low starting costs, then scale revenue naturally as usage expands. For customers, it removes the risk of overpaying for unused capacity while ensuring resources are available when demand peaks.
Note: If you're building your own metered pricing or usage-based product, Orb provides the infrastructure needed to manage billing at scale. You can download our guide on pricing AI agents or explore our step-by-step tutorial on agent pricing in our documentation.
ngrok is a tunneling service that lets developers expose local servers to the internet using secure, public URLs. It’s commonly used for testing webhooks, running demos, and creating temporary development environments.
Yes, ngrok is free forever if you use the free tier because it doesn’t expire. However, it comes with limits on bandwidth, endpoints, and features.
Yes, you can get an ngrok discount on a subscription for up to 20% off with annual billing on most paid plans. Discounts are automatically applied when selecting yearly subscriptions during checkout.
Usage-based pricing models (especially those with metered billing, add-ons, and feature-based tiers) require infrastructure that can handle scale, accuracy, and constant change.
ngrok’s approach of combining tiered plans with usage-based scaling and modular add-ons is becoming more common across developer infrastructure tools. This pricing model offers predictable entry points while letting users expand usage as needs grow.
Orb is the done-for-you billing platform that gives you everything you need to launch, manage, and evolve usage-based and tiered pricing. Whether you're testing new monetization strategies, offering premium add-ons, or scaling multi-tenant plans, Orb gives you full control with real-time data and built-in flexibility.
Here’s how Orb supports your usage-based pricing strategy:
If you're rolling out a usage-based pricing model, Orb gives you the infrastructure to support it from day one. You get full control over your pricing logic and the tools to grow it as your product and user base grow.
Explore Orb’s pricing tiers today and find a plan that works for you.
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