ngrok started as a developer tunnel and has evolved into a full production ingress platform — with Kubernetes operators, AI gateways, and enterprise SSO. HeyListenUp does one thing: help you understand, debug, and test your webhooks. Here's how to pick the right tool.
If you're staring at a broken Stripe webhook wondering why your handler isn't firing, you don't need a Kubernetes ingress controller. You need to see the payload, replay it, diff it against the last working one, and mock a response — without a CLI, an agent, or a bandwidth meter ticking in the background.
ngrok has expanded far beyond its origins. HeyListenUp has stayed focused.
ngrok
ngrok ships a real webhook testing product: a live Traffic Inspector, one-click replay within your session, and signature verification for 50+ webhook providers. It's genuinely capable — and it comes wrapped in a full production ingress platform (Kubernetes operators, AI gateway, OAuth/SAML/OIDC, enterprise RBAC) you'll never need for webhook development. The agent install, the bandwidth cap, and the 72-hour event window are side effects of that infrastructure-first design.
HeyListenUp
HeyListenUp captures every incoming webhook, surfaces it beautifully, lets you replay it to any URL, diff it against any other event, mock how your endpoint responds — and forwards it to localhost with zero config. Every feature exists for one reason: webhook development.
ngrok is a freight network.
HeyListenUp is the package inspector.
You don't need to own the shipping company to open a box.
Before you can debug anything, you have to get set up.
ngrok config add-authtoken <token>ngrok http 3000ngrok's pricing has become complex. Here's what it actually costs for webhook development.
ngrok
HeyListenUp
Focused on the webhook development workflow — not infrastructure features.
| Feature | ngrok | HeyListenUp |
|---|---|---|
| Setup & Access | ||
| Works without installing an agent No download, no authtoken, no CLI | ||
| Works without a running local server Receive webhooks before writing a single handler | ||
| Permanent endpoint URLs URLs that never change between sessions | Free: 1 static domain | All plans |
| Browser-only local forwarding No ports opened, no firewall config | ||
| No bandwidth limits Free tier caps at 1 GB/month on ngrok | ||
| Webhook Inspection | ||
| Real-time payload viewer WebSocket streaming, no refresh needed | ||
| Headers, body, query params Syntax-highlighted, formatted | ||
| Persistent event history Revisit past payloads | 24hr free / 72hr paid | 7–90 days |
| CSV / JSON export | Pro | |
| Debugging & Testing | ||
| Webhook signature verification Validate provider signatures automatically | 50+ providers | Not yet |
| Event replay Re-POST any event to any URL | Within 24–72hr window | Any stored event |
| Payload diff Field-level comparison between any two events | All plans | |
| Response mocking Return custom status codes, body & headers | Pro | |
| Slack notifications | Pro | |
| Team & Production | ||
| Shared team workspace Share endpoints, replay events collaboratively | $20/mo plan: 3 included, +$5/user/mo after | $29/mo flat (6 seats) |
| Custom domain for endpoints | Paid | Team plan |
| Infrastructure (ngrok's home turf) | ||
| Production ingress / API gateway Kubernetes operator, global load balancing | Core feature | Not the job |
| OAuth / SAML / OIDC at the edge | Paid | |
| TCP / TLS tunnels | Not the job | |
Be honest with yourself about the problem you're actually trying to solve.
You need to see what Stripe, GitHub, Shopify, or Linear actually sends before you write a handler.
Something changed in the payload. You want to replay and diff two events side by side to find the field.
You want your endpoint to return a 429 or 500 to see how the sender retries. No code changes needed.
You need a stable, secure public URL for a live app with Kubernetes, load balancing, and enterprise auth.
Your team needs to connect to customer networks, IoT devices, or internal services at scale with RBAC.
Everyone on the team needs to see incoming events, share endpoints, and debug integrations together.
10 permanent endpoints, local forwarding, payload diff, and real-time inspection — free forever. No agent to install. No bandwidth meter.