---
title: "An expose.dev Alternative for Webhooks and Tunnels (2026) | WebhookRelay"
meta:
  "og:description": "Looking for an expose.dev (Expose) alternative? Compare Expose and Webhook Relay for tunneling localhost and forwarding webhooks — stable URLs, transforms, fan-out, retries, and a free plan."
  "og:title": "An expose.dev Alternative for Webhooks and Tunnels (2026)"
  description: "Looking for an expose.dev (Expose) alternative? Compare Expose and Webhook Relay for tunneling localhost and forwarding webhooks — stable URLs, transforms, fan-out, retries, and a free plan."
---

![Stripes](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/images/stripes.svg)

# **An expose.dev Alternative for Webhooks and Tunnels (2026)**

Looking for an expose.dev (Expose) alternative? Compare Expose and Webhook Relay for tunneling localhost and forwarding webhooks — stable URLs, transforms, fan-out, retries, and a free plan.

![An expose.dev Alternative for Webhooks and Tunnels (2026)](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/images/blog/heroes/alternative.jpg)

If you searched for an **expose.dev alternative**, you're probably weighing [Expose](https://expose.dev/) — BeyondCode's elegant, open-source tunnel written in pure PHP — against tools built specifically for webhooks. Expose is excellent at what it does: it shares your local site over a public subdomain, ships a clean request dashboard, and is self-hostable. But as of 2026 (verify current details), Expose is fundamentally a **general-purpose tunnel**, not webhook infrastructure.

Webhook Relay approaches the same problem from the webhook side: a stable public URL, request inspection, retries, and the ability to forward, transform and fan-out webhooks to localhost or any private server.

## [TL;DR](#tldr)

- **Sharing a Laravel/PHP local site or want a self-hosted tunnel?** Expose is a great fit, especially with its Herd integration.
- **The job is webhooks — transform, fan-out, retry, forward to private infra?** That's where Webhook Relay is built to live.
- **Want to inspect provider webhooks with zero install?** Use the free [Webhook Bin](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/webhook-bin/) in your browser, then forward to localhost with the agent.
- **Need the webhook to reach a private server, container, or Kubernetes pod?** Webhook Relay forwards into private networks with no public IP.

## [Expose vs Webhook Relay at a glance](#expose-vs-webhook-relay-at-a-glance)

|  | Expose (expose.dev) | Webhook Relay |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Primary purpose | General tunnel for local sites | Webhook forwarding + tunnels |
| Open source / self-hostable | Yes | Hosted service |
| Stable URL | Reserved subdomains on Pro | Yes, every plan |
| Inspect requests | Yes (request dashboard) | Yes ([Webhook Bin](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/webhook-bin/)) |
| Replay requests | Yes | Yes |
| Forward to localhost | Yes (it's a tunnel) | Yes (via the [relay agent](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/tunnels/)) |
| Forward to a private network / Kubernetes | No (just the tunnel host) | Yes |
| Transform payloads (JS/Lua) | No | [Yes](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/features/transform-webhooks/) |
| Fan-out to multiple destinations | No | [Yes](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/features/webhook-multiple-destinations/) |
| Retries on failure | No | Yes |
| Laravel / Herd integration | Yes | No |
| Free plan | Free tier + paid Pro | Yes, free plan; paid from $9.99/mo |

_Competitor details reflect publicly documented plans as of 2026 and can change — verify Expose's current features and pricing before deciding._

## [Where Expose shines](#where-expose-shines)

Let's be fair. Expose is a well-built tool with a clear audience:

- **PHP and Laravel ergonomics.** Written in pure PHP, it fits naturally into Laravel projects and integrates with Herd for one-command sharing.
- **Self-hostable.** Because it's fully open source, you can run the whole server yourself for privacy, custom domains, and no connection limits.
- **A polished request dashboard.** Expose lets you watch incoming HTTP requests in real time and replay (and even modify) them — handy for debugging.

If you're a PHP/Laravel developer who wants a self-hostable tunnel for sharing local sites, Expose is a strong default.

## [Where Webhook Relay wins for webhooks](#where-webhook-relay-wins-for-webhooks)

### [1. Webhook semantics, not just a tunnel](#_1-webhook-semantics-not-just-a-tunnel)

A tunnel — including Expose — moves bytes between a public URL and your local host. Webhook Relay **routes a webhook** and can act on it. Because it sits in the path, you can [transform payloads](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/features/transform-webhooks/) with JavaScript or Lua (turn a raw GitHub event into a Slack message), [fan-out to multiple destinations](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/features/webhook-multiple-destinations/), filter noisy events, add authentication, or retry automatically when a delivery fails. Those are webhook-infrastructure features a general tunnel doesn't aim to provide.

### [2. Forward to localhost _and_ private networks](#_2-forward-to-localhost-and-private-networks)

Expose exposes the machine running the client. Webhook Relay forwards a webhook to wherever it needs to go — your laptop on `localhost:8080`, an internal API behind a firewall, or a Kubernetes service with no public IP:

```
# Install the agent, then forward your public endpoint to a local port
relay forward --bucket my-app http://localhost:8080/webhook
```

The agent makes an **outbound** connection, so there are no firewall ports to open. When you do need a general-purpose tunnel, Webhook Relay offers [tunnels](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/tunnels/) too.

### [3. A stable URL on every plan](#_3-a-stable-url-on-every-plan)

With Webhook Relay, your endpoint URL is fixed on every plan, including free — set it once in Stripe or GitHub and forget it. With Expose, reserved subdomains are a Pro feature (verify current details), so a stable URL there typically means paying or self-hosting.

### [4. Inspect webhooks with zero install](#_4-inspect-webhooks-with-zero-install)

Open [Webhook Bin](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/webhook-bin/), get an instant URL, and watch requests arrive in real time — no signup, no PHP runtime, no install. When you're ready to forward them somewhere, [create a free account](https://my.webhookrelay.com/register) and install the agent.

### [5. Cross-stack, hosted, and maintained](#_5-cross-stack-hosted-and-maintained)

Expose is a great fit if you live in PHP. Webhook Relay is language-agnostic hosted infrastructure — the agent runs anywhere (CLI, Docker, Kubernetes), and there's nothing to operate or keep patched yourself unless you want to.

## [How to switch from Expose for webhooks](#how-to-switch-from-expose-for-webhooks)

1. **Inspect first (no install):** open [Webhook Bin](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/webhook-bin/), copy the URL, and point your provider at it.
2. **Forward to localhost:** [create a free account](https://my.webhookrelay.com/register), install the agent, and run `relay forward`.
3. **Add webhook logic:** [transform](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/features/transform-webhooks/), [fan-out](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/features/webhook-multiple-destinations/), or retry as needed — no extra services.

## [When to pick which](#when-to-pick-which)

- **Pick Expose** if you're a PHP/Laravel developer who wants a self-hostable tunnel for sharing local sites, value the Herd integration, and don't need webhook-specific features.
- **Pick Webhook Relay** when the work is webhooks: stable URLs on any plan, forwarding into private infrastructure, transforming and fanning-out events, retries on failure, and a hosted service you don't have to run.

Ready to forward webhooks the easy way? [Start for free](https://my.webhookrelay.com/register) or [test a webhook now](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/webhook-bin/).

![Stripes](https://webhookrelay.com/blog/expose-dev-alternative/images/stripes-dark.svg)

## **Start forwarding webhooks in minutes **

Connect a source, pick a destination, and Webhook Relay handles delivery, retries and transforms. Set up your first webhook in under five minutes.

[Start for free ->](https://my.webhookrelay.com/register)

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