RelaySSH vs PiTunnel
Competitor details verified August 2026.
For SSH access to a device behind NAT, RelaySSH is the simpler and cheaper choice at any device count: one flat price, a port that never moves, and nothing proprietary in the path. PiTunnel is the better buy if you want a browser terminal and device monitoring bundled with the tunnel.
Side by side
| RelaySSH | PiTunnel | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication stays on your device | The relay carries ciphertext and holds no logins. | Against the device's own SSH server. |
| Works with any SSH client |
ssh -p 20001 pi@relayssh.com |
Once a tunnel to port 22 exists. |
| Port never changes | Held for as long as the tunnel exists, on every plan. | Free plan ports rotate about hourly; static ports are a paid feature. |
| Flat price, no tiers | $1 per device per month. Free during the beta. | $6 to $226 per month across eight tiers. |
| Unlimited devices | The eleventh device costs what the first did. | 1 device free, 2 on Standard, up to 150 on Pro-150. |
| No daily data cap | No published cap. | 500 MB a day free, up to 24000 MB on Pro-150. |
| Browser terminal | Bring your own SSH client. | Included on every plan. |
| Monitoring, alerts, WebVNC, HTTP subdomains | Tunnels only. | CPU, memory and temperature, remote reboot, email alerts, and named subdomains. |
RelaySSH needs Linux with systemd, Python 3, and an SSH server. PiTunnel publishes a wider tested hardware list, including Orange Pi, ODROID, Radxa, Intel NUC, and NVIDIA Jetson.
When RelaySSH is the better choice
Nothing proprietary sits in the path, which is what keeps the lock-in small.
There is no client to install on the machine you connect from and no
service-specific command to learn: ssh, scp,
sftp, rsync, jump hosts, an editor's remote mode,
and Ansible all work, because there is nothing in the path but SSH.
Every tunnel keeps its port for as long as the tunnel exists, on every plan,
so an ~/.ssh/config entry, a backup script, or a monitoring check
stays correct once you write it. And pricing is a single number with no tier
to outgrow — no device count or daily allowance moves you onto the next plan.
When PiTunnel is the better choice
PiTunnel is a product rather than a plain tunnel, and for many people that is the point. Open a browser and you get your Pi's CPU load, memory, and temperature, a remote reboot button, and a terminal — without installing an SSH client on whatever computer you are sitting at. If the only machine to hand is one you cannot install software on, a browser terminal wins outright.
It also covers more than SSH: a named HTTP tunnel publishes a web service on
your own pitunnel.com subdomain with optional HTTP
authentication, WebVNC gives you a remote desktop, and email alerts fire when
a device goes offline, runs hot, or runs low on disk space. RelaySSH has none
of that.
Moving from PiTunnel
Both agents only make outbound connections, so you can run RelaySSH next to PiTunnel while you check that it works. Nothing has to be removed first.
- Install the RelaySSH agent with the one-line command from your dashboard. The device appears within a few seconds.
- Add a tunnel to port 22 on the device's page. The relay assigns a port between 20000 and 29999.
- Connect on the new address, for example
ssh -p 20001 pi@relayssh.com. - Once that works, remove the PiTunnel tunnel and uninstall its agent.
Your login does not change. Both routes end at the same SSH server on the same device, so the same username and the same keys work; only the host and port you type are different. Getting started covers the install and the first tunnel in full. If you were using the browser terminal, the device monitoring, the email alerts, or an HTTP subdomain, RelaySSH does not replace them.