Compare

FastDog vs Cloudflare Tunnel

Both products put an app that runs on your own server on the internet through an outbound connection, so you don’t open inbound ports. They’re built for different people. Here’s an honest side-by-side.

Short version

Pick Cloudflare Tunnel if your domain already uses Cloudflare DNS, or you’re happy to move it. You get a free tunnel, a large global network, and Cloudflare’s CDN, WAF, and DDoS protection in front of your app.
Pick FastDog if you have an ordinary HTTP(S) app (no WebSockets, no long or streaming requests, uploads under 50 MiB), you want to keep your DNS where it is, attach a hostname with one CNAME and one TXT record, and have your AI coding assistant connect it with a one-hour connect code or an account-scoped API key.

Side by side

	Cloudflare Tunnel	FastDog
Price	Free. No paid Access plan needed to publish an app [1]. Each account includes 1,000 tunnels, and extra tunnels are $4.50 per tunnel per month [2].	Hobby $9/mo (3 hostnames), Pro $29/mo (15), Agency $149/mo (50). Free for 7 days on one hostname, no card.
DNS requirement	The best experience is Full Setup, with your domain on Cloudflare nameservers [3]. Partial (CNAME) setup, which keeps your DNS host, is only available on Business and Enterprise plans [4].	Keep your current DNS host and registrar on every plan. Attach uses one CNAME and one TXT record.
Network	Cloudflare’s global network. Each tunnel maintains four long-lived connections to two Cloudflare data centers, and you can run multiple `cloudflared` replicas [5].	One edge server today. No multi-region failover.
Security layers	CDN caching, WAF, Bot Management, and DDoS protection are applied to published apps [5].	TLS, the tunnel, and the edge proxy. Verdict bot checks are on Pro (early access, shadow mode by default).
Upload size	Not stated on the Cloudflare Tunnel pages we checked.	50 MiB. Larger requests return HTTP 413.
WebSockets	Supported [3].	Not supported. An upgrade request returns 400.
Request timeout	Proxy Read Timeout is 125 seconds by default, adjustable on Enterprise [7].	30 seconds. No streaming responses or server-sent events (SSE).
Large files and video	On Free, Pro, and Business, the service terms require a specific paid service for video and other large files on public hostnames [3][6].	Fair use applies. (No specific media rule published.)
Protocols	HTTP, HTTPS, plus TCP, SSH, RDP, and SMB (end users run `cloudflared` on the client for non-HTTP) [6]. gRPC works over private network routes, not public hostnames [3].	HTTP(S) only. No TCP or UDP.
AI assistant setup	Docs pages offer "Agent setup" and "Copy as Markdown" options [5].	A "Copy prompt for your AI assistant" button, plus /llms.txt written for assistants. On the free trial, you add the hostname and DNS records in the portal, and the prompt’s 1-hour, connect-only token lets the assistant do the connect and the `docker run`. With an account-scoped API key that expires (the trial gets one, for its one website), the assistant does the whole setup.
Maturity	Long-running product. It was earlier named Argo Tunnel [3].	New. Open sign-up since Oct 19, 2026.

Where Cloudflare Tunnel is better

It’s free, and it scales to thousands of published apps per tunnel [6].
Global network and redundancy. We can’t match that today.
More security and more protocols: WAF, DDoS protection, Access, WebSockets, TCP, SSH, and RDP.
Longer requests: a 125-second default read timeout versus our 30 seconds [7].
Maturity and ecosystem. It’s widely documented, and most self-hosting guides already cover it.

Where FastDog is different

No DNS move. Keep your registrar and DNS host on the $9 plan. On Cloudflare, keeping your own DNS host means a Business plan or higher [4].
Built for the AI setup flow. The assistant gets scoped keys: a 1-hour, connect-only token from the portal prompt, or an account-scoped API key on the trial or a paid plan (30 days by default, 90 at most; a trial key expires at the trial end). The agent key is saved on your server; each new connect command replaces it, and you can revoke it. You approve the commands.
A person answers. Founder-run support at support@fastdognetworks.com, with same-business-day replies on Agency.
Flat pricing per hostname count.

Using both

You can keep Cloudflare as your DNS host and use FastDog for a hostname. Set that record to "DNS only" (grey cloud) so the request reaches FastDog.

Sources (checked Oct 22, 2026)

Published applications, Cloudflare One docs (last updated Oct 15, 2026): https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/networks/connectors/cloudflare-tunnel/routing-to-tunnel/ ("You do not need a paid Cloudflare Access plan to publish an application via Cloudflare Tunnel.")
Cloudflare One changelog, Oct 16, 2026, "Tunnels for Platforms": https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/changelog/
Tunnels FAQ: https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/faq/cloudflare-tunnels-faq/
CNAME setup (Partial): https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/zone-setups/partial-setup/ (availability table: Free No, Pro No, Business Yes, Enterprise Yes)
Cloudflare Tunnel overview (re-checked Oct 23, 2026): https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/ ("Each tunnel maintains four long-lived connections to two Cloudflare data centers for built-in redundancy.")
Tunnel routing: https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/routing/
Connection limits (Proxy Read Timeout 125 s, configurable for Enterprise zones): https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/reference/connection-limits/ (last updated Jul 23, 2026)