socket.help vs Hookdeck Inspect
Both give you a test webhook URL without an account. socket.help keeps the receiver and history private by default with a short lifetime. Hookdeck Inspect keeps requests for three days and adds retries, sample webhooks, and forwarding to localhost.
Choose by your workflow.
Choose socket.help when a callback is part of a short test session and you want the receiver private, with mocks, files, utilities, and MCP in the same place.
- Senders and viewers should need a token, not just the URL
- The test is short and the data should disappear soon after
- An MCP agent or script should create and read the inbox
- You also need mock APIs or utilities in the same workflow
Choose Hookdeck Inspect when you want to forward webhooks to a handler on localhost, resend a captured request while you iterate, or trigger sample events from common providers.
- Your handler runs on localhost
- You want to resend a captured webhook while you fix code
- You want sample events instead of triggering real ones
- Requests should stay readable for a few days
The differences that matter.
| Area | socket.help | Hookdeck Inspect |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Not required. A free account extends resources to one day. | Not required. Saving data creates a free Hookdeck account. |
| Retention | One-hour anonymous lifetime; up to 100 requests or 1 MiB per inbox. | Source URLs last with the browser session (90 days); captured requests are kept for three days. |
| Access | Private sender and inspection credentials by default. | Share a Source URL so colleagues see the same requests. |
| Local development | No localhost forwarding. Request replay sends a request you write to a public URL. | Forwards requests to localhost through the Hookdeck CLI and retries captured requests. |
| Automation | HTTP API, CLI, SDK, SSH, and MCP create and read inboxes. | Inspect API creates Source URLs and waits for the next request, with no API key. |
Where socket.help stops.
socket.help cannot forward captured webhooks to localhost, resend a captured request to your handler, or send sample provider events. Its one-hour anonymous lifetime is much shorter than Hookdeck Inspect’s three-day request retention.
The catalog includes planned tools, clearly marked Coming soon. Those tools cannot be used yet. Check the published allowances for storage, rate limits, and retention before choosing a workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hookdeck Inspect free?
Hookdeck Inspect needs no account to create a test webhook URL. Choosing Save Data creates a free Hookdeck account.
Is Hookdeck Console the same as Hookdeck Inspect?
Hookdeck’s Console documentation URL now redirects to the Inspect page, which describes the no-account test webhook URL.
How long does Hookdeck Inspect keep requests?
Without an account, captured requests are kept for three days and Source URLs last with your browser session, which is 90 days.
Can socket.help forward webhooks to my local server?
No. socket.help captures and stores requests for inspection. To test a local handler with live events, use a forwarding tool such as the Hookdeck CLI.
Check the sources.
Reviewed on against official documentation. Features can change. This page is written by socket.help and is not an endorsement by Hookdeck Inspect.