Billing models
| Rayobyte | Geonode | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | Pay-as-you-go tiers ($3.50 to $0.70/GB); Scale Residential monthly | Pay as you go per GB, no expiry; unlimited plans monthly |
| ISP | Static per IP monthly; rotating ISP per GB or monthly | Per IP monthly |
| Datacenter | Static per IP monthly with prepay discounts; rotating per GB or monthly | Rotating per GB |
| Mobile | Monthly plans, 30-day expiry | Per GB |
| APIs | Per successful request (Scraping API), per successful GB (Web Unblocker) | Per request |
At the time of writing. See Rayobyte pricing explained.
Things that change what you pay
- Tier thresholds. Rayobyte's residential rate drops at 50, 250 and 1,000 GB. Buying at a threshold can cost less than buying just under it.
- Prepay discounts. Rayobyte's static datacenter IPs are 5%, 10% or 15% cheaper for 3, 6 or 12 months up front.
- Expiry. Geonode's residential bandwidth doesn't expire; Rayobyte's mobile bandwidth does after 30 days. See bandwidth expiry compared.
- Concurrency tied to spend. Rayobyte's Scale Residential and monthly rotating plans allow one concurrent request per dollar.
- Paying for successes only. Rayobyte's Scraping API and Web Unblocker bill only for successful results.
Trials
Rayobyte's self-serve rotating products have a no-card free trial. Geonode offers a low-cost residential trial and a monthly free Scraper API allowance. See free trials compared.
Read before you buy
Both providers' terms change, so check the current versions of:
- Refund conditions, including time limits and usage thresholds.
- Auto-renewal on monthly products and how to cancel.
- Downgrades and what happens to unused allowance.
- Fair use rules on unmetered static IPs (Rayobyte points to section 13 of its terms).
- Payment methods and invoicing for businesses.
Residential tip: The simplest way to settle this comparison is to test both: Rayobyte has a free trial with no card, and Geonode sells a low-cost residential trial. Run the same targets through each. See Rayobyte pricing explained.
Budgeting tips
- Start with pay as you go until you know your monthly usage.
- Move steady workloads to monthly plans only after two or three months of data.
- Keep irregular workloads on non-expiring bandwidth.
- Track cost per successful result monthly, not just the invoice total.
Which is simpler?
For small and irregular residential use, Geonode's non-expiring pay-as-you-go model is the simplest. For multi-product setups, Rayobyte's single account and success-based API billing are convenient. See pricing compared and, with Webshare, support and billing across all three.
A real-world example
A startup's first six months: it pays Geonode as it goes for residential, buying a larger block once usage settles because it won't expire. It uses Rayobyte rotating datacenter pay as you go, then moves to a monthly plan in month five when traffic becomes steady and the per-GB rate drops sharply. It prepays six months of Rayobyte static datacenter IPs for a 10% discount. The result is lower costs without locking in anything it might not use.
Proxy tip: If your residential usage comes in bursts, Geonode is worth a look: purchased GB doesn't expire and sticky sessions can last up to 24 hours. More in our complete Geonode guide.
Pros and cons on billing
Rayobyte
- Volume tiers, monthly plans and prepay discounts.
- Pay only for successes on its managed tools.
- Several billing models to understand.
Geonode
- Simple non-expiring pay-as-you-go residential.
- Unlimited plans for steady heavy use.
- Fewer prepay discount options.
Not sure this is the right proxy type for the job? The best proxies in 2026 guide compares residential, ISP, datacenter and mobile options, and our cheap proxies guide covers budget picks that still work. To understand the IP type behind this, read our residential proxies guide.
Budget tip: For jobs where a fixed IP list is enough, Webshare is one of the cheapest options: shared datacenter proxies are sold by the IP, and static residential (ISP) proxies cost well under a dollar per IP per month at the time of writing. More in Rayobyte vs Geonode vs Webshare.
Key takeaways
- Rayobyte mixes pay-as-you-go tiers, monthly plans and per-IP billing with prepay discounts.
- Geonode bills residential per GB with no expiry, and unlimited plans monthly.
- Tier thresholds, expiry and concurrency rules change real costs.
- Read refund, renewal and fair use terms before buying.
FAQ
Can I pay as I go on both?
Yes, for residential and rotating datacenter on both, at the time of writing.
Does Rayobyte offer discounts for prepaying?
Yes, on static datacenter IPs: 5% to 15% for 3 to 12 months.
Which is better for unpredictable usage?
Geonode, because purchased residential bandwidth doesn't expire.
Editorial note: Proxy providers change their pools, features and prices often, so treat any figures here as typical ranges at the time of writing and confirm current terms with the provider before you buy.