Side by side
| Rayobyte | Geonode | Webshare | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential sticky | 1 to 120 minutes | Up to 24 hours | Session suffix on the backbone; keep short |
| Static alternative | Static ISP and datacenter | ISP | Static residential and datacenter |
At the time of writing. See sticky vs rotating sessions.
The reality on all three
Residential sessions end when the device goes offline, whatever the maximum. Short sessions are more reliable everywhere. Geonode's long maximum helps for hours-long logged-out tasks; Rayobyte's 120 minutes covers nearly all scraping flows; Webshare recommends static IPs for long stickiness.
Session design
- One session per task.
- Keep sessions to minutes.
- Retry with a new session on drops.
- Use static IPs for identities.
Residential tip: You can test all three for little or nothing: Rayobyte has a no-card free trial, Webshare a free plan and Geonode a low-cost residential trial. Run the same script through each. See Rayobyte sticky sessions.
Session length by task
| Task | Typical session you need | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| One product page | None (rotate) | All three |
| Paginated listing | 2 to 10 minutes | All three |
| Checkout or form flow | 5 to 15 minutes | All three |
| Watching one page for hours | Hours | Geonode, or a static IP |
| Logged-in account for weeks | Never changes | Static ISP or static residential on any |
Most real scraping tasks fall in the first three rows, where all three providers are equivalent. Only the last two rows separate them, and the last row isn't a job for sticky residential sessions at all.
Writing resumable tasks
Because any residential session can end early, design tasks to resume:
- Store progress (last page fetched, last item processed) outside the worker.
- On a connection error or sudden block, discard the session ID.
- Start a new session and continue from the stored progress.
- Cap retries per step to avoid burning bandwidth on a dead target.
This makes provider session limits almost irrelevant. See Rayobyte sticky sessions and Webshare sticky sessions.
Strengths and watch-outs
| Provider | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Rayobyte | Clear 1 to 120 minute sessions; static ISP for identities | No residential sessions past 2 hours |
| Geonode | Long sessions up to 24 hours | Devices still drop early |
| Webshare | Simple backbone sessions; cheap static IPs | Keep residential sessions short |
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.
Bottom line
Design resumable tasks and session length stops mattering for almost every job.
Before you commit to any provider, it helps to see the wider market: our guide to the best proxies in 2026 compares proxy types by job, and cheap proxies explains how to keep costs down without buying IPs that get blocked. To understand the IP type behind this, read our residential proxies guide.
For head-to-head versions of this comparison, see Rayobyte vs Geonode Sticky Sessions, Rayobyte vs Webshare Sticky Sessions, Webshare vs Geonode Sticky Sessions.
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 Webshare sticky sessions.
Key takeaways
- Geonode allows the longest residential sessions.
- Rayobyte offers 1 to 120 minutes; Webshare uses a backbone suffix.
- Residential sessions drop early on every network.
- Use static IPs for long-lived identities.
FAQ
Which has the longest sticky sessions?
Geonode, up to 24 hours.
Can sessions last their full length?
Only if the device stays online.
What should I use for accounts?
Static ISP or static residential IPs.
Do sticky sessions cost more?
No. All three bill residential per GB regardless of session length.
Can narrow targeting shorten sessions?
Yes. Smaller pools in a city or ZIP have fewer replacement devices, so sessions drop more often.
What happens to my cookies when the IP changes?
They stay in your client, but the site may treat the new IP as a different visitor; restart the flow if needed.
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.