Side by side
| Rayobyte | Webshare | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Free trial on several products | Free plan, no time limit |
| What's included | Premium Residential, rotating ISP and rotating datacenter trials; Web Unblocker trial | 10 shared datacenter proxies, 1 GB a month |
| Extras | 5,000 Scraping API requests; 48 rayobrowse hours | None |
| Card required | No | No |
| Lasts | Until the trial allowance is used | Indefinitely |
At the time of writing. See the Rayobyte free trial and Webshare free proxies.
Webshare: free forever, but small
Webshare's free plan is real, permanent and simple: ten datacenter proxies with 1 GB a month. It's perfect for learning, testing code, CI pipelines and light personal use. It won't get you through protected sites, because it's datacenter only.
Rayobyte: broad, card-free, temporary
Rayobyte's trial lets you test residential, ISP and datacenter side by side, plus managed tools, for free. It's the better way to learn which proxy type your targets need. It isn't meant for ongoing use.
Use both
- Develop and test your code on Webshare's free plan.
- Use Rayobyte's trial to see which targets need residential or ISP IPs.
- Try Rayobyte's free API requests on the targets that fail.
- Buy only what the results justify.
Free proxies from unknown sources are a different story; avoid them. See free proxies risks.
Residential tip: Both sides of this comparison can be tested at no cost: Rayobyte has a free trial with no card, and Webshare has a permanent free plan with 10 datacenter proxies. See the Rayobyte free trial.
With Geonode
Geonode adds a low-cost residential trial and 1,500 free Scraper API requests a month. See free options across all three.
A real-world example
A graduate student building a price tracker for a thesis starts on Webshare's free plan: ten datacenter proxies and 1 GB a month are enough to write and debug the scraper. When two of the retailers block datacenter IPs, the student uses Rayobyte's no-card trial to test residential and rotating ISP traffic on those two sites, confirms residential works, and buys a small amount for the data collection weeks. Total cost for the project stays under $40.
Getting the most from free options
- Keep the Webshare free plan for development and CI permanently.
- Spend Rayobyte's trial on your hardest targets only.
- Try the 5,000 free Scraping API requests on anything that still fails.
- Record cost per success so the paid decision is easy.
Pros and cons of each free option
Rayobyte trial
- Residential, ISP and datacenter, no card.
- Free Scraping API requests and browser hours.
- Temporary.
Webshare free plan
- Permanent.
- Real datacenter proxies with no card.
- Only 1 GB a month and datacenter only.
Budget tip: If the job only needs a fixed list of IPs, Webshare sells datacenter and static residential proxies by the IP, often for less than a per-GB plan would cost. More in Webshare's free proxy plan.
Bottom line
Keep Webshare's free plan for development, and spend Rayobyte's trial on the targets that decide what you buy.
For the bigger picture beyond our three partners, read our best proxies buyer's guide, and see cheap proxies for ways to cut cost per successful request.
Proxy tip: For a second opinion on hard targets, run the same test through Geonode residential proxies, which support sticky sessions up to 24 hours and ASN targeting. We compare the two in Rayobyte vs Geonode vs Webshare.
Key takeaways
- Webshare's free plan is permanent: 10 datacenter proxies and 1 GB a month.
- Rayobyte's trial is broader, card-free and temporary.
- Use Webshare free for development and Rayobyte's trial to choose product types.
- Avoid anonymous free proxy lists.
FAQ
Is Webshare's free plan really free?
Yes, with no card and no time limit at the time of writing.
Does Rayobyte have a free plan?
It has a free trial and free allowances, not a permanent free plan.
Which free option includes residential IPs?
Rayobyte's trial.
Does the Webshare free plan expire?
No; it's permanent at the time of writing, with a monthly 1 GB allowance.
Can I upgrade from a trial without losing setup?
Yes on both; your dashboard settings carry over to paid plans.
Can I use the Webshare free plan commercially?
Check Webshare's current terms; it's widely used for development and light use.
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.