Side by side
| Rayobyte Premium Residential | Webshare rotating residential | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.50 to $0.70/GB by purchase size | $3.50/GB at 1 GB, about $2.25 at 100 GB, $1.40 at 3,000 GB |
| Billing | Pay as you go | Monthly plans, reported to reset |
| Pool (provider figures) | 50M+ opted-in devices a month, 190+ countries | 80M+ IPs, 195 countries |
| Targeting | Country, state, city, ZIP, ASN, device OS | Country, state, city, ZIP, ASN |
| Sessions | Rotate, or sticky 1 to 120 minutes | Rotate suffix or session suffix on the gateway |
| Protocols | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, SOCKS5 UDP, HTTP/3 | HTTP, SOCKS5 |
| Restricted targets | Banks, government, login pages, abuse reporters | Some sites restricted; some unlocked after KYC |
| Trial | Free, no card | Paid plans; free plan is datacenter only |
At the time of writing. See Rayobyte Premium Residential and Webshare rotating residential.
Price and billing
At 1 to 10 GB the two are close. From about 50 GB, Rayobyte's tiers drop faster: $2 at 50 GB, $1.50 at 250 GB and $0.70 at 1 TB, against roughly $2.25 at 100 GB and $1.40 at 3 TB on Webshare. Rayobyte's pay-as-you-go model also avoids paying for a monthly allowance you don't use. See pricing compared.
Pool and coverage
Webshare reports more IPs and countries; Rayobyte reports devices per month and publishes detailed sourcing commitments. Both are large; test depth where you target. See IP pool and coverage compared.
Targeting
Both offer ZIP and ASN, which is rarer than you'd think. Rayobyte adds device OS. For most jobs, targeting is a tie. See geo-targeting compared.
Sessions
Rayobyte documents sticky sessions of 1 to 120 minutes. Webshare uses a session suffix on its backbone gateway and recommends short sessions, with static residential IPs for longer stickiness. See sticky sessions compared.
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 Rayobyte Premium Residential proxies.
Protocols
Rayobyte adds SOCKS5 UDP and HTTP/3; both support HTTP and SOCKS5. See protocols compared.
Which to choose
| Need | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Under 20 GB a month | Either; compare current plans |
| 50 GB to several TB | Rayobyte |
| Irregular usage | Rayobyte (pay as you go) |
| Device OS targeting, UDP or HTTP/3 | Rayobyte |
| One account for cheap static IPs plus some residential | Webshare |
To add Geonode: residential across all three.
A real-world example
A local SEO consultancy checks map pack rankings for 120 clients in 60 US cities, about 30,000 checks a month at 200 KB each, or 6 GB. Both providers offer city and ZIP targeting, so either works. At this size, Webshare's small residential plan and Rayobyte's $3.50 tier cost about the same. When the consultancy adds mobile results for 40 clients, Rayobyte's device OS targeting lets it pull mobile-like results without buying mobile proxies, which tips the decision.
What to test in your trial
- Depth in your top five cities: count unique IPs over 200 requests.
- Success on your three hardest targets.
- Session stability over 10 minutes.
- Exit location accuracy at ZIP level.
- Bandwidth per successful page, including retries.
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 rotating residential proxies.
Pros and cons for residential
Rayobyte
- Cheaper from about 50 GB, falling to $0.70 per GB at 1 TB.
- Pay as you go rather than monthly resets.
- Device OS targeting, SOCKS5 UDP and HTTP/3.
- Login pages blocked on residential.
Webshare
- Similar price at 1 to 10 GB.
- ZIP and ASN targeting, 195 countries.
- Same account as its cheap static lists.
- Monthly plans reported to reset.
Bottom line
For small, steady residential needs alongside cheap lists, Webshare is convenient. For larger or irregular residential volumes, Rayobyte is usually the better buy.
If you're still shortlisting, compare these options with the wider market in our best proxies guide, and use our cheap proxies guide to estimate a sensible budget. To understand the IP type behind this, read our residential proxies guide.
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
- Prices are similar at small volumes; Rayobyte is cheaper from around 50 GB.
- Rayobyte is pay as you go; Webshare residential is monthly and reported to reset.
- Both offer ZIP and ASN targeting; Rayobyte adds device OS, SOCKS5 UDP and HTTP/3.
- Test depth in your locations on both.
FAQ
Which residential proxies are cheaper?
Rayobyte from around 50 GB a month; similar below that.
Do both support ZIP targeting?
Yes, at the time of writing.
Is Webshare's residential traffic pay as you go?
No, it's sold on monthly plans.
Which residential pool is bigger?
Webshare reports 80M+ IPs and Rayobyte 50M+ devices a month; they measure differently, so test depth where you target.
Can I test residential proxies for free on both?
Rayobyte's trial includes residential with no card. Webshare's free plan is datacenter only, so buy its smallest residential plan to test.
Which handles narrow targeting better?
Both offer ZIP and ASN; pool depth varies by location, so test your own cities and ZIP codes.
Which is better for irregular usage?
Rayobyte, because its residential traffic is pay as you go rather than a monthly allowance.
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.