What agencies need
Agencies juggle many clients, each with accounts, markets and reporting needs. Proxy needs fall into three buckets:
- Client account IPs for social, ads and marketplace logins.
- Research and verification across markets: rankings, ads, competitors.
- Separation and billing so clients don't mix and costs are allocated.
Geonode's guide for this audience: Geonode for marketing agencies.
Side by side
| Need | Webshare | Geonode |
|---|---|---|
| Client account IPs | Dedicated static residential, very low per-IP price | Dedicated ISP, unmetered bandwidth, antidetect integrations |
| Rank tracking and ad checks | Rotating residential with ZIP targeting | Rotating residential, cheaper per GB, no expiry |
| Competitor site research | Cheap datacenter lists by country | Rotating datacenter |
| Managed SERP and page fetching | Not offered | Search and Scraper APIs |
| Client separation | Separate plans per client in one account | Separate products and credentials |
Client account IPs
For dozens or hundreds of client accounts, Webshare's per-IP price is a major saving. For smaller agencies with a few accounts per client, Geonode's 3-IP minimum, unmetered bandwidth and documented antidetect integrations make setup quick. Either way: one dedicated IP per account, matched to the account's market. See social media compared.
Research and verification
Rank tracking, ad verification and competitor research run on residential traffic in bursts around campaigns and reports. Geonode's non-expiring, lower per-GB pricing suits that rhythm. Webshare's ZIP targeting helps hyperlocal clients. See SEO compared and ad verification compared.
Separation and cost allocation
- Keep each client's account IPs on their own plan or list, so offboarding a client is clean.
- Tag residential usage by client in your own tooling (for example, separate credentials or session prefixes per client).
- Recharge proxy costs as a line item, using cost per account and cost per report.
Proxy tip: If you need managed scraping rather than raw proxies, Geonode also sells a Scraper API with a free monthly allowance, which Webshare doesn't offer. More in our complete Geonode guide.
A practical agency setup
| Component | Provider |
|---|---|
| Client account IPs (many) | Webshare dedicated static residential |
| Rank tracking and ad checks | Geonode residential |
| Competitor crawling | Webshare datacenter lists |
| Hard pages and SERPs without maintenance | Geonode APIs |
Verdict
Most agencies benefit from both: Webshare for cheap per-account IPs and crawling, Geonode for residential research and managed APIs.
Client cost allocation template
| Client | Account IPs | Residential GB | Datacenter share | Monthly proxy cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client A | 10 (Webshare) | 5 (Geonode) | 10% | |
| Client B | 25 (Webshare) | 20 (Geonode) | 25% | |
| Client C | 3 (Geonode) | 2 (Geonode) | 5% |
Allocate shared datacenter list costs by usage share, and pass costs through or bundle them into retainers.
Standard operating procedures
- New client: create IP allocations, profiles and mappings.
- Monthly: review usage and costs per client.
- Client offboarding: retire profiles, release IPs, revoke credentials.
- Incident: if a provider has problems, switch research traffic to the other.
Budget tip: Many teams end up using both: Webshare for cheap per-IP datacenter and static residential lists, Geonode for per-GB residential traffic that doesn't expire. Start with Webshare geo-targeting.
Selling the setup to clients
Explaining that each account has its own dedicated, location-matched IP and isolated profile reassures clients about account safety, and justifies including proxy costs in your fees.
A real-world example
A 20-person digital agency audits its proxy spend and finds three overlapping providers. It consolidates to two: Webshare for 150 client account IPs and competitor crawling, and Geonode for rank tracking, ad checks and occasional hard pages through the Scraper API. A monthly cost report per client shows exactly what each client's proxy use costs, which is now itemised on invoices.
Webshare and Geonode are two options among many. Our best proxies in 2026 guide explains how to match a proxy type to each task, and cheap proxies that work shows where budget providers fit.
Key takeaways
- Webshare's cheap per-IP pricing suits large numbers of client account IPs.
- Geonode suits residential research, ad checks and managed APIs.
- Separate clients by plan or credentials for clean offboarding and billing.
- Allocate and itemise proxy costs per client.
- Document procedures for onboarding, reviews and incidents.
FAQ
How should an agency separate client proxies?
Separate plans or lists per client, one IP per account, and documented mappings.
Which is cheaper for 200 client accounts?
Webshare, at list prices.
Can agencies resell proxy costs to clients?
Many recharge proxy costs as part of their service. Check each provider's terms on reselling proxies themselves.
How do I explain proxy costs to clients?
Present them as account safety and data collection infrastructure, itemised per client.
Should each client have separate proxy credentials?
Separate plans or credentials per client make offboarding and cost tracking easier.
Which provider is better for white-label reporting?
Both supply proxies; reporting is built on your own tools.
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.