What market research needs
Researching another market means seeing local prices, assortments, search results, ads and messaging as local buyers do. You need IPs in each market, browser settings that match, and repeatable methods. Provider guides: Webshare for market research, Geonode for market research and Geonode for B2B lead research.
Side by side
| Need | Webshare | Geonode |
|---|---|---|
| Residential countries | 195 | 150+ |
| Datacenter lists by country | 50+ countries | Rotating datacenter with geo-targeting |
| City-level views | City and ZIP | City |
| Manual browsing | Chrome extension | Chrome extension |
| Project-based billing | Monthly plans | Non-expiring per-GB |
| Structured collection | Your own scripts | Scraper, Crawl and Search APIs |
Coverage
Both cover all major markets. Webshare lists more countries for residential traffic, which can matter for research in smaller markets. In practice, check that each provider has enough IPs online in your specific countries at the times you'll work.
Manual vs automated research
- Manual: both providers have Chrome extensions for switching location quickly. Good for qualitative research and spot checks.
- Automated: scripts or no-code workflows through either provider's proxies, or Geonode's APIs if you'd rather receive structured pages and search results.
Billing for research projects
Market research is often project-based: intense for a few weeks, then quiet. Geonode's non-expiring bandwidth means leftover GB stays available for the next project. Webshare's monthly plans suit continuous tracking programs. See bandwidth expiry compared.
Proxy tip: To test the Geonode side of this comparison, a small residential balance from Geonode is enough, and it doesn't expire if you pause. See Geonode for market research for its full product range.
Methods that hold up on either
- Match IP location, browser language, currency and timezone.
- Sample several IPs per market.
- Repeat measurements over time.
- Record date, URL, IP location and screenshots.
Verdict
- Smaller or unusual markets: check Webshare's broader residential country list.
- Project-based research: Geonode, for non-expiring bandwidth and research-friendly APIs.
- Ongoing tracking: either; Webshare's fixed datacenter lists are cheap for lenient competitor sites.
Matching tools to research types
| Research type | Tooling | Provider fit |
|---|---|---|
| Qualitative browsing | Chrome extension | Either |
| Price baskets | Script with country IPs | Webshare datacenter for lenient sites, Geonode residential for protected ones |
| Search landscape | SERP collection | Geonode residential or Search API |
| Competitor messaging | Screenshots per market | Either |
| Site-wide competitor analysis | Crawling | Webshare datacenter or Geonode Crawl API |
Running a study on a budget
- Use Webshare's free plan to build scripts.
- Run lenient-site collection on a small Webshare datacenter list.
- Buy a Geonode residential balance sized to the protected sites, and keep leftovers for the next study.
- Store results with dates and locations for reuse.
Budget tip: The cheapest way to settle this comparison is to test both: Webshare has a free datacenter plan, and Geonode offers a low-cost residential trial. Run the same targets through each. See Webshare for market research.
Presenting findings
Always state where and when data was collected, and from what type of IP. Readers trust cross-market comparisons more when the methodology is visible.
A real-world example
A consultancy runs an eight-week pricing study in six Latin American countries for a client. They use Webshare's Chrome extension for early qualitative browsing, a Webshare datacenter list for competitor sites, and a Geonode residential balance for large local retailers. Leftover residential bandwidth carries over to the next client study a month later, so nothing is wasted between projects.
If you're still shortlisting, compare this setup with the options in our best proxies guide, and use our cheap proxies guide to estimate what a sensible budget looks like.
Key takeaways
- Both cover major markets; Webshare lists more residential countries.
- Both offer Chrome extensions for manual research.
- Geonode's non-expiring bandwidth suits project-based studies.
- Geonode's APIs help with structured collection.
- Match IP, language, currency and timezone, and repeat measurements.
FAQ
Which provider covers more countries?
Webshare lists 195 residential countries; Geonode lists 150+.
Can I do market research without coding?
Yes, with either provider's Chrome extension for manual browsing.
Are datacenter proxies enough for market research?
For many competitor sites, yes. For search results, ads and large retailers, use residential.
How do I research B2B markets?
Use datacenter IPs for company sites and directories, and residential for platforms that block them.
Can I use these proxies for surveys?
Proxies aren't needed to run surveys; they help you observe websites and search results in other markets.
Which provider is better for one-off studies?
Geonode's non-expiring bandwidth suits one-off and project-based work.
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.