Webshare vs Geonode Residential Proxies: Pool, Price, Targeting and Sessions

At a glance

Background on the proxy type in residential proxies.

Pool size and coverage

Webshare advertises a larger total pool and more countries. Geonode reports IPs active per month, a stricter measure. Pool size claims across the industry aren't measured consistently, so treat them as rough guides. What actually matters:

• IPs available in your target country at the times you run.
• Success rate on your targets.
• Diversity: how many distinct subnets and ISPs you get.

Test both in your key countries; see speed and reliability compared.

Price and billing

Geonode's list prices per GB are lower at every common volume, and its purchased bandwidth doesn't expire. Webshare's residential plans are monthly, so they suit steady usage you can predict. For spiky or seasonal use, Geonode's model wastes less. See pricing compared and bandwidth expiry compared.

Targeting

Both offer country, state, city and ASN targeting. Webshare also offers ZIP targeting, useful for hyperlocal jobs like delivery availability. For most country and city work, they're equivalent. See geo-targeting compared.

Sessions

Geonode advertises sticky sessions up to 24 hours. Webshare supports sessions through a username suffix on its gateway without a published maximum. Residential IPs can drop on either network when devices go offline, so long flows need retries regardless. See sticky sessions compared.

Which targets suit which

Restricted sites and sourcing

Both providers apply rules to protect the people whose connections form the pool. Webshare documents restricted sites with KYC unlocks; Geonode states its IPs come from opt-in partners and applies usage rules. See ethics and sourcing compared.

Verdict

• Choose Geonode for residential-heavy work, irregular usage, long sessions, and lower per-GB cost.
• Choose Webshare if you want residential traffic in the same account as cheap datacenter and static IPs, or need ZIP targeting.
• Test both on your hardest targets before committing volume.

Residential test plan

Signals of a healthy residential pool

• High share of unique IPs in long runs.
• Many distinct subnets and ISPs per country.
• Stable success rates through the day.
• Few provider-side errors.

Measure these on both; they say more about a pool than its advertised size.

Session stability

For sticky flows, record how often the IP changes before the flow ends. A provider with long advertised sessions should show fewer mid-flow changes, but real-world drops depend on device churn in your target country and time of day.

Using both pools

Some teams send each target to whichever pool performs better there, or split traffic between them for diversity. Because both use standard proxy URLs, that's a routing rule rather than a re-architecture.

A real-world example

A team scraping four large retailers runs a two-day test: 500 requests per retailer through each provider's residential pool, in the same US states, with identical code. Success rates are within three points on three retailers; on the fourth, one provider is clearly better. Converting to cost per 1,000 successes, Geonode is cheaper on the first three at list prices, so the team routes those there and sends the fourth retailer to whichever provider won it.

For the bigger picture beyond these two providers, read our best proxies buyer's guide, and see cheap proxies for ways to cut cost per successful request.

Key takeaways

• Webshare advertises a larger total pool and ZIP targeting; Geonode reports monthly active IPs and offers 24-hour sticky sessions.
• Geonode's list price per GB is lower and its bandwidth doesn't expire.
• Pool size claims aren't measured the same way, so test success and diversity yourself.
• Both apply restrictions and sourcing rules to protect residential users.
• Route each target to the pool that wins it on cost per success.

FAQ

Which residential pool is bigger?

Webshare advertises more total IPs; Geonode reports monthly active IPs. They're different measures.

Which is cheaper for residential?

Geonode at list prices, with non-expiring bandwidth.

Do both support SOCKS5 residential proxies?

Yes. Both support SOCKS5; Geonode also lists HTTPS proxy support.

Can I target the same cities on both?

Both support city targeting; check that each has enough IPs online in your cities.

Which is better for long scraping sessions?

Geonode, with published sticky sessions up to 24 hours.

Do both offer HTTPS proxy connections?

Geonode lists HTTPS proxy support; Webshare lists HTTP and SOCKS5.