What "unlimited" means at each
- Geonode sells unlimited residential plans: residential access without per-GB metering, priced by connection speed. At the time of writing, plans start at $1,800 a month for 200 Mbps and go up to $3,800 for 1,000 Mbps. A one-day trial is available for a fee credited toward an upgrade. See Geonode unlimited residential.
- Webshare doesn't sell unlimited residential. It offers unlimited bandwidth as a setting on proxy lists (datacenter and static residential), subject to a fair usage policy. Its rotating residential traffic is sold in monthly GB plans. See Webshare bandwidth and threads.
Break-even math
Flat-rate residential only pays off at high, steady volume. A rough way to check:
- Convert the plan speed to monthly capacity. 200 Mbps sustained is about 2 TB a day in theory, but real scrapers rarely saturate a link; assume you'll use a fraction.
- Estimate your real monthly residential GB.
- Compare with per-GB prices for that volume.
| Monthly residential use | Per-GB at Geonode list rates | Webshare monthly plans | Unlimited at $1,800 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 GB | Roughly $285 to $360 | Roughly $900 to $1,100 | Too expensive |
| 3 TB | Roughly $1,500 to $1,700 | About $4,200 | Close to break-even |
| 10 TB+ | Roughly $4,200 to $4,600 | Higher | Usually cheaper |
These are illustrative calculations from list prices; real costs depend on tiers, subscriptions and promotions.
When unlimited makes sense
- You move multiple TB of residential traffic every month.
- Your usage is steady (24/7 crawlers, AI data pipelines, large monitoring fleets).
- You can keep the connection busy; idle capacity is wasted money.
When it doesn't
- Usage below a few TB a month.
- Spiky or seasonal workloads.
- Mostly datacenter-friendly targets; use cheap datacenter lists instead.
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 unlimited residential proxies for its full product range.
Unlimited proxy lists (Webshare)
Unlimited bandwidth on Webshare's datacenter or static residential lists is a different tool: it removes bandwidth worries for jobs that run on fixed IPs, such as heavy datacenter scraping or browser automation on static IPs. It doesn't give you residential pool rotation. For many workloads, an unlimited datacenter list plus per-GB residential for hard targets is cheaper than unlimited residential.
Verdict
- Geonode is the only one of the two with true unlimited residential, and it suits very high, steady volumes.
- Webshare's unlimited proxy lists suit heavy datacenter or static-IP workloads.
- Below a few TB of residential per month, per-GB pricing usually wins.
Measuring whether you'd use a flat-rate plan
Before buying unlimited residential, measure:
- Average throughput of your residential traffic over a week (Mbps).
- Peak throughput and how often you hit it.
- Monthly GB used.
If your average is a small fraction of the plan's speed, you'd pay for idle capacity; per-GB is cheaper. If your average sits close to the plan speed most of the day, unlimited likely wins.
Alternatives to unlimited residential
- Unlimited datacenter or static lists (Webshare) for the share of traffic that doesn't need residential.
- Reducing residential bandwidth by blocking resources and fetching JSON.
- Volume pricing on per-GB plans from either provider.
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 rotating residential proxies.
Operational tips if you go unlimited
- Keep the connection busy with a queue that smooths peaks.
- Monitor throughput and success rate continuously.
- Route only residential-needing targets through it; don't waste capacity on lenient sites.
A real-world example
An AI data company moves about 8 TB of residential traffic a month, around the clock. At per-GB list prices, that's several thousand dollars a month. Geonode's 400 Mbps unlimited plan covers their throughput at a flat rate, and the team adds a queue that keeps the link busy evenly. Their lenient-site crawling, which is most of their volume, stays on Webshare datacenter lists with high bandwidth settings.
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. To understand the IP type behind this, read our residential proxies guide.
Key takeaways
- Geonode sells unlimited residential plans priced by speed; Webshare doesn't.
- Webshare's unlimited bandwidth applies to proxy lists, under fair use.
- Flat-rate residential pays off only at high, steady, multi-TB volumes.
- Measure average throughput before buying unlimited.
- Keep lenient-site traffic on cheaper datacenter lists either way.
FAQ
Does Webshare have unlimited residential proxies?
No. Its residential traffic is per GB; unlimited bandwidth is available on proxy lists.
How much is Geonode unlimited residential?
From $1,800 a month at 200 Mbps at the time of writing.
Is unlimited really unlimited?
It's unmetered by GB, but limited by speed and acceptable use. Fair use policies apply on Webshare's unlimited lists.
What happens if I exceed the speed on an unlimited plan?
Throughput is capped at the plan's speed; plan for it with queues and scheduling.
Can I try unlimited residential before buying?
Geonode offers a short paid trial at the time of writing; check current terms.
Is unlimited residential good for small teams?
Rarely. Below a few TB a month, per-GB pricing is usually cheaper.
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.