PacketStream sources its residential IPs from a peer-to-peer network: everyday users run the PacketStream app and get paid $0.10/GB to share unused bandwidth. KnoxProxy runs a dedicated, actively maintained residential pool instead, so your traffic doesn't depend on a stranger's laptop staying online. Both sit near the cheap end of the market, but the sourcing model changes what you can expect from uptime.
Choose KnoxProxy if you need predictable uptime, ASN-level targeting, and 2xx-only billing for scraping jobs that run around the clock. Choose PacketStream if list price is your top priority and you can tolerate a peer-to-peer network where some sessions drop when a bandwidth sharer's device goes offline.
| KnoxProxy | PacketStream | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential pool | 90.4M | Not publicly disclosed |
| Residential price /GB | $2.10 PAYG | $1.00 PAYG |
| IP sourcing model | Dedicated residential pool | Peer-to-peer (household app) |
| Failed-request billing | Never billed | Metered per GB, retry policy not published |
| Countries | 195 | 190+ |
| City / ASN targeting | City + ASN, all plans | City-level only, no published ASN targeting |
| Protocols | HTTP/S, SOCKS5 | HTTP/S, SOCKS |
| KYC to start (buyers) | None -- email + card | None documented for buyers |
| Free trial / risk reversal | Instant signup, 14-day money-back | Free trial advertised, reported as contact-required |
| Task | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Scraping jobs that run unattended overnight | KnoxProxy | Dedicated pool avoids drops when a household sharer's device goes offline |
| Small-budget test projects | PacketStream | Lowest published list price in the category at $1.00/GB PAYG |
| ASN-level ad verification or fraud checks | KnoxProxy | ASN targeting ships on every plan; PacketStream documents city-level only |
| One-off, low-volume geo-unblocking | PacketStream | Flat per-GB rate with no commitment fits occasional, small jobs |
Provider marketing sells the biggest number on the page. Buyers should buy the smallest one that matters: cost per successful request on their own targets. List price, billing rules, success rate, and how much of the product your tier actually unlocks all feed it.
A rigged table is worthless to a buyer and obvious to a reviewer.
Pool size and pool quality are different axes. A large pool of recycled, previously flagged addresses can lose to a smaller, well-maintained one on your actual targets. Compare the numbers below, then verify with your own benchmark -- ask about IP hygiene, not headcount.
Score both finalists on all five, weight by what your program values, and the winner is usually obvious -- and defensible to whoever signs off.
The protocol is identical -- host, port, credentials. The migration isn't hard; the discipline is running both in parallel long enough to trust the numbers on your real workload.
Point host and credentials at gw.knoxproxy.com and update your secret store or config file. The proxy protocol is unchanged, so no code rewrite is needed.
Replace PacketStream's country and city parameters with KnoxProxy's country, city, and ASN flags. ASN targeting is a new capability, not just a syntax swap.
Split traffic 10/90 between providers, compare per-target success for about a week, then move the remainder once KnoxProxy proves out on your workload.
Yes, if you need a dedicated residential pool instead of a peer-to-peer network. KnoxProxy charges $2.10/GB against PacketStream's $1.00/GB, but traffic runs on maintained infrastructure instead of household devices that can go offline mid-session, and 2xx-only billing means failed requests never add to that cost.
Yes, on list price. PacketStream charges $1.00/GB pay-as-you-go versus KnoxProxy's $2.10/GB residential rate. KnoxProxy's 2xx-only billing means failed requests cost nothing, which narrows the effective gap on jobs that hit blocks often, especially against anti-bot targets where PacketStream's peer-to-peer sessions can also drop mid-request.
The PacketStream app lets people install software on their own devices and share unused bandwidth for $0.10/GB. That peer-to-peer sourcing funds PacketStream's low rate, but it also means sessions depend on individual devices staying online and connected, unlike KnoxProxy's dedicated pool, which does not rely on a stranger's laptop.
PacketStream documents city-level geo-targeting across 190+ countries but does not publish ASN-level targeting. KnoxProxy includes both city and ASN targeting on every plan at no extra tier, which matters for ad verification and fraud-detection work that needs carrier-specific IPs rather than just a city match.
No. Both use standard HTTP and SOCKS proxy protocols, so most teams just swap the gateway host and credentials, plus rebuild any city or ASN targeting parameters. Run both providers in parallel for about a week, compare success and cost on your own targets, then cut over fully.
PacketStream advertises a free trial, but some reviews note it isn't fully self-serve and may require contacting the team directly before access starts. KnoxProxy skips that step entirely: sign up, add a card, and get a 14-day money-back guarantee with no sales call required.
PacketStream's Packeter program pays people $0.10/GB for sharing unused home bandwidth. This is what makes the $1.00/GB buyer price possible, but it also ties proxy reliability to how often individual sharers stay connected, which is the tradeoff KnoxProxy's dedicated, actively maintained pool is built to avoid.
Point host and credentials at gw.knoxproxy.com and update your secret store or config file. The proxy protocol is unchanged, so no code rewrite is needed. Most teams run both providers in parallel for about a week, comparing per-target success, before cutting over fully.
Nothing beyond the gateway host and credentials changes -- the underlying proxy protocol (HTTP/S and SOCKS5) is the same, so your existing scraping code, retry logic, and session handling keep working as-is. Most teams simply point requests at gw.knoxproxy.com and run both providers in parallel for a few days before cutting over fully.
Yes. Enterprise plans include signed MSAs, standard invoicing, committed-use volume discounts, and a named account manager once usage passes 1 TB/mo. Below that threshold, every account still gets self-serve PAYG pricing, 2xx-only billing, and 24/7 live chat support, so enterprise-grade terms and everyday self-serve billing sit on the same platform.
Competitor specs re-verified quarterly against public rate cards. Found an error? Tell us -- we fix within 48h.
Test against your real targets -- same endpoints, your benchmark, 14-day money-back guarantee.