Webshare built its name on datacenter proxies and a generous free tier before adding residential as a second product line. KnoxProxy runs residential first, with 90.4M IPs and 2xx-only billing as the core pitch. Which fits depends on whether traffic is mostly residential or mostly datacenter.
For residential scraping at real volume, KnoxProxy's larger pool, lower per-GB price, and 2xx-only billing are the stronger fit. For datacenter-heavy workloads or a free way to test integration code, Webshare's 10 free proxies and datacenter catalog depth are hard to beat. Teams running mixed traffic often use whichever pool fits each job.
| KnoxProxy | Webshare | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential pool | 90.4M | ~30M |
| Residential price /GB | $2.10 PAYG (to $1.10) | ~$3.30 |
| Datacenter catalog depth | Smaller, from $0.02/IP | One of the largest datacenter catalogs in the market |
| Permanent free tier | ||
| Failed-request billing | Never billed (2xx-only) | Billed per connection |
| City / ASN targeting | All plans, 195 countries | Country and city; ASN not standard on all plans |
| API simplicity | Standard proxy endpoints | API-first dashboard, straightforward REST |
| Support | 24/7 chat, median 4 min | Support available |
| Concurrency | Unlimited | Plan-based limits |
| Task | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Production residential scraping at scale | KnoxProxy | Residential is KnoxProxy's core product; Webshare's residential is newer, built on top of a datacenter-first stack |
| Testing proxy integration code with zero budget | Webshare | 10 free proxies validate a client library or small script before spending anything |
| Datacenter-heavy workloads | Webshare | Deeper datacenter pool priced for exactly this use case -- the provider's original strength |
| Straightforward REST API integration | Benchmark both | Both document a simple request-based API. The deciding factor is which fits your stack, not a capability gap. |
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.
Webshare supports IP-whitelist and username/password auth. Export the current list -- KnoxProxy uses username/password credentials rather than IP whitelisting by default.
If your Webshare setup mixes datacenter and residential, split the migration. Move residential to KnoxProxy first (largest cost/pool gap); evaluate datacenter separately.
Webshare's concurrency limits vary by tier. KnoxProxy's unlimited concurrency may change how your request pipeline behaves -- re-test to confirm.
Webshare started datacenter-first and added residential later. Its datacenter catalog is deep, but residential is newer versus KnoxProxy's 90.4M+-IP residential-first pool.
The 10 free proxies are real working datacenter proxies -- good for validating code. For production residential scraping, most teams move to a paid plan.
KnoxProxy at $2.10/GB vs Webshare's ~$3.30/GB. The gap narrows if your workload is mostly datacenter, where Webshare's pricing is more competitive.
Not meaningfully. Both expose straightforward HTTP-based proxy endpoints. Pick based on pricing and pool fit, not API complexity.
Webshare supports IP-whitelist and username/password auth. Export the current list -- KnoxProxy uses username/password credentials rather than IP whitelisting by default. 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 proxy protocol is the same, so your existing scraping code, retry logic, and session handling keep working.
Enterprise plans include MSAs, invoicing, committed-use discounts, and a named account manager from 1 TB/mo.
Competitor specs re-verified quarterly against public rate cards. Found an error? Tell us -- we fix within 48h.
Free trial against your real targets -- same endpoints, your benchmark, no credit card.