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PROXY PROVIDER COMPARISON

Firecrawlvs Webshare

Webshare offers a capped free shared datacenter tier, paid proxy-count terms and monthly residential GB. Firecrawl offers a recurring free page-credit allowance and managed scrape, search, crawl and MCP tools. Their free tiers test different things: network connectivity and web-data output.

AT A GLANCE · ENTRY OFFER
  • FirecrawlMANAGED API $19per month
  • WebsharePROXY NETWORK $7per GB
  • ProxyLaneRESIDENTIAL PROXIES $1.95350 MB trial

Published entry offers, reviewed 2026-09-14

QUICK VERDICT

Pick by the job,
not the logo

MANAGED API

Choose Firecrawl if

  • Agents that need scrape/search/crawl tools over one shared credit balance
  • Small recurring website ingestion with a published free monthly allowance
PROXY NETWORK

Choose Webshare if

  • A bounded free datacenter connectivity test
  • Teams that need a downloadable proxy list or API-driven proxy configuration
THIRD ROUTE · PROXYLANE

Choose ProxyLane if

  • You can run your own fetcher and parser
  • You want residential traffic instead of per-credit API pricing
  • You want prepaid traffic that never expires
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THREE ROUTES SIDE BY SIDE

What changes
for your workload

Choose how much fetching, rendering and extraction your team wants to own. Fetch the same permitted pages and extract the same fields: one route returns an API result, while the other leaves the HTTP client and parser with your team.

Decision Firecrawl Webshare ProxyLane
Example route for this job FirecrawlScrape API (Markdown/structured output) WebshareResidential proxy gateway ProxyLaneResidential proxy gateway for your own fetcher or browser; no managed scraping API
Charging basisProduct-specific requests, results or creditsTraffic allowance; confirm the selected GB or port planPrepaid GB that never expires
How you payThe free tier refreshes 1,000 credits monthly. Paid plans include monthly credits, with pay-as-you-go top-ups in $5 increments under a configurable limit. Basic scrape/crawl/map costs one credit per page; search costs two per ten results, browser Interact two per minute, and structured formats can add credits. Included-credit rollover depends on plan.Ten shared datacenter proxies are free with a limited monthly bandwidth allowance. Paid datacenter and static residential plans charge by proxy count on monthly or yearly terms; rotating residential charges for a chosen monthly GB allowance. Check plan limits and fair-use terms.350 MB trial for $1.95, then prepaid packages from $6.50/GB for 1 GB down to $2.50/GB for 1 TB. Unused traffic never expires.
Integration workSend authorized requests to Firecrawl's Scrape/Crawl/Search endpoints or configure the official MCP server with an API key via the hosted URL or local FIRECRAWL_API_KEY environment variable. Choose basic Markdown or higher-credit structured/browser modes per job.Download a proxy list from the dashboard or API; the API supports username or source-IP authorization, and residential lists use the backbone endpoint mode.HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 endpoints on three regional gateways: Europe, the Americas and Asia. Export proxy lists in 8 formats for scripts, scrapers and antidetect browsers.
A small or irregular jobUse the 1,000-credit monthly free tier for simple pages and compare the $19 Hobby plan only after pricing search, structured output or browser minutes separately.Try the free datacenter tier for basic connection testing; a residential evaluation needs a paid monthly GB plan.Start with the 350 MB trial for $1.95 or a 1 GB package. Unused traffic never expires.
Browser workflowUse Interact for managed browser minutes when clicks are needed; a basic scrape credit does not buy the same interactive work.Use a listed proxy or residential backbone endpoint in your own browser; the free shared IPs may be blocked by some sites.Sticky sessions from 1 second to 72 hours, with a named session ID for each browser profile.
Connecting an agentConnect the first-party hosted or local MCP server and cap paid-plan top-ups before allowing autonomous crawl or extract loops.Use the official API or webshare-cli to obtain proxy endpoints for an MCP browser/fetch tool you operate; its free datacenter tier is distinct from paid residential traffic.Point your agent's fetcher or browser tool at the proxy endpoint. ProxyLane supplies the network, not a hosted browser.
A growing production workloadTrack credits across endpoints, rate/concurrency limits and rollover terms; higher tiers change both quota and throughput.Choose count-based datacenter/ISP or GB-based residential capacity and verify bandwidth, thread and fair-use limits at the intended plan size.Target by country, region, city, ZIP, ISP or ASN across 195 countries. Larger packages lower the rate to $2.50/GB.
Check before moving
  • Advanced formats and browser interaction consume more credits than a basic page scrape; search and monitor have different meters.
  • Unused included credits on Hobby, Standard and Growth do not roll over; paid-plan pay-as-you-go can add $5 credit increments unless capped or disabled.
  • The 10-proxy free plan is shared datacenter traffic with a monthly bandwidth cap; it is not free residential traffic.
  • Rotating residential plans are billed by selected GB per month, while datacenter and static ISP plans are priced by proxy count.
  • Your team owns fetching, rendering and extraction; there is no managed scraping API.
  • Residential IPs only, with no mobile plans.
THE DECISION

Use each free tier for the question it can answer

Webshare's free shared datacenter proxies can verify client authentication and routing within their monthly bandwidth cap, though some sites may block those IPs. Firecrawl's free credits can test whether Scrape returns usable content from the actual page set. For a residential comparison, move Webshare to its paid monthly GB backbone endpoint and run the same URLs through your crawler, measuring assets, retries and parsed fields against Firecrawl's selected scrape format and credits.

If the task requires site discovery, Firecrawl Map, Search and Crawl tools add managed steps; Webshare's proxy-list API downloads exits for a crawler you operate. Count complete discovered and extracted records on a bounded site section. Webshare static residential/datacenter plans instead count proxies on monthly or yearly terms, a different route for fixed identity. Firecrawl Search and browser Interact draw credits differently from basic page scraping, so choose the actual workflow before comparing either free allowance or paid plan.

IP QUALITY

Give your browser a clean residential IP

ProxyLane offers premium residential IPs with ultra-low fraud scores, from ethically sourced, real devices.

Test your workload for $1.95
Exit IP203.0.113.24Residential ISP
Fraud scoreUltra-low

What a clean IP gets you

  • See fewer CAPTCHAsReal-device IPs trip far fewer challenge pages
  • Keep sessions aliveOne residential IP from sign-in to export
  • Pay for data, not retriesMore of every GB turns into results
PUBLISHED ENTRY OFFERS

What it costs
to start

Advertised starting offers use different products and billing units. Price the matched route before choosing a plan.

Firecrawl

$19per month

Free: 1,000 credits/month, no card. First paid Hobby: $19/month billed monthly or $16/month billed annually for 5,000 credits/month; $5 top-ups on a paid plan provide 1,000 Hobby credits. Prices effective September 4, 2026.

Webshare

$7per GB

Free: 10 shared datacenter proxies with 1 GB/month. Rotating residential starts at a 1 GB monthly plan advertised at $3.50/month under a 50% discount ($7 list rate).

ProxyLane

$1.95350 MB trial

350 MB trial for $1.95. Packages from $6.50/GB for 1 GB down to $2.50/GB for 1 TB, with traffic that never expires.

Try 350 MB for $1.95
BEFORE SWITCHING

Test both routes
on one job

Same targets, same fields. Compare the cost of each usable record. Worksheet

  1. Run one sample

    Same targets on both routes

  2. Count usable records

    Not just 200 responses

  3. Read the fine print

    Minimums, expiry, add-ons

  4. Move one job first

    Keep a rollback ready

RESIDENTIAL PROXY PRICING

Premium Proxies
ready to scale

From $2/GB. Buy the traffic you need, keep it until you use it.

Test our IP quality: 350 MB$1.95

Scale

For growing workloads

$3.90

per GB · Traffic never expires

100 GB$390 total
  • 98.7% low-risk IPs on Scamalytics
  • Real residential devices
  • ≈0.35s average response time
  • One clean IP for up to 72h
  • 195 countries & cities
  • ZIP, ISP & ASN targeting
  • Sub-users with GB limits
Choose Scale

Volume

For high-volume data

$2.50

per GB · Traffic never expires

1 TB$2,500 total
  • 98.7% low-risk IPs on Scamalytics
  • Real residential devices
  • ≈0.35s average response time
  • One clean IP for up to 72h
  • 195 countries & cities
  • ZIP, ISP & ASN targeting
  • Sub-users with GB limits
Choose Volume

Enterprise

For your business, at your scale

Custom

Let's build your setup together

From 5 TBFrom $2 / GB
  • Dedicated Account Manager
  • Teams management
  • Traffic limits per team
  • API / MCP to scale your business and team with AI agents
    ChatGPT Cursor Claude
Let's talk
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Questions before
you choose

Is Firecrawl or Webshare cheaper?

Firecrawl starts at $19 per month (5,000 credits), Webshare at $7 per GB (1 GB monthly plan at list rate). Billing units differ, so compare the cost of a usable record on the same workload, not the headline rate.

What is the main difference between Firecrawl and Webshare?

Choose how much fetching, rendering and extraction your team wants to own. Firecrawl: Scrape API (Markdown/structured output). Webshare: Residential proxy gateway.

Can I test ProxyLane before switching?

Yes. The 350 MB trial costs $1.95 and runs on the same residential network as paid packages. Unused traffic never expires.

Which targeting and sessions does ProxyLane support?

Country, region, city, ZIP, ISP and ASN targeting across 195 countries. Sessions can rotate on every request or stay sticky from 1 second to 72 hours, over HTTP(S) or SOCKS5.

Does ProxyLane offer a managed scraping API?

No. ProxyLane is a residential proxy network for the client, scraper or browser you already run. Your team keeps control of fetching, rendering and parsing.

STILL DECIDING?

Test ProxyLane for $1.95
before you choose

Run the targets you would send to Firecrawl or Webshare. Get 350 MB of residential traffic with sticky sessions up to 72 hours. Keep any unused traffic for later.

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