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PROXY PROVIDER COMPARISON

ScraperAPIvs Webshare

ScraperAPI accepts target URLs through a managed scrape API or proxy mode, with rendering and premium routes. Webshare supplies downloadable proxy lists for shared datacenter, static residential and rotating residential traffic. An existing crawler can use either, but Webshare leaves page handling in your application.

AT A GLANCE · ENTRY OFFER
  • ScraperAPIMANAGED API $49per 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 ScraperAPI if

  • Existing HTTP scrapers that need managed proxy rotation and retries
  • Agents that need a hosted MCP route for scraping and structured-data tools
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 ScraperAPI Webshare ProxyLane
Example route for this job ScraperAPIScraperAPI request API 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 payMonthly credit plans; base requests consume credits and premium routing or rendering can multiply the per-request credit cost. The documentation says 200 and 404 responses and client-cancelled requests may be charged. Free plan offers 1,000 monthly credits and a larger first-week trial; paid plans change concurrent threads and geographic access.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 workPass an API key and target URL to the ScraperAPI endpoint or configure proxy mode for an existing client. For agents, connect the hosted MCP with a bearer header or run the documented local Python/Docker server with a server-side key.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 free credit allowance to measure target cost, then compare $49 Hobby credits after multiplying any premium/render options.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 workflowEnable JavaScript rendering when a plain request misses content; proxy mode in an interactive browser can generate many asset requests and credit charges.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 documented remote MCP endpoint or run the local server; restrict premium escalation and retries to keep credit spend predictable.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 workloadCheck credit use, concurrent-thread caps and paid plan geotargeting before moving a crawler from the trial to production.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
  • Premium proxies, rendering, screenshots and ultra-premium requests consume multiple API credits, so request count is not the same as credit count.
  • The remote MCP requires a bearer API key in client headers; a local Python/Docker setup requires its own running process and key configuration.
  • 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 the same crawler output as the yardstick

On a scheduled catalog crawl, run its current parser through a Webshare rotating residential list and log usable items, bandwidth and failed requests. Send the same URLs to ScraperAPI at base settings; add rendering or premium routing only to pages that need them. Webshare's free shared datacenter tier can be a useful preliminary client check, but it is a different pool with a monthly cap, so it cannot represent paid residential results.

Webshare rotating residential uses monthly GB, whereas datacenter and static ISP plans are priced by proxy count and term. ScraperAPI consumes monthly API credits, with options multiplying usage and certain unsuccessful requests chargeable. Its hosted/local MCP is a managed API route. Webshare's API and CLI can provide a proxy URL for a buyer-operated MCP browser or fetch tool; a first-party Webshare MCP endpoint was not verified in the reviewed sources.

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.

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
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Questions before
you choose

Is ScraperAPI or Webshare cheaper?

ScraperAPI starts at $49 per month (100,000 API 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 ScraperAPI and Webshare?

Choose how much fetching, rendering and extraction your team wants to own. ScraperAPI: ScraperAPI request API. 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 ScraperAPI 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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