Outgrown the Free Tier? Here's What to Look For Next
Webshare has built its reputation as a budget-focused provider, largely on the strength of a free entry tier that lets developers test proxy workflows without pulling out a card. That's a genuinely useful on-ramp — but "budget-focused" and "free tier" are also, by definition, describing a starting point rather than a production platform. Once you're running real traffic against real targets, the questions change: how big is the pool, does pricing stay predictable at volume, can you actually get support when something breaks, and is there a path to reselling access if that's part of your business model.
We don't have verified current pricing or pool-size figures for Webshare to compare head-to-head, so this isn't a spec sheet against spec sheet breakdown. It's a look at what BuyProxy offers for teams moving past the testing phase.
What BuyProxy Offers for Production Use
Try the Real Network, Not Just a Sample
Instead of a permanently limited free tier, BuyProxy offers a 5-day free trial on the Pro plan against the full residential network — the same infrastructure you'd use in production, not a scaled-down sample. A card is required, and billing starts only after the trial ends. Start here.
72.8M+ IPs, 195+ Countries, City-Level Targeting
BuyProxy's residential pool spans 72.8M+ IPs across 195+ countries, with city-level geo-targeting available on every plan — not reserved for a higher tier. See targeting options.
Rotating and Sticky Sessions, All Major Protocols
Sessions rotate per request by default or stick to one IP for up to 30 minutes when your workflow needs continuity — logins, checkout flows, multi-step account actions. HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 are all supported natively.
Pricing That Gets Cheaper as You Scale
Pay-as-you-go starts at $1.99/GB with credits that never expire and a 5GB minimum top-up (get a 10% bonus at 100GB+). If you settle into a predictable monthly volume, tiered plans bring the effective rate down — from $30/mo (20GB) up through $300/mo (300GB, roughly $1.00/GB), plus custom Enterprise pricing above that. Full pricing here.
A Dashboard and API Built for Automation
A real-time analytics dashboard tracks bandwidth as you spend it, and a REST API with SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go, PHP, and Ruby means proxy management can live in your codebase instead of a browser tab.
Room to Grow Into a Reseller Model
If part of your roadmap involves reselling proxy access to your own customers, BuyProxy's reseller/white-label program is available starting on the Business plan — something a lot of budget-tier providers don't offer at all.
Where a Free-Tier Provider Like Webshare Still Has a Place
If you just need a handful of proxies to sanity-check a script or learn how proxy authentication works before spending anything, a free tier is genuinely useful, and there's no reason to pay for that stage. The shift to a paid, production-grade platform makes sense once your volume, uptime requirements, or geo-targeting needs outgrow what a free allocation can realistically support.
Migrating Over
Switching providers is typically a matter of updating your gateway hostname and credentials — BuyProxy uses standard HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS5 proxy authentication, so most existing scraper or bot configurations don't need structural changes. Browse setup guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does BuyProxy have a free tier like Webshare?
Not a permanent free allocation — instead, BuyProxy offers a 5-day free trial on the Pro plan against its full 72.8M+ IP network, which is generally more representative of production performance than a small always-free tier.
Is BuyProxy more expensive than Webshare?
We don't have verified current Webshare pricing to compare directly. What's certain is that BuyProxy's pricing is fully transparent — $1.99/GB pay-as-you-go or tiered plans from $30/mo, both published without needing a quote.
Does BuyProxy support sticky sessions?
Yes, up to 30 minutes, alongside standard rotating sessions.
Can I resell BuyProxy proxies to my own customers?
Yes, through the reseller/white-label program on the Business plan and above. See plan details.
What's the minimum I can spend to test BuyProxy?
The 5-day Pro trial is the easiest way to test at no upfront bandwidth cost. On pay-as-you-go, the minimum top-up is 5GB.
The Bottom Line
A free tier is a great place to learn. A 5-day trial against a 72.8M+ IP production network, pay-as-you-go pricing with non-expiring credits, and a reseller path if you want one — that's what BuyProxy offers once you're ready to build something real on top of residential proxies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does BuyProxy have a free tier like Webshare?+
Not a permanent free allocation — instead, BuyProxy offers a 5-day free trial on the Pro plan against its full 72.8M+ IP network, which is generally more representative of production performance than a small always-free tier.
Is BuyProxy more expensive than Webshare?+
We don't have verified current Webshare pricing to compare directly. What's certain is that BuyProxy's pricing is fully transparent — $1.99/GB pay-as-you-go or tiered plans from $30/mo, both published without needing a quote.
Does BuyProxy support sticky sessions?+
Yes, up to 30 minutes, alongside standard rotating sessions.
Can I resell BuyProxy proxies to my own customers?+
Yes, through the reseller/white-label program on the Business plan and above. See plan details.
What's the minimum I can spend to test BuyProxy?+
The 5-day Pro trial is the easiest way to test at no upfront bandwidth cost. On pay-as-you-go, the minimum top-up is 5GB.
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The BuyProxy Team
The BuyProxy team writes about residential proxy infrastructure, geo-targeting, session management, and best practices for scraping and data collection at scale.
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Rotating and sticky sessions, city-level geo-targeting, full HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS5 support.