Webshare Review
Freemium access, flexible subscription management, and empowering user interface make Webshare a strong choice for users of all sizes.
Webshare is an up-and-coming provider that focuses on building a strong and competitively priced static proxy infrastructure. It’s a go-to choice for nearly 60,000 paying users and even Fortune 500 companies.
What distinguishes Webshare from other proxy companies? The provider offers freemium datacenter proxies, absolute self-service to its customers, and customizable subscription management, from IP refresh frequency to freely available proxy rotation even for its static proxy lists.
Is Webshare worth considering? Let’s find out.
News about Webshare
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By Adam Dubois
- Provider News
General Information
Webshare is a Silicon Valley-based company founded in 2018 by Utku Zihnioglu. At the end of 2022, the company was acquired by another major proxy and web data collection provider Oxylabs. But the deal didn’t impact the way Webshare operates, and it still remains a separate entity.
Webshare first sold only datacenter proxies, and to this day, it remains the driving force behind the service. According to a survey the provider filled out for 2023’s Proxy Market Research, shared proxies generated three-quarters of its revenue in 2022.
The provider also offers ISP proxies and residential IP addresses. So, it’s logical to expect mobile proxies in the long run, and maybe even some web scraping tools.
Webshare positions itself as an affordable proxy provider and stays true to its claims for the datacenter and residential proxies. The company primarily targets entry and mid-level clients.
Even though the provider is a newcomer, it managed to sweep use cases like e-commerce scraping, multiple account management, and general-purpose web scraping. Webshare doubled its revenue in 2022 and had ambitious plans to reach the same goal for 2023.
However, some live communication would be a nice touch – now you can reach Webshare’s customer support only via email, and its three social media profiles – X. Corp (former Twitter), LinkedIn and Facebook – are stone dead.
Webshare Proxy Networks
Webshare offers three kinds of proxy servers:
- Datacenter proxies from around 40 countries in six continents. They come in lists of shared, semi-dedicated, dedicated IPs, and a special plan that includes Google-verified proxies.
- ISP proxies that are mostly located in the US and take the same formats (excluding the special plan).
- Residential proxies from real user devices around the world.
We cover individual proxy types in the expandable drop-downs below:
Datacenter
Webshare’s datacenter proxy service comes in four flavors:
- Shared, which provides access to a list of proxies that you share with more than two people. It’s the cheapest option but also most prone to abuse.
- Private, where the proxies are shared with up to two other people. Naturally, they cost slightly more and can be expected to perform slightly better.
- Dedicated, which gives you exclusive control over your IP list.
- Verified, which includes shared proxies that Webshare constantly checks for Google compatibility. If they get blocked, the provider will replace affected proxies free of charge.
Webshare compares the effectiveness of verified IPs to web unblockers (scraping APIs that take the form of proxy servers). We don’t really buy this, as unblockers do much more than plain proxies.
Pool Size & Coverage
Over 40 freely selectable countries to choose from.
Webshare’s datacenter proxies are available in around 40 locations. The concrete number changes based on stock availability and service type. The private and dedicated proxies had fewer locations when we checked them, but the number still exceeded 30. Having said that, some had under 50 IPs available.
Many of the IP addresses are based in the US, but you can also choose targets from five other continents, mostly Europe. There’s an option to specify how many IPs you want from each country, but you can’t go further and select individual cities.
Features
Many customization options.
Webshare’s datacenter proxies are static by default, but the dashboard also gives you tools to rotate the IP list with every connection request if needed.
Unlike some other datacenter proxy vendors, Webshare takes a modular approach to functionality. The basic options limit traffic and threads, and you can increase or even lift these limits by paying extra. There’s also an interesting checkbox that gives you network priority over other users, potentially decreasing latency.
Webshare’s modular approach extends to list refresh functionality. In addition to the standard options of keeping your list or updating it with a new subscription cycle, you can freely choose:
- how often automatic list refreshes should occur, up to every five minutes,
- how many on-demand refreshes you need, up to 50 or more,
- how many individual IPs you’ll want to replace, up to 2,500 or more.
This flexibility enables interesting configurations. For example, you can get a plan with ten proxies and choose to automatically refresh the list every ten minutes. This will give you access to a large pool of IPs over time. It’s great to have so much choice.
Integration & Use
Direct and gateway access available.
Webshare’s datacenter proxies can integrate either directly as a simple proxy list, or using a backconnect gateway address. In theory, the list should be faster (fewer middlemen), but it doesn’t rotate.
If you choose the backconnect method, Webshare will give you the same address and port number, and then you’ll choose different IPs by modifying the username: USERNAME-1, USERNAME-2, and so on. Rotation with every connection request adds -rotate to the username.
Authentication through an IP address generates different port numbers for each IP, without you needing to enter a username and password. This applies both to direct and gateway connections.
Pricing Plans
Can be extremely cheap if you don't need the bells and whistles.
Webshare uses a subscription-based pricing model, but it isn’t quite the same as what customers are used to seeing. That’s because you get full control of your subscription.
The price considers not only the number of proxies you buy but also bandwidth, refreshes, and additional features like high priority network. Depending on the proxy type, the cost for each modifier differs.
The plans use a pay-per-IP pricing structure. An IP’s cost can be absurdly low, letting you buy 100 shared IPs for less than 3 cents each. But at this point, you’ll probably want more traffic and threads, in which case the cost rises to more respectable $.21/IP.
Even the Verified proxy product is surprisingly affordable, especially considering that Webshare undertakes to replace IPs for free. However, fully decked-out dedicated proxy servers rival premium providers like Oxylabs and Bright Data in price.
While Webshare has a list of plans it recommends, you can also get a custom amount of proxies – sometimes as few as one. There are price floors in place, so this approach is often less economical than going large.
All in all, Webshare’s prices are extremely affordable if you’re careful with the extra functionality. The provider charges less than most premium or mid-range alternatives.
Performance Benchmarks
Reliable infrastructure performance.
We last tested Webshare’s datacenter proxies in March 2024, for the annual Proxy Market Research. We used a Verified plan with 10 IPs that refreshed every five minutes.
#1: Infrastructure performance
We ran 50,000 connection requests using US-located shared proxies. Our computer was in the US. We targeted a global CDN – it pinged a server nearest to the proxy IP and had a response size of several kilobytes.
Webshare had a great success rate, proving that its datacenter proxies rarely fail. However, the response time was on the slower side – competitors like Oxylabs and Bright Data completed requests over twice faster.
#2: Download speed
We tested 10 IPs using Hetzner’s 100 MB Ashburn benchmark.
The proxies had fast download speed on average and should be enough for bandwidth-intensive tasks. Having said that, the slowest of the 10 IPs was less performant that what we’d have preferred.
#3: Performance with popular targets
We made ~2,600 connection requests to each target using US proxies and a non-headless Python scraper. Our computer was located in the US. Note that your results may differ based on your web scraping setup.
ISP (Static Residential)
Webshare’s ISP proxies follow the same conventions as the datacenter product. You can buy a list of IPs that are shared with many people, up to two other people, or no one but yourself.
Webshare doesn’t sell verified ISP proxies yet, but it’d be logical to expect this option in the future.
Pool Size & Coverage
Mostly in the US for now.
When we last checked in June 2024, Webshare had ISP proxies in only two locations. The majority were concentrated in the US, without an option to choose a particular city or ISP.
Features
Very flexible, especially when it comes to IP refresh.
Webshare’s ISP proxies are static by default, but they can also rotate using an option provided in the dashboard.
The base configuration imposes various limits on traffic, threads, and even network priority. You can lift them by paying extra. This may seem unsavory for some, but it can save you a lot of money if you don’t need the full deal.
Webshare’s modular approach also affects refresh options. You’re allowed to freely select:
- how often automatic list refreshes should occur, up to every five minutes,
- how many on-demand refreshes you need, up to 50 or more,
- how many individual IPs you’ll want to replace, up to 2,500 or more.
This flexibility unlocks interesting configurations. Instead of buying a fixed list, you can get a plan with ten proxies and automatically refresh the list every ten minutes. This will give you access to a large pool of IPs over time.
Integration & Use
Optional rotation available.
You can get direct access to the ISP proxies, or use them behind a backconnect gateway server. The first method should be faster, but it can’t use Webshare’s in-built rotation.
Authentication through an IP address generates different port numbers for each IP, without you needing to enter a username and password. This applies both to direct and gateway connections.
Pricing Plans
Very cheap shared and semi-shared plans.
Webshare follows the same pricing logic here as with its datacenter proxies. The plans are either IP or traffic-based, and different modifiers add up to the price.
In a broader context, Webshare outprices most cheaper alternatives like IPRoyal if you disable all the toggles. All in all, these proxies are a pretty good deal.
Performance Benchmarks
High success rate, major US ISPs.
We last tested Webshare’s ISP proxies in November 2023, for the ISP proxy research. Our plan included 5,000 shared IPs in the US.
#1: Pool quality
* IP2Location database, Usage type data point, ISP, ISP/MOB, MOB IPs.
** Comcast, Charter, AT&T, Verizon, Cox, Altice, Lumen (CenturyLink), Frontier, Mediacom, Astound (RCN).
The IP2Location database identified few of the proxies as belonging to landline or mobile internet companies. While not ideal, it shouldn’t cause issues with many websites – they tend to focus on the ASN data point.
Here, Webshare didn’t disappoint: every single one of its 5,000 IPs was associated a top 10 US internet service provider.
#2: Infrastructure performance
We made ~780,000 requests over 7 days. Our computer was located in Germany. We targeted a global CDN – it pinged a server nearest to the proxy IP and had a response size of several kilobytes.
Webshare’s ISP proxies barely ever failed on their own. They also had a fast response time, especially considering that we connected from Germany to the US.
Note that using a gateway server instead of direct connection added nearly 200 MS of latency. If speed is a concern, it might be a good idea to set up your own rotation logic.
Residential
Residential proxies are the latest addition to Webshare’s line-up. They probably come from Oxylabs, which explains the large proxy pool.
Pool Size & Coverage
Many countries, few filtering options.
Webshare advertises to control around 30 million IPs from real devices. Of course, this being a residential proxy network, only some of the proxies are available at a given time.
You can choose from most locations around the world, but available filtering options end at the country level. City, ASN, or ZIP level targeting aren’t supported at this time.
Features
Two rotation options, limitations that can be lifted.
Webshare’s residential proxies can rotate with every connection request, and it’s also possible to establish sticky sessions. However, you can’t choose their custom duration.
The default configuration gives you 500 threads to work with. The number isn’t high, but it’s possible to increase it by paying extra. In the same way, you can enable network priority, which in theory should make the connection faster.
Integration & Use
Multiple protocols and authentication methods.
Like all residential proxy networks, Webshare uses a backconnect gateway address. You send requests to it, and the gateway automatically chooses which end-user IP to connect through.
To access the network, you can use either credentials or whitelist an IP. The first option modifies the username to reflect your configuration: country filtering adds, for example, -us, and sticky sessions add a number. It’s interesting that you can select multiple countries at once – not every provider supports this.
Whitelisted IP authentication removes the need for a username and password. This way, you choose your settings on the dashboard (countries, rotation), and Webshare generates different ports for sticky sessions. It’s possible to have only one active configuration using the whitelisted approach.
The SOCKS5 protocol is supported, but it only accepts TCP traffic (no UDP).
Pricing Plans
Competitive in lower ranges.
With the residential proxies, you won’t pay per IP; instead, Webshare charges for traffic. The price depends on additional features like network priority, threads, and unlimited IP authorization.
Webshare used to charge the same price per unit ($15/GB) as premium providers like Oxylabs and Bright Data. But after cutting down the price by half, it now stands next to the affordable companies like Smartproxy and IPRoyal.
Overall, Webshare has competitive prices, especially at the lower end. The rates drop at scale, so the proxies can be a viable choice for large use cases, too. But the competition toughens into hundreds of gigabytes, and some options scale better at one terabyte and up.
Performance Benchmarks
Large pool, great infrastructure success rate, mediocre response time.
We last tested Webshare’s residential proxies in March 2024, for the annual Proxy Market Research.
#1: Pool size & composition
* IP2Location database, Usage type data point, ISP, ISP/MOB, MOB IPs.
** Combines Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands.
#2: IP quality
We checked 20,000 proxies in the Global pool and 10,000 proxies in the US using the IPQualityScore database.
While Webshare’s residential pool didn’t have the lowest fraud score, the results were solid. It’s safe to say that these proxies aren’t abused very much, especially compared to providers like IPRoyal.
#3: Infrastructure performance
This benchmark shared the same parameters as the pool test. Our scraper was located in Germany for the Global pool, and we also had scrapers in the US and Singapore for individual country pools. We targeted a global CDN – it pinged a server nearest to the proxy IP and had a response size of several kilobytes.
The residential proxy network had a very high success rate that’s near the top of our benchmarks. They worked especially well in the US and European locations. However, Webshare’s response time was on the slower side.
#4: Performance with popular targets
We made ~2,600 connection requests to each target using US-filtered proxies. Our computer was located in the US. Note that your results may differ based on your web scraping setup.
The proxies performed very well with Amazon and the social media network. They did face some issues with Google though, where nearly a third of the requests failed. For context, the best-performing providers managed to reach over 90% success rate with the same scraper configuration.
How to Use Webshare
Registration
All Webshare’s products can be bought through self-service. So it won’t take long to set up. You’ll have to fill in a registration form, confirm your email, and you’re in.
Dashboard
Webshare’s dashboard includes everything you need to manage your proxies. You can see what type of plan you have, there’s a section for subscription management, proxy setup, usage statistics, and API documentation.
Subscription Management
First things first, Webshare allows only one active plan at a time. It means you won’t be able to buy different proxy products. So, this could be a setback if you need to use different types of proxies. A way out is to create another account under a different email address.
The provider supports complete self-service for all its proxies. Subscription management is divided into three parts: My Plan, Browse Plan, and Invoices.
Browse Plans tab is where you build your subscription. Here you can choose the proxy type, the number of proxies you need, and bandwidth. Webshare gives its customers a unique opportunity to see how many IPs are available in each country.
The provider also offers different refresh options – automatic, on-demand, and individual IP replacements. If you need additional features like IP authorization, unlimited threads and higher network uptime, you can add them as well. Let’s take the residential proxy example. Without the named features you would pay $7/GB, but when you enable the toggles, the dashboard calculates a different price which is $20.62/GB.
After you’re done building your plan, you can see all the necessary information under My Plan. It displays the fee, your wallet balance, and other plan details. In any case, you can customize your choices after the purchase.
Finally, the Subscription tab has a separate section for invoices where you can add or change your billing information, and see transaction history.
Proxy Management
Setting up proxies on Webshare is easy enough. You can simply navigate to the Proxy tab and choose one of three options: list, rotating proxy, or settings.
The List tab shows your proxy list. Here, you can select an authentication method (IP or credentials), proxy type (HTTP or SOCKS5), and connection method (direct or backbone). Also, depending on your subscription, you can replace your proxies with a single click. You can then export the generated list.
If you want to rotate your static proxy list, go to the Rotating Proxy tab. This feature will assign you a new IP address from your proxy list whenever a request is made. IPs are shuffled automatically, so you don’t have to do it by hand.
You can rotate the address by creating an endpoint. Fill in the proxy address, port, username and password, and you’re good to go. The page also includes configuration examples in eight popular programming languages.
Under Settings, you can see replaced IP addresses, IP authorization, and general information. Here, you also configure your session and idle timeout durations.
Usage Tracking
You’ll find the usage graphs in the dashboard.
Webshare has visual usage graphs in the dashboard that include proxy and bandwidth usage, as well as error ratio. It’s pretty useful that you can see how many requests you’ve made in total, and the number of proxies you’ve used. Additionally, you can filter the graphs by date.
API Access
If you want to access your proxies programmatically, Webshare offers an API available to every customer. The API comes with features covering various aspects of the service.
Its functions include registration and login, managing notifications, creating user profiles and sub-users, setting traffic limits, viewing proxy configurations, and more. The API also provides code examples in cURL and major programming languages like Python and JavaScript.
Documentation
If you need help, your first resource should be Webshare’s Help Center page. It includes three sections: billing and payments, set up and proxy configuration, as well as proxy issues. Each has articles with answers and instructions.
Else, there’s a Help button at the bottom of your dashboard. You can quickly find the same answers by typing your inquiry. For example, you can search for “refresh my proxy list” and get a list of suggested articles.
Hands-On Support
Customers can reach Webshare by email or live chat. The latter option is available only when logged in and has a chatbot as the first line of support. It’s available 24/7; if the bot fails to help you, the provider’s customer support agents work 24/5.
According to Webshare’s website, the agents responds to each request within 24 hours. That’s quite long if you’re having trouble using their services. However, we’ve found that at least for basic queries, the chatbot is actually useful at giving relevant answers.
Conclusion
Even though Webshare is a newcomer in the proxy market, it came with a blast offering something that veteran providers couldn’t manage to implement over the years. And that something is a flexible pricing model and absolute self-service.
Webshare mainly focuses on datacenter proxy infrastructure, but its residential and ISP proxy networks can easily compete with some premium and mid-range proxy providers.
The provider tries to make the user experience as easy as possible, so even beginners will find the service fitting. But this comes out of necessity since Webshare doesn’t have 24/7 customer support.
Praises aside, Webshare doesn’t have many features. You won’t be able to target cities, states or ASNs, its ISP products have poor location coverage, and additional features cost extra. In general, it might not be the best option for location-sensitive use cases.
Otherwise, Webshare is one of the better entry choices in the market. Its shared datacenter, residential, and ISP proxies showed great results during our tests, and the plans are accessible to users of all sizes.
Webshare Alternatives
Smartproxy offers a robust residential & mobile proxy infrastructure with more features. The service targets mid-sized customers and goes the extra mile for customer service.
Oxylabs’ service may be less customizable by yourself compared to Webshare. But it offers a huge network of proxies, great performance, and a more personal touch.
Rayobyte has a robust datacenter and ISP proxy infrastructure with many features out of the box. It is pricier at the lower end but scales well at hundreds of GBs.
Recommended for:
Anyone looking for affordable and fully-customizable proxy services.
