Webshare is a proxy service provider, based in Covina, California, which is in the San Fran Bay area. Rather than having a reliance on partners, all of its technology is fully developed in house by its team. Here, the emphasis is on cyber security, along with speed.
In fact, these folks make the bold claim that it has the ‘Fastest proxies’- which we can’t quite verify nor refute. Webshare has a global proxy network that gets fully ‘Encrypted and protected’ continuously.
They are certainly a high-volume provider that processes in excess of 250 billion data points each month (yes, that is a billion with a ‘B’) and is used by over 12,000 businesses.
What is Webshare?
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 data center proxies, and to this day, it remains the main driving force of the service.
According to the survey the provider filled out for 2023’s Proxy Market Research, shared proxies generated three-quarters of its revenue in 2022.
Webshare Datacenter Proxies
Webshare’s datacenter proxies come in lists of shared, semi-dedicated, and dedicated IPs or in a fixed-sized proxy pool that periodically rotates.
All four types support HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols. Webshare notes that the proxies run on very fast servers with aggregate network bandwidth of over 100 Gbps.
Additionally, the company offers a free plan with ten static datacenter proxies from four locations, and you get 1 GB of traffic (per month) with max. 50 parallel threads.
Webshare ISP proxies
The ISP proxy offerings are very similar to their datacenter proxy offerings. The subscription type is also similar. They have mentioned a proxy pool of 100k plus proxies with an average uptime of 99.97%. Identical to the datacenter proxies, the aggregate network speed is 100Gbps.
As most of the features are similar to the datacenter offerings, there’s not much to talk about.
The ISP proxy subscription packages also come with additional features like high concurrency, high priority network, unlimited IP authorizations, and verified proxies (available only for Google Search) at extra cost.
Most of the ISP proxies are located in the US. Even though these proxies are static by default, you can choose to rotate them by selecting the rotating proxy option when buying their subscription.
The sticky session is also similar to the other offerings, and you can select a session to be sticky for 15 seconds to 7 days. The idle timeout is also the same, i.e., between 15 seconds to 2 hours.
The individual proxy refreshment is limited to 10 with the list-based plans. You also get the option to allocate proxies to different locations. But you can only allocate to Germany, France, Italy, and the United States now.
| IP count | 100,000+ |
| Locations | Only available in the US |
| IP Rotation | Per request, or full IP-list refresh |
| SOCKS5 | Available |
| Authentication | Credentials and IP whitelist |
Webshare Key Features
The proxies are available in around 40 locations. Most addresses are located in the US, but you can also choose other targets worldwide, including Europe, South America, and Asia. There’s an option to specify how many IPs you want from each location, but there’s no city targeting.
Webshare’s data center proxies come in two formats: a list of static proxies that you optionally share with others and a proxy pool that rotates.
The static data center proxies don’t rotate by default. But you can buy any number of IPs you need and generate an endpoint via Webshare’s dashboard. This way, you’ll get one backconnect address that will automatically shuffle through your list with each connection request. This feature is free, and you won’t need to delve into code.
The rotating plan includes two pools of 50,000 and 200,000 proxies. Webshare charges for traffic, and the addresses come in a backconnect format.
Both the rotating proxies and Webshare’s rotation feature allow you to set a session timeout (time a single proxy connection can stay running) from 15 seconds to up to 7 days, or an idle timeout (inactivity before connection is terminated) up to 2 hours.
You can also set a bandwidth limit ranging from 250 GB/month to unlimited. However, Webshare does impose restrictions on concurrency. By default, your subscription comes with 500 threads with an option to increase the limit to 3,000+ at an additional cost.
One of Webshare’s stand-out features is verified proxy functionality. It gives you proxies that are specifically designed for Google Search and Amazon. You can also request a website of your choice. According to Webshare, more sites will be added in the future.
What’s more, Webshare offers a high priority network feature that will put your requests over others. It’s very useful if your use case is based on real-time applications like gaming or stock trading.
Webshare Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Free trial available | No free trial of higher tiers |
| Available free tier | Less proxy locations |
| Robust speed monitoring | Limited direct support option |
| Emphasis on anonymity | Fewer proxy locations |
| Multiple available tiers |
How Proxies from Webshare Could Be Applied?
Depending on your requirements, Webshare proxies may serve in:
- Web scraping: Residential proxies can offer some advantages, although individual experiences may vary.
- Market research: Gathering data might be facilitated, but the quality of results would depend on multiple variables.
- SEO monitoring: You could track your website’s performance in search engines.
- Social media management: Multiple accounts might be managed from a single location, but individual platform policies should be observed.
- Ad verification: Check how your ads are being displayed while keeping in mind that the proxy is only one element in a more complex process.
- Brand protection: This may aid in protecting intellectual property, but it should not replace a comprehensive brand protection strategy.
Webshare ISP Proxies Pricing Plans
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 get but also bandwidth, refreshes, and additional features like high-priority networks. Depending on the proxy type, the price for each modifier differs.
| Pricing | Premium Proxy | Private Proxy | Dedicated Proxy | Rotating Proxy |
| Format | Subscription (IP + Traffic) | Subscription (IP + Traffic) | Subscription (IP + Traffic) | Subscription (IP + Traffic) |
| Starting Plan | $6 for 100 proxies and 250 GB traffic per month | $23.16 for 25 proxies and 250GB traffic per month | $42 for 20 proxies and 250GB of traffic per month | $46.83 for up to 5,000 IPs per month and 250GB traffic |
The list-based plans use a pay-per-IP pricing structure, while the rotating proxies charge for traffic use. The starting price is small, but the plans scale to thousands of IPs and up to unlimited traffic. You can buy a monthly subscription or pay yearly and get a 30% discount.
All in all, Webshare’s prices are affordable. The provider charges less than most premium or mid-range alternatives if you don’t add additional features.
Conclusion
Webshare could be a strong choice for proxy services. Even after being bought by Oxylabs, Webshare has continued to grow, with over 100,000 users and handling many monthly proxy requests.
They offer a wide range of proxy types, including special verified proxies for better access to sites like Google, making them stand out.
Webshare’s prices are reasonable and flexible, allowing you to customize your plan to fit your needs. They have a help center on their website where you can find most of the answers you need and chat and email support.
The service performs well, with a high success rate for connections and fast responses. There are some downsides, like not being able to target specific cities and some difficulties with dynamic websites like Amazon, where the success rate falls significantly due to strict blocking mechanisms employed.
But overall, Webshare does a good job. They also offer various proxy options, including ISP proxies that can be rotated or kept static.
For anyone looking for a good proxy service, Webshare offers good value, strong performance, and a wide range of options. They use proxies responsibly and ethically, which is great. All things considered, Webshare can definitely be a solid option.