Side by side
| Rayobyte | Webshare | |
|---|---|---|
| Lenient shops | Rotating datacenter, $0.30/GB | Datacenter lists, about 3 cents per IP |
| Medium protection | Rotating ISP | Static residential lists |
| Protected retailers | Premium Residential, cheaper from about 50 GB | Rotating residential plans |
| ZIP-level prices | Yes | Yes |
| Hardest retailers | Web Unblocker, Scraping API | None |
At the time of writing. See Rayobyte for price monitoring and Webshare for price monitoring.
Example: 1.5 million checks a month
At 100 KB per check (150 GB), with 75% on lenient shops:
- Lenient (112 GB): a Webshare list of a few hundred IPs with a suitable bandwidth allowance is usually cheapest; Rayobyte rotating datacenter would cost about $31.
- Protected (38 GB): about $100 on Rayobyte if you buy 50 GB at $2; a Webshare plan of similar size costs in the same range.
The cheapest setup usually pairs Webshare lists for lenient shops with Rayobyte residential for protected retailers, plus the Web Unblocker for the few that defeat both.
ZIP pricing
Both offer ZIP targeting on residential. Pair it with each retailer's own store or ZIP setting in a short sticky session.
Residential tip: A common split is Webshare for cheap per-IP lists and Rayobyte for residential traffic, mobile IPs or managed scraping. Our Rayobyte for price monitoring covers each Rayobyte product.
A real-world example
A consumer electronics brand monitors 3,000 products at 45 retailers for price and stock. Thirty-five retailers accept datacenter IPs and run on a Webshare list. Ten large retailers need residential; at about 40 GB a month, the brand buys 50 GB from Rayobyte at the $2 tier ($100). Four of those retailers show store-level prices, so the brand uses ZIP targeting plus each site's store selector within a short sticky session.
Scheduling by volatility
| Product type | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Promotional and fast-moving items | Hourly |
| Core range | Daily |
| Slow-moving items | Weekly |
Pros and cons for price monitoring
Rayobyte
- Cheaper residential for protected retailers at volume.
- Rotating ISP for speed-sensitive checks.
- Web Unblocker for retailers that block everything.
Webshare
- The cheapest lists for lenient shops.
- ZIP targeting on residential.
- No managed fallback.
Budget tip: To test the Webshare side of this comparison, start with Webshare's free plan: 10 datacenter proxies and 1 GB a month with no card. See Webshare for price monitoring.
Bottom line
Webshare lists for the long tail of lenient shops, Rayobyte for the big protected retailers.
For the bigger picture beyond our three partners, read our best proxies buyer's guide, and see cheap proxies for ways to cut cost per successful request.
Proxy tip: If your residential usage goes up and down, compare Geonode: its per-GB residential bandwidth doesn't expire, so you only pay for what you use. See Geonode for price monitoring.
Key takeaways
- Webshare's lists are the cheapest base for lenient retailers.
- Rayobyte is cheaper for protected retailers at volume and adds rotating ISP and managed tools.
- Both offer ZIP targeting for local prices.
- Route by retailer.
FAQ
Which is cheaper for price monitoring?
Webshare for lenient shops; Rayobyte for protected retailers at volume.
Can both monitor prices by ZIP?
Yes.
What if a retailer blocks everything?
Use Rayobyte's Web Unblocker or Scraping API for that retailer.
How do I catch block pages?
Validate prices against expected ranges and check for an element you expect on the page.
Which handles store-level prices?
Both, via ZIP targeting plus the retailer's own store setting.
How do I keep costs down?
Fetch JSON endpoints, schedule by volatility and keep lenient shops on cheap lists.
Sources and further reading
Independent references that back up the points above, from standards bodies, governments, universities and non-profits. They open in a new tab.
- Bandwidth (computing) (Wikipedia): What bandwidth means, the unit most residential proxies are priced by.
- Downloader Middleware (Scrapy documentation): Scrapy's documentation for the middleware where proxy rotation lives.
- Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales (US Census Bureau): Official US e-commerce sales data, the market price monitoring watches.
- RFC 6585: Additional HTTP Status Codes (429 Too Many Requests) (IETF / RFC Editor): Defines status 429, the code sites send when you make too many requests.
- IPv4 Depletion and Transfers (ARIN): Background on IPv4 run-out, which is why IPv4 proxies cost more than IPv6.
Editorial note: Proxy providers change their pools, features and prices often, so treat any figures here as typical ranges at the time of writing and confirm current terms with the provider before you buy.