Side by side
| Job | Rayobyte | Webshare |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout | Static ISP, $5/IP, unmetered | Static residential, about $0.30/IP |
| Monitors | Static datacenter (unmetered) or rotating datacenter | Datacenter lists, cents per IP |
| Raffles and accounts | Premium Residential, rotate per entry | Rotating residential |
| ISP countries | US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy | Several; check checkout |
At the time of writing. See Rayobyte for sneaker bots and Webshare for sneaker bots.
Checkout
Webshare's static residential IPs are the budget favorite: twenty cost about $6 a month. Rayobyte's static ISP IPs cost much more but are dedicated and unmetered by default. Batch quality varies on every provider, so test on the actual site before a drop. Many cooks run budget batches on Webshare and keep a second batch elsewhere. See cheap sneaker proxies.
Monitors
Both are fine. Webshare's lists are the cheapest per IP; Rayobyte's static datacenter IPs are unmetered, which helps for monitors that poll constantly.
Raffles
Rotate a residential IP per entry on either. Rayobyte blocks login pages on residential, so plan account logins on ISP IPs.
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 sneaker bots covers each Rayobyte product.
Example for 20 tasks
- Webshare: 20 static residential IPs (about $6) plus 100 datacenter IPs for monitors (about $3).
- Rayobyte: 10 static ISP IPs (about $50) plus monitors on rotating datacenter traffic.
Which to choose
| Situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Budget checkout batches | Webshare |
| Dedicated unmetered checkout IPs | Rayobyte |
| Cheapest monitors | Webshare |
| Diversified batches for big drops | Both |
With Geonode: sneakers across all three.
A real-world example
A small cook group runs 40 tasks on US releases. Its main checkout batch is 30 Webshare static residential IPs (about $9 a month), with monitors on a 200-IP Webshare datacenter list. For big drops, it adds 10 Rayobyte static ISP IPs ($50) as a second batch, so if one batch is flagged on a site, the other keeps running. Raffle entries rotate through residential IPs from either provider, one per entry.
Release-day checklist
- Test every checkout IP on the actual site the day before.
- Keep tasks per IP within your bot's guidance.
- Match IP country to the release.
- Split checkout across two batches.
- Retire IPs that get banned and replace them after the drop.
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 sneaker bots.
Pros and cons for sneakers
Rayobyte
- Dedicated, unmetered static ISP IPs.
- Unmetered static datacenter IPs for monitors.
- Higher cost per checkout IP.
Webshare
- Very cheap static residential checkout IPs.
- Cheap monitor lists.
- Batch quality varies like any provider's.
Bottom line
Run budget batches on Webshare and keep a second batch from another provider for big releases.
If you're still shortlisting, compare these options with the wider market in our best proxies guide, and use our cheap proxies guide to estimate a sensible budget. Our full sneaker proxies guide covers release-day setups across providers.
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 Rayobyte vs Geonode vs Webshare.
Key takeaways
- Webshare is far cheaper for checkout and monitor IPs.
- Rayobyte's static ISP IPs are dedicated and unmetered by default.
- Test batches on the real site before a release.
- Diversify across providers for important drops.
FAQ
Which is better for sneakers on a budget?
Webshare.
Are Rayobyte ISP proxies worth the price for sneakers?
Test them against your current batch on your target sites; quality, not just price, decides.
Can I use datacenter IPs for checkout?
On some sites, but ISP or static residential IPs are safer for checkout.
Are cheap sneaker proxies worth it?
Often, if you test them on your sites first; price alone doesn't predict results.
Where should my bot server be?
Near the site's servers and your proxies. See sneaker bot server location.
Do I need residential proxies for sneaker raffles?
Usually yes, one residential IP per entry; both providers sell rotating residential.
How many proxies do I need for monitors?
Enough to keep each IP's polling rate modest; a few dozen datacenter IPs often suffice.
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.
- Credential stuffing (OWASP): Why sites watch logins from proxy IPs so closely.
- IPv4 Depletion and Transfers (ARIN): Background on IPv4 run-out, which is why IPv4 proxies cost more than IPv6.
- CAPTCHA (Wikipedia): The history of CAPTCHA challenges, from Carnegie Mellon to today.
- Automated Threats to Web Applications (OWASP): OWASP's catalogue of automated threats, including scraping and scalping, as site owners see them.
- RFC 9293: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) (IETF / RFC Editor): The current TCP specification, the transport under HTTP and SOCKS proxies.
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.