Soax and Webshare both offer residential and datacenter networks at accessible price points — and both treat their API as a first-class product. The comparison diverges on what each provider considers the core operational value of a proxy network.

Soax treats observability as the primary value layer: a dashboard that surfaces failure rates, banned IPs, and speed metrics in real time, combined with UDP and QUIC protocol support and a mobile pool provider-reported at 33M IPs from real cellular carriers. Webshare treats accessibility as the primary value layer: a permanent free tier with no credit card required, a REST API with proxy activity logs from signup, and per-IP datacenter pricing with unlimited bandwidth options — no KYC required at signup.

Teams choosing between them are choosing between operational visibility tools during proxy usage, or zero-friction immediate access before usage begins.

Soax suits teams that need real-time visibility into proxy performance — failure rates, banned IPs, speed metrics — alongside UDP and QUIC protocol support, or a 33M+ mobile pool from real cellular carriers. The limitations: ISO 27001 and SOC 2 are in progress but not yet obtained, ASN targeting is not documented, Texas is excluded, subscription billing is required, and IP whitelist authentication is not documented.

Webshare suits teams that want to start immediately — a permanent free datacenter tier with no credit card, self-serve purchase across all proxy types, and a REST API with activity logs from the free tier. The limitations: mobile proxies are not offered, ASN and ZIP targeting are not documented, GDPR compliance is not explicitly stated, no SLA exists, and sub-user management is not available.

Soax's philosophy is that proxy network value extends to what operators can observe during usage. Failure rate monitoring, banned IP tracking, and speed metrics in real time let teams react before detection events compound. UDP and QUIC extend the network to non-standard workloads. The mobile pool at 33M IPs from real cellular carriers addresses volume-intensive mobile scraping. Certifications are in progress — the compliance posture is not yet independently verified.

Webshare's philosophy is that the right proxy product is the one a team can use before it knows what it needs. A permanent free tier, no credit card, no KYC at signup — zero barrier to start. The REST API exposes activity logs from the free tier, making evaluation and production use the same account type. Per-IP datacenter pricing at a low floor makes volume testing affordable without committing to residential.

You gain operational observability and protocol breadth with Soax. You give up zero-friction immediate entry and activity logs at the free tier. With Webshare, the trade runs in reverse — you gain immediate self-serve access and per-IP pricing flexibility, and the observability dashboard, UDP/QUIC support, and mobile pool become unavailable.

Soax's residential pool is provider-reported at 155M+ IPs across 195+ countries. Targeting covers country, region, city, and ISP level. ASN and ZIP targeting not documented. Texas explicitly excluded. Mobile pool provider-reported at 33M IPs from real cellular carriers across 3G/4G/5G/LTE. Protocol support includes HTTP/S, SOCKS5, UDP, and QUIC. Session TTL not published. Dedicated residential IPs not offered.

Webshare's residential pool is provider-reported at 80M+ IPs across 195 countries. Targeting supports country and city level. ASN and ZIP targeting not documented. Mobile proxies not offered. ISP static available through named ISP partners in limited countries. Sticky session TTL not published. Datacenter available in shared, private, and dedicated configurations with unlimited bandwidth options.

Soax provides API access with multi-language support. Dashboard exposes real-time diagnostics: failure rates, banned IPs, speed metrics, custom reports, and alerts. IP whitelist authentication not documented. Sub-user management not confirmed. Monthly subscription required — no PAYG documented.

Webshare supports three authentication methods: username and password, IP whitelist, and API token. REST API covers proxy list retrieval, configuration, activity logs, and usage statistics — activity logs accessible from free tier. Rotation mode configurable via API parameter. Sub-user management not documented. No KYC required at signup.

Soax offers four monthly subscription tiers with per-GB billing. A low-cost 3-day trial for a nominal fee. No PAYG documented. No free tier.

Webshare offers a permanent free tier — 10 datacenter proxies with up to 1 GB per month, no credit card required. Paid plans bill datacenter per IP and residential per GB with unlimited bandwidth options. Refund available within 2 days if usage below documented thresholds.

Real-time failure rate and banned IP dashboards, UDP or QUIC protocol support, or a 33M+ mobile pool from real cellular carriers are operational priorities. Soax fits.

Immediate access without KYC, a permanent free tier to test, API activity logs from day one, or per-IP datacenter pricing with unlimited bandwidth are priorities. Webshare fits.

You gain operational observability and protocol breadth with Soax. You give up zero-friction entry and free-tier activity logs. With Webshare, the trade runs in reverse — you gain immediate self-serve access and per-IP flexibility, and the observability dashboard, UDP/QUIC, and mobile pool become unavailable.

Neither fits teams that require Texas-based residential IP availability.

Ask whether your operations team needs to monitor failure rates and banned IPs in real time — or whether UDP or QUIC protocol support is required alongside standard proxy protocols. If yes, Soax's observability dashboard and protocol stack address those needs, and the subscription-only billing and pending certification status are the constraints.

Ask whether your team needs to start making requests before requirements are finalized — or whether per-IP datacenter pricing and self-serve API access are the operational priorities. If yes, Webshare's free tier and accessible API address that workflow, and the absence of mobile proxies and network observability are the trade-offs.

If your requirement is network observability and protocol breadth — Soax. If your requirement is immediate self-serve access and no-cost evaluation — Webshare.