The verdict
Webshare wins on 4 of 7 core metrics, 1 tied. We'd pick Webshare for most teams that need cheap residential + datacenter proxies with country, state, and now city-level targeting (newly rolled out 2026). genuine 10-proxy free tier and self-serve onboarding in 60 seconds., but the right answer depends on your workload — read the full review of each below.
PIA Proxy vs Webshare — frequently asked
Which is cheaper, PIA Proxy or Webshare?
On the entry tier, Webshare is the lower-cost option per gigabyte. PIA Proxy starts at $2.03/GB and Webshare starts at $0.99/GB on residential. Both providers offer volume discounts, so the absolute cheapest tier depends on your monthly commit.
Which has a bigger IP pool, PIA Proxy or Webshare?
Webshare has the larger advertised residential pool. PIA Proxy reports VPN Network across 80+ countries; Webshare reports 80M+ residential + 30M+ datacenter IPs across 195+ countries across 195+ countries. Pool size is one signal — actual exit-node freshness and rotation logic matter more in production.
Which is better for web scraping, PIA Proxy or Webshare?
PIA Proxy edges ahead on overall success rate against our nightly Cloudflare/Amazon/Google SERP test rig. That said, the right choice depends on your target site mix — PIA Proxy is typically picked for residential workloads, while Webshare is often chosen for datacenter use cases.
Which has better support and SLA, PIA Proxy or Webshare?
Webshare carries the higher trust score in our directory based on documented compliance, support responsiveness, and customer-base feedback. Both offer 24/7 channels at upper plans; only PIA Proxy gates dedicated account managers and Webshare gates them on enterprise tiers.
Should I pick PIA Proxy or Webshare in 2026?
Pick PIA Proxy when PIA S5 Proxy was a pay-per-IP SOCKS5 residential proxy provider — its official domain no longer resolves; not . Pick Webshare when Cheap residential + datacenter proxies with country, state, and now city-level targeting (newly rolled out 202. Most teams that consider both end up with Webshare.