Proxy servers have become essential tools for businesses to protect their data and identity online. According to DataProt, the residential proxy market is projected to grow by 20% annually, as companies rely on proxies for web scraping, ad verification, price monitoring, and other use cases.
But with so many proxy services out there, how do you choose the right one? In this detailed Geosurf review, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about their residential proxies and if they‘re the best fit for your business.
Contents
Why Proxies Matter for Businesses
Proxies act as an intermediary between your company and the wider internet, masking your real IP address and location. This provides a number of benefits:
- Web scraping – Extract data from websites at scale without getting blocked. Proxies rotate IPs to avoid bans.
- Ad verification – Monitor online ad campaigns across social media and search engines. Proxies allow you to check ads from different locations.
- Price monitoring – Check competitor pricing and inventory levels from different regions. Proxies rotate IPs to avoid detection.
- Brand protection – Detect fraud, fake social media accounts, or infringement issues. Proxies let you view sites as an anonymous user.
According to a BrightData survey, 61% of businesses rely on proxies for price monitoring, 54% for ad analytics, and 47% for web scraping and data extraction. The proxy market is projected to reach $2.22 billion by 2024 as demand increases.
Overview of Geosurf
Founded in 2009, Geosurf is a veteran provider based in Tel Aviv with over a decade of experience offering residential proxies and VPN services to businesses worldwide.
Some key facts about Geosurf:
- 2+ million residential IP addresses across 1700+ cities globally
- Proxy locations cover the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific
- 99.9% uptime and high-speed connections with their proxy network
- Rotating and sticky session proxies available
- Support for HTTP and HTTPS protocols
- Users span industries like travel, finance, retail, security, advertising and more
Geosurf partners with internet service providers to source its global residential IPs through legal methods. The company also meets the highest cybersecurity standards and protects customer privacy.
Residential vs Datacenter Proxies
There are two main types of proxy services – residential and datacenter. The key differences:
Residential proxies use real IPs from home devices and wifi networks. This provides high anonymity as each IP can only be used by one user at a time. But residential proxies tend to be slower and more limited in number.
Datacenter proxies come from servers stacked in datacenters. They are super fast and available in very large pools. But datacenter IPs are easier to detect and offer lower anonymity since they are shared by multiple users.
Here is a comparison:
| Feature | Residential Proxies | Datacenter Proxies |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymity Level | High | Low |
| Geo Targeting | Precise, city-level | Broad, regional |
| Number of IPs | 1 million+ | 10 million+ |
| Speed | Average | Very Fast |
| Use Cases | Web scraping, marketing analytics | Application testing, basic crawling |
For most businesses, residential proxies offer the best of both worlds – good anonymity with decent speeds. The location targeting is also very precise.
That‘s why services like Geosurf primarily focus on residential proxies for business use.
How Geosurf‘s Network Performs
Geosurf leverages partnerships with ISPs worldwide to provide reliable residential proxies in exact cities and countries needed:
- 99.99% uptime over the last 12 months
- Median speeds of 50-100 mbps across its proxy network
- Average ping times of 50-150 ms depending on location
- Anonymity with 1 IP per customer guarantee
According to Pingdom speed tests, Geosurf proxies are 20-30% faster than top competitors like Oxylabs across key markets like United States and United Kingdom.
Geosurf also offers a scraping test to demonstrate its proxies can bypass blocks and captchas. Over a sample of 1000 sites, their proxies achieved a 98% success rate.
Proxy Protocols Supported
Proxies work by speaking a common protocol language with your browsers, apps and servers. Geosurf supports two main protocols:
HTTP – The basic unencrypted protocol for web traffic and scraping. Simple to use across all apps.
HTTPS – An encrypted version of HTTP used by banks, social media and other sites. Protects your web traffic.
Protocols like SOCKS5 are commonly used for accessing geo-restricted content or sites that block repeasted HTTP requests. But Geosurf residential proxies do not offer SOCKS support currently.
This limits some use cases like ad verification across social media sites that may require SOCKS. Data extraction from certain heavily protected sites may also not work reliably.
Getting Started with Geosurf
The signup process with Geosurf has a few more steps compared to other proxies:
- You need to request a callback from a sales representative
- Pick a time for a Skype call to discuss your use case
- Get a custom plan recommendation and account setup
- Finally access your residential proxies
This is likely because Geosurf caters to larger enterprise customers rather than smaller self-serve businesses. The consulting approach can be useful if you need guidance configuring proxies across different apps and servers.
But for those with simple proxy needs, the extra steps may feel like an unnecessary hassle.
Geosurf Pricing and Plans
One downside to Geosurf‘s enterprise focus is its pricing starts at a higher level:
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The Basic plan provides 38 GB of traffic for $450/month. Additional bandwidth is $1 per 10GB.
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The Professional plan offers 100 GB bandwidth for $1000/month. Above this, additional traffic is $1 per 8GB.
Volume pricing discounts kick in at higher tiers – but the minimum costs are still outside what many small businesses can afford.
Geosurf pricing is optimized for larger companies with high monthly bandwidth needs. But there are no trials or entry-level packages offered.
You also pay for bandwidth rather than a flat monthly fee for unlimited use. This can cause your bill to vary wildly if traffic spikes in a given month.
Top Proxy Provider Alternatives
While Geosurf is a solid choice for large companies, its pricing and lack of SOCKS support makes it less than ideal for many use cases.
Here are 5 top alternative proxy providers to consider instead:
1. Bright Data – Offers 72 million residential IPs with support for SOCKS and all other protocols. Plans start at $500/month.
2. Oxylabs – Provides 40+ million global residential proxies starting at $300/month. Well-suited for web scraping.
3. NetNut – Budget-friendly provider with US and EU proxies starting at $9 per month. Good entry-level option.
4. Smartproxy – Scriptable residential proxies starting at $75/month. Special Instagram and social media proxies available.
5. Luminati – Enterprise residential proxies for large businesses. Pricing starts around $500/month.
The best provider depends on your specific needs, traffic levels and budget constraints. Make sure to evaluate proxy protocols, geo-targeting, and pricing models closely.
Is Geosurf Right for Your Business?
Pros
- Huge residential proxy network spanning 1700+ cities globally
- Fast median speeds around 50-100 mbps
- Reliable uptime with minimal latency
- Supports HTTP and HTTPS protocols
- Legal and ethical IP sourcing practices
Cons
- No SOCKS proxy support provided
- Pricing starts at $450/month, expensive for small firms
- No trial options or entry-level plans
- Complex signup process catered to large enterprises
Geosurf works best for established brands with high budgets and bandwidth needs across a wide range of locations. The residential proxies offer great performance for web scraping and ad analytics.
But for lean startups and bootstrapped businesses, the pricing may be prohibitively expensive compared to alternatives. The lack of SOCKS support also limits use cases.
Make sure to factor in all your requirements – protocols needed, traffic levels, targeting locations, and growth plans when choosing a proxy provider. An ideal proxy partner will scale affordably as your data needs evolve over time.
Key Takeaways to Find Your Ideal Proxy
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Audit where proxies will be most valuable – web scraping? ad analytics? price monitoring? Model traffic levels.
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Compare residential and datacenter proxies to see which anonymity levels and locations you need.
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Research proxy protocols like SOCKS that are critical for your use case. Ensure they are supported.
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Map out targeting locations – what cities or countries do you need to access most?
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Look for affordable pricing that works for your current bandwidth needs and future growth.
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Check reviews and test performance before committing long term. Can their proxies bypass blocks you face?
The right proxy brings security, scalability and geographic reach. With a trusted partner, your business can unlock vital data and insights online while staying protected.
