If you just heard that Geosurf merged with Bright Data, you're probably wondering where to go next. The news caught many users off guard, but here's the thing: this might actually be an opportunity to find something better. The proxy market has evolved quite a bit, and several providers now offer features that match or exceed what Geosurf used to provide.
Let me walk you through what happened and, more importantly, where you can go from here.
Geosurf didn't just disappear overnight. The story involves a legal dispute with Bright Data over patent issues, trade secrets, and employee recruitment. Rather than dragging things through court for years, the two companies settled by merging Geosurf into Bright Data's operation.
For users, this means your service is moving to a new platform. While Bright Data is handling the transition and offering special pricing for former Geosurf customers, you might want to explore other options. After all, having alternatives never hurts.
Since Geosurf's main offering was residential proxies, that's what we'll focus on here. The good news is that the market has grown considerably, with several providers now offering larger IP pools, better performance, and more competitive pricing than Geosurf ever did.
When looking for residential proxy services, you'll want to focus on a few key factors: pool size, response time, geographic coverage, and of course, pricing. Modern proxy networks typically range from 5 million to over 100 million IP addresses, with varying levels of performance and cost structures.
If you're running web scraping operations, data collection projects, or market research tasks, choosing a provider with reliable rotation capabilities and clean IP pools becomes crucial. 👉 Get affordable residential proxies with excellent geographic coverage to keep your operations running smoothly without breaking the bank.
Bright Data stands out as the natural successor since they absorbed Geosurf. With over 150 million residential IPs and success rates averaging 99%, they offer superior technology and granular geo-targeting down to the city level. Former Geosurf customers get special pricing based on the old rates, plus promotional offers for long-term commitments. New customers start at $8 per GB, which is competitive given the pool size and performance metrics.
Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) has been competing directly with the big players for a while now. Their network spans 115 million IPs across 200+ countries, with response times hitting 672ms in testing. What makes them interesting is the session control allowing up to 30 minutes of sticky sessions, giving you more flexibility than many rotating proxy services. At $7 per GB for new users, they're slightly more affordable than Bright Data while maintaining solid performance.
SOAX takes a different approach by focusing on IP pool cleanliness. They constantly monitor and remove problematic IPs, which means fewer connection issues and retries. With 155 million IPs covering 195 countries, they're comparable in size to the larger providers. The downside? Pricing starts at $99 for 25GB, making them less accessible for smaller operations.
Proxy-Seller recently entered the residential proxy space and brought aggressive pricing with them. Starting at $3.50 per GB, they're undercutting most competitors while offering 20 million IPs—more than Geosurf ever had. They support up to 40,000 concurrent ports and offer country, state, and city-level targeting. The speed tests show 25.73 Mbps download speeds with 96.62% success rates, which is perfectly adequate for most use cases.
IPRoyal offers something unique: bandwidth that never expires. You only stop when you've used up what you paid for. At $7 per GB, it's reasonably priced, and the 8 million IP pool covers most countries effectively. The rotating proxies come with sticky port support for session management, though you should use geo-targeting sparingly given the smaller pool size.
For those watching their budget closely, residential proxy pricing has become increasingly competitive. Several providers now offer entry points under $6 per GB, making professional-grade proxies accessible even for smaller projects. 👉 Explore budget-friendly residential proxy options with reliable performance that won't compromise your data collection needs.
Proxy-Cheap lives up to its name with $5 per GB pricing and a 6.9 million IP pool spanning 128 countries. The onboarding process is straightforward without mandatory KYC procedures, and they've recently expanded into datacenter and ISP proxies. While not the fastest option, the success rate of 95.95% and 21.15 Mbps speeds handle most scraping and automation tasks without issues.
Hydraproxy offers unlimited proxy endpoint generation at no extra cost. With 5 million IPs from 100+ countries and pricing starting at $5 per GB, they compete directly with budget providers while adding this useful feature. The 97.94% success rate demonstrates solid reliability, though the 19.69 Mbps speed puts them in the mid-range category.
ProxyEmpire optimized their network specifically for web scraping. Their 5 million residential IPs rotate frequently to avoid request limits, though at $9 per GB, they're pricier than similarly-sized networks. If web scraping is your primary use case and you need that specific optimization, the premium might be worth it.
SimplyNode combines non-expiring bandwidth with $6 per GB pricing. Their 50 million IP pool offers country, state, and city targeting, with the major caveat being slower speeds at 8.8 Mbps. For projects where speed isn't critical, this represents good value.
Oxylabs claims over 100 million IPs in their pool—one of the largest in the market. They've positioned themselves as Bright Data's main competitor, with similar pricing starting at $10 per GB. The 31.54 Mbps download speed and extensive location support make them suitable for large-scale operations. They offer rotating proxies with sticky port session management and granular geo-targeting.
Nimble Residential Proxy targets enterprise users specifically, with plans starting at $600 monthly for 75GB. Their AI-optimized engine prioritizes newer, less-used IPs for better performance. The 98.11% success rate and 37.31 Mbps speed demonstrate enterprise-grade reliability. They offer 22GB free after KYC completion, which is generous for testing at this scale.
The proxy landscape has shifted considerably since Geosurf's early days. Most alternatives now offer larger pools, better performance, and more competitive pricing. Your choice ultimately depends on your specific needs:
For maximum performance and pool size, Bright Data or Oxylabs make sense despite higher costs. If you're working within budget constraints, Proxy-Seller, Proxy-Cheap, or Hydraproxy deliver solid results at accessible prices. Speed-focused projects should look at Decodo or Nimble, while those needing non-expiring bandwidth might prefer IPRoyal or SimplyNode.
The market's competitive nature means you're not locked into any single provider. Most offer pay-as-you-go options, letting you test different services before committing to larger purchases. Given Geosurf's unexpected closure, having a backup provider isn't just smart—it's essential for business continuity.