On this page
- Verdict
- Side-by-side comparison
- About Oxylabs
- About PacketStream
- Pricing compared
- Performance compared
- Pool & coverage
- Features face-off
- Trials & support
- Where Oxylabs wins
- Where PacketStream wins
- Oxylabs pros & cons
- PacketStream pros & cons
- Consider the alternative
- Switching between them
- Comparison FAQ
- Related comparisons
- Full reviews
- Related searches
- Make the call
Verdict
Overall: Oxylabs. Our scoring (value 30%, speed 25%, pool 20%, features 15%, support 10%) puts it ahead at #3 versus #12. Choose PacketStream instead when light, budget tasks that tolerate variable performance describes you precisely.
Side-by-side comparison
| Criterion | Oxylabs | PacketStream |
|---|---|---|
| Our rank | #3 of 15 | #12 of 15 |
| Rating | 4.6/5 | 3.9/5 |
| Entry price | $4.00/GB | $1.00/GB |
| IP pool | 100M+ | 7M+ |
| Success rate | 99.0% | 94.0% |
| Proxy types | 4 | 1 |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| City targeting | Yes | Country-level |
| Support | 24/7 plus dedicated account managers |
About Oxylabs
Oxylabs is a polished, enterprise-first operation whose claim to fame is the largest declared residential pool in the business and unusually consistent benchmark numbers.
It built its reputation serving data-hungry corporations and later added AI-assisted scraper APIs that handle parsing as well as proxying.
About PacketStream
PacketStream is the no-frills bandwidth marketplace whose famous flat dollar-per-gig price makes it the default for cost-capped hobby projects.
It runs a peer-to-peer model where households sell spare bandwidth, which keeps prices flat and low at some cost to consistency.
Pricing compared
Oxylabs starts at $4.00/GB against PacketStream’s $1.00/GB. Raw stickers favour PacketStream, but success rates adjust the picture: at 99.0% vs 94.0%, effective cost per successful request narrows the headline difference.
Performance compared
Speed indexes land at 96 (Oxylabs) vs 68 (PacketStream) in our 100-point scale; pools of 100M+ and 7M+ respectively shape how each absorbs concurrency. For sustained high-volume work, Oxylabs has the steadier ceiling.
Pool & coverage
Oxylabs declares 100M+ IPs against PacketStream’s 7M+; Oxylabs offers city-level targeting while the other stops at country filters. Depth matters less than cleanliness — weigh both against your pilot results.
Features face-off
Oxylabs: Very consistent success rates in our tests; Excellent documentation and dashboard.
PacketStream: Dead-simple setup; PAYG, no subscription required.
Trials & support
Oxylabs support: 24/7 plus dedicated account managers; trial: yes. PacketStream support: Email; trial: no. For mission-critical workloads, the support row of the table above deserves more attention than it usually gets.
Where Oxylabs wins
- You are large-scale scraping teams that value consistency over cost.
- Very consistent success rates in our tests.
- Claimed 100M+ residential IPs.
Where PacketStream wins
- Dead-simple setup.
- Flat $1/GB with no minimums.
- PAYG, no subscription required.
Oxylabs pros & cons
- ✅ Claimed 100M+ residential IPs
- ✅ Very consistent success rates in our tests
- ✅ Excellent documentation and dashboard
- ⚠️ Premium pricing with higher minimums
- ⚠️ More machinery than small teams need
PacketStream pros & cons
- ✅ Flat $1/GB with no minimums
- ✅ Dead-simple setup
- ✅ PAYG, no subscription required
- ⚠️ Variable speeds and uptime
- ⚠️ Residential only
Consider the alternative
Worth knowing: neither side of this duel tops our table. Cheapest Proxies does, at $0.80/GB with all four proxy types and a free trial — often the smarter third option.
Check Cheapest Proxies → Read the reviewSwitching between them
Treat migration as an experiment: replicate one pipeline on the challenger, compare success and effective cost over identical traffic, and let the numbers decide. Keep the loser’s account dormant as a failover.
Comparison FAQ
Which is better, Oxylabs or PacketStream?
Oxylabs wins our weighted benchmark (#3 vs #12), combining claimed 100m+ residential ips with stronger value scores. PacketStream remains the right call when light, budget tasks that tolerate variable performance matches your situation.
Do Oxylabs and PacketStream offer free trials?
Oxylabs: yes. PacketStream: no. Trials are the cheapest way to settle this comparison for your specific workload.
Can I use both Oxylabs and PacketStream together?
Yes — multi-vendor setups are common: route easy targets through the cheaper network and reserve the other for its specialty, with automatic failover between them.
Which has the bigger pool, Oxylabs or PacketStream?
Oxylabs — 100M+ versus 7M+. Pool size matters most for high-concurrency rotation.
Is Oxylabs cheaper than PacketStream?
Entry pricing: $4.00/GB vs $1.00/GB. No on stickers — but compare cost per successful request after a pilot on your own targets.
Full reviews
Deep-dive both sides: Oxylabs review · PacketStream review — or browse all 15 provider reviews.
Related searches
Make the call
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