PacketStream vs. SOAX: Residential Proxy Comparison

At a glance

PacketStream compared with SOAX
Feature	PacketStream	SOAX
Price per GB	$1.00/GB, whichever country the exit is in	Set by plan and the exit country’s tier. US (tier 1): $5.00 on Sandbox, $3.00 on Builder, $2.20 on Team, $1.50 on Scale, and from $0.85 on Enterprise. Tier 2 and 3 countries cost less.
Plans	None. Prepaid balance.	Sandbox: no fee and no included credits. Builder $200, Team $500, Scale $1,500, and Enterprise $3,000 a month, plus VAT.
Unused balance	Purchased balance does not expire	Credits expire 60 days after they are added on Sandbox and monthly plans, or 12 months on annual plans
Trial	Trial credits on request	No free trial, according to its pricing FAQ. Sandbox is the no-commitment option.
Geo-targeting	Country, at no extra cost	Country, region, city, and ISP. ASN and ZIP code on higher plans.
Networks	Residential	Residential and mobile, at one rate
One balance across products	Proxy traffic plus the Search API, Fetch API, and remote MCP server for AI agents ($0.0025 per successful call, early beta)	One prepaid credit balance across all SOAX products available to the account

How they differ

Pricing model. PacketStream has no plans and no country tiers: you add funds, with a $50 minimum purchase, and pay $1.00/GB until the balance runs out. SOAX charges a monthly plan fee, adds prepaid credits, and bills traffic at a rate set by the plan and the exit country’s tier.

Expiry. PacketStream’s purchased balance does not expire. SOAX credits expire 60 days after they are added on Sandbox and monthly plans.

Coverage and control. SOAX lists mobile IPs and targeting down to city, ISP, ASN, and ZIP code, depending on the plan. PacketStream offers residential exits targeted by country, with a new exit for each new connection, or a sticky exit that lasts until 60 minutes pass without a new connection.

Which should you choose?

Choose PacketStream if

You use proxies irregularly and do not want credits to expire. PacketStream’s purchased balance does not expire.
You want one rate everywhere. PacketStream charges $1.00/GB whichever country the exit is in.
You do not want a monthly plan. Below SOAX’s Scale and Enterprise plans, its listed US rates were above $1.00/GB on October 10, 2026.
Country-level targeting covers your workload.

Choose SOAX if

You run high, steady monthly volume, where SOAX’s Scale or Enterprise rates can fall below $1.00/GB.
Most of your traffic exits in lower-cost tier 2 or tier 3 countries.
You need mobile IPs, or region, city, ISP, ASN, or ZIP code targeting.
You need team features such as separate proxy packages and multiple seats.

Frequently asked questions

Is PacketStream cheaper than SOAX?

It depends on volume and country. PacketStream charges $1.00/GB everywhere. On October 10, 2026, SOAX listed US traffic at $5.00/GB on Sandbox, $3.00 on Builder, $2.20 on Team, and $1.50 on Scale, and from $0.85/GB on Enterprise, which costs $3,000 a month. Traffic through lower-tier countries cost less on every SOAX plan.

Do SOAX credits expire?

According to SOAX’s pricing FAQ, credits added on Sandbox or a monthly plan expire 60 days after they are added, and credits added on an annual plan expire after 12 months. PacketStream’s purchased balance does not expire.

Does PacketStream charge more for some countries?

No. Country targeting costs nothing extra: every exit country is billed at the same $1.00/GB. Add a two-letter ISO country code to your auth key to choose the exit country. If a recognized country has no available exits, the request fails rather than using another country. PacketStream ignores a code it does not recognize, so pick the country from the Location list on the dashboard.

Does PacketStream offer mobile proxies?

No. PacketStream exits are residential connections from people running the PacketStream desktop app on Windows, macOS, or Linux. SOAX lists residential and mobile networks.

Sources, checked 2026-10-10

Prices and plans change. Check SOAX’s own site before you buy. SOAX is a trademark of its owner, used here only to identify its products. PacketStream facts come from our pricing and documentation.

PacketStream vs. SOAX