Head-to-Head Proxy ComparisonVerified Public Specifications (Oct 2026)
PacketStream vs LunaProxy
Side-by-side comparison of PacketStream and LunaProxy across supported proxy types, residential pricing per GB, datacenter & ISP pricing, geographic coverage, protocols, session rotation, authentication, platform features, and pros & cons.
Provider 1Cataloged
PacketStream
Residential
Peer-to-peer residential proxy network powered by bandwidth-sharing Packeters, offering flat $1.00/GB rotating and sticky sessions with non-expiring traffic credits.
Residential / GB$1.00 / GB
Starting Price / IPNot available
Geographic Coverage100+ Countries
ProtocolsHTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
VS
⇄ SwapProvider 2Cataloged
LunaProxy
ResidentialDatacenterISP
Historical commercial proxy network named in Google Threat Intelligence Group investigation of the IPIDEA network on January 28, 2026; commercial operations are discontinued and original domains are inaccessible.
Residential / GBNot available
Starting Price / IPNot available
Geographic Coverage195+ Countries
ProtocolsHTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
Network Coverage
Supported Proxy Network Types
Side-by-side availability across Residential, Datacenter, Static ISP, and Mobile proxy pools.
| Proxy Network Type | PacketStream | LunaProxy |
|---|---|---|
Residential Proxies (Rotating & Sticky) Household ISP-assigned IPs supporting automatic rotation and sticky sessions | ✓ Supported | ✓ Supported |
Datacenter Proxies (Dedicated & Shared) High-speed IPv4/IPv6 cloud server subnets for bulk concurrency | Not available | ✓ Supported |
ISP / Static Residential Proxies Static consumer ASN-registered IPs hosted on server backbones | Not available | ✓ Supported |
Mobile Carrier Proxies (3G / 4G / 5G / LTE) Cellular gateway IPs routed through carrier CGNAT pools | Not available | Not available |
Pricing Comparison
Calculate Monthly Costs →Residential Pricing per GB, Datacenter & ISP Rates
Verified pricing across residential bandwidth per GB, datacenter and static ISP per-IP/bandwidth plans, and minimum account outlays.
| Pricing Category | PacketStream | LunaProxy |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Starting Rate (per GB) | $1.00 / GB | Not available |
| Published Pricing Summary | $1.00 / GB flat rate • $50 minimum deposit • Non-expiring bandwidth credits • No recurring subscriptions • Reseller API at $1.00/GB ($500 min) | Service Discontinued / Defunct • Named in Google Threat Intelligence disruption of IPIDEA network (Jan 28, 2026) • Original domains inaccessible • Historical rate cards archived for reference |
| Datacenter Proxy Pricing | Not available | Historical Datacenter Proxies: Previously marketed from ~$0.80 / IP / month on shared and dedicated datacenter pools (historical reference only; not active) |
| ISP (Static Residential) Pricing | Not available | Historical Static ISP Proxies: Previously marketed from ~$3.00 / IP / month across dedicated residential ASN subnets (historical reference only; not active) |
| Mobile Proxy Pricing | Not available | Not available |
| Starting Rate per IP | Not available | Not available |
| Billing Structure | Pay-As-You-Go | discontinued |
| Minimum Outlay / Deposit | $50.00 | Not available |
| Accepted Payment Methods | Credit CardPayPalCrypto | Credit Card (Historically)Crypto (Historically) |
Technical Capabilities
Locations, Protocols, Session Rotation & Authentication
Side-by-side comparison of geo-targeting granularity, supported connection protocols, sticky session durations, authentication methods, and platform tooling.
| Technical Dimension | PacketStream | LunaProxy |
|---|---|---|
| Geographic Coverage & Targeting | 100+ Countries (Country-level targeting via password suffix _country-XX) | 195+ Countries (Historical vendor claim; service discontinued) |
| Documented Country Count | 100+ Countries | 195+ Countries |
| Supported Protocols | HTTPHTTPSSOCKS5 | HTTPHTTPSSOCKS5 |
| Rotation & Sticky Sessions | Rotating on every request or sticky sessions maintained up to 60 minutes via _session-ID password suffix | Historically offered per-request rotation and sticky sessions up to 90 minutes |
| Authentication Methods | Username / Password | Username / PasswordIP Whitelisting |
| Documented Platform Features | Flat $1.00 / GB residential bandwidth pricing with no monthly subscription$50 minimum account deposit with non-expiring bandwidth balanceRotating Residential Proxies (per-request rotation for stateless crawling)Sticky Residential Sessions (persisting up to 60 minutes via _session-ID)Single Gateway Host: proxy.packetstream.io with port-specific protocolsProtocol Support: HTTPS (31111), SOCKS5 (31113), and HTTP (31112)Country-Level Geo-Targeting: 100+ countries via password suffix (_country-XX)White-label Reseller API ($1.00/GB with $500 minimum purchase)Strict Username/Password authentication (no IP whitelisting supported)Strictly Excluded: Datacenter, Static ISP, and Mobile standalone proxy networks | CRITICAL STATUS: Named in Google Threat Intelligence Group disruption of IPIDEA network (January 28, 2026)Google coordinated disruption alongside Cloudflare, Spur, and Lumen Black Lotus LabsGoogle Play Protect automated enforcement against deceptive proxy SDKs (Castar, Earn, Hex)Allegations and technical findings attributed to Google civil litigation and threat intelligenceOriginal domain (lunaproxy.com) is defunct and completely inaccessible as of October 2026No common ownership or operational continuity established with similarly named luna-proxy.comHistorical proxy portfolio: Rotating Residential, Unlimited Residential, Static ISP, and DatacenterStrictly excluded from Mobile category (no verified historical mobile cellular product)All active commercial pricing is marked Unavailable / Discontinued across ProxyReviewsExcluded from active provider directory, rankings, category counts, and cost calculator |
| Integration Tools & Clients | PythonNode.jsGocURLPlaywrightPuppeteer | PythonNode.jsGocURL |
| Ranking Placement | Not available | Not available |
| Official Documentation Source | https://packetstream.io/pricing/ ↗ | https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/disrupting-largest-residential-proxy-network ↗ |
Trade-Offs Breakdown
Verified Pros & Cons: PacketStream vs LunaProxy
PacketStream
Rank #null✓ Verified Strengths (Pros)
- Extremely cost-effective flat $1.00/GB residential pricing with zero recurring monthly subscription obligations
- Non-expiring bandwidth balance ensures purchased traffic never lapses, ideal for intermittent or low-frequency scraping
- Both rotating and sticky sessions (up to 60 minutes) share the exact same $1.00/GB rate without hidden premium surcharges
- Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocol endpoints through a clean gateway architecture (proxy.packetstream.io)
✕ Documented Limitations (Cons)
- High entry barrier for casual testing: enforces a mandatory $50 minimum purchase threshold ($500 for Reseller API)
- No IP whitelist authentication; connections must strictly authenticate using username and password parameters
- Targeting is limited strictly to country level; does not support state, city, ASN, or carrier filtering
- Does not offer Datacenter, Static ISP, or Mobile cellular proxy networks
LunaProxy
Rank #null✓ Verified Strengths (Pros)
- Historically provided high-affordability residential bandwidth starting below $1.00/GB on volume packages
- Previously featured a dedicated desktop proxy client and browser extension for session and IP management
- Offered diverse historical product types including Rotating Residential, Unlimited Residential, Static ISP, and Datacenter
- Historical documentation supported wide protocol compatibility spanning HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5
✕ Documented Limitations (Cons)
- CRITICAL: Disrupted by Google Threat Intelligence on January 28, 2026 as part of the IPIDEA proxy network ecosystem
- Google investigation identified proxy supply chain reliance on deceptive SDKs turning consumer devices into unwitting exit nodes
- Commercial service is completely defunct; original domain (lunaproxy.com) is inaccessible and no longer resolves
- Similarly named domains (e.g. luna-proxy.com) lack verified common ownership or operational continuity with the original service
Selection Verdict
How to Choose Between PacketStream and LunaProxy
Selecting between PacketStream and LunaProxy depends on the proxy network types, billing model, and session duration required by your workflow:
When to Choose PacketStream
Developers and scraping teams seeking flat-rate, low-cost residential bandwidth ($1.00/GB) with non-expiring balances and 60-minute sticky sessions without recurring monthly fees.
Look elsewhere if: You need granular city/ASN targeting, require IP whitelisting instead of username/password, want a micro-purchase under $50, or need dedicated Datacenter/ISP/Mobile IP pools.
When to Choose LunaProxy
Cybersecurity research, legal case analysis, threat intelligence evaluations, and academic studies examining proxy industry supply chains and law enforcement disruption operations.
Look elsewhere if: Active web scraping, data collection, or any business production workflows requiring live, stable, and legally compliant commercial proxy infrastructure.
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