# Bright Data vs Byteful

Source: https://nachonacho.com/compare/bright-data-vs-byteful

Choose Bright Data if you need scraping APIs, ready-made datasets, or remote browsers alongside proxies; choose Byteful if you mainly need proxies with non-expiring residential bandwidth. Both publish residential, ISP, datacenter, and mobile proxy offerings, but their data-collection tools and residential purchasing options differ.

## At a glance

| | Bright Data | Byteful |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beyond proxies | Scraper APIs, datasets, SERP API, and Browser API | Proxy management dashboard and API |
| Proxy types | Residential, ISP, datacenter, and mobile | Residential, static residential, datacenter, and mobile |
| Residential entry purchase | Promotional pay-as-you-go rate of $4/GB | 10 GB for $32.50 |
| Unused residential bandwidth | Not published | Never expires |
| Residential IP pool | 400M+ monthly IPs | 35M+ IPs |
| Residential locations | 195 countries | 195+ countries |
| Residential targeting | Country, state, city, ZIP code, and ASN | Country, region, city, and ISP |
| Developer access | Proxy API and documented tool integrations | API-key management API |
| Residential protocols | HTTP/S and SOCKS5 | HTTP and SOCKS5 |
| Concurrent sessions | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Support | 24/7 engineer support under SLA | Email and chat; slower after-hours support |
| Traffic routing | Optimized proxy routing | Smartpath routing for eligible requests |

## Which to choose

### Choose Bright Data if

- Teams that need scraper APIs or ready-made datasets
- Developers who need a remote browser or SERP API
- Buyers who want residential pay-as-you-go pricing
- Organizations evaluating a larger published residential IP pool

### Choose Byteful if

- Teams with an existing scraping workflow that primarily needs proxies
- Buyers with intermittent residential bandwidth usage
- Developers who want Smartpath traffic routing
- Buyers who want a published 10 GB residential purchase option

## Verdict

Bright Data is the better fit when the deciding factor is getting structured web data without building the entire collection workflow yourself. Byteful is the better fit when you already have that workflow and want residential bandwidth that remains available until used. Compare prices at your expected volume: Bright Data advertises a promotional pay-as-you-go rate, while Byteful publishes a 10 GB purchase price and lower per-GB rates at higher volumes.

## Questions

### Should I choose Bright Data or Byteful for web scraping?

Choose Bright Data if you want scraper APIs, datasets, or a remote browser in addition to proxies. Choose Byteful if you have your own collection workflow and primarily need proxy access, particularly when non-expiring residential bandwidth matters.

### How do Bright Data and Byteful residential prices compare?

Bright Data advertises a promotional residential pay-as-you-go rate of $4 per GB and monthly plans. Byteful publishes a 10 GB residential purchase for $32.50, or $3.25 per GB, with per-GB rates that decrease at higher purchase volumes. Check the applicable offer and quantity before comparing costs.

### Does residential bandwidth expire with either provider?

Byteful says its residential bandwidth does not expire, even if a subscription is paused or canceled. Bright Data does not publish a comparable residential bandwidth-expiry commitment.

### Which provider publishes a larger residential proxy pool?

Bright Data advertises more than 400 million monthly residential IPs; Byteful advertises more than 35 million residential IPs. These are vendor-published pool figures, not a measure of how many IPs will be available for a particular request.

### Do Bright Data and Byteful offer the same proxy types?

Both publish residential, mobile, datacenter, and static residential or ISP proxy offerings. Bright Data also publishes separate products for scraping, search results, remote browsing, and datasets.

### Can I use either provider with my existing code?

Yes. Bright Data documents proxy connections and third-party tool integrations. Byteful publishes proxy access and an API for managing orders and proxy users. Both publish HTTP and SOCKS5 proxy support.

### Which is a better fit for occasional residential traffic?

Byteful is a fit if retaining purchased residential bandwidth until it is used is the priority. Bright Data is a fit if you prefer its published pay-as-you-go option and need its broader data-collection tools.

### Is a free trial available?

Bright Data advertises a free trial. Byteful's homepage advertises a 1 GB residential trial, but its pricing FAQ says it does not currently offer a free trial. Confirm Byteful trial availability before relying on it.

## Product pages

- Bright Data: https://nachonacho.com/product/bright-data
- Byteful: https://nachonacho.com/product/Byteful