Consent-Based Sourcing
Every residential IP comes from opt-in partnerships where device owners explicitly agree to share bandwidth. No botnets, no malware, no compromised devices — the exact opposite of an SDK hidden inside pirated streaming apps.
NetNut Alternative
NetNut was seized. Your proxies shouldn't depend on a botnet.
On July 2, 2026, the FBI seized NetNut's domains after researchers tied its residential network to the Popa botnet — roughly 2 million consumer devices proxying traffic without meaningful consent. If your pipelines just went dark, here is a network built the opposite way: opt-in sourcing, pay-as-you-go traffic that never expires, and instant activation.
Consent-based IP sourcing Purchased traffic never expires Instant activation
What Happened to NetNut?
Looking for a NetNut alternative? Here is the short, factual version of why so many teams suddenly are:
- On July 2, 2026, the FBI — working with Google — seized hundreds of domains tied to NetNut, the residential proxy service operated by Alarum Technologies (NASDAQ: ALAR).
- Security researchers had linked NetNut's residential network to the Popa botnet: roughly 2 million consumer devices, including smart TVs and set-top boxes, routing proxy traffic through pirated streaming apps with little or no owner consent.
- In a single week of June 2026, researchers counted at least 316 distinct threat clusters using NetNut exit nodes for credential stuffing, password spraying, ad fraud, and data scraping.
- The takedown cut the network off from those devices, leaving NetNut customers with disrupted service and prepaid traffic in limbo while the legal process plays out.
Reported by: Krebs on Security, BleepingComputer, SecurityWeek
Why Teams Switch to ProxyHat
The same job — geo-targeted residential and static IPs — without betting your infrastructure on someone else's malware distribution.
Purchased Traffic Never Expires
Buy bandwidth once and it stays in your balance until you use it. No monthly resets, no use-it-or-lose-it billing — unused GB roll over indefinitely.
Transparent Per-GB Pricing
A published price ladder starting at $3.60/GB for residential traffic, with volume discounts at higher tiers. No setup fees, no hidden charges — the full ladder is on the pricing page.
Instant Activation
Sign up, top up, connect. Your credentials work the moment you pay — no sales calls, no contracts, no onboarding queue.
ISP Static IPs in 66+ Countries
Need a fixed identity instead of a rotating pool? Dedicated static residential (ISP) IPs in 66+ countries from $9.99 per IP / 30 days, with unlimited traffic over HTTP and SOCKS5.
ProxyHat vs a Typical NetNut Plan
What actually changes when you migrate.
| Feature | ProxyHat | Typical NetNut plan |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Pay-as-you-go — residential traffic from $3.60/GB | Monthly subscription, historically from around $99/month |
| Traffic expiry | Never — unused GB roll over indefinitely | Resets at the end of each billing cycle |
| IP sourcing | Opt-in residential partnerships and direct ISP infrastructure deals | Network linked by researchers to the Popa botnet (~2M devices without meaningful consent) |
| Minimum commitment | None — top up any amount, stop any time | Monthly plan commitment tied to your tier |
| Status today | Fully operational | Domains seized by the FBI on July 2, 2026 |
NetNut figures reflect publicly listed plans prior to the July 2026 domain seizure. Verify current availability and terms directly with Alarum Technologies.
Migrate from NetNut in Four Steps
Most teams are back to collecting data in under ten minutes.
Create your account
Sign up free in about a minute — no sales call, no contract, no credit card required to register.
Create Free AccountTop up only what you need
Buy residential traffic at the published per-GB rate, or grab dedicated ISP static IPs. Start small to validate your setup — the balance never expires.
Swap your endpoint
Point your code at gate.proxyhat.com — port 8080 for HTTP, 1080 for SOCKS5 — and move your geo-targeting into username flags like user-country-US or user-session-abc123.
Verify and scale
Confirm your exit IPs, then ramp volume back up. Add sticky sessions for logins and ISP statics for long-lived identities.
The endpoint swap in practice:
# HTTP — country targeting via username flags
curl -x http://user-country-US:pass@gate.proxyhat.com:8080 \
https://httpbin.org/ip
# SOCKS5
curl -x socks5://user-country-US:pass@gate.proxyhat.com:1080 \
https://httpbin.org/ip
# Sticky session (same exit IP across requests)
curl -x http://user-country-DE-session-abc123:pass@gate.proxyhat.com:8080 \
https://httpbin.org/ipNetNut Alternative FAQ
Is my NetNut traffic refundable?
Honestly: that is between you and Alarum Technologies, NetNut's parent company — ProxyHat has no visibility into their billing or refund process. Review your NetNut terms, contact their support, and if the payment was recent, ask your card provider about your options. What we can control is how fast you are back online: a ProxyHat account takes about a minute, there is no minimum commitment, and you can start with a small top-up to validate your setup before moving volume.
What exactly happened to NetNut?
On July 2, 2026, the FBI — working with Google — seized hundreds of domains tied to NetNut after security researchers connected its residential proxy network to the Popa botnet, roughly 2 million consumer devices proxying traffic with little or no owner consent. The takedown disrupted the service and cut the network off from those devices.
How does ProxyHat source its IPs differently?
Residential IPs come from opt-in partnerships where device owners explicitly consent to share bandwidth, and ISP static IPs are provisioned through legitimate ISP and infrastructure partnerships. No botnets, no malware, no compromised devices — and the infrastructure adheres to GDPR and CCPA requirements.
Do I need a subscription or minimum commitment to use ProxyHat?
No. Residential and mobile traffic is pay-as-you-go per GB with volume discounts, and unused bandwidth rolls over indefinitely. Dedicated ISP static IPs are flat-priced per IP for a 30-day term with unlimited traffic. There are no monthly subscriptions and no minimum commitments.
Can I keep my country and session targeting when I switch?
Yes. Targeting moves into the proxy username: user-country-US for country targeting, user-country-DE-city-berlin for city-level, and user-session-abc123 for sticky sessions. The gateway is gate.proxyhat.com with HTTP on port 8080 and SOCKS5 on port 1080, and dedicated ISP statics are available in 66+ countries.
Switch to Proxies Built on Consent
Create a free account, top up only what you need, and be back to collecting data in minutes.
Pay-as-you-go pricing — No commitments — Purchased traffic never expires