# NetNut alternative after the July 2026 seizure

> NetNut alternative after the July 2, 2026 seizure: the public record, five checks for any new provider, and how to move a scraper. From $0.50/GB.

- URL: https://crawlrelay.com/alternatives/netnut/
- Last updated: 2026-10-13
- Publisher: CrawlRelay (https://crawlrelay.com)

NetNut's domains were seized on July 2, 2026. If your scrapers or data pipelines ran on it, here is the public record, the five checks to run on any replacement, and the code to change.

**Quick answer — What is a good NetNut alternative now that NetNut is down?**

Pick a provider that can explain where its residential IPs come from, publishes rules on use, and lets you test small before you migrate. **CrawlRelay** is a developer-first NetNut alternative: rotating residential proxies at $1.50 for 1 GB and $0.50/GB from 50 GB, as of October 2026, never expiring. NetNut's domains were seized on July 2, 2026. Paid in crypto, with no KYC.

## The NetNut seizure in five facts

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Date | July 2, 2026 |
| Who | The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation, with Google and Lumen |
| Domains | netnut.com, proxyjet.io and divinetworks.com, then netnut.io and alarum.io |
| Botnet named | "Popa": at least 2 million devices, per Google's Threat Intelligence Group |
| Abuse observed | 316 threat clusters used suspected NetNut exits in one week of June 2026 (Google) |

## What happened to NetNut?

On July 2, 2026, the FBI and IRS-CI seized NetNut's domains, according to KrebsOnSecurity, in an action that Google's Threat Intelligence Group tied to the Popa botnet. Google estimated the network at "at least 2 million devices" that joined "either because they are pre-installed with malware before purchase or because users unknowingly download applications containing hidden proxy code", and said that in a single week of June 2026 it saw 316 distinct threat clusters using suspected NetNut exit nodes. KrebsOnSecurity reported that the FBI and IRS-CI seized hundreds of domains and that NetNut's parent company is Alarum.

Google also wrote that "many popular residential proxy brands are in fact whitelabeling the NetNut botnet". That sentence is the reason to ask any replacement provider about its supply before you move a production pipeline.

## What should I check before choosing a NetNut replacement?

1. **A written sourcing statement.** Where do the residential IPs come from, and how do device owners join and leave? Our answer is on the [sourcing page](https://crawlrelay.com/sourcing/).
2. **No link to disrupted networks.** Ask whether the provider resells or white-labels NetNut, IPIDEA or networks named in Google's 2026 reports.
3. **Published rules on use.** An Acceptable Use Policy, blocked categories and an abuse contact show that the provider polices its traffic.
4. **Prices in the normal range.** Proxyway's 2026 research links prices around $0.30/GB or less to a grey market. Our [price index](https://crawlrelay.com/data/residential-proxy-price-index-2026/) shows where list prices sat in October 2026.
5. **A small paid test.** Run your real targets for a day on a small plan before you commit volume.

## What changes when you move from NetNut to CrawlRelay?

|  | Before (NetNut) | CrawlRelay |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Status | Domains seized July 2, 2026 | Selling, operated by ProxyGoat LLC (Delaware, USA) |
| Residential price | — | $1.50 for 1 GB; $0.50/GB from 50 GB |
| Traffic expiry | — | Never expires |
| Protocols | — | HTTP, HTTPS (CONNECT) and SOCKS5 |
| Targeting | — | Country and city targeting on every plan; in the United States also state and ZIP code; ASN targeting at no extra cost. City availability varies |
| Sign-up | — | No KYC; Account-number login; email is optional |
| Sourcing | Tied by Google to the Popa botnet | Partner networks (names not published): see [sourcing](https://crawlrelay.com/sourcing/) |

*Prices checked on October 13, 2026.*

## How do I move a scraper off NetNut?

1. **Remove the dead endpoints** — Search your code, environment variables and secrets for the old proxy host, and fail fast if any job still points to it.
2. **Buy a small test plan** — Top up from $25 in crypto and buy 10 GB for $5.94.
3. **Point jobs at the new gateway** — http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@gw.crawlrelay.com:7777 with -country-, -city- and -session-<id>-ttl-<minutes> in the username. See the quick start.
4. **Compare success per target** — Track usable responses per host for a day, then buy volume. Use sub-users to separate pipelines.

## Can an IP that was on NetNut show up on another network?

Yes, and no provider can rule it out completely. A seizure takes domains and servers, not the phones, TVs and set-top boxes that carried the traffic. If the apps on those devices keep running, the devices can reappear in other pools. That is why sourcing rules, abuse handling and target blocking matter more than any promise about individual IPs. CrawlRelay states what it requires from its partners, and what it cannot verify, on the [sourcing page](https://crawlrelay.com/sourcing/).

## NetNut alternative: questions

### Is NetNut coming back?

As of October 2026, its domains remain under seizure notices, and its parent company Alarum announced a temporary operational pause of certain network services on 4 July 2026. Do not plan production work around a return. Move your pipelines and keep the old configuration out of your code so that nothing reconnects by accident.

### Were other proxy brands affected by the NetNut seizure?

Google wrote that many popular residential proxy brands were white-labeling the NetNut botnet, without naming them in that sentence. Some resold access may have stopped working at the same time. Ask any provider whether its supply depends on NetNut or on networks named in Google's 2026 reports.

### Is CrawlRelay a reseller of NetNut or IPIDEA?

No. We resell residential and mobile IPs from established upstream partner networks. Our upstream provider confirms that device owners opt in and can opt out, and that its supply does not come from seized or disrupted networks such as NetNut or IPIDEA. We cannot inspect every device behind every IP, and we say so on the [sourcing page](https://crawlrelay.com/sourcing/), along with how we handle abuse reports.

### Can I use the same code I used with NetNut?

Yes, for standard HTTP or SOCKS5 proxy code. Change the host, port, username and password, and translate the targeting part of the username to `-country-`, `-city-`, `-state-`, `-zip-`, `-asn-` and `-session-<id>-ttl-<minutes>` (state and ZIP code in the United States). Any NetNut-specific API calls need to be removed.

## Sources

1. [Google's continued disruption of residential proxy networks](https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/google-continued-disruption-residential-proxy-networks) — Google Threat Intelligence Group (2026-07-02)
2. [FBI seizes NetNut proxy platform, Popa botnet](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/07/fbi-seizes-netnut-proxy-platform-popa-botnet/) — KrebsOnSecurity (2026-07-02)
3. [FBI and Google disrupt NetNut](https://proxyway.com/news/fbi-google-disrupt-netnut) — Proxyway (2026-07-03)
4. [Alarum Technologies Announces Temporary Operational Pause of Certain Network Services](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/07/04/3322037/0/en/Alarum-Technologies-Announces-Temporary-Operational-Pause-of-Certain-Network-Services.html) — Alarum Technologies (GlobeNewswire) (2026-07-04)
5. [Proxy Market Research 2026](https://proxyway.com/research/proxy-market-research-2026) — Proxyway (2026-05-28)

**Test a replacement on a small plan** $5.94 for 10 GB, traffic that never expires. [Choose 10 GB](https://crawlrelay.com/app/checkout/?plan=res-10&product=residential&lang=en) · [Read our sourcing rules](https://crawlrelay.com/sourcing/)

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CrawlRelay: CrawlRelay is a developer-first rotating residential and 4G/5G mobile proxy service for scrapers and AI data pipelines: non-expiring pay-as-you-go traffic from $0.50/GB, paid in crypto, with no ID upload. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.