Bot detection APIs compared: CAPTCHAs, bot managers and risk APIs
Twelve bot detection APIs and Maskbreak compared from their own pages: what the visitor sees, what your server gets back, the free plans and published prices.
Research and guides
Field notes, practical playbooks and integration guides. For the people protecting the next signup, login and checkout.
Latest
Detection researchResidential proxies on the White House network, and how to spot them
Proxy traffic left through the White House network 236 times in 30 days: how one device turns a network into a proxy exit, and how to spot the traffic.
FundamentalsIs my phone being used as a proxy? How to check, and how to stop it
How to tell whether your phone uses a proxy, or is quietly rented out as one by an app or a cheap TV box, the signs investigators list, and how to stop it.
Fundamentals“Unusual traffic from your computer network”: why websites think you’re a bot, and how to fix it
What Google’s “unusual traffic” page and endless CAPTCHAs mean: shared addresses, VPNs, apps and extensions that use your connection, and the fixes that work.
ComparisonsMaxMind vs IPinfo vs IP2Location: IP geolocation APIs and databases compared
MaxMind, IPinfo, IP2Location, DB-IP, ipgeolocation.io and ip-api compared from their own pages: free databases and APIs, licences, updates, prices and accuracy.
FundamentalsWhat is an ASN? Autonomous system numbers explained, and how to find the ASN of an IP
An ASN identifies a network that routes its own IP addresses. What autonomous system numbers are, who gets one, reserved ranges, and how to find an IP’s ASN.
FundamentalsCan websites tell you’re using a VPN? How they know, and why yours gets flagged
Usually, yes. How websites tell you’re on a VPN, why some block it or ask for more, why “VPN detected” appears without one, and how to check yours.
ComparisonsProxy detection APIs compared: free tiers, residential and mobile proxies
Thirteen proxy detection APIs compared from their own pages: which free plans flag residential proxies, which charge for it (from $19 a month) and the terms.
Fraud playbooksEmail bombing: what to do when your inbox is flooded, and how to keep your forms out of it
Inbox flooded with signup emails? What email bombing and list bombing are, what to do in Gmail or Outlook, whether it is illegal, how sites stop it.
Integration guidesDatacenter IP detection: how it works and what it cannot tell you
How datacenter IP detection works (cloud range files, the routing table, live visits) and why a cloud address alone is not evidence of fraud.
Most read
- 01How to Detect Residential Proxies in 2026
- 02Free VPN Detection APIs Compared: Limits, Inputs and Terms
- 03Card Testing Attacks: How Bots Drain Stripe Accounts in 2026
- 04Headless Browser Detection in 2026: What Still Works
- 05CAPTCHA Farm Economics: How $0.001 per Solve Killed Bot Detection
- 06Detecting Antidetect Browsers in 2026
- 07How to Detect Puppeteer & Playwright in 2026
- 08Shopify Bot Detection: Checking Drop Orders Before They Ship
I tested Aurorium, the antidetect browser advertised on WWH Club
Aurorium is an antidetect browser with AI fingerprints, advertised on the WWH Club fraud forum. In our live check it was flagged for review on its first visit.
Mobile proxy detection: a 4G/5G mobile proxy, blocked on its first visit
Mobile proxies relay traffic through phones and SIM cards on shared carrier IPs. We tried one sold as an Estonian 4G/5G SIM proxy: blocked on its first visit.
Residential proxy botnets: where ‘clean’ home IPs really come from
Residential proxy botnets run on infected TV boxes, old routers and free VPNs. What the 2024–2026 takedowns show, and what your signup form still sees.
Fraud playbooks
One attack per post: how it is run, why the usual control misses it, and where the check goes.
All 21 articles
Promo code abuse: how coupon farms work and where to stop them
How promo code abuse works, from new accounts and burner inboxes to proxies and fake browsers, and which checks belong at signup and at code redemption.
How do you stop credential stuffing through residential proxies?
Protect logins from residential-proxy credential stuffing with layered limits, live network and device checks, MFA and a safe review flow.
How can a marketplace detect fake accounts without adding CAPTCHAs?
Detect marketplace account abuse with live visitor checks, server-verified review and safeguards for listings, messages and referral rewards.
Can you detect a VPN with JavaScript?
What JavaScript can reveal about a VPN: time zone vs IP country, WebRTC addresses, and the server-side check that turns a browser token into a decision.
How do you test antidetect browser detection?
Test real antidetect profiles against normal browsers, distinguish missed detections from missing signals, and measure customer impact before blocking.
How do you detect VPNs without blocking legitimate customers?
Reduce VPN detection false positives with review decisions, verified step-up checks and a clear policy for privacy tools and shared networks.
Comparisons
Head-to-heads and category round-ups, including the cases where the other vendor is the right answer.
All 9 articles
DataDome vs Maskbreak: Perimeter Bot Defence or Action-Level Verdicts
DataDome mitigates bots at the perimeter. Maskbreak returns a verdict at the action. The distinction decides which one fits the abuse you actually have.
Best Fraud Detection APIs in 2026: 10 Compared
Ten fraud detection APIs compared on the signals they return, published prices and free tiers, with six test sessions that show which layer each one can see.
Fake account detection and prevention software: 8 tools compared
Eight fake account detection tools compared from their own pages: what each checks at signup, its free plan, its price and where it beats Maskbreak.
Is an IP Address Personal Data Under GDPR?
Yes, dynamic addresses included. What that means for a fraud check: lawful basis under Art. 6(1)(f), data minimisation, retention and processor questions.
Is Device Fingerprinting Legal? GDPR, ePrivacy, and Fraud Prevention
What EU and UK law says about device fingerprinting for fraud prevention — lawful basis, the ePrivacy consent question, and what to check first.
Should You Block AI Agents? A Short Decision Guide
A one-page framework for deciding whether AI agent traffic is a threat, a customer, or both — and what to do at each answer.
Fraud Brief
The VPN, proxy and bot patterns we saw this month
One email a month with what changed in the traffic we check — new VPN and proxy networks, new bot tooling, what our lab runs turned up. Written for engineers. Unsubscribe in one click.