A proxy works as a middleman between a user's device and the internet, hiding the user’s original IP address and location, thus adding an extra layer of security. With proxies becoming increasingly relevant while navigating the internet and the market experiencing continuous growth, providers are competing by offering users affordable access to the advantages of residential proxies.
In this article, we’ll explore the leading residential proxy providers that offer competitive pricing in 2024, delve into their features and pricing, and discover what makes them stand out.
Types of proxies
First, let’s explore different proxy types:
- Residential proxies come from household devices connected to local networks, offering high success rates and authenticity. These IPs work best for use cases like price aggregation, multi-accounting, ad tech, SEO marketing, and more.
- Mobile proxies are from servers that use IP from mobile internet service providers, making them a go-to choice when expecting the highest success rates and accessing even the most protected targets online. They're a great fit for web scraping, multi-accounting, app development, and testing.
- Datacenter proxies route internet traffic through servers located in data centers, offering stability, speed, and budget-friendly prices. This type is ideal for cyber & brand security, entertainment, and browsing.
- Static residential (ISP) proxies come from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), combining the authenticity of residential IPs with the stability of datacenter ones, offering an advantage when dealing with traffic-intensive tasks or accessing well-protected targets. This solution is perfect for data collection, eCommerce management, and multi-accounting.
Cheapest residential proxy providers
Residential proxies are the most popular and versatile proxy type, as they appear legitimate to web servers, minimizing the risk of being blocked, flagged, or detected. Rotating IPs from residential servers further helps overcome IP bans and rate-limiting systems, all at a reasonable cost.
Smartproxy
Smartproxy is known for its efficient support in launching, testing, and scaling web data projects. Awarded Best Value Provider by Proxyway for four years running, Smartproxy offers a quick setup through its user-friendly dashboard, free tools, and advanced integration guides. The provider has a variety of products, including 5 proxy solutions, 4 scraping APIs, and 4 free add-ons.
Smartproxy’s 55M+ HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 residential IPs give a 99.68% success rate, country-, state-, city-level targeting in 195+ locations, 0.54s response time, and unlimited threads and concurrent sessions.
With residential proxies, users can opt for monthly subscriptions starting at $2.2/GB or choose the Pay As You Go pricing option at $7/GB. In addition, users may start a 3-day free trial or have a 14-day money-back option to test the service and its benefits before committing to a subscription.
Webshare
Webshare states to be the technology leader in lawful-use enterprise proxy services, enabling deep data collection, aggregation, and analysis for businesses across the globe. It’s known as a budget-friendly option that focuses on providing top-notch quality service. The provider offers residential, static residential, datacenter, and verified (datacenter) proxies.
Webshare’s users can access 30M+ ethically sourced HTTP and SOCKS5 residential IPs with 99.97% uptime and 195+ locations. They start at $4.5/GB, and although the provider doesn’t offer a free trial, users can get 10 proxies for free.
SOAX
SOAX describes itself as an automated data collection solution. It strives “to build the most customer-obsessed product company that empowers businesses with unparalleled access to web data and insights most efficiently and securely.” SOAX’s product range includes 3 types of proxies and 4 types of scrapers.
The provider’s 155M+ residential proxies offer a 99.55% success rate and 0.55s response time in 195+ locations. Pricing begins at $2.20/GB; however, if users are feeling hesitant, they can go for a 3-day 100 MB trial for $1.99.
IProyal
IPRoyal is known for its commitment to innovation, transparency, and performance. The provider advocates for “unrestricted access to online information for all – businesses, data scientists, developers, marketers, and others who can benefit from it,” offering residential, ISP, datacenter, mobile, and enterprise proxies.
Their residential proxy pool includes over 32M IPs across 195 countries, boasting a success rate of approximately 99.7%. These proxies support country, state, and city-level targeting, as well as rotating and sticky sessions. Pricing starts at $1.75/GB.
Oxylabs
Oxylabs positions itself as a “market-leading web intelligence collection platform” committed to the highest standards of business, ethics, and compliance, helping companies worldwide unlock data-driven insights. The company provides various products, including 6 proxy types, 3 scrapers and 5 datasets.
Oxylabs’ 100M+ residential proxies offer free geo-targeting, a 99.95% success rate, and a 0.6s average response time. It starts from $4.5/GB, but users can also try the Pay As You Go pricing option at $8/GB. Verified company registrations can get a 7-day trial, whereas individual clients get a 3-day money-back guarantee.