The Short Answer
The best residential proxy provider for most people is Webshare — 80M+ residential IPs across 195+ countries at roughly $3.50/GB, plus a free-forever tier so you can test before paying. Oxylabs is the premium pick with the largest pool (175M+ ethically sourced IPs), ZIP and ASN targeting, and the highest success rates for large-scale scraping. Decodo is the easiest to learn and scales to $2/GB, while Swiftproxy is the cheapest at ~$0.70/GB with traffic that never expires.
About our Methodology and Testing
We judged each network on what actually decides results: success rate on real targets, pool size and IP cleanliness, targeting depth (country through ZIP and ASN), session control, and true cost per GB or per IP once you scale. We also weighed how easy it is to test each provider before committing — a free tier, a trial, or a low minimum purchase.
Residential proxies route your traffic through real home IP addresses, so target sites see an ordinary visitor instead of a datacenter bot. That is what makes them the default choice for web scraping, ad verification, market research, and managing multiple accounts without bans — and why they cost more than datacenter alternatives.
The gap between providers is wider than the marketing suggests: pool sizes range from 60M to 175M IPs, prices from $0.70 to $8.50 per GB, and targeting from country-only to full ZIP and ASN control. Having tested the major networks on real targets, I have compiled the providers worth your money, with honest pros and cons for each. Read more…
Best Residential Proxy Provider: Editor’s Choice
Best Residential Proxy Providers: Top Picks!
#1 Best Value
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| Provider | Webshare | Oxylabs | Decodo | Swiftproxy |
| Residential IPs | 80M+ | 175M+ | 115M+ | 80M+ |
| Countries | 195+ | 195 | 195+ | 195+ |
| Targeting | Country / city | City / ZIP / ASN | City / ZIP / ASN | Country / city |
| Free option | 10 proxies + 1 GB/mo | Free trial | 3-day trial | Varies — confirm |
| Starting price | ~$3.50/GB | ~$4/GB | $2/GB | ~$0.70/GB |
| 24/7 support | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Link | Try Free Now | Try Free Now | Try Free Now | Try Free Now |
1) Webshare
Best Overall Value in Residential Proxies
Webshare combines an 80M+ residential IP pool across 195+ countries with the most accessible pricing here and the only genuinely free tier — 10 proxies and 1 GB a month, free forever — so you can test the network before spending anything.
Rotating residential starts around $3.50/GB, and static residential (ISP) IPs are just $6/month at $0.30 per IP, far below what the enterprise networks charge for comparable access. Both HTTP and SOCKS5 are supported.
Everything is self-serve: register, generate credentials, and download your proxy list or hit the API within minutes. No sales calls, no minimum commitment, and a 99.97% uptime guarantee on Tier-1 infrastructure.
The trade-off is depth — you get country and city targeting rather than the ZIP and ASN precision Oxylabs offers, and the pool is smaller than the top enterprise networks.
Why Webshare?
Webshare’s 80M+ residential IPs, ~$3.50/GB pricing, and a free tier to test first make it the best overall value in residential proxies for developers and small teams.
What We Like
- ✓80M+ residential IPs across 195+ countries
- ✓Free tier — 10 proxies + 1 GB/month, no card
- ✓Low pricing: ~$3.50/GB rotating, $0.30/IP static
- ✓Instant self-serve dashboard, API, 99.97% uptime
What We Don’t Like
- ✕Country/city targeting only — no ZIP or ASN level
- ✕Smaller pool than Oxylabs and the enterprise networks
- ✕Lighter support than premium providers
Pricing Plans
| Pricing Plans | Rotating residential from ~$3.50/GB • Static residential from $6/mo ($0.30/IP) |
| Free Option | 10 proxies + 1 GB/month, free forever (no card) |
| Residential IPs | 80M+ |
| Countries | 195+ |
| Protocols | HTTP & SOCKS5 |
| Uptime | 99.97% guarantee |
| Support | 24/7 Support & Documentation |
Free Forever Plan
2) Oxylabs
Best for Large-Scale Scraping and Success Rates
Oxylabs runs the largest residential network here — 175M+ ethically sourced IPs across 195 countries — with the highest success rates we measured. It is the provider to pick when a job absolutely has to complete.
Targeting goes deeper than anyone else on this list: country, city, state, ZIP code, and ASN, which matters for accurate localized data, ad verification, and region-specific pricing research.
Both rotating and sticky sessions are supported, and the proxies come with a full scraping stack — Web Scraper API, proxy manager, and thorough docs — plus 24/7 support and account managers on larger plans.
Pricing is premium: pay-as-you-go runs around $8/GB, dropping to roughly $4/GB on committed plans. A free trial lets businesses validate performance first.
Why Oxylabs?
Oxylabs’ 175M+ ethically sourced IPs, ZIP and ASN targeting, and top-tier success rates make it the most dependable residential network for serious, large-scale data collection.
What We Like
- ✓Largest pool here — 175M+ ethically sourced IPs
- ✓Deepest targeting: country, city, state, ZIP, ASN
- ✓Highest success rates on difficult targets
- ✓24/7 support with dedicated account managers
What We Don’t Like
- ✕Premium pricing — from ~$4/GB committed, ~$8/GB pay-as-you-go
- ✕Free trial is aimed at businesses
- ✕More platform depth than a casual user needs
Pricing Plans
| Pricing Plans | Pay-as-you-go ~$8/GB • Starter 5GB $30 ($6/GB) • from ~$4/GB committed |
| Free Option | Free trial (business sign-up) |
| Residential IPs | 175M+ |
| Countries | 195 |
| Targeting | Country, city, state, ZIP, ASN |
| Sessions | Rotating & sticky |
| Support | 24/7 Live Chat + Account Manager |
Free Trial Available
3) Decodo
Best for Beginners and Balanced Value
Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) hits the sweet spot between price and polish: a 115M+ residential pool across 195+ locations, city/state/ZIP/ASN targeting, and the friendliest dashboard in the category — all testable through a 3-day free trial.
Plans scale from pay-as-you-go at $8.5/GB down to $2/GB on larger monthly commitments, so you can start tiny and grow without renegotiating.
A free browser extension, proxy address generator, and fast onboarding get first-timers running in minutes, while rotating and sticky sessions cover both scraping and account workflows.
24/7 live chat and a deep knowledge base make it the easiest premium-grade network to actually learn.
Why Decodo?
Decodo’s 115M+ IP pool, $2/GB scaling, and genuinely beginner-friendly tooling make it the best balance of value, usability, and performance in residential proxies.
What We Like
- ✓115M+ residential IPs across 195+ locations
- ✓Scales down to $2/GB on larger plans
- ✓City, state, ZIP, and ASN targeting
- ✓Best-in-class dashboard and free tools
What We Don’t Like
- ✕Free trial needs card verification and is only 100 MB
- ✕Pay-as-you-go rate ($8.5/GB) is steep
- ✕Pool is smaller than Oxylabs
Pricing Plans
| Pricing Plans | Pay-as-you-go $8.5/GB • scales to $2/GB on larger monthly plans |
| Free Option | 3-day free trial (100 MB, card verification) |
| Residential IPs | 115M+ |
| Locations | 195+ |
| Targeting | Country, city, state, ZIP, ASN |
| Sessions | Rotating & sticky |
| Support | 24/7 Live Chat & Knowledge Base |
3-Day Free Trial
4) Swiftproxy
Best Cheap Residential with Non-Expiring Traffic
Swiftproxy undercuts nearly everyone at around $0.70/GB across an 80M+ IP network in 195+ countries — and unusually, the traffic you buy never expires, so no monthly deadline pressures you to burn through a quota.
In early 2026 Swiftproxy added a real-time quality system that continuously checks its IPs against major anti-bot and fraud databases and automatically pulls flagged addresses from the active pool. Cleaner IPs mean measurably fewer blocks.
Native ISP proxies start at $6 per IP with unlimited bandwidth and lifetime renewal options, which is strong value if you need a stable static identity rather than rotation.
The provider reports 99.89% uptime, and testers consistently describe stable, fast connections through long scraping runs.
Why Swiftproxy?
Swiftproxy’s ~$0.70/GB pricing, traffic that never expires, and automatic removal of flagged IPs make it the best-value residential network for anyone who hates monthly commitments.
What We Like
- ✓Very low entry price from ~$0.70/GB
- ✓Purchased traffic never expires — no monthly deadline
- ✓Real-time IP checks auto-remove flagged addresses
- ✓ISP proxies from $6/IP with unlimited bandwidth
What We Don’t Like
- ✕Free trial availability is inconsistent — confirm first
- ✕Smaller brand and shorter track record than the top three
- ✕Fewer enterprise tools and account management
Pricing Plans
| Pricing Plans | Residential from ~$0.70/GB • ISP proxies from $6/IP (unlimited bandwidth) |
| Free Option | Trial availability varies — confirm with support |
| Residential IPs | 80M+ |
| Countries | 195+ |
| Traffic Expiry | Never expires |
| Uptime | 99.89% |
| Support | 24/7 Support |
Check Current Offer
5) Thordata
Best Budget Network with Scraping APIs Included
Thordata pairs 60M+ residential IPs across 195+ locations with a 1 GB free trial and rates that undercut most established names — roughly $1.05/GB with the promotion running through 2026.
Residential rates span about $0.65 to $3.50 per GB with pay-as-you-go billing and no monthly minimum, keeping entry costs low for irregular workloads.
What sets Thordata apart at this price is the bundled tooling: a SERP API, Web Scraper, and Web Unlocker handle JavaScript rendering and anti-bot systems, so you are not building that layer yourself.
It is not the fastest network here, but for the money the success rates hold up well on everyday scraping targets.
Why Thordata?
Thordata’s 1 GB free trial, ~$1.05/GB pricing, and bundled SERP and Web Unlocker APIs make it the best budget residential network for scrapers who want tooling included.
What We Like
- ✓1 GB residential free trial available
- ✓Very low per-GB pricing (from ~$1.05/GB with promo)
- ✓Pay-as-you-go with no monthly minimum
- ✓SERP API, Web Scraper, and Web Unlocker included
What We Don’t Like
- ✕Free trial must be unlocked by contacting support
- ✕Smaller pool (60M+) than the leading networks
- ✕Not the fastest network under heavy load
Pricing Plans
| Pricing Plans | Residential $0.65–$3.50/GB • from ~$1.05/GB with current promo |
| Free Option | 1 GB residential free trial (via support) |
| Residential IPs | 60M+ |
| Locations | 195+ |
| Billing | Pay-as-you-go, no monthly minimum |
| Extra Tools | SERP API, Web Scraper, Web Unlocker |
| Support | 24/7 Support |
1 GB Free Trial
6) Floppydata
Cheapest Per-GB Residential and All Proxy Types
Floppydata is among the cheapest residential providers running: $1/GB for residential and mobile, with 65M+ residential IPs across 195+ countries and full HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 support.
Every proxy type — residential, mobile, datacenter ($0.60/GB), and ISP ($5/IP) — is managed from one dashboard, so you can switch between cost, speed, rotation, or static sessions as the task demands.
Automatic rotation and sticky sessions are both supported, and the bundles are refreshingly simple: 20 GB for $20, 48 GB for $48, 96 GB for $96, with no confusing tiers.
There is no free trial, but you can buy from as little as 2 GB or a single IP, so testing costs a couple of dollars rather than a commitment.
Why Floppydata?
Floppydata’s $1/GB residential rate, all proxy types in one dashboard, and a 2 GB minimum purchase make it the cheapest way to get residential proxies without a subscription.
What We Like
- ✓Among the cheapest residential rates at $1/GB
- ✓All proxy types (residential, mobile, datacenter, ISP) in one dashboard
- ✓HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 with rotating and sticky sessions
- ✓Very low entry — buy from 2 GB or a single IP
What We Don’t Like
- ✕No free trial offered
- ✕Newer provider (live since 2024) with a short public track record
- ✕Trustpilot suspended its rating over fake reviews — verify before committing
Pricing Plans
| Pricing Plans | Residential & mobile $1/GB • Datacenter $0.60/GB • ISP $5/IP • Bundles from 20GB/$20 |
| Free Option | No free trial — low-cost entry from 2 GB or 1 IP |
| Residential IPs | 65M+ |
| Countries | 195+ |
| Protocols | HTTP, HTTPS & SOCKS5 |
| Sessions | Rotating & sticky |
| Support | 24/7 Support |
Start From $1/GB
What Are Residential Proxies and How Do They Work?
A residential proxy routes your traffic through a real device on a home internet connection, so the site you visit sees a genuine residential IP issued by an ISP rather than your own address or a datacenter server. Because the IP belongs to an actual household, the request looks like ordinary human browsing, which anti-bot systems find far harder to flag.
Your request travels to the provider’s gateway, which forwards it through a residential IP in the location you chose and returns the response to you. Rotating configurations assign a new IP per request or session, while sticky sessions hold the same IP for minutes, hours, or days.
Residential vs Datacenter vs ISP vs Mobile Proxies
Each type trades cost, speed, and stealth differently:
- Residential: Real home IPs. The best balance of stealth and coverage for scraping, ad verification, and account work.
- Datacenter: Server IPs. Fastest and cheapest (from around $0.60/GB), but easiest to detect on defended sites.
- ISP (static residential): Home IPs hosted in datacenters — residential trust with datacenter speed and a fixed address.
- Mobile (4G/5G): Real carrier IPs shared by many users. Hardest to block, most expensive per GB.
Rotating vs Sticky Residential Sessions
How the IP behaves during a task matters as much as the pool size:
- Rotating: A fresh IP on every request or after a set interval. Ideal for large crawls, spreading traffic across many addresses so you never trip rate limits.
- Sticky: The same IP held for a defined window — minutes to days. Essential for logins, checkouts, and any multi-step workflow where a changing IP would break the session.
Every provider here supports both; check the maximum sticky duration if you run long account-based tasks.
How Residential Proxies Are Sourced (and Why Ethics Matter)
Residential IPs come from real people’s devices, so how a provider obtains them is a genuine quality and risk signal. Reputable networks recruit users through opt-in SDKs and reward apps with clear consent and the ability to leave at any time.
Providers that source IPs through undisclosed bundling or malware end up with unstable pools, higher block rates, and legal exposure that can reach their customers. Oxylabs is explicit about ethical sourcing, which is part of why its pool performs consistently. If a provider will not explain where its IPs come from, treat that as a red flag.
What to Look for in a Residential Proxy Provider
Prioritize these when choosing:
- Success rate: The real measure of quality — how often requests complete on your actual targets.
- Pool size and cleanliness: More IPs helps, but clean, unflagged IPs matter more.
- Targeting depth: Country is table stakes; city, ZIP, and ASN unlock accurate localized data.
- Session control: Both rotating and long sticky sessions.
- Pricing model: Per-GB vs per-IP, and whether unused traffic expires.
- A way to test: A free tier, free trial, or low minimum purchase before you commit.
Residential Proxy Pricing Explained: Per GB vs Per IP
Residential proxies are usually billed one of two ways, and picking the wrong one gets expensive:
- Per GB (rotating): You pay for bandwidth and draw from the whole pool. Rates here range from about $0.70/GB (Swiftproxy) to $8.50/GB pay-as-you-go. Best for scraping, where you need many IPs but modest data per request.
- Per IP (static/ISP): You rent specific IPs monthly with unlimited or generous bandwidth — from $0.30/IP (Webshare) to $6/IP (Swiftproxy). Best for account management, where a stable identity beats variety.
Also check expiry: most providers reset unused traffic monthly, while Swiftproxy’s never expires.
How to Set Up Residential Proxies
Getting started takes only a few minutes:
Step 1) Pick a provider with a free tier or trial, such as Webshare, and create an account.
Step 2) In the dashboard, choose rotating or sticky sessions and your target location — country, city, or ZIP.
Step 3) Copy the gateway endpoint, port, username, and password, or download the proxy list.
Step 4) Paste the credentials into your scraper, browser, or automation tool, then load an IP checker and a DNS leak test to confirm the residential IP and location before you scale up.
Common Use Cases for Residential Proxies
Residential proxies earn their premium on tasks where looking like a real user is the whole point:
- Web scraping and price monitoring on sites with strong anti-bot defenses.
- Ad verification — checking how ads render for users in specific cities or countries.
- Managing multiple social or e-commerce accounts without triggering bans.
- Market research and localized SERP tracking.
- Sneaker, ticket, and limited-release purchasing.
- Brand protection and counterfeit monitoring across marketplaces.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Webshare | Oxylabs | Decodo | Swiftproxy |
| Best For | Overall value | Large-scale scraping | Beginners | Cheap, non-expiring |
| Residential IPs | 80M+ | 175M+ | 115M+ | 80M+ |
| Targeting | Country / city | City / ZIP / ASN | City / ZIP / ASN | Country / city |
| Sessions | Rotating & static | Rotating & sticky | Rotating & sticky | Rotating & sticky |
| Starting Price | ~$3.50/GB | ~$4/GB | $2/GB | ~$0.70/GB |
| Traffic Expiry | Monthly reset | Plan-based | Plan-based | Never expires |
| Free Option | Free forever tier | Free trial | 3-day trial | Varies |
How Did We Choose the Best Residential Proxy Providers?
Our dedication to credibility is unwavering. We spent over 120 hours testing 35+ residential proxy networks on real scraping and account-management targets, measuring success rates, speed, IP cleanliness, and how each handled tough anti-bot sites. We documented every provider’s key features and unbiased pros and cons. Explore our editorial policy.
- Success rate: We tracked how often each network returned clean results on live targets.
- Pool size and sourcing: We favored large, ethically sourced pools with low flagged-IP rates.
- Targeting depth: We rewarded city, ZIP, and ASN control over country-only targeting.
- Real value: We compared price per GB and per IP, plus whether unused traffic expires.
- Ease of testing: We prioritized providers with a free tier, trial, or low minimum purchase.
Verdict
All six providers are worth considering, but these three stood out:
FAQ
