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Compare Proxy Providers Side by Side (2026)

Objective, data-driven comparisons of 32 residential, rotating, datacenter, mobile, and ISP proxy providers. Evaluate real pricing per GB, IP pool sizes, speed benchmarks, and verified user feedback across 92 head-to-head matchups — so you can pick the right proxy network for web scraping, sneaker botting, SEO monitoring, or social media automation.

Enterprise & Premium Residential

Head-to-head comparisons of the top enterprise-grade residential proxy networks — largest IP pools, highest success rates, and premium pricing.

Oxylabs
vs
Bright Data

Oxylabs vs Bright Data

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs Bright Data from $4.20/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Oxylabs
vs
IPRoyal

Oxylabs vs IPRoyal

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

NetNut
vs
Oxylabs

NetNut vs Oxylabs

NetNut from $2.91/GB vs Oxylabs from $2.50/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

IPRoyal
vs
Smartproxy (Now Decodo)

IPRoyal vs Smartproxy

IPRoyal from $1.75/GB vs Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

IPRoyal
vs
Bright Data

IPRoyal vs Bright Data

IPRoyal from $1.75/GB vs Bright Data from $4.20/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
Smartproxy (Now Decodo)

Bright Data vs Smartproxy

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
Webshare

Bright Data vs Webshare

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
NetNut

Bright Data vs NetNut

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs NetNut from $2.91/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
SOAX

Bright Data vs SOAX

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs SOAX from $0.32/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Oxylabs
vs
Smartproxy (Now Decodo)

Oxylabs vs Smartproxy

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Oxylabs
vs
SOAX

Oxylabs vs SOAX

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs SOAX from $0.32/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Smartproxy (Now Decodo)
vs
NetNut

Smartproxy vs NetNut

Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB vs NetNut from $2.91/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Smartproxy (Now Decodo)
vs
SOAX

Smartproxy vs SOAX

Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB vs SOAX from $0.32/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

NetNut
vs
IPRoyal

NetNut vs IPRoyal

NetNut from $2.91/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

NetNut
vs
Webshare

NetNut vs Webshare

NetNut from $2.91/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

NetNut
vs
SOAX

NetNut vs SOAX

NetNut from $2.91/GB vs SOAX from $0.32/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

SOAX
vs
IPRoyal

SOAX vs IPRoyal

SOAX from $0.32/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Budget & Best Value

Cheap residential proxy comparisons for cost-conscious scrapers. Pay-as-you-go pricing, low per-GB rates, and free tiers compared side by side.

Oxylabs
vs
Webshare

Oxylabs vs Webshare

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

IPRoyal
vs
Webshare

IPRoyal vs Webshare

IPRoyal from $1.75/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Webshare
vs
IPRoyal

Webshare vs IPRoyal

Webshare from $2.99/month (DC) vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Webshare
vs
Smartproxy (Now Decodo)

Webshare vs Smartproxy

Webshare from $2.99/month (DC) vs Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Proxy-Seller
vs
Webshare

Proxy-Seller vs Webshare

Proxy-Seller from $0.70/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

GeoNode
vs
DataImpulse

GeoNode vs DataImpulse

GeoNode from $0.50/GB vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

GeoNode
vs
Webshare

GeoNode vs Webshare

GeoNode from $0.50/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

GeoNode
vs
IPRoyal

GeoNode vs IPRoyal

GeoNode from $0.50/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Proxy-Cheap
vs
Webshare

Proxy-Cheap vs Webshare

Proxy-Cheap from $1.99/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Proxy-Cheap
vs
ProxyScrape

Proxy-Cheap vs ProxyScrape

Proxy-Cheap from $1.99/GB vs ProxyScrape from Free Tier. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Roundproxies
vs
DataImpulse

Roundproxies vs DataImpulse

Roundproxies from $1.00/GB vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Roundproxies
vs
Evomi

Roundproxies vs Evomi

Roundproxies from $1.00/GB vs Evomi from $0.49/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Roundproxies
vs
IPRoyal

Roundproxies vs IPRoyal

Roundproxies from $1.00/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Byteful
vs
Webshare

Byteful vs Webshare

Byteful from $3.25/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

ProxyScrape
vs
Webshare

ProxyScrape vs Webshare

ProxyScrape from Free Tier vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

ProxyScrape
vs
DataImpulse

ProxyScrape vs DataImpulse

ProxyScrape from Free Tier vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

GeoNode
vs
Roundproxies

GeoNode vs Roundproxies

GeoNode from $0.50/GB vs Roundproxies from $1.00/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
Evomi

Bright Data vs Evomi

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs Evomi from $0.49/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
DataImpulse

Bright Data vs DataImpulse

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
GeoNode

Bright Data vs GeoNode

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs GeoNode from $0.50/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Oxylabs
vs
Evomi

Oxylabs vs Evomi

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs Evomi from $0.49/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Oxylabs
vs
DataImpulse

Oxylabs vs DataImpulse

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Smartproxy (Now Decodo)
vs
Evomi

Smartproxy vs Evomi

Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB vs Evomi from $0.49/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Smartproxy (Now Decodo)
vs
DataImpulse

Smartproxy vs DataImpulse

Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Smartproxy (Now Decodo)
vs
GeoNode

Smartproxy vs GeoNode

Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB vs GeoNode from $0.50/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

IPRoyal
vs
Evomi

IPRoyal vs Evomi

IPRoyal from $1.75/GB vs Evomi from $0.49/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

IPRoyal
vs
DataImpulse

IPRoyal vs DataImpulse

IPRoyal from $1.75/GB vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

IPRoyal
vs
Proxy-Cheap

IPRoyal vs Proxy-Cheap

IPRoyal from $1.75/GB vs Proxy-Cheap from $1.99/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Webshare
vs
Evomi

Webshare vs Evomi

Webshare from $2.99/month (DC) vs Evomi from $0.49/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Webshare
vs
DataImpulse

Webshare vs DataImpulse

Webshare from $2.99/month (DC) vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

PacketStream
vs
DataImpulse

PacketStream vs DataImpulse

PacketStream from $1.00/GB vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

PacketStream
vs
IPRoyal

PacketStream vs IPRoyal

PacketStream from $1.00/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Evomi
vs
DataImpulse

Evomi vs DataImpulse

Evomi from $0.49/GB (PAYG) vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Evomi
vs
GeoNode

Evomi vs GeoNode

Evomi from $0.49/GB (PAYG) vs GeoNode from $0.50/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Proxy4U
vs
DataImpulse

Proxy4U vs DataImpulse

Proxy4U from $0.60/GB vs DataImpulse from $1.00/GB (PAYG). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Proxy4U
vs
IPRoyal

Proxy4U vs IPRoyal

Proxy4U from $0.60/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Storm Proxies
vs
PacketStream

Storm Proxies vs PacketStream

Storm Proxies from $14/month vs PacketStream from $1.00/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Sneaker & Botting Proxies

Sneaker proxy comparisons for botting, limited releases, and multi-accounting — ISP speed, static residential IPs, and unlimited bandwidth plans.

Scraping APIs & Platforms

Web scraping API comparisons — managed platforms with built-in CAPTCHA solving, JS rendering, and pay-per-success pricing versus raw proxy access.

Mobile, ISP & SOCKS5

Mobile proxy, static ISP, and SOCKS5 provider comparisons for social media automation, app testing, and long-session workflows.

Popular Matchups

Other frequently searched proxy provider comparisons across residential, rotating, and datacenter networks.

ProxyEmpire
vs
PYPROXY

ProxyEmpire vs PYPROXY

ProxyEmpire from $0.35/GB vs PYPROXY from $0.77/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

NetNut
vs
PYPROXY

NetNut vs PYPROXY

NetNut from $2.91/GB vs PYPROXY from $0.77/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

PYPROXY
vs
NetNut

PYPROXY vs NetNut

PYPROXY from $0.77/GB vs NetNut from $2.91/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Proxy-Seller
vs
IPRoyal

Proxy-Seller vs IPRoyal

Proxy-Seller from $0.70/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Proxy-Seller
vs
Bright Data

Proxy-Seller vs Bright Data

Proxy-Seller from $0.70/GB vs Bright Data from $4.20/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Proxy-Cheap
vs
MarsProxies

Proxy-Cheap vs MarsProxies

Proxy-Cheap from $1.99/GB vs MarsProxies from $3.49/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Byteful
vs
Smartproxy (Now Decodo)

Byteful vs Smartproxy

Byteful from $3.25/GB vs Smartproxy (Now Decodo) from $2.00/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

SOAX
vs
Webshare

SOAX vs Webshare

SOAX from $0.32/GB vs Webshare from $2.99/month (DC). Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
Rayobyte

Bright Data vs Rayobyte

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs Rayobyte from $0.45/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Bright Data
vs
Infatica

Bright Data vs Infatica

Bright Data from $4.20/GB vs Infatica from $0.15/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Oxylabs
vs
Rayobyte

Oxylabs vs Rayobyte

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs Rayobyte from $0.45/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Oxylabs
vs
Infatica

Oxylabs vs Infatica

Oxylabs from $2.50/GB vs Infatica from $0.15/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Massive
vs
Bright Data

Massive vs Bright Data

Massive from $4.90/GB vs Bright Data from $4.20/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Massive
vs
Oxylabs

Massive vs Oxylabs

Massive from $4.90/GB vs Oxylabs from $2.50/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Infatica
vs
IPRoyal

Infatica vs IPRoyal

Infatica from $0.15/GB vs IPRoyal from $1.75/GB. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Shifter.io
vs
Storm Proxies

Shifter vs Storm Proxies

Shifter.io from $99.98 Starting vs Storm Proxies from $14/month. Detailed breakdown of features, pool sizes, and real-world pricing.

Top 5 Proxy Providers Overview

ProviderNetwork TypeAvg. ResponseStarting PriceIP Pool SizeTrust ScoreAction
1.Bright Data
Residential
~0.7s Response
$4.20/GBBase tier
150M+ IPs
4.9
2.Smartproxy (Now Decodo)
Residential
<0.2s Avg Speed
$2.00/GBBase tier
125M+ IPs
4.8
3.ProxyEmpire
Residential
99.9% Uptime
$0.35/GBBase tier
30M+ IPs
4.7
4.Oxylabs
Enterprise
< 1s Response
$2.50/GBBase tier
175M+ IPs
4.9
5.NetNut
Residential, Mobile & APIs
Fastest (0% Fail Rate)
$2.91/GBBase tier
85M+ IPs
4.8

How to Choose a Proxy Provider

Residential vs Datacenter Proxies

Residential proxies use real ISP-assigned IPs, making them ideal for scraping protected targets, ad verification, and multi-accounting — at $0.50-$8 per GB. Datacenter proxies are faster and far cheaper (often flat monthly pricing with unlimited bandwidth) but easier to detect. Most teams combine both: residential for hard targets, datacenter for volume.

Rotating vs Sticky Sessions

Rotating proxies switch IPs on every request — essential for large-scale web scraping without bans. Sticky sessions hold one IP for 10 minutes to 24 hours, which account management, checkout bots, and social media automation require. Check each provider's maximum sticky duration before buying; they vary widely.

IP Pool Size & Geo-Targeting

Bigger pools (100M+ IPs at Bright Data, Oxylabs, SOAX) mean better rotation and lower block rates on heavily defended sites. For localized tasks — SERP tracking, price monitoring, ad verification — country, city, and even ASN-level targeting matters more than raw pool size. Verify the pool size in the specific countries you need.

True Cost per GB & Billing Traps

Advertised prices rarely tell the whole story. Watch for traffic expiry (some providers void unused GB monthly), minimum top-ups, success-rate differences (a 90% success rate costs you 10% wasted bandwidth), and pay-as-you-go vs subscription pricing. Providers like IPRoyal and Roundproxies offer non-expiring traffic, which suits irregular workloads.

Proxy Comparison FAQ

What is the difference between residential and datacenter proxies?

Residential proxies route traffic through real consumer devices and ISP-assigned IP addresses, making them much harder for websites to detect and block — ideal for scraping protected targets, ad verification, and sneaker botting. Datacenter proxies come from cloud servers: they are significantly faster and cheaper (often a few dollars per month for unlimited bandwidth) but are easier to detect, so they suit high-volume scraping of less-protected sites.

Which proxy provider is best for web scraping in 2026?

It depends on your targets and budget. For heavily protected enterprise targets, Bright Data and Oxylabs lead with 150M+ IP pools and 99%+ success rates. For best value, IPRoyal and Smartproxy (Decodo) offer strong performance from around $1.50-$2.00/GB. For budget scraping, DataImpulse, Evomi, and GeoNode start under $1/GB. Compare any two providers head-to-head on this page before committing.

What is a rotating proxy and when do I need one?

A rotating proxy automatically assigns a new IP address for every request (or on a timed interval), which prevents rate-limiting and IP bans during large-scale web scraping. Use rotating residential proxies when scraping sites with anti-bot protection. Use sticky sessions (the same IP held for 10-30+ minutes) for tasks that require login persistence, such as account management or checkout flows.

How much do residential proxies cost per GB?

In 2026, residential proxy pricing ranges from roughly $0.50/GB at budget providers (GeoNode, Evomi, DataImpulse) to $4-$8/GB at premium enterprise networks (Bright Data, Oxylabs, Massive). Mid-tier options like IPRoyal ($1.75/GB) and Smartproxy ($1.50-$2.00/GB with discounts) balance quality and cost. Watch for hidden differences: traffic expiry, minimum top-ups, and per-request vs per-GB billing.

SOCKS5 vs HTTP proxies — which should I use?

HTTP(S) proxies are purpose-built for web traffic and work with virtually every scraping library and browser. SOCKS5 proxies operate at a lower level, supporting any TCP/UDP traffic — useful for apps, torrenting, game clients, and non-HTTP protocols. For standard web scraping, HTTP(S) is enough; choose a provider with SOCKS5 support (such as IPRoyal, PIA Proxy, or Proxy-Cheap) if you need application-level proxying.

How do you test and rank the proxy providers compared here?

Our technical team runs standardized monthly tests against all listed providers: 10,000+ requests per provider against high-protection targets to measure success rates, response-time benchmarks across 5 global regions, IP pool diversity verification, and pricing audits against published rates. See our full testing methodology page for details on every metric.

Evaluation Methodology

How we benchmark proxy networks

Our technical team performs rigorous monthly testing on all listed providers using standardized scraping environments to ensure objective comparison data.

Read Full Methodology
Performance Metrics

We measure average response times, concurrent connection limits, and network latency across 5 global target regions.

Reliability Tracking

Success rates are calculated by executing 10,000+ requests per provider against high-protection targets.

Pool Verification

We independently verify IP diversity, residential subnet distribution, and geographic coverage claims.

Enterprise Feasibility

Evaluation of API documentation quality, integration ease, and dedicated support availability.