Residential vs Datacenter proxies
Both residential and datacenter proxies run on the same gateway and bill by the gigabyte — the difference is the exit IP and what it's good at. Real home ISP IPs versus server-grade datacenter ips: here's how they stack up, and how to choose.
as low as $0.63/GB| Residential | Datacenter | |
|---|---|---|
| IP source | Real home ISP IPs | Server-grade datacenter IPs |
| Trust / stealth | High | Low–Medium |
| Speed | Fast | Fastest |
| Geo targeting | Country + city + ZIP + ASN (2× on fine geo) | Country |
| Relative cost | $$ | $ |
| Lowest price | $1.25/GB | $0.63/GB |
| Best for | Web scraping, SEO & SERP tracking, Ad verification | Bulk automation, Price & stock monitoring, Uptime checks |
Which should you pick?
Choose Residential if…
- You need real-user trust on most targets without paying a premium.
- You want city / ZIP / ASN targeting at the lowest cost per delivered GB, even with the 2× meter.
- You're running high volume — SERP, scraping, ad verification, research.
Choose Datacenter if…
- Speed and the lowest cost per GB matter most.
- The target doesn't heavily fingerprint the network.
- Bulk automation, price/stock monitoring, uptime checks, internal tooling.
Residential vs Datacenter Proxies, answered
Is residential or datacenter cheaper?
Datacenter goes lower: as low as $0.63/GB at volume, versus $1.25/GB for residential. Both bill pay-as-you-go by the gigabyte, and bigger packs cost less per GB — the balance never expires.
When should I choose residential over datacenter?
You need real-user trust on most targets without paying a premium. If that doesn't describe your job, datacenter is likely the better fit.
Can I use both residential and datacenter?
Yes — many teams run both, routing hard targets through the higher-trust pool and everything else through the cheaper one. Each pool is its own credential on the same gateway.
Keep comparing
Still unsure? Start small.
Bandwidth never expires, so you can buy a small pack, test both pools on your target, and scale whichever wins.