Residential vs Premium Residential proxies
Both residential and premium residential 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 real home isp ips (curated slice): here's how they stack up, and how to choose.
as low as $1.25/GB| Residential | Premium Residential | |
|---|---|---|
| IP source | Real home ISP IPs | Real home ISP IPs (curated slice) |
| Trust / stealth | High | Very high |
| Speed | Fast | Fast |
| Geo targeting | Country + city + ZIP + ASN (2× on fine geo) | Country + city + ZIP + ASN (1× — no surcharge) |
| Relative cost | $$ | $$$ |
| Lowest price | $1.25/GB | $6.25/GB |
| Best for | Web scraping, SEO & SERP tracking, Ad verification | Localized ad verification, Geo-pricing checks, Hyper-local SEO |
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 Premium Residential if…
- A failed or misplaced request costs you more than the bandwidth it used.
- You want fine-geo traffic to bill flat at 1× instead of 2×.
- Hyper-local ad verification, geo-pricing, or compliance testing.
Residential vs Premium Residential Proxies, answered
Is residential or premium residential cheaper?
Residential goes lower: as low as $1.25/GB at volume, versus $6.25/GB for premium 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 premium residential?
You need real-user trust on most targets without paying a premium. If that doesn't describe your job, premium residential is likely the better fit.
Can I use both residential and premium residential?
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.