Choosing the right proxy provider is a critical decision for any business that relies on web scraping, data collection, or online privacy. Two names that frequently appear are Oxylabs and Shifter. Both offer residential proxies, scraping tools, and global coverage — but they differ greatly in scale, pricing, and the types of users they serve.
Oxylabs is a premium, enterprise-grade proxy network known for its massive IP pool and advanced scraping infrastructure. Shifter takes a simpler approach, targeting smaller teams and individual users. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about both providers so you can make an informed choice. We compare their products, pricing, performance, and ideal use cases to help you find the best fit!
Oxylabs
Oxylabs was founded in 2015 and has grown into one of the largest proxy networks in the world. The company is based in Vilnius, Lithuania, and serves over 4,000 clients globally. These include Fortune 500 companies, academic research institutions like Stanford, and investigative journalism organizations like Bellingcat and the ICIJ.
Oxylabs positions itself as a full-stack web intelligence platform. Beyond proxies, it offers scraping APIs, AI-powered tools, a headless browser, and ready-to-use datasets. The company holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification and is covered by Cyber Insurance through Lloyd’s. It has been recognized as the Best Proxy Service for 2025 by PCMag and holds G2 Grid Leader status across multiple categories.
The platform is designed for teams that need reliable infrastructure at scale. It supports Python, Node.js, PHP, Go, Java, C#, and cURL integrations, and connects with over 30 third-party tools including LangChain, Zapier, Playwright, and Selenium.
Shifter
Shifter, originally launched in 2012 as Microleaves, is one of the older proxy providers on the market. The company claims to serve more than 25,000 clients, including Fortune 500 companies. However, its overall product offering is considerably simpler and smaller in scope than Oxylabs’.
Shifter focuses on three core products: residential proxies, a web scraping API, and cloud hosting. It appeals to smaller businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers who want straightforward proxy access without the complexity of enterprise-level infrastructure. Shifter supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols and offers a user-friendly control panel that does not require technical expertise.
The company presents itself as simple, reliable, and fast. It advertises 99.99% uptime and offers a money-back guarantee, which appeals to users who want low-risk entry into the proxy market.
Product and Pricing Comparison
Oxylabs Products
Residential Proxies
Residential Proxies are designed for projects that need real-user IP addresses and strong anti-blocking performance. They are a strong fit for large-scale data extraction where accuracy, location targeting, and high success rates matter most. Oxylabs lists a pool of 175M+ residential IPs, with support for geo-targeting and plans built for both self-service users and enterprise buyers.
Pricing:
Public self-service residential plans start at $4/GB on the Basic plan, with lower effective rates. Oxylabs also offers pay-as-you-go top-ups for residential traffic.
Best for
- AI and LLM data collection
- E-commerce scraping
- Market research across many regions
- Businesses that need very large IP diversity
Mobile Proxies
Mobile Proxies use IPs from real mobile carrier networks, which makes them harder for websites to detect or block. This makes them useful for sensitive scraping tasks and environments where standard proxies may be flagged more easily. Oxylabs highlights a pool of 20M+ mobile IPs across 140+ countries, with targeting options and automatic IP rotation.
Pricing:
Oxylabs’ public mobile proxy pricing starts at $5.40/GB on a pay-as-you-go basis. It’s listed with monthly tiers, then scales down as usage increases. Discounted promotional rates are shown on the pricing page from time to time.
Best for
- Hard-to-bypass websites
- Ad verification
- Social media scraping
- Tasks where anti-detection matters more than low cost
Datacenter Proxies
Datacenter Proxies are Oxylabs’ faster and more budget-friendly option. They are ideal for high-volume work where speed and cost efficiency matter more than maximum stealth. Oxylabs markets these plans as a practical choice for scraping tasks on medium-difficulty targets, offering a free trial with 5 IPs and both per-IP and per-traffic billing models.
Pricing:
Datacenter Proxies start at $1.20 per IP per month under the pay-per-IP model. Oxylabs also lists a pay-per-traffic option starting at $0.59/GB, and its free trial includes 5 IPs with no credit card required.
Best for
- Price monitoring
- Review scraping
- Medium-difficulty targets
- Budget-conscious scraping projects
ISP Proxies
ISP Proxies combine the speed of datacenter infrastructure with the trust level of residential-style IPs. They are useful when you need long, stable sessions and fewer interruptions. Oxylabs describes these as static residential-type IPs from premium ASN providers, with unlimited-duration sessions and fair-usage bandwidth.
Pricing:
Public ISP Proxy plans start at $1.60/IP for the Starter tier, then drop to $1.30/IP and $1.20/IP for larger packages. Custom high-volume plans are also available.
Best for
- Long session tasks
- Login-based workflows
- Continuous scraping operations
- Account management and automation
Dedicated ISP Proxies
Dedicated ISP Proxies are a premium version of ISP Proxies. They give you exclusive access to IPs, which improves control, consistency, and stability for demanding tasks. Oxylabs positions these for users who want full IP control and premium ASN selection, especially for traffic-intensive workflows.
Pricing:
Dedicated ISP Proxy plans start at $3.20/IP for the Starter tier. Larger packages are listed at $2.70/IP and $2.50/IP, while custom enterprise plans start from $2.20/IP for high-volume orders.
Best for
- High-stability scraping
- Sensitive automation
- Long-running sessions
- Teams that need exclusive IP ownership
Web Scraper API
The Web Scraper API is Oxylabs’ managed scraping solution for users who do not want to manage proxy rotation, anti-bot measures, or infrastructure themselves. It is built to collect public web data at scale and can return either raw HTML or structured data. Oxylabs also notes that JavaScript rendering is supported for dynamic pages.
Pricing:
Oxylabs states that Web Scraper API access starts at $49/month, and its product page also says pricing starts from $1.6 per 1,000 results. The exact number of results depends on the target type and whether JavaScript rendering is used.
Best for
- Businesses without in-house scraping teams
- Managed enterprise data extraction
- Complex targets with anti-bot systems
- Teams that want ready-made structured output
Shifter Products
Residential Proxies
Shifter’s Residential Proxies are designed for users who need rotating residential IPs to emulate real-user behavior. These proxies are designed to lower the risk of bans and help users access websites more naturally. Shifter promotes this product for large-scale scraping projects that require flexible IP rotation, geo-targeting, and reliable speed.
The service is designed to be simple for both developers and non-technical users. Users can manage settings through a dashboard or API, customize rotation time, and choose the right proxy setup for their scraping needs. These residential proxies are suitable for users who need broad location access and scalable traffic.
Pricing:
Rotating Residential Proxies start at $99.98 for 5 ports, with access to 31M+ residential IPs, geo-targeting, and speed optimization.
Best for
- Large-scale residential scraping
- Projects needing custom proxy rotation
- Global data collection
- Users who want flexible residential access with easy setup
Static Residential Proxies
Shifter’s Static Residential Proxies are designed for long-lasting, stable sessions. These proxies combine the trust level of residential IPs with the speed and stability commonly associated with datacenter-style performance. As they are assigned by ISPs, they appear more legitimate to websites while still enabling fast, consistent connections.
Shifter highlights unlimited traffic, unlimited targets, unlimited sticky sessions, and high network uptime. This makes static residential proxies a strong option when session stability matters more than frequent IP rotation.
Pricing:
Static Residential Proxies start at $74.99 for 25 ports, offering unlimited traffic, gigabit speeds, and large subnet ranges for stable use.
Best for
- Long session tasks
- Continuous scraping with stable IPs
- Projects needing unlimited sticky sessions
- Users who want residential trust with faster performance
Sneaker Proxies
Shifter also offers Sneaker Proxies, which are a specialized version of its static residential offering. These are designed for sneaker bots and similar applications where ultra-low latency, compatibility with major retail sites, and consistent session performance are especially important.
Shifter positions these proxies as optimized for fast checkout-style workflows and bot usage on high-demand retail platforms. They are described as battle-tested and built for sites such as major sneaker and fashion retailers.
Pricing:
Sneaker Proxies start at $74.99 for 25 ports, offering unlimited traffic, gigabit speeds, and large subnet ranges for stable use.
Best for
- Sneaker bots and limited-release retail tasks
- Ultra-low latency workflows
- Users needing static residential performance
- Automation on high-demand shopping sites
Cloud Hosting
Shifter also includes Cloud Hosting for users who want very low latency while working with its proxy network. This service is designed for projects that need dedicated infrastructure closer to the proxy layer, helping improve speed and reduce delays during scraping or automation.
The company positions this as a customizable hosting service with global data centers, high uptime, and tailored machine specifications. Users can adjust RAM, disk space, CPU, IP, operating system, and backup settings based on their use case.
Pricing:
Cloud Hosting plans start at $9.99, with 0ms latency for Shifter services, Windows and Linux support, and scalable hosting options.
Best for
- Projects requiring ultra-low latency
- Users running scraping tools near proxy infrastructure
- Custom server-based automation setups
- Teams needing flexible cloud resources
Web Scraping API
Shifter’s Web Scraping API is a managed scraping service for businesses that do not want to build or maintain their own scraping setup. It helps users collect website data at scale without having to deal with technical issues themselves. The platform handles common scraping challenges such as anti-bot systems, proxy rotation, CAPTCHAs, JavaScript rendering, browser fingerprinting, and automatic retries. This makes the process easier, faster, and more reliable for companies that need web data.
Shifter is presented as an all-in-one solution for businesses seeking direct access to online data without hiring developers to build custom scraping tools. It is also designed for many industries, including travel, finance, e-commerce, real estate, customer reviews, and hiring data. Overall, the product makes large-scale web data collection simple and efficient.
Pricing:
Scraping API starts at $89.99 per month, including JavaScript rendering, residential and mobile proxies, plus geo-targeting for web data collection.
Best for
- Businesses without in-house scraping teams
- Large-scale managed data extraction
- JavaScript-heavy and anti-bot protected targets
- Teams that want a ready-to-use scraping system
General Comparison Table
| Feature | Oxylabs | Shifter |
| Founded | 2015 | 2012 |
| Residential IPs | 175M+ | 50M+ |
| Mobile Proxies | Yes (20M+) | No |
| ISP Proxies | Yes | No |
| Datacenter Proxies | Yes (2M+) | Yes (static residential) |
| Scraping API | Yes | Yes |
| Countries | 195+ | All countries (claimed) |
| Avg. Response Time | 0.41s (residential) | Not specified |
| Success Rate | 99.82% | Not Mentioned |
| Free Trial | Yes (5 IPs, no CC) | Money-back guarantee |
| ISO Certification | ISO 27001:2022 | Not stated |
Performance and Reliability Comparison
Performance is one of the most important factors when choosing a proxy provider. A slow or unreliable proxy network can ruin your data pipelines and cost you time and money.
Oxylabs publishes detailed performance data. Its residential proxies average a 0.41-second response time, while datacenter proxies clock in at just 0.25 seconds. An independent study by Proxyway in 2024 confirmed Oxylabs’ average success rate of 99.82%. The ISP and Dedicated ISP products achieve a 99.9% success rate on most major targets.
Shifter advertises 99.99% uptime for its network. However, uptime and success rate are different metrics. Shifter does not publish independently verified success-rate data, which makes direct performance comparisons difficult.
Oxylabs uses the QUIC protocol for its residential proxy network, reducing latency and improving connection reliability. Its infrastructure is backed by ISO 27001-certified data centers and covered by Technology Errors and Omissions insurance and Cyber Insurance through Lloyd’s of London. Shifter mentions certified data centers but does not provide the same level of transparency in certification details.
For high-volume, mission-critical scraping operations, Oxylabs has a clear performance edge, according to publicly available data. Shifter may perform well for smaller workloads, but it lacks the third-party validation to confirm enterprise-level reliability.
Use Cases: Who Should Use Each Provider?
Oxylabs is Best For
Oxylabs shines for enterprise-level web intelligence tasks. If your business depends on large-scale data extraction, AI training data, market research, ad verification, or competitive pricing intelligence, Oxylabs has the infrastructure to support it. Its mobile proxies make it ideal for app testing and geo-targeted mobile scraping. Its AI Studio and integrations with tools like LangChain and CrewAI make it a strong choice for AI and LLM development teams.
Media companies, cybersecurity firms, travel aggregators, and financial data providers will find Oxylabs’ product suite comprehensive and well-suited to their needs. The dedicated account management, enterprise pricing tiers, and ISP proxy selection also make it attractive for larger procurement teams.
Shifter is Best For
Shifter is a good fit for smaller teams and individual developers who want simple, affordable proxy access without a steep learning curve. Its rotating residential proxies work well for basic scraping, market research, and ad verification at modest volumes. The sneaker proxy offering is a niche but clear use case where Shifter explicitly positions itself.
If you are running low- to mid-volume scraping tasks and do not need mobile proxies, ISP proxies, or AI-powered scraping tools, Shifter offers a cost-effective entry point. Its cloud hosting add-on is also useful for teams that want to run scraping infrastructure close to proxy endpoints.
Final Verdict
Both Oxylabs and Shifter are legitimate proxy providers with real-world use cases, but they serve very different audiences.
Oxylabs is the stronger choice for businesses that need scale, reliability, compliance, and a comprehensive product ecosystem. If you are running enterprise-level scraping, building AI training datasets, doing ad verification across multiple geographies, or need a partner with proven uptime and independently verified performance, Oxylabs is the clear winner. Its investment in AI tools, developer integrations, and customer success resources puts it in a different league.
Shifter is a solid option for individuals, small teams, and developers who need affordable proxy access for lower-volume tasks. Its simple interface, port-based pricing, and sneaker proxy offering make it appealing for a specific slice of the market. It is a capable provider within its niche, even if it cannot match Oxylabs on depth or scale.
In short, choose Oxylabs if you need enterprise-grade infrastructure and comprehensive features. Choose Shifter if you are starting small and want simplicity at a lower upfront cost.
FAQ
Oxylabs is an enterprise-grade proxy and web intelligence platform with 175M+ residential IPs, advanced scraping APIs, Web Unblocker AI technology, and comprehensive data collection tools built for large organizations. Shifter, formerly Microleaves, is a backconnect proxy provider targeting smaller teams with unlimited bandwidth residential proxies and simpler pricing structures. Oxylabs prioritizes scale and enterprise features, while Shifter focuses on affordability and ease of use.
Oxylabs residential proxies start at approximately $8/GB with enterprise volume discounts. Shifter offers plans starting at $124.99/month for 10 backconnect proxy ports with unlimited bandwidth. Shifter’s unlimited bandwidth model is attractive for high-data-volume users on a budget, while Oxylabs provides more advanced features, larger proxy pools, and better success rates that justify the premium pricing for enterprise clients.
Oxylabs has a significantly larger residential proxy pool with 175M+ IPs across 195+ countries with country, state, city, and ASN-level targeting. Shifter claims access to over 5 million residential IPs with country-level targeting. For projects requiring diverse IP diversity and granular geographic precision, Oxylabs is the clear leader in proxy pool size and coverage.
Yes, Shifter was originally launched in 2012 as Microleaves and later rebranded to Shifter. The company offers the same backconnect proxy technology it built its reputation on, now with additional features including residential, datacenter, and mobile proxy options. The Microleaves branding is still recognized in the proxy community.
Oxylabs offers superior anti-bot bypass through its Web Unblocker AI technology, which uses machine learning to automatically adapt to anti-bot measures including CAPTCHAs, browser fingerprinting, and IP blocks. Shifter relies on proxy rotation and IP diversity for bypass. For scraping heavily protected websites, Oxylabs provides significantly more advanced unblocking capabilities.
Shifter is simpler to get started with due to its straightforward backconnect proxy model and unlimited bandwidth plans that remove the complexity of bandwidth monitoring. Oxylabs provides more comprehensive documentation, SDK libraries, and third-party integrations but has a steeper learning curve. For beginners with smaller budgets, Shifter offers a more accessible entry point.
Oxylabs provides a 7-day free trial for residential proxies and scraping products with dedicated onboarding support. Shifter offers a 3-day money-back guarantee rather than a traditional free trial. Both allow some evaluation before full commitment, though Oxylabs provides a longer and more comprehensive trial experience.
Oxylabs delivers enterprise-grade proxy infrastructure with 175M+ residential IPs, datacenter and ISP proxies, and advanced Web Unblocker AI technology across 195+ countries. Shifter (formerly Microleaves) focuses on backconnect residential proxies with a 50M+ IP pool and straightforward per-port pricing. Oxylabs is better suited for enterprises needing precise geo-targeting, dedicated account management, and large-scale data collection. Shifter works well for users who want simplified proxy access with predictable monthly costs.
Leave a Comment
Required fields are marked *