Best Residential Proxy Providers in 2024

Don’t know who the best proxy provider is? Read this review and find it out!

Best residential proxies

Introduction

Residential proxies are the most popular choice among users who need a proxy service. Why? Because of their unparalleled ability to protect users’ identities, ensure privacy, and access geo-restricted content through genuine IPs from real devices. In recent years, numerous providers have appeared online and finding the right one can become a daunting task. Fortunately, you have come to the right place!

What Is a Residential Proxy and Why Is It Useful?

A residential proxy is an intermediary server with an IP address associated with a real residential device instead of a datacenter. Like any other proxy server, it acts as a bridge between the user and the Internet, concealing the user’s identity and location. Since residential devices are connected to a local Wi-FI with a genuine IP registered by an ISP, resindential IPs are more difficult to detect by anti-bot solutions.

In other words, a residential proxy works by redirecting online traffic generated by a user through residential IP addresses. The advantage is that the destination server will see the connection as coming from a reliable IP and not from a datacenter server with a static IP.

In particular, the key facts to know about residential proxies are:

  • Residential IPs originate from devices such as computers and other Internet-connected tools, usually in a real home.
  • Residential proxy networks typically include millions of IPs, with only a subset available at any given time, since not all devices may be turned on.
  • As they rely on real devices, provides can guarantee broader location coverage and more precise targeting options.
  • Residential IPs are more legitimate and have a higher reputation compared to datacenter IPs.
  • They can be shared by many users simultaneously or dedicated to only one client at a time.
  • Residential IPs on shared proxies are generally periodically rotated by default for you.

Aspects to Consider When Evaluating Residential Proxy Providers

When evaluating the best residential proxy providers on the market, there are certain elements to focus on. In detail, these comparison aspects are:

  • Features: The services and products offered by the provider that enhance and complement its offerings.
  • Pricing: The plans available, the cost of residential proxies per GB, and the presence or absence of a trial and/or refund policy.
  • Proxy network: Residential IPs available, in how many countries, through what protocols, and support for both dedicated and shared proxies.
  • Performance: The average response time of proxy servers. Since the reported figures are often very different from the actual ones, it is worthwhile to analyze both.
  • Uptime: The percentage of server availability guaranteed by the provider.
  • Success rate: The average percentage of successful requests made through the proxy network. Again, note that the reported percentages may not match the real values.
  • Customers and partners: The number of customers that choose the provider and some of their best partners.
  • Customer support: The way the provider interfaces with customers, in what channels, and its readiness to address user issues.
  • Ethics: Whether the provider respects data privacy regulations and discourages illegal activities by requiring a KYC (Know Your Customer) process. Another important aspect is their commitment to social causes through non-profit initiatives.
  • Reliability: What users and customers think about the service they provide. A good metric to evaluate this characteristic is their review score on G2 and Trustpilot. Awards from G2, Capterra and other similar services are good indicators of reliability as well.

Best Residential Proxy Providers of 2024

Explore the top 8 residential proxy services selected and compared by applying the criteria presented above. Which will be the best residential proxy provider? Time to reveal it!

If you are eager to find out the winner, take a look at the summary table below:

Provider Name
Bright Data
Oxylabs
Smartproxy
SOAX
IPRoyal
NetNut
Webshare
Geonode
FeaturesFree TrialStarting PricingProxy NetworkAvg Response TimeUptimeSuccess RateCustomersCustomer SupportEthicsReliability
ManyYes$5.04/GB72+ million IPs~1s99.99%99.9%20,000+, including Microsoft, McDonald’s, and the United NationsExceptional– Transparent – Pro bono access for NGOs, NPOs, and academic institutions-Trustpilot: 4.5/5 -G2: 4.6/5 -Several awards
Many? (At Oxylabs’s discretion)$10/GB100+ million IPs, with no dedicated residential proxies~1s99.9%99.95%2,000+, including Trivago, SEON, and Debunk.org Great – Transparent – Pro bono access for academics and researches – Trustpilot: 4.7/5 – G2: 4.5/5 – Some awards
ManyYes$8.5/GB55+ million IPs~1s99.99%99.47%UndisclosedGreat – Not completely transparent – Member of EWDCI – Trustpilot: 4.7/5 – G2: 4.6/5 – A few awards
RegularNo$99/month155+ million IPs, with no dedicated residential proxies~1s99%99.5%UndisclosedGreatTransparent – Trustpilot: 4.1/5 – G2: 4.9/5 – Several awards
RegularNo$7/GB2+ million IPs~3s99.9%99.8%10,000+GreatTransparent – Trustpilot: 4.6/5 – G2: 4.3/5 – A few awards
ManyYes$300/month52+ million IPs, with no dedicated residential proxies~2s99.99%93%2,500+, including RocketReach and ApifyGreatTransparent, but not for all users– Trustpilot: 4.3/5 – G2: 4.7/5
BasicNo$7/GB30+ million IPs~2s99.97%>99%UndisclosedRegularNot completely transparent– Trustpilot: 4.4/5 – G2: 4.8/5
RegularNo$4/GBUndisclosed number of IPs, with no dedicated residential proxies~1s99.99%99.9%1,000+, including Plurral, Sea, and NaturlifeRegularNot completely transparent – Trustpilot: 4.7/5 – G2: —

1. Bright Data

Bright Data logo

Bright Data stands out as one of the leading residential proxy providers in the market, controlling millions of residential IPs since 2016. The provider boasts one of the largest, fastest, and most reliable pools of rotating residential IPs globally. It also offers a wide range of features, including precise targeting via ASN and ZIP code specifications.

Bright Data provides services for both individuals and businesses, featuring both all-in-one plans and pay-as-you-go models. Thanks to its strict KYC policy, it prioritizes transparency and advocates ethical practices. With an extensive network of proxies, Bright Data also offers browser extensions and other useful scraping services.


Features:

  • Automatic IP rotation
  • Session IP persistence feature
  • 100% uptime feature
  • Real-time network performance dashboard
  • Extensive documentation for technical users and help center for non-technical users
  • Proxy manager desktop application to easily configure and manage proxies at the OS level
  • Browser extensions to use proxies while surfing the web
  • Data extraction solutions such as Scraping Browser, Web Scraper IDE, SERP API, and Web Unlocker based on the residential proxy network

Pricing:

  • 7-day free trial
  • $5.04/GB for the first $10/month, then starting at $6.43/GB
  • $5.67/GB for businesses

Proxy Network:

  • 72+ million IPs
  • 195+ countries, with city, zip code, carrier, and ASN targeting
  • HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
  • Both shared and dedicated private residential proxies

Average Response Time:

  • Advertised: Undisclosed
  • Real: ~1s

Uptime: 99.99%

Success Rate: 99.9%

Customers and Partners:

  • Number of customers: More than 20,000
  • Partners: Microsoft, McDonald’s, EPSON, Shopee, United Nations, Statista, Columbia University, and others

Customer Support:

  • 24/7 live chat
  • Ticketing and email support
  • Sales inquiries to find the right plan that best fits your needs
  • Dedicated account manager for private residential proxies

Ethics:

  • ID card verification required (as part of the KYC procedure)
  • GDPR and CCPA compliant
  • Users who do not use their proxies ethically and in accordance with compliance standards are banned
  • Pro bono access to their services for NGOs, NPOs, and academic institutions through the Brigth Initiative project

Reliability:

  • Trustpilot score: 4.6/5
  • G2 score: 4.6/5
  • Several awards from G2 and Capterra

Learn more about Bright Data in our full Bright Data review.


2. Oxylabs

oxylabs logo

Oxylabs emerges as a prominent player in the realm of residential proxies, giving it access to one of the largest proxy pools in the world. That involves 100 million IPs in most countries and major cities. The company specializes primarily in proxies but complements its offerings with some web scraping services.

Oxylabs provides a solution that targets companies looking for high-performance proxies with a high success rate and fast response time. In fact, the lack of a free trial might discourage most individual users. To ensure a secure and reliable user base, card ID verification is required.


Features:

  • Automatic IP rotation
  • Endpoint generator
  • Extensive documentation for both technical and non-technical users
  • Proxy user management web application with public API
  • Scraping API and other services at an additional cost

Pricing:

  • Free trial on demand
  • 3-day refund policy
  • Starting from 10$/GB

Proxy Network:

  • 100+ million IPs
  • 195 countries available, with targeting on city, state, ZIP code, ASN, and coordinates
  • HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
  • Only shared residential proxies

Average Response Time:

  • Advertised: ~0.6s
  • Real: ~1s

Uptime: 99.99%

Success Rate: 99.5%

Customers and Partners:

  • Number of customers: More than 2,000
  • Partners: Trivago, SEON, Debunk.org, Shopee, Rightlander, Boltive, and others

Customer Support:

  • 24/7 live chat
  • Email support

Ethics:

  • KYC procedures applied to all customers
  • GDPR, CCPA, and ISO/IEC 27001:2017 standard compliant
  • Pro bono access to their services for researchers and academics through project 4β

Trustpilot Score: 4.7/5

Reliability:

  • Trustpilot score: 4.7/5
  • G2 score: 4.5/5
  • Some awards from G2 and Proxyway

Learn more about Oxylabs in our full Oxylabs review.


3. Smartproxy

smartproxy

Smartproxy is a popular choice for those in need of residential proxies, although its pool of 55 million IPs is not among the largest in the market. It offers broad location coverage, enabling users to select any city or state in 195 countries around the world. At the same time, it lacks carrier or ASN targeting.

Smartproxy focuses on a flawless user experience, providing numerous guides and ensuring award-winning customer support. With a focus on self-service, users can seamlessly navigate the platform right after signing up, as no KYC procedures are required.


Features:

  • Automatic IP rotation or keep the same IP for 30 minutes
  • Site unblocker, anti-detection browser, no-code scraper, scraping APIs at an additional fee
  • Proxy management browser extensions
  • Extensive documentation for both technical and non-technical users
  • Free proxy checker to verify the quality and efficiency of an online proxy

Pricing:

  • 3-day free trial or 14-day money-back option
  • Starting from $8.5/GB

Proxy Network:

  • 55+ million IPs
  • 195+ countries available, with targeting on country, city, or US state
  • HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
  • Both shared and dedicated private residential proxies

Average Response Time:

  • Advertised: <0.6s
  • Real: ~1s

Uptime: 99.99%

Success Rate: 99.47%

Customers and Partners:

  • Number of customers: Undisclosed
  • Partners: Undisclosed

Customer Support:

  • 24/7 live chat
  • Email support
  • Dedicated account manager for enterprises

Ethics:

Reliability:

  • Trustpilot score: 4.7/5
  • G2 score: 4.6/5
  • A few awards from Proxyway

Learn more about Smartproxy in our full Smartproxy Review.


4. SOAX

SOAX - logo

SOAX is a well-known player in the proxy industry, controlling over 155 million proxies. Unlike most of the best residential proxy providers, it does not have a pay-as-you-go plan. Alternatively, it offers monthly plans where you pay to gain access to a specific number of GBs. This means that if you do not use all of them, this provider may not be the most cost-effective choice.

SOAX offers the ability to target regions, cities, and ASNs without incurring additional costs. Yet, the absence of a free trial, mandatory IP whitelisting, and limited concurrency might raise some concerns.


Features:

  • Automatic IP rotation
  • Web Unblocker and Scraping APIs at a charge

Pricing:

  • 3-days test period for $1.99
  • Starting from $99/month ($6.6/GB)

Proxy Network:

  • 155+ million IPs (limited to 300 simultaneous connections per IP)
  • 195+ countries, with country, city, ASN targeting
  • HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
  • Only shared proxies

Average Response Time:

  • Advertised: 0.55s
  • Real: ~1s

Uptime: 99%

Success Rate: 99.5%

Customers and Partners:

  • Number of customers: Undisclosed
  • Partners: Mobio Group, Weljo and others

Customer Support:

  • 24/7 live chat
  • Email support
  • Dedicated customer success manager for plans over $739/month

Ethics:

  • KYC processes applied to all customers
  • Full GDPR compliant

Reliability:

  • Trustpilot score: 4.1/5
  • G2 score: 4.9/5
  • Several awards from G2, Capterra, SourceForge, SoftwareSuccess, and more

Learn more about SOAX in our full SOAX review.


5. IPRoyal

IPRoyal - logo

IPRoyal presents an affordable alternative in the field of residential proxy services, offering proxies that never expire. The provider offers support for Discord, several rotation options, and support for the SOCKS5 protocol.

The main disadvantage of IPRoyal lies in the size of its proxy pool, which is significantly smaller than its competitors. This limitation, along with the potential impact on IP reputation due to low prices and resale options, makes it less suitable for large applications. Plus, the absence of a refund and free trial raises concerns despite Trustpilot’s positive reviews.


Features:

  • Automatic IP rotation
  • Sticky IP session feature
  • Proxy tester and browser extensions

Pricing:

  • No free trial or refund policy
  • Starting from $7/GB

Proxy Network:

  • 2+ million IPs
  • 195+ countries, with country and city targeting
  • HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
  • Both shared and dedicated private residential proxies

Average Response Time:

  • Advertised: Undisclosed
  • Real: ~3s

Uptime: 99.9%

Success Rate: 99.8%

Customers and Partners:

  • Number of customers: Over 10,000
  • Partners: Undisclosed

Customer Support:

  • 24/7 live chat
  • Email and Discord support

Ethics:

  • KYC process mandatory for static residential proxies
  • GDPR and CCPA compliant

Reliability:

  • Trustpilot score: 4.6/5
  • G2 score: 4.3/5
  • A few awards from G2, Crozdesk, SoftwareSuccess, and more

Learn more about IPRoyal proxies in our full IPRoyal review.


6. NetNut

NetNut logo strip

NetNut is an established provider in the proxy industry, with a large pool of rotating residential proxies. Its plans are on a monthly basis and target mainly large companies, as the basic plan starts at $300 per month.

The detailed statistics offered by NetNut are worth noting. Through these, users can delve into the usage patterns of proxies for comprehensive insights. On the other hand, all these features mean that the web application provided may seem less user-friendly than those of competitors.


Features:

  • Automatic IP rotation
  • Unlimited concurrency
  • Basic documentation
  • A web platform with many statistics and insights
  • Social scraper, SERP scraping API, website unlocker at an additional cost

Pricing:

  • 7-day free trial
  • Starting from $300/month (15$/GB)

Proxy Network:

  • 52+ million IPs
  • 200 countries, with city and state selection
  • HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
  • Only shared residential proxies

Average Response Time:

  • Advertised: Undisclosed
  • Real: ~2s

Uptime: 99.9%

Success Rate: 93%

Customers and Partners:

  • Number of customers: More than 2,500
  • Partners: RocketReach, Apify, Import.io, DataSeal, and others

Customer Support:

  • 24/7 live chat
  • Email, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Skype support
  • Dedicated account manager

Ethics:

  • KYC process mandatory for static residential proxies
  • GDPR and CCPA compliant

Reliability:

  • Trustpilot score: 4.3/5
  • G2 score: 4.7/5 (but only ~10 reviews)
  • No awards

Learn more about NetNut proxies in our full NetNut Review.


7. Webshare

Webshare logo strip

Webshare provides a good amount of distributed IP in many countries, although it does not guarantee global reach. While not overly feature-rich, the provider covers all the essentials, making it a good choice for individuals and small and medium-sized businesses.

Webshare offers email-only customer support and does not guarantee GDPR compliance out of the box. For that reason, as well as an unclear refund policy and KYC process, it may not rank high among the best residential proxy providers.


Features:

  • Automatic IP rotation
  • Extensive documentation and help center

Pricing:

  • 2-day refund policy at Webshare’s discretion
  • Starting from $7/GB

Proxy Network:

  • 30+ million IPs
  • 40+ countries
  • HTTP, SOCKS5
  • Both shared and dedicated private proxies

Average Response Time:

  • Advertised: Undisclosed
  • Real: ~2s

Uptime: 99.97%

Success Rate: >99%

Customers and Partners:

  • Number of customers: Undisclosed
  • Partners: Undisclosed

Customer Support:

  • Email support

Ethics:

  • KYC processes at Webshare’s discretion
  • CCPA and GDPR ready, but you must contact the support for GDPR compliance

Reliability:

  • Trustpilot score: 4.4/5
  • G2 score: 4.8/5 (only 2 reviews)
  • No awards

Learn more about Webshare in our full Webshare review.


8. Geonode

Geonode logo strip

Geonode is the cheapest proxy providers that sell residential proxies. However, a paid trial and a questionable refund policy do not make it among the most transparent providers. Also, its documentation is not as technical as it should be.

Geonode only provides city targeting and email support, since it must cut costs to secure those appealing prices. At least, it offers some interesting free tools.


Features:

  • Sticky and rotating IPs
  • High-level documentation for non-technical users
  • Free proxy list
  • IP and proxy checker
  • Scraping API at a charge

Pricing:

  • 7-day trial for $7
  • Refund policy at Geonode’s discretion
  • Starting from $4/GB

Proxy Network:

  • 30+ million IPs
  • 160 countries, with city targeting
  • HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
  • BOnly shared residential proxies

Average Response Time:

  • Advertised: Undisclosed
  • Real: ~1s

Uptime: 99.99%

Success Rate: 99.9%

Customers and Partners:

  • Number of customers: 1,000+
  • Partners: Plurral, Sea, Naturlife, and others

Customer Support:

  • 24/7 email support

Ethics:

  • GDPR compliant

Reliability:

  • Trustpilot score: 4.7/5 (but only ~70 reviews)
  • G2 score: Not on G2
  • No awards

Learn more about Geonode in our full Geonode review.


How Much Do the Best Residential Proxies Cost?

As seen in the previous chapter and can be seen from the table below, prices range from $4 to $15 per gigabyte:

ProviderUSD per 1 GB
Bright Data$5.04/GB, then $10.50/GB
Oxylabs$10/GB
Smartproxy$8.5/GB
SOAX$6.6/GB
IPRoyal$7/GB
NetNut$15/GB
Webshare$7/GB
Geonode$4/GB

At the same time, proxy prices usually decrease as the number of GB increases. Thus, “Starting from $10/GB” means that this is the worst-case scenario and prices are generally only going lower.


Final thoughts

There are a large number of proxy services online, and finding the right one based on proxy network, speed, customer support and reliability is not easy. Here, you learned what aspects to consider when comparing the best residential proxy providers. Testing them one by one based on those criteria would require a lot of time, money, and effort. Fortunately, you do not have to, as we did the comparison for you.



Residential proxies FAQ

Static residential proxies provide a fixed IP address, offering stability and reliability for constant online activities. In contrast, rotating residential proxies dynamically change IP addresses at regular intervals. IP rotation improves anonymity, helps circumvent anti-bot measures, and facilitates data collection activities via web scraping. Best providers offer both types of residential proxies
A shared proxy server can be used by multiple users at the same time. Since the output IP is the same for all users, this has performance and security consequences. On the other hand, a dedicated proxy server assigns a single IP exclusively to a user, providing greater speed, reliability, and security.
The use of a residential proxy is legal in that it involves only access to the Internet through a proxy server. However, the legality lies not in the proxy itself, but in the activities performed by users through it. This means that using a residential proxy for unethical purposes can lead to legal issues. To avoid this, it is essential to use residential proxies responsibly and prefer transparent providers that have a KYC system in place, particularly when it comes to shared IPs
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