Residential vs. Datacenter vs. ISP Proxies: Which One Do You Need?
Confused by proxy types? We compare Residential, Datacenter, and ISP proxies by speed, cost, and anonymity to help you choose the right one for scraping.
Residential vs. Datacenter vs. ISP Proxies: The Ultimate Comparison
Choosing the right proxy type is the single most important decision for your web scraping or automation project. Choose wrong, and you face IP bans, slow speeds, or wasted budget.
At Proxio, we offer all major types, but we believe in helping you choose the right tool for the job. This guide compares Residential, Datacenter, and ISP (Static Residential) proxies to help you decide.
1. Datacenter Proxies
Datacenter proxies are IPs created in cloud servers (like AWS, Azure, or specialized data centers). They are not associated with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
- Speed: ⚡⚡⚡ (Extremely Fast)
- Anonymity: 🛡️ (Low)
- Cost: 💲 (Cheapest)
Best Used For:
- High-speed crawling of unprotected sites.
- Cybersecurity testing.
- Market research on sites with low security.
The Downside: They share subnets. If one IP gets banned, the whole subnet might get blocked. Sites like Netflix or Ticketmaster detect them instantly.
2. Residential Proxies
Residential proxies are IP addresses assigned by real ISPs (like Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone) to real homeowners. When you use them, you look exactly like a regular person browsing from their living room.
- Speed: ⚡⚡ (Moderate - depends on the host device)
- Anonymity: 🛡️🛡️🛡️ (Highest)
- Cost: 💲💲💲 (Premium)
Best Used For:
- Scraping strict websites (Instagram, LinkedIn, Google).
- Ad verification.
- Sneaker bots.
Why Proxio Residential? We offer a pool of ethical, high-quality IPs that rotate automatically, ensuring you never get stuck with a dead connection.
3. ISP Proxies (Static Residential)
ISP Proxies are the hybrid solution. They are hosted in data centers (for speed) but are registered under legitimate ISPs (for trust). They offer the speed of a server with the reputation of a human.
- Speed: ⚡⚡⚡ (Fast)
- Anonymity: 🛡️🛡️ (High)
- Cost: 💲💲 (Moderate)
Best Used For:
- Managing social media accounts (needs a static IP).
- E-commerce account management (eBay, Amazon sellers).
- Streaming.
Summary Comparison Table
| Feature | Datacenter Proxies | Residential Proxies | ISP Proxies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Cloud Servers | Home Wi-Fi/Mobile | Data Center + ISP ASN |
| Detectability | Easy to Detect | Very Hard to Detect | Hard to Detect |
| Speed | Fastest | Variable | Fast & Stable |
| Price | Low | High (Bandwidth based) | Medium (Per IP) |
| Ideal For | Bulk Data, Speed | Scraping, Anti-Detect | Account Management |
Which One Should You Choose?
- Choose Datacenter if you need raw speed and are targeting simple websites with no anti-bot protection.
- Choose Residential if you are scraping sophisticated sites (Amazon, Facebook) and need to rotate IPs to avoid bans.
- Choose ISP if you need to keep the same IP address for a long time (keeping an account logged in) but still need high trust.
🚀 Ready to choose the right proxy type? Get started with Proxio today. We offer all proxy types with transparent pricing, instant activation, and robust infrastructure reliability. Get 30% off on residential proxies with code IO30. [View Pricing & Get Started]