Best Residential Proxies 2026

Residential proxies use IP addresses assigned to real users’ devices. They simulate normal user traffic and often perform better than datacenter IPs, which are usually detected by strict anti-bot systems. Residential proxies are especially beneficial for accurate web scraping and precise geotargeting. The main advantage of residential proxies is that the websites you need to access recognize them as regular users, not as server traffic.

In the next sections, we will analyze the best residential proxy providers in 2026, in particular DataImpulse, Bright Data, Oxylabs, Decodo and Webshare, and compare them according to specific parameters.

Comparison table

Prices were checked on the providers’ official websites in October 2026.

How we ranked

To guarantee consistent and accurate residential proxy provider comparisons, we evaluated each company according to five main criteria. The table below reflects how much each factor affects the practical value of a proxy for a wide range of users, from web scraping and SEO to automation and geo-dependent content.

Why have we decided to include this comparison?

Many users consider the size of the residential pool a critical criterion, but in fact, it does not determine the position of the provider in the rating. A large number of IPs can be an advantage, but it only matters along with network quality, actual performance, price, usability, and other criteria. The best rotating residential proxies offer a good balance between these factors.

The methodology, criteria, and their weights are given directly on the page so that the reader can understand how the rating is formed and why individual factors have a greater or lesser influence on the final result.

Provider-by-provider

Next, we will analyze each provider separately. We will look at the size and geography of the residential network, prices, productivity, targeting capabilities, and ease of use. We will also briefly note the main advantages and limitations of each residential proxy service.

#1 DataImpulse — Best overall residential proxy

DataImpulse is an affordable option for users who need a residential IP without a monthly subscription. One of the lowest prices, traffic that never expires, its own ethically sourced pool, sufficient geographic coverage, and simple onboarding give it the highest overall value.

Key features:

• 90M+ first-party residential IPs; the provider does not resell the networks of other providers;
• 195+ countries; country targeting is included in the base price; city, state, ZIP, and ASN targeting are available for an extra cost (2x);
• $1/GB pay-as-you-go with no subscription; never-expiring traffic;
• HTTP(S) and SOCKS5;
• 99.51% success rate; response time is about 1 second according to the provider;
• 24/7 real human support via chat and email;
• Integrations with Scrapy, Selenium, Puppeteer, Octoparse, and other tools.

Pricing: pay-as-you-go, $1 per GB; if you get more than 1 TB of traffic, the price is $0.8 per GB, and in case of 5TB+ plans, users can have a custom price.

Read our full DataImpulse residential proxy review.

#2 Bright Data — Best enterprise proxy network

Bright Data is a good option for large enterprise tasks and complex goals, where you need network scale, geotargeting accuracy, stability, and additional tools for bypassing anti-bot restrictions. However, you have to pay more for these features.

Key features:

• 400M+ residential IPs across 195 countries;
• Targeting by country, city, ZIP Code, carrier, & ASN; free geo-location targeting.
• Web Unlocker, a separate API for complex websites that automates proxy management, retries, CAPTCHA solving, and browser rendering.
• Proxy Manager, a tool for managing proxies and IP rotation.
• 99.99% network uptime, about 99.95% success rate, and ~0.7 s response time, according to Bright Data;
• ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, and other compliance frameworks.
• KYC verification.

Pricing: At the time of verification, Bright Data shows a 50% promotional discount, so the page also shows prices from $4/GB PAYG and $2.50/GB on the largest standard plan. In our comparison, we use regular prices, not a temporary promotional rate.

Read our full Bright Data residential proxy review.

#3 Oxylabs — Best performance

A separate plus is the availability of ISP proxies on self-service: they start at $1.50 per IP per month on small plans and drop to $1.10 on larger ones.

Key features:

• 175M+ residential IPs in 195+ countries;
• 99.93% success rate and 0.60s response time in the global benchmark Proxyway 2026;
• Precise geo-targeting by country, city, state, ZIP code, ASN, and coordinates.
• Rotating and sticky sessions;
• SOCKS5;
• ISP proxies with self-service access;
• 24/7 support and dedicated account manager for relevant plans;
• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 for Oxylabs Certified Products.

Pricing: monthly residential pricing starts at $30 for 5 GB ($6/GB). On 1TB plans, the price drops to $2.50 per GB.

Read our full Oxylabs residential proxy review.

#4 Decodo — Best value

Key features:

• 115M+ ethically sourced residential IPs in 195+ locations;
• 99.92% success rate and 0.53 s average response time, according to Proxyway data;
• 99.99% uptime according to the provider;
• Continent, country, state, city, ZIP code, and ASN/ISP targeting options;
• HTTP(S) and SOCKS5;
• 24/7 technical support and dashboard with usage statistics, costs, and proxy user settings;
• Integrations with Python Requests, Scrapy, Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium;
• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for proxy and scraping API products.

Pricing: Decodo offers both monthly plans and pay-as-you-go ($4/GB).

Read our full Decodo residential proxy review.

#5 Webshare — Best budget provider

Webshare is a great option for small teams, developers, and users who care about a low starting price and simple connection.

Key features:

• 80+ million residential IP addresses in 195 countries;
• From $3.50/GB;
• Free 10 datacenter IPs and up to 1 GB of traffic per month, without a bank card;
• Targeting by country, city, state, ZIP code, and ASN;
• IP rotation after each request and sticky sessions;
• HTTP and SOCKS5;
• 99.97% uptime, according to Webshare;
• API and convenient control panel.

Pricing: monthly and yearly subscription plans.

Read our full Webshare proxy review.

Buying guide — how to choose

Before you buy residential proxies, determine your use case, how much traffic you will need, and how much your successful requests will cost, and only then compare providers according to additional features.

1. Determine the type of task

If you have to scrape data from websites with complex anti-bot systems, residential proxies usually make more sense because their IPs are linked to real user connections. For simpler tasks where blocking is not a problem, datacenter proxies can be sufficient and cheaper.

2. Estimate the required amount of traffic

The volume of GB per month is one of the main factors that shows the real cost of a proxy. Check if unused traffic burns or is rolled over to the next period, and how much the price per GB changes as the volume increases.

3. Choose how your IP rotates

Rotating proxies automatically change the IP at a specific interval or after each request. They are convenient for extensive data collection and tasks where you need to distribute requests between different IPs. Sticky proxies keep one IP address for a certain amount of time. They are better for scenarios where it’s important to keep a stable session between multiple requests.

4. Check geotargeting capabilities

If you need a specific geolocation, check what level of targeting is included in the base price. Country targeting is often available without a surcharge, while city, ZIP code, ASN, or other precise options may be paid options.

5. Pay attention to sourcing and compliance

Always check where the provider gets its IP addresses from and how it gets consent to use them. Also worth noting are the available certifications, privacy policies, and procedures for responding to abuse.

6. Calculate the cost of a successful request

A low price does not always mean a cheaper solution. If some requests end in a block or an error, you will have to spend more traffic on getting the same result.

Look how much one successful request actually costs. Test a small amount of traffic on the sites and geolocations you plan to work with, so you will see the real success rate, speed, and costs before increasing the budget.

What to avoid

Not all residential proxies are equally safe and reliable. Before connecting, check not only the price and number of IPs, but also their origin and terms of use.

Free public proxies. These proxies are one of the riskiest options. You don’t know who runs the server, who else uses its IP, and what’s going on with your traffic: such a proxy can be unstable, modify or block content, insert ads, or create risks to the data transmitted through it.

Providers with non-transparent IP origin. If the provider does not explain where it receives IP addresses and under what conditions it uses user connections, it is difficult to assess legal, reputational, and security risks. Look for providers that openly describe the IP engagement mechanism, consent, abuse policy, and procedures for removing IP from the network upon request.

Prices are too low without explanation. Abnormally cheap residential traffic without a clear explanation of its origin is a reason to check the provider more carefully.

FAQ