18 Cheap Residential Proxies Compared 2026

Finding cheap residential proxies that actually work is harder than it looks. Most providers advertise low prices but bury the fine print — bandwidth that expires in 30 days, limited geo-targeting, or throttled speeds that kill your scraping throughput.

I've gone through the pricing pages, feature sets, and trial offers of 18 residential proxy providers to give you a clear, honest comparison. Whether you're scraping product data, managing social accounts, or running ad verification, there's a cheap residential proxy option on this list that fits your budget and use case.

The cheapest residential proxies start at $0.50/GB (Geonode) and go up to around $7/GB (IPRoyal). Price alone doesn't determine value — pool size, rotation control, targeting granularity, and whether traffic expires all matter considerably.

Cheap Residential Proxies — Quick Comparison Table

18 Best Cheap Residential Proxy Providers in 2026

1. DataImpulse — $1/GB with 90M IP Pool

DataImpulse is one of the most cost-effective residential proxy providers for bulk scraping. At $1/GB with a minimum purchase of $50 (50 GB), it's a serious option for anyone who consistently needs large data volumes without paying premium prices.

The IP pool covers 90 million residential IPs across 150+ countries, with targeting available down to state, city, ASN, and ZIP code level. That granularity is rare at this price point. Rotation options include per-request rotating proxies and sticky sessions that hold for up to 120 minutes — useful for multi-step workflows that require session continuity.

Protocols supported: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, and UDP. The SOCKS5 and UDP support gives you flexibility beyond standard HTTP scraping.

If you're new and want to test before committing $50, there's a $5 trial that gets you 5 GB of residential traffic.

Pricing

Pros

• Non-expiring traffic — bandwidth never expires after purchase
• City, state, ASN, and ZIP-level targeting at an entry-tier price
• SOCKS5 and UDP protocol support included

Cons

• $50 minimum spend (50 GB) — no single-GB starter option
• Sticky sessions capped at 120 minutes maximum

Visit DataImpulse

2. Geonode — $0.50/GB with Bandwidth Rollover

Geonode sits at $0.50/GB, making it one of the cheapest residential proxy options available. What separates it from budget-only providers is the bandwidth rollover feature — unused bandwidth carries over to the next billing cycle, so you're not throwing money away on traffic you didn't use.

Coverage spans 200+ locations globally, with a $5 entry trial for 10 GB to test performance before scaling up. Subscriptions are flexible — you can cancel at any time, with no lock-in contracts.

If your proxy usage fluctuates month-to-month, Geonode's rollover policy has a real monetary benefit over providers that expire bandwidth on a fixed date.

Pricing

Pros

• Cheapest legitimate residential proxy on this list ($0.50/GB)
• Bandwidth rollover — unused data carries to the next billing cycle
• Cancel anytime, no lock-in contracts

Cons

• IP pool size not publicly disclosed
• Geo-targeting depth less documented than established competitors

Visit Geonode

3. Proxy-seller — $2.50/GB with 20M+ IPs and 220+ Countries

Proxy-seller is a veteran residential proxy provider with 10+ years of operation and 500,000+ clients. Their residential network covers 20M+ IPs across 220+ countries with city and ISP-level targeting — a notably broader geographic footprint than most mid-tier providers.

Pricing uses a tiered model: $3.50/GB for 1 GB, dropping to $2.50/GB at 10 GB ($25/month) and $2.20/GB at 100 GB ($220/month). A 3-day trial is available for $1.99. All plans support three rotation modes — per-request, time-based, and sticky sessions — with HTTPS and SOCKS5 protocol support.

The dashboard includes detailed usage analytics, auto-renewal management, and API access. Volume discounts apply for larger orders, and procurement-ready billing with invoices and VAT makes it suitable for business accounts.

Pricing

Pros

• Broadest geographic coverage on this list (220+ countries)
• Three rotation modes — per-request, time-based, sticky — plus API access
• Procurement-ready billing with VAT invoices, 500K+ clients over 10+ years

Cons

• Pool size (20M IPs) smaller than top-tier networks
• No UDP support — HTTPS and SOCKS5 only

Visit Proxy-seller

4. Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) — Best Overall Value

Decodo is the rebranded Smartproxy, and it remains one of the best-value residential proxy networks regardless of price tier. With 115M+ IPs across 195+ countries and a starting price of $4/GB, it sits at the mid-range — but the reliability and feature depth justify every cent.

At 1 TB of monthly usage, the price drops to $2/GB, which makes Decodo genuinely competitive for high-volume users. Rotation is configurable per-request or as sticky sessions lasting up to 24 hours. Supported protocols include HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, and UDP.

The 3-day free trial with 100 MB lets you validate performance before spending. The dashboard is clean, API integration is well-documented, and the proxy infrastructure is consistently maintained.

Pricing

Pros

• Volume pricing scales to $2/GB at 1 TB — one of the best rates at high volume
• 115M IP pool, 24-hour sticky sessions, and clean API documentation
• Solid performance across demanding targets like Google and Amazon

Cons

• Starting price of $4/GB is mid-range, not budget
• 3-day trial gives only 100 MB — not enough for meaningful benchmarking

Visit Decodo

5. Thordata — Enterprise-Grade at Mid-Price

Thordata operates a pool of 100M+ residential IPs across 190+ countries, backed by infrastructure that carries a 99.9% uptime SLA and 99.7% success rate. It's GDPR compliant and SOC 2 certified — two certifications that matter for businesses handling sensitive data pipelines.

At approximately $3.50/GB, Thordata positions itself as enterprise-ready without the enterprise price tag. Geo-targeting includes country, state, city, and ASN levels. The SOC 2 certification in particular makes it relevant for compliance-heavy industries.

Pricing

Pros

• SOC 2 certified — meets enterprise compliance and security requirements
• 99.9% uptime SLA and 99.7% reported success rate
• Country, state, city, and ASN targeting at a mid-range price

Cons

• Pricing not fully published — requires contact for precise plan details
• Lower brand recognition than Bright Data or Oxylabs

Visit Thordata

6. ProxyWing — $2.50/GB with Non-Expiring Traffic

ProxyWing provides 70M residential IPs across 195+ countries at $2.50/GB, with traffic that never expires. That last point is significant — most providers reset bandwidth monthly, which creates pressure to use it or lose it. ProxyWing removes that stress entirely.

The network supports HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, and UDP protocols, with reported 99% uptime and over 70,000 active users. The non-expiring model makes ProxyWing particularly attractive for projects with irregular, bursty traffic patterns where you might use 10 GB in one week and nothing the next.

Pricing

All plans: traffic never expires.

Pros

• Non-expiring traffic — zero pressure to use bandwidth before a reset date
• HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, and UDP protocol support at a mid-range price
• 195+ country coverage with 99% uptime

Cons

• Pool size (70M IPs) smaller than leading networks
• Less established — fewer community resources and third-party benchmarks

Visit ProxyWing

7. Bright Data (formerly Luminati) — Most Advanced Network

Bright Data operates the most technically advanced residential proxy network on the market, with 150M+ IPs across 195+ countries. Starting at $4/GB, it's not the cheapest, but what you pay for is depth: IPv4, IPv6, dedicated IPs, a browser API, a Proxy Manager desktop app, and routing infrastructure that handles the most complex targeting needs.

New business accounts get a 7-day free trial, and first deposits are matched up to $500. The platform is overkill for basic scraping — it's designed for enterprises running automated browser workflows, large-scale data collection, or ad tech operations.

Pricing

New business accounts: first deposit matched up to $500.

Pros

• Most advanced infrastructure — browser API, Proxy Manager desktop app, dedicated IPs
• IPv4, IPv6, mobile, and dedicated residential IP types under one account
• 7-day business trial with up to $500 deposit match for new clients

Cons

• Standard tiers run $4–$8.40/GB — expensive vs. budget alternatives
• Platform complexity is overkill for straightforward web scraping

Visit Bright Data

8. Oxylabs — 175M IPs for Large-Scale Enterprise

Oxylabs sits at $6/GB (starting $30 for 5 GB), which makes it one of the pricier options here. But the network backs that price with 175M+ IPs across 195+ countries, a reported 99.82% success rate, and a 0.41-second average response time.

ZIP-code level targeting, a dedicated account manager, and consistent performance on difficult targets like Amazon and Google are Oxylabs' key differentiators. There's a 7-day free trial for businesses and a 3-day refund policy for individual users. The discount code proxyway35 gets you 35% off if you're evaluating it.

Pricing

Pros

• Largest IP pool (175M IPs) with 99.82% success rate and 0.41s avg. response time
• ZIP-code targeting and dedicated account manager on all business plans
• 7-day free business trial with 3-day individual refund policy

Cons

• $6/GB is the highest standard price on this list
• Business trial requires account sign-up — no instant self-service trial
• Overkill for individual or low-volume use cases

Visit Oxylabs

9. SOAX — Flexible Targeting with 155M IPs

SOAX offers 155M residential IPs across 150+ countries with targeting down to the city and ASN level at $4/GB. What sets it apart from other mid-price providers is the customizable rotation interval — you can configure sessions to rotate anywhere from 90 seconds to 600 seconds, which is useful when you need to balance performance with IP consistency.

UDP support is included, and there's a paid trial at $1.99 to test connectivity before committing to a plan.

Pricing

Pros

• Configurable rotation intervals (90–600 seconds) — rare at this tier
• 155M IP pool with city and ASN targeting plus UDP support
• $1.99 trial to validate performance before committing

Cons

• 150+ countries is fewer than Bright Data or Oxylabs
• $4/GB starting rate sits at the mid-range, not budget

Visit SOAX

10. NetNut — ISP-Direct IPs for Speed

NetNut is distinctive because its residential IPs are sourced directly from ISPs rather than end-user devices, which translates to more consistent uptime and lower latency — particularly for US and UK targets. The pool sits at 85M+ IPs globally, priced at $3.45/GB (starting $99 for 28 GB).

The trade-off is that ISP-direct IPs don't always pass bot-detection filters that specifically look for peer-sourced residential traffic. For targets that rely on behavior patterns over IP origin, peer-based residential proxies may perform better. For raw speed and stability, NetNut is solid.

Businesses get a 7-day free trial; detailed usage stats are available in the dashboard.

Pricing

Pros

• ISP-direct IPs deliver faster, more stable connections than peer-sourced residential
• Lower latency especially on US and UK targets
• 7-day free business trial with dashboard usage analytics

Cons

• $99 minimum (28 GB) — no small or single-GB starter option
• ISP-direct IPs may underperform on detection systems that look at user behavior patterns

Visit NetNut

11. Webshare — Entry Point for Beginners

Webshare is a self-service platform with an 80M IP pool across 195 countries. Pricing runs from $3.50/GB for 1 GB, but the first purchase comes with a 50% discount, effectively bringing the entry cost to around $1.75/GB to start.

The targeting is limited to country level only — no city or ASN granularity. Rotation happens automatically every 5 minutes for rotating plans. This simplicity is actually a feature for beginners who want to start without configuring complex rotation rules.

Pricing

Pros

• 50% first-purchase discount — effectively $1.75/GB to start
• Self-service setup with no complex configuration needed
• 80M IP pool across 195 countries

Cons

• Country-level targeting only — no city or ASN granularity
• Rotation fixed at every 5 minutes — no manual rotation control

Visit Webshare

12. NodeMaven — Best for Social Media Management

NodeMaven operates 30M+ IPs across 150+ countries with 1,400 city targets. At $3/GB, pricing is competitive, and the ISP-verified IP pool makes it particularly reliable for platforms that scrutinize the quality of residential connections — not just volume.

Sticky sessions last up to 24 hours, and targeting is available by country, city, and ISP, which is critical for social media automation where location consistency matters. Traffic rolls over with subscription plans, so unused bandwidth isn't lost.

The €3.99 trial for 500 MB is a low barrier to entry for testing.

Pricing

All plans include traffic rollover.

Pros

• ISP-verified IPs suited for platforms that scrutinize connection quality
• 24-hour sticky sessions with 1,400+ city-level targets
• Traffic rollover — unused bandwidth carries to the next billing cycle

Cons

• Pool size (30M IPs) is smaller than major networks
• Trial is limited to 500 MB and costs €3.99

Visit NodeMaven

13. IPRoyal — Non-Expiring Traffic for Small Projects

IPRoyal runs 32M+ residential IPs across 195+ countries at $7/GB — the most expensive on this list per gigabyte. The reason to consider it anyway: traffic never expires, and rotation intervals are fully customizable from 1 second to 24 hours.

For small projects where you buy 1–2 GB per month, IPRoyal's non-expiring model means you can spread that purchased bandwidth over several months without losing it. That changes the effective cost calculation considerably for infrequent users.

24/7 support is included across all plans.

Pricing

All plans: traffic never expires.

Pros

• Non-expiring traffic — spread your purchase across weeks or months
• Fully customizable rotation interval from 1 second to 24 hours
• 24/7 support included on all plans

Cons

• $7/GB is the highest per-GB rate on this list
• Pool (32M IPs) is the smallest here — higher repeat-IP rate on heavy targets
• Poor value at volume versus any other provider on this list

Visit IPRoyal

14. ProxyEmpire.io — Flexible Plans for Freelancers

ProxyEmpire.io provides residential proxy coverage across 170+ countries with VIP integration support — a hands-on service layer that distinguishes it from fully self-service platforms. Plans start from around $50/month, which at the entry tier covers approximately 15–20 GB of residential traffic — roughly $2.50–$3.33/GB. Higher-volume plans reduce the effective per-GB rate.

Country and city targeting are available, and the support team assists with technical integration for non-developers. This focus on service makes ProxyEmpire a practical choice for freelancers managing client proxy infrastructure or small agencies that can't afford dedicated DevOps.

Pricing

Pros

• VIP integration support — hands-on help for non-developers during setup
• Country and city targeting across 170+ countries
• Practical choice for freelancers and agencies without in-house DevOps

Cons

• No per-GB pricing published — requires a plan commitment to evaluate cost
• 170+ countries is fewer than top-tier networks
• Smaller community and fewer third-party benchmarks

Visit ProxyEmpire

15. Proxy-Cheap — Budget Static Residential Proxies

Proxy-Cheap offers rotating residential proxies at $4.99/GB and static residential IPs starting from $3.39/month per IP — one of the lower-cost static residential options available. Coverage spans 150+ countries with HTTP and SOCKS5 protocol support.

The 7-day trial at $1.99 per proxy is useful for validating static IP quality before purchasing in bulk. Static residential proxies are valuable for long-term account management where IP consistency is more important than rotation.

Pricing

Pros

• Competitive static residential pricing at $3.39/month per IP
• 7-day trial available to validate static IP quality before bulk purchase
• HTTP and SOCKS5 protocol support

Cons

• Rotating rate at $4.99/GB is not actually budget-tier
• 150+ countries offers thinner coverage than the leading providers

Visit Proxy-Cheap

16. MarsProxies — Ethically Sourced with No Credit Card Required

MarsProxies runs a pool of 1M residential IPs across 195 countries at $3.49/GB with no traffic expiry. The pool is smaller than most competitors, but the provider emphasizes ethical IP sourcing and offers 24/7 support.

The standout practical feature: you can start without providing a credit card, which removes friction for users testing a new provider. The no-expiry model adds long-term value for smaller volume users.

Pricing

All plans: no traffic expiry.

Pros

• No credit card required to start — unusually low friction for testing
• Non-expiring traffic on all plans
• Ethically sourced IPs with 24/7 support

Cons

• Very small pool at 1M IPs — higher repeat-IP risk on competitive targets
• Less suited for large-scale scraping or high-frequency requests

Visit MarsProxies

17. IPcook — Low-Cost Entry Option

IPcook is a budget residential proxy provider targeting users at the very low end of the cost spectrum. Pricing starts at approximately $1.99/GB for residential proxies, with smaller starter packs available for testing. The service targets cost-sensitive users where volume is low and budget is the primary constraint. Check their current plans directly on the site, as pricing tiers can change.

Pricing

Pros

• Low entry pricing (~$1.99/GB) for budget-sensitive projects
• Residential IPs sufficient for light scraping and verification tasks

Cons

• Limited public documentation on pool size, geo coverage, and exact plan pricing
• Less established with fewer independent reviews
• Support quality and reliability not well-benchmarked

Visit IPcook

18. ProxyRack — Australian Residential Proxies

ProxyRack is an Australian-based provider offering global residential proxy coverage with 5M+ monthly IPs across 140+ countries. Premium Residential plans are priced at $1.10/GB (100 GB/month for $110) or $0.90/GB at 200 GB/month ($180) — competitive rates with HTTP, SOCKS4, SOCKS5, and UDP protocol support included.

ProxyRack is particularly relevant if you need Australian residential IPs — a geographic niche where most large providers have thinner coverage. For AU-targeted tasks like price monitoring on Australian e-commerce sites or localized social media access, ProxyRack is worth considering. A 7-day trial is available to test performance.

Pricing

Pros

• Competitive metered pricing ($0.90–$1.10/GB) at mid-to-large volume
• HTTP, SOCKS4, SOCKS5, and UDP protocol support
• Australian residential IPs available — rare among major providers

Cons

• Pool limited to 5M IPs — smaller than most competitors on this list
• 140+ country coverage is below the top-tier standard of 195+

Visit ProxyRack

What to Look For When Choosing Cheap Residential Proxies

Price per GB is just one variable. These factors determine whether a cheap proxy is actually useful:

Pool Size and IP Diversity

A larger pool reduces the chance of hitting a blocked or flagged IP. For targets with aggressive bot detection — Google, Amazon, Instagram — you want a pool with tens of millions of IPs, not hundreds of thousands. Providers like Oxylabs (175M), Bright Data (150M), and Decodo (115M) cover the high end. DataImpulse (90M) and ProxyWing (70M) offer large pools at lower prices.

Geo-Targeting Granularity

Country-level targeting is the baseline. City-level and ASN-level targeting become critical when your task requires appearing as a local user — SEO rank tracking in a specific metro area, verifying localized ads, or managing region-specific social accounts. Not all cheap providers offer city or ASN targeting. Check before buying.

Rotation and Sticky Session Control

For scraping tasks that require a single request per page, per-request rotation maximizes IP diversity. For multi-step workflows — checkout flows, login sessions, form submissions — sticky sessions that hold the same IP for minutes or hours are necessary. Providers that offer both, and let you control the rotation interval, give you the most flexibility.

Traffic Expiry Policy

Monthly bandwidth that expires on a fixed date forces you to either use it or lose it. Non-expiring plans (ProxyWing, MarsProxies, IPRoyal, DataImpulse) let you spread purchases across time without waste. For irregular usage, non-expiring traffic has significant real cost advantages.

Protocols Supported

HTTP/HTTPS covers the majority of scraping use cases. SOCKS5 support is needed for lower-level protocol work. UDP support (DataImpulse, Decodo, SOAX, Bright Data) is relevant for specialized networking tasks. Check protocol support against your actual toolstack.

Rotating vs Static Residential Proxies

Rotating residential proxies assign a new IP from the pool on each request (or at intervals you configure). They're the standard choice for web scraping because the constantly changing IP makes it difficult for targets to build a blocklist based on your activity.

Static residential proxies (also called ISP proxies) assign a fixed residential IP that stays the same across all your requests. They're the right choice for long-term account management — social media accounts, marketplace seller accounts, or any service that tracks IP consistency as a trust signal. Proxy-Cheap and NodeMaven both offer strong static residential options.

Most use cases call for rotating proxies. Switch to static when IP stability over time is more important than anonymity at scale.

Common Use Cases for Cheap Residential Proxies

Web scraping and data extraction — Residential proxies bypass anti-bot systems that would block datacenter IPs. For scraping e-commerce pricing, job boards, real estate listings, or any site with rate limiting, residential IPs are the standard.

SEO rank tracking — Track search rankings from specific cities or countries. Residential proxies return localized results that match what real users in those locations see.

Social media management — Platforms assign trust scores partially based on IP history. Residential IPs with stable sessions reduce account restriction risk when managing multiple accounts.

Ad verification — Verify that your ads appear correctly in specific geos, and detect fraudulent impressions or placement discrepancies. Residential proxies let you view ad placements from the perspective of real users in target markets.

Price intelligence — Monitor competitor pricing in real time without getting blocked. Residential proxies are essential for consistent, uninterrupted price monitoring at scale.

If you're evaluating proxies specifically for SOCKS5 use cases, see also the 922S5 proxy review for a dedicated SOCKS5 proxy service.

FAQs

What is a residential proxy?

A residential proxy routes your internet traffic through an IP address assigned to a real residential device by an ISP. Unlike datacenter proxies, residential IPs appear as genuine consumer connections, which makes them significantly harder for websites to detect and block.

How cheap is too cheap for residential proxies?

Providers charging under $1/GB are rare at the legitimate end of the market. Geonode ($0.50/GB) and DataImpulse ($1/GB) are among the few established providers offering sub-$1/GB to $1/GB pricing. Be cautious with unknown providers offering very low prices, as IP sourcing practices and pool quality vary widely.

Do cheap residential proxies expire?

Many providers expire bandwidth monthly — unused data is lost at the end of the billing cycle. Providers with non-expiring traffic include DataImpulse, ProxyWing, MarsProxies, and IPRoyal. If your usage is irregular, non-expiring plans are more economical even if the per-GB rate is slightly higher.

What's the difference between residential and datacenter proxies?

Datacenter proxies come from cloud servers. They're fast and cheap but easily identified as non-residential by bot-detection systems. Residential proxies come from real ISP-assigned devices, which makes them appear as genuine users to target websites. Residential proxies cost more per GB but have significantly higher success rates on sites with active bot detection.

How many GBs of residential proxy traffic do I need?

A single HTTP request uses roughly 0.5–2 MB depending on page complexity. 1 GB of traffic handles approximately 500–2,000 page loads. For light scraping (a few hundred pages per day), 5–10 GB/month is usually sufficient. For large-scale data collection or SEO tools running thousands of queries, plan for 50–200+ GB/month.

Can I use cheap residential proxies for social media?

Yes, but use sticky sessions (not rotating) to maintain consistent IP across a session. Platforms like Instagram and Twitter track IP changes as a risk signal. NodeMaven and Webshare are well-suited for social media use due to ISP-verified IPs and session control.

Are residential proxy providers legal?

Using residential proxies is legal in most jurisdictions. The legality of the data you collect with them depends on your local laws and the terms of service of the websites you access. Reputable providers like Bright Data, Oxylabs, and Decodo publish their ethical sourcing practices and comply with GDPR.

Which Cheap Residential Proxy Should You Choose in 2026?

The right provider depends on your volume, targeting needs, and how much reliability matters for your use case.

For the tightest budgets, Geonode ($0.50/GB) is the cheapest entry point with legitimate infrastructure and bandwidth rollover. For bulk scraping at scale with LCP-level targeting, DataImpulse ($1/GB) delivers one of the best price-to-feature ratios on the market.

Decodo is the best all-around pick — 115M IPs, 195+ countries, reliable rotation, and a price that drops to $2/GB at volume. For enterprise-grade requirements where success rate and compliance matter, Oxylabs and Bright Data justify their higher costs.

If traffic expiry is a concern, ProxyWing and MarsProxies offer non-expiring bandwidth at mid-range prices. For social media and account management, NodeMaven is the strongest specialist option.

Start with a trial from two or three providers on this list, test against your actual targets, and scale with whoever delivers the best success rates for your specific workflow.