Home › Guides › ISP vs Residential Proxies
✓ last verified 2026-10-02 · every figure read from the provider’s live pricing page on that date · how we verify
ISP proxies (also sold as “static residential”) are datacenter-hosted IPs registered under consumer ISPs; rotating residential proxies are real end-user devices. ISP gives you a dedicated, stable, fast IP that looks residential; rotating gives you thousands of genuinely residential exits that change constantly.
When each wins
- ISP: long-lived logins, account management, checkout flows, anything needing one stable identity. Billed per IP — verified from $0.98/IP (Proxy-Seller), $2.71/mo (Proxy-Cheap), $2.99/IP (NodeMaven), $4.60/IP (Rayobyte), from $16 (Oxylabs).
- Rotating residential: volume scraping where identity churn is the feature. Billed per GB — verified from $1.00/GB.
Verified ISP/static pricing
| Provider | Best verified rate | Plan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rayobyte | $4.60/IP | static from | rotating ISP from $3.75/GB; rotating DC from $0.30/GB; mobile from $3/GB, down to $0.95/GB on the $2,500/mo plan |
Verified rotating residential pricing
| Provider | Best verified rate | Plan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProxyEmpire | $0.75/GB | rotating from | static resi from $0.75/GB + $2/IP; rotating mobile from $1.25/GB; DC from $0.35/GB; unlimited resi from $1500/ |
| Proxy-Cheap | $0.78/GB | rotating from | shown discounted from $2.60 — promo pricing; static resi (ISP) $2.71/mo; rotating mobile $5.99/GB; DC IPv4 fro |
| DataImpulse | $1.00/GB | Intro/Basic | PAYG, traffic never expires; 1TB tier $0.80/GB; premium resi $5/GB |
| Proxy-Seller | $1.30/GB | from | STARTING PRICE ONLY; mobile from $10/IP, IPv4 from $0.49/IP, ISP from $0.98/IP, IPv6 from $0.02/IP |
| SOAX | $1.50/GB | Scale $1500/mo | Tier1 geo; 3000 credits; +VAT; Enterprise from $0.85 T1 |
| Webshare | $1.50/GB | 1000GB | 3TB tier at $1.40/GB |
| Rayobyte | $1.50/GB | Professional 250-999GB | Corporate 1-5TB $0.70/GB; Enterprise 5TB+ $0.50/GB |
| IPRoyal | $1.75/GB | Custom 10TB+ | pay-as-you-go $1.84/GB |
| NodeMaven | $2.20/GB | monthly from | PAYG $4.50/GB (20% off from $5.63); $3.50 trial w/ 750MB; ISP from $2.99/IP |
| Bright Data | $2.50/GB | 798GB | 50% off promo pricing |
| Oxylabs | $2.50/GB | Corporate 1TB | plans from $6/GB (Starter 5GB, $30/mo) to $2.50/GB (Corporate 1TB, $2,500/mo); mobile from $7.5, ISP from $16, SOCKS5 from $8 |
| Decodo (ex-Smartproxy) | $2.75/GB | 100GB | +VAT |
FAQ
Is a static residential proxy the same as an ISP proxy?
Yes — vendors use the terms interchangeably. The IP is hosted in a datacenter but registered (via ASN) under a consumer ISP, inheriting residential reputation with datacenter stability.
Do ISP proxies get blocked more than real residential IPs?
Sophisticated targets can flag ISP ranges (hosting-provider ASN history, subnet clustering). For hostile targets, genuine rotating residential still wins; for session stability, ISP is the tool.
Why are ISP proxies billed per IP instead of per GB?
You’re renting exclusive use of specific addresses, typically with unmetered or generous bandwidth — verified entry points run $1–$5 per IP monthly at the budget end.
Are residential proxies illegal?
Using proxies — residential included — is legal in the US and EU; they are ordinary infrastructure for ad verification, price monitoring and research. Legal exposure comes from conduct: bypassing authentication, breaching a target’s terms at commercial scale, or mishandling personal data. Provider-side risk is about IP sourcing consent, which the July 2026 NetNut seizure made concrete.
What are the 4 types of proxies?
Four that matter commercially: datacenter (server IPs, cheapest, most detectable — verified from $0.30/GB), residential (real household IPs, from a verified $1.00/GB), ISP/static residential (datacenter-hosted but ISP-registered, per-IP from $0.98), and mobile (carrier IPs behind CGNAT, the hardest to block, from $0.95/GB pooled). Buy the cheapest type your target tolerates.