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✓ computed 2026-08-07 from rates read on that date from each provider’s live pricing page · how we verify
The ProxyPicker Price Index tracks what residential proxy bandwidth actually costs across the market, on a dated and reproducible basis. Nobody else publishes a running figure for this, so arguments about whether proxies are getting cheaper are usually settled by vibes. This is the number, the method behind it, and every input it was computed from.
- median entry $3.50/GB
- median best tier $1.50/GB
- flat floor $1.00/GB
- 50% of headline rates conditional
- 12 providers
Residential proxy index — 2026-08-07
| Measure | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Median entry rate | $3.50/GB | What a typical buyer pays on the smallest plan — the realistic starting price. |
| Median best published tier | $1.50/GB | The midpoint of each provider’s cheapest published rate, usually requiring real volume. |
| Flat floor | $1.00/GB (DataImpulse) | Cheapest rate with no volume or promotional condition attached — a price you can simply buy at. |
| Advertised floor | $0.75/GB (ProxyEmpire) | Lowest number marketed anywhere, conditions unpublished. Not the same thing. |
| Entry ceiling | $7.00/GB | Most expensive entry rate in the set. |
| Spread | 9.3× | Entry ceiling divided by the cheapest published rate — the price range for one commodity. |
| Conditional share | 50% | Share of providers whose headline rate is a “from” or promotional figure rather than a flat published tier. |
The finding that matters
Half the residential proxy market advertises a rate you cannot simply buy at. Of the 12 providers whose pricing we verified, 50% lead with a “from” figure or a promotional rate whose volume conditions are never published. The gap is not small: the lowest advertised number in the market is $0.75/GB, while the cheapest rate carrying no conditions at all is $1.00/GB — 1.3× higher. Anyone budgeting from headline rates is budgeting from marketing. We score this provider by provider in the pricing transparency audit.
Scraping API index
Across the 3 scraping APIs with verified plans, the median entry plan is $29.00/month, ranging $29.00 to $49.00. Entry plan price is a weak comparator on its own, though — credit multipliers for JavaScript rendering change effective cost per successful request far more than the sticker does. See the scraping API ranking.
Why other proxy types are not indexed yet
Datacenter, mobile and ISP proxies each have only a single provider with verified pricing in the dataset so far. A median of one is not an index, so we publish none — those rates appear on the individual profiles and in the pricing matrix instead. Widening verified coverage for those products is the next job on the data roadmap, and this page gains those series when it is honest to add them.
How the index is computed
Every input is a rate read from a provider’s own live pricing page and stored with its source URL and the date it was read. For each provider we take the entry rate (the smallest plan) and the best published rate (the cheapest tier they publish), then report medians rather than means, because a single enterprise rate would otherwise drag the average somewhere no real buyer lives.
A rate counts as flat only when it carries no unstated condition — not a “from” figure, not a promotional price shown against a struck-through list price. Seized or defunct providers are excluded (currently NetNut, whose domains the FBI seized in July 2026). Snapshots are append-only: past values are never edited, so the series stays auditable.
Index history
This is the baseline snapshot, established 2026-08-07. A price index is only interesting once it has a second reading, and we would rather say that plainly than dress one measurement up as a trend. The dataset is re-verified on a rolling weekly cycle and each pass appends a snapshot here; every change we catch in the meantime is logged in the changelog as it happens.
Citing the index
Use it freely with attribution, and cite the date with the number — these figures move, which is the entire reason the page exists. A suggested form:
Median entry-tier residential proxy pricing was $3.50/GB as of 2026-08-07 (ProxyPicker Price Index, 12 providers).
The underlying records are on the pricing matrix, each with the provider page it came from and the date it was read. If you spot a rate that has changed before we do, the changelog shows what we have already caught.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost of a residential proxy?
On rates verified 2026-08-07, the median entry rate across 12 providers is $3.50/GB and the median best published tier is $1.50/GB. We report medians rather than averages because one enterprise rate would otherwise skew the figure away from what real buyers pay.
Why is the cheapest advertised price different from the cheapest real price?
Because half the market leads with conditional pricing. The lowest advertised figure is $0.75/GB, but it carries volume conditions the provider does not publish. The cheapest rate with no conditions attached is $1.00/GB. We track both and label which is which.
Are proxy prices going up or down?
We cannot tell you yet, honestly. This is the baseline snapshot; a trend needs at least a second reading. The dataset is re-verified weekly and this page gains a history table as those readings accumulate. Anyone quoting a proxy price trend today is estimating.
How often is the index updated?
The pricing dataset is re-verified on a rolling weekly cycle and a snapshot is appended each pass. Individual price changes are logged in the changelog the moment we catch them, which is usually sooner.
Can I use these numbers in an article?
Yes, with attribution and the date. Every figure traces to a rate read from a provider’s own pricing page on the date shown, and each source URL is on the relevant provider page.