Explainer
Are residential proxies legal? It depends on three things
It depends on how the IPs were sourced, your provider's contract and what you do. What US, EU, UK, Indian and UAE sources say. Not legal advice.
Research area
Proxies for Web Scraping
How to choose a proxy type and a responsibly sourced provider: datacenter, ISP, residential or mobile, real cost per GB, and trial terms.
25 articles · prices last checked 12 Nov 2026
Start here
Roundup
The best mobile proxies, and when you don't need one
I compared 9 mobile proxy providers on what you pay at 10 and 100 GB, Proxyway's genuine-mobile-IP data and refund terms. Plus when mobile is overkill.
Roundup
Best residential proxies? Here's who I'd pick, and why
Decodo for value, Oxylabs for scale, Byteful for speed: my residential proxy picks from Proxyway's 2026 test data, official prices and refund terms.
Roundups
Roundup
Best Proxies for AI Agents? Pick the Setup Before the Brand
Your AI agent's proxy is only the network layer. Choose raw proxy, managed browser or MCP tools first, then keep credentials away from the model.
Roundup
Best proxy providers for web scraping, picked job by job
Decodo for most scraping, Oxylabs at scale, Webshare for cheap datacenter IPs: 10 providers compared on price, Proxyway test data and terms.
Roundup
Residential Proxy Free Trials Are Rarer Than They Look
Only Decodo documents a capped residential proxy trial. The rest are company credit, free datacenter proxies, paid samples or funded business access.
Head-to-head comparisons
Comparison
Bright Data vs Decodo: the bills split after month three
Bright Data's $4/GB is a 3-month coupon; Decodo's is list. Six-month costs at 50, 330 and 800 GB, plus KYC, mobile, unblockers and dated benchmarks.
Comparison
IPRoyal vs Bright Data: which one should you buy from?
IPRoyal's traffic never expires; Bright Data residential is for verified companies only. Dated per-GB prices, sessions, trials and picks by job.
Comparison
Bright Data vs Oxylabs Comes Down to How You Want to Pay
Bright Data bills each product by its own unit; Oxylabs draws from one shared wallet. Prices at 1, 10 and 100 GB, plus access and trial rules.
Alternatives
Alternatives
Decodo alternatives, and is IPRoyal the better pick?
Leaving Decodo's proxies or scraping API? Who fits each job, what 3, 25 and 250 GB cost, how IPRoyal compares, and which rivals are sister brands.
Alternatives
Oxylabs alternatives, and which ones are sister brands
Decodo, Webshare and ScrapingBee sit in the same group as Oxylabs. Here are alternatives by job, with prices at 20 and 125 GB and who's independent.
Alternatives
Leaving Webshare? Alternatives for each proxy type
Free datacenter, cheap shared IPs, ISP or residential: which Webshare alternative fits each, priced at the same volumes, and which share an owner.
Alternatives
8 Bright Data Alternatives, Sorted by What You're Replacing
Replacing Bright Data's proxies, Unlocker or a search step? Here's which of 8 alternatives fits each, from Decodo and Webshare to apiserpent.com.
Alternatives
Need NetNut Alternatives? 5 Options and How to Migrate
Leaving NetNut? What Google's report, Alarum's filings and the domain notice do and don't establish, plus 5 conditional replacements and a migration plan.
Pricing breakdowns
Pricing
Oxylabs pricing, explained: what 50 GB really costs
Oxylabs now bills every product from one $15, $100 or $500 monthly wallet. Here's what 5, 50 and 300 GB cost, and the billing rules that change your bill.
Pricing
Webshare pricing, explained: what you pay after month one
Webshare's datacenter plan starts free and residential runs $3.50 to $1.40/GB. Every tier, what renews, the bandwidth rules and refund limits.
Pricing
Bright Data Pricing Makes Sense Once You Know the Unit
Bright Data residential is $8/GB list, several managed APIs $1.50 per 1,000, Browser API by the GB. What each unit buys, plus the shared free pool.
Pricing
I Worked Out Decodo Pricing at 1, 10 and 100 GB
Decodo PAYG at $4/GB is cheaper for one GB; monthly plans are cheaper at 10 and 100 GB. Plus the API's premium default and a trial that turns paid.
Data studies
Data study
Cheapest Residential Proxies? I Priced Six From 1 GB to 1 TB
DataImpulse has the lowest residential proxy price I could calculate at 100 GB and 1 TB. At 1 GB, compare Webshare's $3.50 plan with Decodo's PAYG.
Explainers
Explainer
Free vs paid proxies: what free really costs you
Most free proxy lists don't work, and some tamper with traffic. What three studies found, which free tiers are legit, and when paying is worth it.
Explainer
Residential proxy vs VPN: which one do you actually need?
A VPN costs a flat few euros a month; residential proxies bill per GB and exit through strangers' home connections. What each encrypts, costs and suits.
Explainer
Ethically Sourced Residential Proxies Need More Than a Label
Buyer KYC, sourcing pages and IP lookups don't prove every peer consented. Here's what each provider documents and the checklist I'd use before buying.
Explainer
ISP vs Residential Proxies: When a Fixed IP Beats Rotation
ISP vs residential proxies: pick ISP when a job needs one fixed IP, rotating residential when it needs household origin. Prices and sessions compared.
Explainer
How Much Do Proxies Cost? Per GB, Per IP or Per Month
Proxies bill by the GB, the IP or a monthly allowance. Here's how each adds up at 1, 10 and 100 GB, and the expiry, renewal and fair-use rules to check.
Explainer
Residential vs Datacenter Proxies: Do You Need Residential?
Residential vs datacenter proxies: datacenter is the simpler start; residential is for when you need household origin. Prices, pools and sourcing compared.
