How Proxy Pricing Works - LuckyProxy

The two pricing models

## The two pricing models

Proxy providers charge one of two ways, and confusing them is the most common beginner mistake:

• Per IP per month (datacenter, ISP proxies): you rent a fixed set of IPs with unlimited bandwidth. Typical range: $0.60 - $2.50 per IP for shared, $1.50 - $5.00 for dedicated.

- Per IP per month (datacenter, ISP proxies): you rent a fixed set of IPs with unlimited bandwidth. Typical range: $0.60 - $2.50 per IP for shared, $1.50 - $5.00 for dedicated.

• Per GB (residential, mobile proxies): you buy traffic through a rotating pool. Typical range: $1 - $8 per GB residential, $8 - $25 per GB mobile.

- Per GB (residential, mobile proxies): you buy traffic through a rotating pool. Typical range: $1 - $8 per GB residential, $8 - $25 per GB mobile.

If a provider sells residential proxies per IP with "unlimited bandwidth", those are datacenter IPs with a residential label.

Real price ranges by type (2026)

## Real price ranges by type (2026)

• Shared datacenter: $0.60 - $1.20 per IP/month

- Shared datacenter: $0.60 - $1.20 per IP/month

• Dedicated datacenter: $1.50 - $2.50 per IP/month

- Dedicated datacenter: $1.50 - $2.50 per IP/month

• ISP (static residential): $2 - $5 per IP/month

- ISP (static residential): $2 - $5 per IP/month

• Rotating residential: $1.00 - $8.00 per GB

- Rotating residential: $1.00 - $8.00 per GB

• Mobile 4G/5G: $8 - $25 per GB, or $30 - $300 per month per dedicated port

- Mobile 4G/5G: $8 - $25 per GB, or $30 - $300 per month per dedicated port

Prices at the bottom of each range usually mean volume commitments, longer billing periods, or lower-quality pools.

What drives the price

## What drives the price

Pool quality. Clean IPs with low block rates cost more to maintain. A pool that fails 30% of your requests costs more than a pool twice its price.

Targeting granularity. Country targeting is usually free. City and ASN targeting adds 20-100% to per-GB rates.

Commitment. Monthly plans cost 20-40% more than quarterly or annual billing. Pay-as-you-go (non-expiring GB) costs more than monthly-expiring traffic.

Support and tooling. APIs, dashboards, and human support are not free. Ultra-cheap providers save money exactly there.

Red flags in proxy pricing

## Red flags in proxy pricing

• "Unlimited residential bandwidth" - does not exist; residential pools are metered by nature

- "Unlimited residential bandwidth" - does not exist; residential pools are metered by nature

• Free trials with no card - how pools get burned; legitimate trials are small, paid, or credit-based

- Free trials with no card - how pools get burned; legitimate trials are small, paid, or credit-based

• Prices far below the ranges above - either a promo that expires, a resold pool with markup risk, or sourcing you do not want to ask about

- Prices far below the ranges above - either a promo that expires, a resold pool with markup risk, or sourcing you do not want to ask about

• No refund policy at all - serious providers offer 24-72 hour refunds or small test packages

- No refund policy at all - serious providers offer 24-72 hour refunds or small test packages

How to budget a project

## How to budget a project

Measure before you buy. Run a 1,000-request pilot through the smallest available package, record success rate and bandwidth per 1,000 pages, then multiply to your real volume. A week of measurement saves months of overpaying. Our provider directory lists entry prices and trial options for each provider.