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Datacenter vs Residential Proxies - Which Should You Choose?

Updated today

Choosing the right proxy type depends on your specific use case. Here's a clear breakdown of the three main proxy types we offer.

Residential Proxies (Rotating)

These proxies route traffic through real residential devices: actual phones, computers, and home routers belonging to real users. The IP addresses rotate automatically every few hours.

  • Best for: Web scraping across multiple regions, tasks requiring high IP diversity, bypassing strict geo-restrictions

  • IP pool: Up to 80 Million IPs

  • IP behavior: Rotates automatically

  • Detection risk: Lowest (appears as genuine home user traffic)


Static Residential Proxies (ISP Proxies)

These proxies use IP addresses assigned by residential ISPs (AT&T, Comcast, Sprint, RCN, Cox Communications), but they are hosted on servers rather than on home devices. They combine residential ISP authenticity with datacenter performance.

  • Best for: Account management, tasks requiring consistent IP addresses, platforms that flag IP changes, ad verification

  • Types available: Premium (shared), Private (limited sharing, 0-2 users), Dedicated (exclusive use)

  • IP behavior: Static by default (optional Auto-Refresh available)

  • Detection note: ASN shows residential ISP; some checker tools may flag the hosting environment as "datacenter"


Datacenter Proxies

These proxies originate entirely from datacenter infrastructure, with no association with residential ISPs. They offer the fastest speeds and lowest costs, but are easier for websites to identify as proxy traffic.

  • Best for: High-volume tasks on less restrictive websites, speed-critical operations, budget-conscious projects

  • Types available: Premium (shared), Private (limited sharing), Dedicated (exclusive use)

  • IP behavior: Static by default

  • Detection risk: Highest (datacenter ASN is easily identifiable)


Quick Comparison

Feature

Rotating Residential

Static Residential (ISP)

Datacenter

IP source

Real home devices

ISP-allocated, server-hosted

Datacenter servers

ASN type

Residential ISP

Residential ISP

Datacenter/Hosting

IP rotation

Automatic

Manual/Optional

Manual/Optional

Speed

Variable

300-400 Mbps

300-400 Mbps

Best for

Scraping, geo-access

Account management

High-volume, low-restriction

All of our Datacenter and Static Residential Proxies operate on the premium Webshare network, ensuring high speeds and reliability.

To view our subscription plans, visit the Plans & Pricing page.


Need Help?

If you have any questions or need further assistance, our Customer Support team is here to help! Feel free to reach out to us at support@webshare.io.

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