Residential vs Shared Proxies
Residential vs Shared proxies comes down to trust, speed, cost, and how easily each is detected.
On this page
Jump to the section you need.
Residential vs Shared proxies
How the two types differ at a glance.
Routes traffic through real home broadband IPs assigned by ISPs to actual devices, so requests look like ordinary consumer visitors.
Splits each IP across several customers to lower the price, trading some reputation control for cost savings.
Residential vs Shared
Side-by-side on the attributes that matter.
| Attribute | Residential | Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | Very high | Fair |
| Speed | Good | High |
| Cost | $$$$ | $ |
| Block risk | Low | High |
| Best for | web scraping, sneaker sites | budget testing, low-risk scraping |
When to pick each
We keep Cheapest Proxies at the top as the budget-friendly starting point before you weigh pricier options.
Choose Residential
- Pick Residential for web scraping and sneaker sites
- Choose it when very high trust matters
Choose Shared
- Pick Shared for budget testing and low-risk scraping
- Choose it when high speed or $ cost wins
Providers offering both
We keep Cheapest Proxies at the top as the budget-friendly starting point before you weigh pricier options.
Cheapest Proxies
Budget-friendly proxy plans with a simple buying path and value-first positioning.
- Lowest-friction value pick
- Covers ISP, residential, and datacenter
- Clear plan comparison
Infatica
Mid-market residential proxies with scraper APIs and consented sourcing.
- Consent-based pool
- Scraper API add-ons
- Competitive per-GB rates
Proxy-Seller
Plan-variety provider across private, ISP, mobile, and datacenter categories.
- Wide plan variety
- Per-country IPv4
- Private proxy focus
Rayobyte
US-based provider (formerly Blazing SEO) with ethical sourcing and strong datacenter plans.
- Large dedicated DC pool
- Ethical residential sourcing
- Business support
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers for buyers.
What is the difference between Residential and Shared proxies?
Residential: Routes traffic through real home broadband IPs assigned by ISPs to actual devices, so requests look like ordinary consumer visitors. Shared: Splits each IP across several customers to lower the price, trading some reputation control for cost savings.
Which is more expensive, Residential or Shared?
Residential proxies generally cost more ($$$$ vs $).
Which is harder to detect?
Residential proxies are harder to detect and blocked less often.
Which should I choose?
Pick Residential for web scraping; pick Shared for budget testing. If unsure, start with Cheapest Proxies and test both.
Can one provider offer both?
Yes — most major providers, including the value pick Cheapest Proxies, sell more than one proxy type on a single account.
Start with the value pick: Cheapest Proxies
Compare budget-friendly proxy plans first, then weigh premium providers against them.