The cheapest proxy provider depends first on the kind of IP you need. A $2.99 shared datacenter package cannot be priced as residential traffic, and a headline rate tied to a huge purchase is not the cost of a one-GB pilot. We compare Webshare, ProxyShare, Novada, IPRoyal, Bright Data and Oxylabs by the smallest verified offer, traffic validity, location tools and the work each product suits. Our broader best proxy providers guide covers additional buying criteria. Compare residential versus datacenter proxies when weighing IP origin, sourcing, consistency and cost.
Prices are US dollars from public provider pages reviewed September 30, 2026. A quoted price applies to the specified proxy type, quantity and term. We did not purchase plans or conduct matched speed, uptime or target-success tests. Promotional and vendor-reported figures are identified as such.
Three quick budget picks from different buying categories, before the full comparison.
Webshare
Free datacenter access and a $2.99 monthly shared-IP plan for inexpensive testing.
ProxyShare
A verified $9 package includes 10 GB of rotating residential traffic for 30 days.
IPRoyal
Buy a small residential allowance and use it over time without a traffic-expiry clock.
Proxy price snapshot
Webshare: 10 free datacenter proxies, 1 GB/month
Webshare: 100 shared datacenter IPs/month
ProxyShare: 10 GB residential for 30 days
IPRoyal: one residential GB, no traffic expiry
Considering Novada?
Its residential page labels the advertised $1.30/GB as an Enterprise rate. Check the actual starter allowance and price in your account before comparing it with the small packages below.
Why choose a budget proxy provider?
The right inexpensive plan depends on traffic, IP type and the cost of failure.
Test without a large contract
A free datacenter plan or a small residential package lets you check authentication, location availability and target behavior before scaling. Webshare and ProxyShare offer different kinds of low-commitment start.
Pay for the IP type you need
Shared datacenter IPs can suit development or simple public pages. Rotating residential, ISP and mobile products solve different access problems and use different billing units. Start with the least costly type that passes a representative test.
Control idle and unused capacity
A 100 GB plan is poor value if only 25 GB is used in its valid period. IPRoyal non-expiring traffic may be preferable for irregular jobs even when its one-GB unit price is higher.
Budget for operations
Proxy traffic does not automatically include CAPTCHA handling, browser rendering, extraction or legal review. Managed APIs from some providers are separately billed. Include engineering and retry costs.
When a higher-priced plan can be cheaper
If a project needs narrow location filters, stable sessions, account support or a managed unblocker, the cheapest raw GB may generate more failed work. Test the same permitted targets with the same success definition. There is no reliable provider-wide percentage advantage without matched testing. Our proxy rotation and session guide explains how rotating exits differ from keeping a sticky session.
Cheapest proxy providers: quick comparison
Keep the first purchase and the residential traffic rate in separate columns.
| Provider | Smallest quoted option | Residential comparison | Free / trial | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webshare | $2.99/mo 100 shared datacenter IPs | $3.50 for 1 GB monthly | 10 free datacenter IPs + 1 GB/month | Testing and inexpensive datacenter IPs |
| ProxyShare | $9 / 10 GB Rotating residential, 30 days | $0.90/GB at 10 GB minimum | Sales-arranged; no general free tier verified | Low-cost 30-day residential pilot |
| Novada | See live plan Residential headline from $1.30/GB | $1.30/GB advertised Enterprise rate | Confirm current account offer | Comparing proxy types in one account |
| IPRoyal | $7.35 / 1 GB Residential pay-as-you-go | $7.35/GB at 1 GB PAYG | No general free residential tier verified | Irregular residential use |
| Bright Data | $4/GB promo Residential PAYG; coupon eligibility | $4/GB promotional; $8 reference | Product-specific free allowances | Complex targeting and managed access |
| Oxylabs | $30 / 5 GB Residential Starter, billed monthly | $6/GB at 5 GB minimum | Ask sales about product-specific evaluation | Teams needing scale and support |
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Webshare | ProxyShare | Novada | IPRoyal | Bright Data | Oxylabs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No-card self-service free proxy | 10 datacenter IPs | Sales trial | Confirm offer | No public tier | Managed-tool allowances | Ask sales |
| Rotating residential | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Datacenter | Shared | Static | Rotating/dedicated | Static | Shared/dedicated | Shared/dedicated |
| ISP / static residential | Shared and other tiers | Static + Long Acting ISP | Static + rotating ISP | Yes | Shared/dedicated | Shared |
| Mobile product | No standalone offer | No verified plan | Advertised | Yes | New-account access unclear | Yes |
| City targeting on residential | Documented | Advertised | Advertised | Documented | Documented | Documented |
| Residential expiry | Monthly package | 30 days | 30 days; early-renewal rollover | No traffic expiry | PAYG/commitment terms differ | Monthly package |
Products and location options are plan-specific. "No verified plan" means we could not substantiate a current self-service offer, not that a provider can never supply one.
Pricing analysis and cost comparison
Each chart states its quantity and billing period. It does not rank speed, reliability or equivalent performance.
Small residential entry rates
USD per included GB, with different minimum purchases. Bright Data is a coupon offer.
Novada's $1.30/GB Enterprise headline is excluded because a small-plan total was not visible in public pricing text.
Published 10 GB residential purchases
USD for a 10 GB package; IPRoyal is pay-as-you-go and non-expiring.
Webshare: $27.50 monthly. ProxyShare: $9 for 30 days. IPRoyal: 10 GB at $5.51/GB PAYG. Validity differs.
100 GB residential packages
Matching package size; public monthly/30-day prices.
ProxyShare $85/100 GB for 30 days; Webshare $225/100 GB monthly at the displayed discounted rate. This does not establish equal target success or network quality.
Unused capacity in a 100 GB package
Illustration: 25 GB consumed while 75 GB remains unused during the usable period.
used
At 25 GB actually used, effective package spend is $3.40/used GB on ProxyShare's $85 package or $9/used GB on Webshare's $225 package. This does not assert a provider rollover policy.
Estimate bandwidth before buying
With decimal units, 10,000 pages averaging 1 MB each use about 10 GB before retries and overhead. Twenty percent extra equal-size requests make about 12 GB. Compressed responses, images, browser behavior and proxy accounting can change the result. Measure a sample using the same app and target pages you plan to run.
Detailed budget proxy reviews
Each review separates entry product, residential rate, access terms and caveats.
Webshare
Best low-cost self-service startWebshare is a straightforward inexpensive start when shared datacenter IPs are acceptable. Its free account includes ten datacenter proxies and 1 GB of monthly traffic; that is not a 10 GB residential trial. A paid 100-IP shared datacenter package costs $2.99 per month. Rotating residential is a separate product starting at $3.50 for 1 GB monthly, with 10 GB at $27.50 and 100 GB at $225. Static residential/ISP starts at $6 for 20 shared IPs monthly. The displayed residential prices are discounted and may change. Product-specific targeting, bandwidth and fair-use terms matter more than a generic "unlimited" claim.
Pros
- No-card free datacenter entry
- Small monthly datacenter and residential packages
- HTTP and SOCKS5 support
- API and endpoint exports
Cons
- Free usage is not residential
- Shared datacenter IPs may not fit protected targets
- Discounted residential rates may change
For a closer look at its proxy products, pricing and features, read our full Webshare review.
ProxyShare
Lowest verified 10 GB residential packageProxyShare offers the lowest verified small residential package in this comparison: $9 buys 10 GB for 30 days, and 100 GB costs $85. The $0.90-per-GB figure therefore requires a $9 purchase; it is not a one-GB pay-as-you-go offer. Static datacenter is a different product: one IP costs $3 for ten days or $7.80 for 30 days. Static residential costs $10 per IP for 30 days. Long Acting ISP has separate traffic-based plans from $8 for 10 GB. Public terms say purchases are non-refundable and direct buyers to sales for a trial. Residential cards say "unlimited bandwidth" while selling fixed GB allowances, so treat the purchased traffic as the limit.
Pros
- $9 verified 10 GB residential package
- HTTP and SOCKS5 with location selection
- Separate static and Long Acting ISP products
- Higher-volume bundles reduce unit cost
Cons
- 30-day residential traffic validity
- No self-service trial verified
- Public terms say purchases are non-refundable
For a closer look at its proxy products, pricing and features, read our full ProxyShare review.
Novada
Broad proxy lineup to pilotNovada publishes rotating residential, mobile, rotating ISP and datacenter, plus static ISP and dedicated datacenter products. Its central pricing page advertises residential from $1.30 per GB, but its residential detail page labels $1.30 as an Enterprise rate and does not expose a comparable small-package total in public text. Residential traffic is valid for 30 days; the FAQ says remaining traffic carries over when renewed before expiry. The page advertises city targeting and HTTP(S). Session copy describes both up to 120 minutes and one to 30 minutes, so confirm the exact setting. Check dashboard price, minimum purchase, location availability and trial terms before buying.
Pros
- Several proxy products for distinct workloads
- Residential traffic and location controls documented
- Early renewal can carry remaining traffic
- Dashboard and API integration
Cons
- $1.30/GB is not a verified small-plan quote
- Published sticky-session durations conflict
- Checkout minimum and trial terms need confirmation
For a closer look at its proxy products, pricing and features, read our full Novada review.
IPRoyal
Best for non-expiring residential trafficIPRoyal suits intermittent projects because purchased residential traffic does not expire. A one-GB pay-as-you-go purchase is $7.35; 10 GB costs $5.51 per GB, or $55.10. The heavily advertised $1.75 per GB needs a 10 TB subscription and should not be used to budget a small test. Datacenter, ISP and mobile products use separate pricing units. Datacenter and ISP "unlimited" language is subject to documented fair-use thresholds. Compare the actual order size and product terms instead of the lowest marketing headline.
Pros
- Non-expiring residential traffic
- Small one-GB pay-as-you-go entry
- Country, state and city options
- Several proxy categories
Cons
- $1.75/GB headline requires very high volume
- Small purchases cost more per GB
- Static-product fair-use rules require review
For a closer look at its proxy products, pricing and features, read our full IPRoyal review.
Bright Data
Best targeting and managed toolkitBright Data currently displays a $4-per-GB residential pay-as-you-go promotion against an $8 reference price, using coupon RESIGB50. Eligibility and duration need checkout confirmation. Its shared datacenter plan starts at $14 for ten IPs monthly. Web Unlocker and Browser API are separately billed managed products, not included automatically with raw proxy traffic. Residential access for newly created zones involves business verification and human-reviewed KYC under current policy. Its reported network size is useful context but does not establish success on your target.
Pros
- Detailed residential targeting
- Raw proxies plus separately billed managed tools
- PAYG residential option
- Proxy Manager and management APIs
Cons
- Promotional rate may not apply at renewal
- New residential access may require KYC
- Multiple billing models add complexity
For a closer look at its proxy products, pricing and features, read our full Bright Data review.
Oxylabs
Best documented enterprise pathOxylabs Residential Starter costs $30 monthly for 5 GB, an included rate of $6 per GB. Basic is $100 for 20 GB and Advanced is $500 for 125 GB. Dedicated datacenter starts at $6.75 for three IPs; shared datacenter, ISP and mobile use different units. Its Web Scraper API is a separate managed product. Published pool size and support claims can help you shortlist the service, but they cannot prove that a particular target will succeed or that raw proxy traffic includes scraping automation.
Pros
- Published residential plan ladder
- Datacenter, ISP and mobile alternatives
- Granular residential location controls
- 24/7 support advertised
Cons
- $30 residential minimum exceeds small pilot packages
- Billing units vary across products
- VAT and checkout terms affect total
For a closer look at its proxy products, pricing and features, read our full Oxylabs review.
Cost breakdown by use case
These are package and usage illustrations, not invoices or performance predictions.
Datacenter development
The free account has ten datacenter proxies and 1 GB monthly; the first paid shared datacenter package is 100 IPs for $2.99 monthly. No residential traffic is included by that fact alone.
Explore Webshare10 GB residential pilot
Its 10 GB rotating residential package is $9 for 30 days. Webshare quotes $27.50 for 10 GB monthly; IPRoyal quotes $55.10 for 10 GB PAYG with non-expiring traffic.
Explore ProxyShareIrregular small checks
One GB of residential pay-as-you-go traffic costs $7.35 and does not expire. A lower per-GB package can cost more if most of its allowance goes unused.
Explore IPRoyalWhen a managed service changes the equation
For protected search or ecommerce pages, raw proxy traffic may require separate browser execution, parsing and retries. Bright Data Web Unlocker and Oxylabs Web Scraper API are separately billed products. Compare total provider plus engineering spend per accepted record, rather than placing their API prices in the raw residential GB chart. Use our VPN versus proxy comparison when deciding whether you need application-specific proxy routing or a VPN tunnel.
Essential proxy features explained
These details often matter more than the lowest advertised unit rate.
Datacenter versus residential
A shared datacenter plan is priced by IP count and may carry a traffic or fair-use limit. Rotating residential is commonly priced per GB and routes through a different type of IP supply. A $2.99 datacenter subscription is not a $2.99 residential plan.
Rotation and sticky sessions
Rotation changes the exit IP according to product settings; sticky sessions hold an IP for a limited period. A sticky session is not ownership of that IP. Check the supported interval and how location selection affects availability.
Geographic targeting
Country selection is common, while city, ZIP, ASN and carrier filters differ by provider and proxy product. Narrow targeting can reduce available peers. Verify the required city and protocol in the exact plan before scaling.
Traffic validity and renewal
Webshare uses monthly residential packages; ProxyShare quotes 30-day bundles; Novada says 30-day residential validity with early-renewal rollover; IPRoyal says residential traffic does not expire. These rules change the effective price when use is irregular.
Bandwidth and fair use
A fixed-GB residential purchase is not unlimited traffic. Static datacenter or ISP plans may advertise unlimited usage subject to fair-use thresholds. Ask what happens after a cap: throttling, top-up, suspension or an overage charge.
Support, access and compliance
A provider-reported pool size or uptime figure is not a matched benchmark. Check acceptable-use rules, target access, KYC requirements and support scope. Bright Data residential onboarding has a documented business verification step for new zones.
Best budget proxies by use case
Choose the lowest-cost option that meets the required location, session and access needs.
Application testing
Explore WebshareWebshare offers free datacenter access and a low-priced paid shared-IP package. Confirm country availability and the traffic allowance for your test.
Small rotating residential pilot
Explore ProxyShareProxyShare has a verified $9/10 GB, 30-day bundle. Test target access and make sure the expiry window fits the project.
Mixed proxy experiments
Explore NovadaNovada lists residential, mobile, ISP and datacenter options. Confirm its starter checkout price, proxy type, location and session setting in the account.
Intermittent ad or location checks
Explore IPRoyalIPRoyal’s non-expiring residential traffic can avoid paying repeatedly for unused expiring bundles. One-GB PAYG is $7.35.
Fine geographic targeting
Explore Bright DataBright Data documents state, city, ZIP and ASN options for residential proxies. Allow for onboarding and current promo eligibility.
Enterprise-scale data collection
Explore OxylabsOxylabs has a published residential plan ladder and separate managed scraping products. Pilot real target yield before committing to a larger tier.
Price monitoring on easy pages
Explore WebshareStart with inexpensive datacenter IPs if the target permits them; move to residential only where a representative run shows a need.
Account sessions
Explore NovadaA sticky IP and supported location may matter more than the lowest raw GB rate. Novada advertises sticky residential routing, but its published duration descriptions differ.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about cheap residential, datacenter and ISP proxies.
How we compared these providers
We reviewed public provider pricing, product pages and help documentation on September 30, 2026. We compared product type, smallest disclosed order, included traffic, expiry, targeting and other limits. The charts use published package totals or stated arithmetic; the 100 GB unused-capacity donut is an illustration. We did not authenticate checkout, buy accounts or measure speed, target success, support response or live pool inventory. Vendor-reported marketing figures were not treated as independent benchmarks. Check the chosen plan and location at checkout and run a capped pilot before scaling.
Choose a proxy pilot that fits your traffic
Compare a small datacenter plan, a fixed residential package and a non-expiring option on the same permitted targets.
For a broader shortlist, read our best proxy providers guide.
Disclosure: FreePolicyTools may earn a commission from sponsored provider links. Prices and eligibility can change; rankings reflect the stated criteria.