Datacenter proxies vs. residential proxies

Datacenter proxies and residential proxies are two of the most common proxy types. If you want your web scraping project to succeed, you'll need to pick the right one.

In this blog post, we'll explain their key differences and help you choose with confidence. You’ll learn their strengths and weakness. We'll also list the use cases for both.

SOAX provides both types. We have 155+ million ethically sourced IPs. Our infrastructure provides fast response rates and incredible uptime. Our flexible plans can be tailored to match your workflow.

Ready for datacenter proxies vs residential proxies? Let’s dive into details.

What are datacenter proxies?

Datacenter proxies are IP addresses hosted on cloud or physical data centers. They are independent of internet service providers (ISPs). Proxy providers generate and manage these proxies in bulk. Datacenter proxies are a cost-effective, high-speed solution for online tasks.

Datacenter proxies are extremely fast and ideal for high-volume scraping or automation use cases. However, they’re becoming less reliable for protected websites-- unless you fine-tune your scraper's fingerprinting.

Fine-tuning your scarper's fingerprinting demands a lot of time and money. But if you have a budget for it, it can be a robust choice for enterprise-scale operations.

SOAX offers datacenter proxies through shared and dedicated IP pools. They are built for speed, uptime, and stability. Our infrastructure guarantees 99.9% uptime, low latency, and intelligent routing across large-scale proxy clusters.

Our datacenter proxies start from just $0.40/IP. We offer flexible usage terms and rotation control. Our datacenter proxies are suitable for high-speed web scraping, market research, and retrieving bulk data from less sensitive targets.

Greater availability, IP-based pricing over bandwidth usage, and low pricing make them attractive to most businesses. They’ll benefit you in projects where speed, reliability, and cost supersede success rates.

What are residential proxies?

Residential proxies use IP addresses that internet service providers (ISPs) have assigned to real, consenting users. They proxy traffic through real devices like a laptop or smartphone. This makes your requests appear human-like.

Unlike datacenter proxies, residential proxies offer stronger anonymity. They also offer better access to heavily protected websites. This allows you to avoid detection, bypass anti-bot systems, and scrape data without raising red flags.

SOAX provides ethically sourced residential IPs, backed by transparent sourcing practices. We provide pay-as-you-go pricing. Our coverage spans over 195 countries, providing you with complete geo-targeting control.

Our residential proxies are great for ad verification, social media management, and geo-specific testing.. They remain stable across long sessions. They adapt perfectly to dynamic targets with aggressive anti-bot protections. Residential proxies can do all this because they appear as real-user traffic

Now that we've given you a general overview of both, let's get into the details.

Datacenter proxies vs residential proxies: the differences

When choosing between proxy types, it helps to analyze them side by side for clarity. This table shows how datacenter and residential proxies compare across speed, cost, anonymity, etc.

Let’s examine these differences up close.

IP address pool size and diversity

Residential proxies source IPs from real users spread across multiple locations and ISPs. This natural distribution creates a highly diverse IP pool that simulates real internet behavior.

On the other hand, datacenter proxies operate from centralized servers across limited regions with fixed IP ranges. This clustering leads to reduced diversity, which makes detection easier for websites that use basic filters.

With SOAX’s residential proxies, you can access content more naturally due to our organic IP mix across 195 countries. In contrast, datacenter proxies may raise suspicion when too many requests come from adjacent IPs.

Detection and anti-bot bypass capabilities

Websites detect and block datacenter proxies faster. This is because the datacenter proxies' IPs often match known proxy server patterns. Security systems use IP reputation and behavioral fingerprints to flag automated traffic from these sources.

Websites have a harder time detecting web scraping from residential proxies. This is because the traffic resemble regular users visiting from home networks. It blends in with human browsing behavior. This reduces the likelihood of blocks or CAPTCHAs.

For sensitive scraping tasks, residential proxies offer a clear advantage in reliability and uninterrupted access. Datacenter proxies, although faster, often trigger defenses that disrupt automation or trigger warnings.

To reduce the block rates, SOAX can assign you dedicated datacenter IPs. These are also known as a "private pool."  This isolates your requests from shared or overused IP addresses, lowering your risk of detection.

Speed and performance

Datacenter proxies deliver speedy response times because they operate on high-performance datacenter infrastructure. They can power fast execution of scraping tasks regardless of project size.

Residential proxies route connections through real user devices, which slows down request delivery. These added network hops introduce latency and reduce their efficiency for time-sensitive operations.

Bandwidth limits

Datacenter proxies usually have generous bandwidth allocations, enabling high-speed, high-volume scraping tasks. They’re well-suited for projects that need to download large datasets. They're also well-suited for projects that need to have rapid response rates.

Residential proxies can involve usage caps or tiered pricing based on bandwidth consumption. This limitation comes from their dependence on actual internet users and the need to prevent service abuse.

Datacenter proxies provide flexibility and cost control for scale and bandwidth. Residential proxies, on the other hand, need careful monitoring to avoid hitting data ceilings or incurring extra fees.

Reliability and stability

Datacenter proxies offer consistent speed and uptime because they are in a professionally managed environment. This stability is important for tasks that need uninterrupted performance.

Residential proxies are less stable because they depend on volunteers. These volunteers may disconnect unexpectedly. These session drops, paired with inconsistent speeds, can hurt sensitive tasks and reduce success rates.

If your operations demand sustained access and predictable results, datacenter proxies offer better peace of mind. Residential proxies trade some of that reliability for broader reach and higher anonymity.

Cost efficiency

Datacenter proxies usually cost less per IP because of their centralized infrastructure and low operational overhead. Their pricing model makes them attractive for projects requiring large-scale data collection.

Residential proxies often charge by traffic volume, making them more expensive for high-throughput tasks. Their complex sourcing and ethical standards also contribute to higher costs.

Datacenter proxies provide more predictable and affordable options. Residential proxies justify their price only in scenarios that need stealth and location-targeting.

Ease of setup and management

Datacenter proxies have a straightforward setup. You just need  an IP, port, and credential inputs for to quickly deploy them. However, you may have to configured them to bypass detection. This means you have to make constant adjustments to your scraper. These constant adjustments will probably inflate project costs.

Residential proxies take more upfront effort to set up, especially if you need geotargeting and session control. Once configured, however, they reduce the need for intensive engineering during execution.

That means fewer bottlenecks later, especially for large jobs across protected sites. The natural traffic behavior minimizes detection, ensuring efficient performance for sensitive tasks.

Ethical sourcing and compliance

Residential proxies route traffic through real people’s devices. This can raise questions about consent and legality. Most providers, including SOAX, seek participants’ permission to avoid legal issues.

Datacenter proxies involve fewer ethical sourcing and compliance risks. This is because servers don’t represent individual users. Their controlled environment reduces the chance of privacy breaches or legal violations.

Ethical sourcing makes residential proxies preferable for businesses prioritizing legal and ethical compliance. Datacenter proxies suit less regulated tasks where speed trumps sourcing concerns.

Real-world use cases

Now that we've reviewed the factors you need to consider when choosing datacenter proxies vs residential proxies, we're going to list out use cases. 

Datacenter proxies

You use datacenter proxies for high-speed, cost-effective tasks on sites with weaker anti-bot protections. Here are the situations where they work best:

• Competitor price monitoring: You can scrape ecommerce platforms like Amazon, tracking daily price changes for thousands of products. Speed is critical. Anonymity is less important since such sites often have basic bot detection.

• SEO analysis: Datacenter proxies are great for pulling keyword ranking data from search engines like Google or Bing. They can process frequent requests efficiently without costing much. 

• Bulk data aggregation: You can extract public datasets across sites like Zillow or Indeed. These platforms typically have weaker bot protections, making them easy targets for high-volume scraping.

• Web performance testing: You can simulate heavy traffic to measure how a site responds under pressure or during peak loads. Datacenter proxies offer low-latency and high-volume request capabilities.

Datacenter proxies are best when speed, scale, and cost control are your top priorities. They shine on less protected sites where efficiency matters more than security.

Example: Pulling Google keyword rankings with datacenter proxies

Let’s say you want to check the top-ranking URLs for the keyword "best wireless earbuds" from the U.S.

Python example using requests and a rotating datacenter

import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

# Replace with your datacenter proxy credentials
proxy_host = "proxy.example.com"
proxy_port = "8000"
proxy_user = "your_username"
proxy_pass = "your_password"

proxies = {
    "http": f"http://{proxy_user}:{proxy_pass}@{proxy_host}:{proxy_port}",
    "https": f"http://{proxy_user}:{proxy_pass}@{proxy_host}:{proxy_port}"
}

headers = {
    "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 \
                   (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/122.0.0.0 Safari/537.36"
}

query = "best wireless earbuds"
search_url = f"https://www.google.com/search?q={query.replace(' ', '+')}"

response = requests.get(search_url, headers=headers, proxies=proxies)
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, "html.parser")

# Extract organic result links
results = soup.select("div.yuRUbf a")
for i, link in enumerate(results, 1):
    print(f"{i}: {link['href']}")

Notes

• The proxy is set at the session level to rotate IPs or distribute requests

• You can extend this with threading or a task queue for bulk keyword analysis

• This example is basic, but it does convey how datacenter proxies allow fast and affordable scraping for SEO needs

Residential proxies  

You can rely on residential proxies for tasks requiring high anonymity or geo-specific access on heavily protected sites. Here are some examples:

• Ad verification: Residential proxies mimic real user behavior, allowing you to check the appearance and performance of your advertisements. They let you verify targeting accuracy with realistic traffic across specific locations, devices, and internet providers.

• Social media automation: You can manage multiple accounts across platforms without triggering login warnings or bans. You can slip past anti-bot systems, reducing ban risk when switching profiles or regions. 

• Geo-targeted web scraping: To access region-specific data like prices, availability, or local you need precise location targeting. Residential IPs matchvs city or country-level filters used by websites, securing access.

• Sneaker and retail botting: You can automate purchases during limited product launches on high-security sites like Nike or Supreme. Residential proxies avoid detection by emulating human patterns and real buying behavior.

• Travel fare aggregation: User location and browsing history impact what websites show you for airline or hotel prices. Residential IPs help bypass this manipulation, revealing accurate, location-specific pricing without distortions.

As you can see, residential proxies suit sensitive tasks that need stealth, trust, and regional precision. They’re a good choice for projects facing strong anti-bot mechanisms. They're also a good choice for projects focusing on content tied to user identity and location.

Example: Scraping region-specific product prices with residential proxies

Suppose you want to view the region-specific price of a product like the iPhone 16 Pro Max on a site like Temu.com, as seen from various U.S. locations.

Python example using requests and a rotating residential proxy

Here’s a sample scraper code for this task:

import requests

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

# Replace with your SOAX residential proxy credentials and endpoint

proxy_host = "residential.soax.com"

proxy_port = "9000"

proxy_user = "your_username"

proxy_pass = "your_password"

# Example: Set proxy to simulate New York, USA

geo_tag = "us-newyork"  # format: country-city

proxies = {

    "http": f"http://{proxy_user}:{proxy_pass}@{proxy_host}:{proxy_port}?geotargeting={geo_tag}",

    "https": f"http://{proxy_user}:{proxy_pass}@{proxy_host}:{proxy_port}?geotargeting={geo_tag}"

}

headers = {

    "User-Agent": (

        "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) "

        "AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) "

        "Chrome/122.0.0.0 Safari/537.36"

    )

}

# Target product page URL (replace with actual product page)

product_url = "https://www.temu.com/product/iphone-16-pro-max-ultra"

# Send request through a residential proxy geolocated to New York

response = requests.get(product_url, headers=headers, proxies=proxies, timeout=15)

soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, "html.parser")

# Extract product name and price (adjust selectors for the real site)

product_name = soup.select_one("h1.product-title").get_text(strip=True)

price = soup.select_one("span.product-price").get_text(strip=True)

print(f"Region: {geo_tag}")

print(f"Product: {product_name}")

print(f"Price: {price}")

Notes:

• It spoofs location using the geotargeting tag (city-level)

• The product URL must point to the exact product page

• Residential IPs emulate real user traffic, minimizing blocks and CAPTCHAs

How to choose the right proxy

To choose the right proxy type, you need to focus on certain factors. Here are key factors to guide your decision.

• Budget: Datacenter proxies are cheaper for scaling, but higher engineering demands can reduce overall savings. Residential proxies, though pricier, need fewer resources and offer better stealth for high-risk targets.

• Target websites: Residential proxies can better bypass strict anti-bot systems on heavily protected sites like social media or streaming platforms. In comparison, datacenter proxies work fine for less secure sites, like public data repositories.

• Speed needs: Datacenter proxies deliver faster connections, perfect for bulk scraping tasks. Residential proxies are slower due to network hops.

• Anonymity: Residential proxies provide more natural traffic patterns that resemble real users from trusted networks. Datacenter IPs offer less anonymity but suffice for sites with basic protections.

• Geotargeting: Residential proxies allow for precise, city-level targeting. Datacenter IPs only provide basic country targeting, usually tied to server locations.

Of course, the above list isn’t exhaustive, but it gives you a solid starting point.

Get the right proxies with SOAX

When evaluating datacenter vs residential proxies, choosing the right provider matters as much as the proxy types. SOAX offers a complete proxy stack built on ethical sourcing, global reach, and performance-oriented infrastructure.

Why trust SOAX? 

Extensive IP pools for scalability

With SOAX, you tap into a network of 155 million residential proxies and 300,000+ datacenter proxies (including dedicated ISP proxies). Our proxies span 195+ countries. This vast pool lets you to scale operations effortlessly, regardless of your project’s scope.

SOAX’s residential IPs come from legitimate, reliable, and ethical sources. They reduce the risk of blocks, ensuring seamless access when scraping web platforms.

While businesses have traditionally preferred residential proxies, we’re observing an increased uptake of datacenter proxies. This pivot is driven by datacenter proxies' affordable pricing and the demand for multimodal data scraping.

Optimized speed and uptime

At SOAX, we optimize our datacenter and residential proxies for speed and reliability. We have a 99% uptime guarantee.

Recent infrastructure upgrades reduced latency by up to 64%. These enhancements mean your scraping, testing, and verification tasks will run smoothly, even under heavy workloads. Even better, you’ll maintain consistency, saving you time and money.

Advanced features for flexibility

SOAX enhances your proxy experience with robust and user-friendly features. 

Geo-targeting lets you pinpoint locations at the city level, allowing you to test localized content.

You can integrate tools like Web Data API and Scraper APIs to SOAX’s different proxy types. 

Our flexible rotation allows you to switch IPs with each request to maintain anonymity.

Comprehensive proxy types for all use cases

SOAX offers ISP and mobile proxies alongside datacenter and residential proxies. These are important for carrier-level filtering, mobile device traffic simulation, or ISP-specific targeting.

SOAX offers a wide range of products, making finding the right solution easy. Whether you need speed, stability, or anonymity, you’ll find a solution that fits your needs.

Wrapping up

Hopefully this blog post has helped you understand the main differences between datacenter proxies vs residential proxies. But keep in mind that here at SOAX, our team of experts is always available to answer your questions.

We're happy to help you find the best fit for your project. We offer both residential and datacenter proxies and you can try them out for three days for just $1.99.