ISP Proxies vs. Residential Proxies: Which One Is Right for Your Needs?
Having been in the proxy world for over a decade, we're tired of the stark black-and-white debates. Today, we’ll put ISP proxies and residential proxies on the table and clarify which one you truly need. We won’t bore you with vague theories; instead, we’ll provide straightforward information—speed, cost, success rates, account banning risks, and suitable scenarios—all laid out clearly. Finally, we’ll provide you with a simple decision tree so you can make your purchase confidently.
Core Points of ISP Proxies
ISP proxies use IPs registered by real Internet Service Providers, combining the high speed of data centers with a touch of the "human factor" from residential IPs, making detection more challenging than either type alone. Thordata's ISP proxies are currently among the most formidable options we've seen:
- IP-Based Billing: Charged by IP with unlimited traffic, allowing for as much scraping as needed.
- Forever Sessions: One IP can stick for weeks without changing.
- True Static ISP IP: High speeds with latency often below 15ms.
- On-Demand Scaling: Add up to 100,000 IPs in just a few minutes.
- Designed for High-Traffic Scraping: Handles hundreds of GBs per day per IP without breaking a sweat.
- Lower Detection Rates: Over 70% lower detection rates compared to pure data centers, and 3-8 times faster than pure residential proxies.
In simple terms, if you're doing large-scale data collection, account management, or e-commerce price comparison daily, Thordata's ISP proxies are currently the top choice for cost-effectiveness.
Core Points of Residential ProxiesResidential proxies use broadband IPs from real user homes, providing a high level of disguise that makes them nearly impossible to be flagged as proxies. Thordata's residential pool is currently one of the most powerful in the world:
- Over 60 Million Ethically Sourced Residential IPs: Completely clean, no black marks.
- Coverage Across 195 Countries: Precision down to the city level, even postal code level.
- Success Rate: 99.82% request success rate with 99.99% network uptime.
- Extended Session Support: Allows for ultra-long sessions while also supporting millisecond-level rotation.
- Increasing Proportion of 5G Mobile Residential Nodes: Ideal for strict scenarios like Sneaker and TikTok.
In a nutshell, if your work demands absolutely no margin for error, residential proxies serve as your final line of defense.
Use Cases Exploration
ISP Proxies are well-suited for tasks that require stable sessions and fixed online identities. Here are the main use cases for ISP proxies:
- High-Intensity E-Commerce Monitoring and Inventory Tracking: Efficiently track stock levels and pricing on various platforms.
- Long-Term Multi-Account Login Maintenance: Keep multiple accounts logged in for extended periods.
- Ad Campaign Monitoring and Anti-Fraud Verification: Ensure the integrity of online advertisements.
- Registration Tasks on Sensitive Platforms and Multi-Region Account Setup: Facilitate account creation in various locations.
- Large-Scale Scraping Tasks Requiring Continuous Online Nodes: Maintain uptime for extensive data collection efforts.
- Execution of Internal Automation Scripts: Streamline repetitive tasks within an organization.
Residential Proxies are better suited for operations that require a natural online identity. Here are the use cases where residential proxies excel:
- Brand Monitoring and Retail Site Verification: Check for pricing and authenticity across different sites.
- Large-Scale SERP Scraping and Search Behavior Simulation: Mimic user search activities effectively.
- Multi-Region Ad Campaign Testing: Assess ad performance across various geographical areas.
- Validation of App or Website User Experience in Different Countries: Test how users interact with services globally.
- Decentralized Network Access Tasks: Facilitate operations requiring variable IP addresses.
- Social Media Account Verification or Behavior Simulation: Model user behavior on social platforms.
ISP Proxies vs. Residential Proxies: Pros and Cons
ISP Proxies offer advantages in stability and high performance, but they also have structural limitations.
Pros:
- High request speed, suitable for real-time tasks.
- Strong session persistence, ideal for continuous online operations.
- Low detection risk, applicable for high-sensitivity platforms.
- Support for static nodes, allowing repeated access to the same platform.
- The pricing for ISP proxies for sale is reasonable, making it easy for users to make quick purchases.
Cons:
- Although IPs are registered with ISPs, they are not "real users browsing from home."
- Limited availability in certain regions or ISP types.
Residential Proxies provide a wealth of natural identities, but their performance is slightly weaker than that of ISP proxies.
Pros:
- Natural access path, making it easier to pass platform behavior verification.
- Extensive nationwide coverage, suitable for global projects.
- Support for automatic IP rotation, offering strong flexibility.
- Better at simulating user access to websites.
Cons:
- Stability is not as high as static ISPs.
- Weaker session consistency, making them less ideal for long-term login tasks.
ISP Proxies vs. Residential Proxies: Decision Tree
When choosing a proxy, simply ask yourself three questions:
- Is your target website strict about blocking proxies?
- Yes → Go for Residential Proxies.
- No → ISP Proxies are a great choice.
- Will your monthly traffic exceed 500GB?
- Yes → ISP Proxies can handle it with ease.
- No → Either option works.
- Do you need an IP to stay the same for several days or even weeks?
- Yes → ISP Proxies with Forever Sessions are unbeatable.
- No → Residential Proxies will suffice.
- Is your budget really tight?
- Yes → ISP Proxies can save you 70%.
- No → Residential Proxies offer more peace of mind.
By honestly answering these questions, 90% of users can quickly determine which proxy to buy.
Summary
Whether conducting enterprise-level automation tasks or engaging in cross-regional marketing, both ISP and residential proxies offer practical value. ISP proxies focus on stability and high performance, while residential proxies excel in natural traffic representation and global coverage. What you may need is not the most expensive residential proxy, but the one that best suits your requirements.
Register with Thordata to experience their static ISP proxy services and residential proxy services, and take advantage of their free trial offers. Try them out, and you'll know which one to choose.