Differences Between Datacenter, Residential, and Mobile Proxies

You won’t deny that proxies are indispensable for anyone who needs to do multi-accounting to ensure security and anonymity. However, with so many different kinds of proxies available, how to pick the best one for your needs is a complex issue. With this article, we can assist you there! The three most popular proxy types will be covered: datacenter, residential, and mobile proxies. This will give you more confidence when deciding which one best suits your requirements.

P.S. We list some of the frequently asked questions at the end of the article. Be sure not to miss them :)

Datacenter Proxies

Datacenter proxies are a type of proxy that uses IP addresses assigned to datacenters by cloud hosting services like AWS. These proxies are often used as a means to access the internet anonymously and are preferred for their fast speeds and affordability. However, the downside of using datacenter proxies is that they are often easier to detect as the same IP address is used by many people.

Pros:

• Cheap: Datacenter proxies are the cheapest type of proxy because they use IP addresses from datacenters, which are inexpensive.
• Fast: Datacenter IP addresses are naturally optimized for speed.
• Always available: datacenter IPs are available all day as data centers never sleep, which enables them to provide 99% uptime. Besides, quantity is never a problem since datacenter IPs are generated in bulk.
  
  

Cons:

• Not clean: Some datacenter IPs come from a shared pool of proxies. On occasion, these proxies have been used before, and this usage history may have an adverse effect on the speed at which data is collected or even determine whether a target site flags and blocks an IP address.
• Detectable: Datacenter IPs are typically effective for domains with simpler blocking mechanisms and are more "detectable" by target sites.
• Fewer locations: Since datacenter proxies are cloud-based, their availability is constrained in many places.
  
  

Residential Proxies

Residential proxies use IP addresses supplied by Internet Service Providers to homeowners. Since these IP addresses are attached to real, physical devices, using them makes it easy to imitate normal visitors requesting access on a computer from their residence.

There are two types of residential proxies:

1) Static residential proxy: Your real IP address is concealed behind a single residential IP address using static residential proxies. You will only remain connected to that IP until you disconnect or switch it to another server, and it will appear genuine to ensure your anonymity. It is helpful, especially for social media sites, where having the same IP address is necessary if you have the same profile logged in.

2) Rotating residential proxy: By using a pool of alternate IP addresses that are constantly changing or rotating, a rotating residential proxy masks your real IP address. These IP addresses are part of various subnetworks that are linked by a sophisticated global IP address network.

Pros:

• Legitimate: Residential proxy IPs appear real and legitimate because they are supplied by a legitimate ISP.
• High anonymity: Residential proxies are considered highly anonymous because they use IPs assigned to homeowners by internet service providers, which makes it difficult to trace the IP back to the user.
• Low chance of getting banned: Since residential proxies are more difficult to detect, the chance of getting banned is lower than for other types of proxies.
  
  

Cons

• Expensive: Residential proxies are considered more expensive than datacenter proxies because they use IPs assigned to homeowners by internet service providers.
• Slower than other types of proxies: Residential proxies can be slower than other types of proxies because they use IPs assigned to homeowners by internet service providers.
• Limited availability: Compared to other proxy types, residential proxies are less widely accessible.
  
  

Mobile Proxies

Mobile proxies are becoming increasingly popular in the world of internet privacy. These proxies use mobile networks to connect to the internet, providing users with a higher level of anonymity than traditional proxies. Due to their high anonymity, mobile proxies are often used for web scraping and social media automation, as well as other tasks that require a high level of privacy.

One of the key benefits of mobile proxies is their ability to bypass geo-restrictions. Users can access content from different regions without being detected, making them a great tool for those who value their privacy. Additionally, mobile proxies are difficult to detect, making them a favorite among those who want to remain anonymous online. You can read this article to learn more about how mobile proxies work.

Pros

• High anonymity: Mobile proxies are considered the most anonymous type of proxy because they use mobile networks to connect to the internet, which makes it difficult to trace the IP back to the user.
• Low chance of getting banned: Since many users are connected to the same mobile IP address simultaneously, platforms cannot ban all these addresses even if suspicious activity is detected from one of them.
• Good for social media automation: Mobile proxies are often used for social media automation because they can mimic real mobile users.
  
  

Cons

• Expensive: Mobile proxies are considered the most expensive type of proxy because they use mobile networks, which are more costly than other types of networks.
• Slower than other types of proxies: Mobile networks can be slower than other types of networks, so mobile proxies can be slower than other types of proxies.
  
  

Which proxies should you choose?

When choosing a proxy, there are many factors to consider. The first step is to determine the purpose of the proxies. As previously discussed, different types of proxies have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. For instance, mobile proxies are ideal for verifying mobile application user experiences and cellular advertisements. Meanwhile, residential proxies are less likely to trigger security alarms.

Aside from the purpose, speed, security, and budget must also be taken into account. If speed is a top priority, datacenter proxies are the most suitable choice. However, if security is more important, residential proxies are a better option. As for budget, it's worth noting that residential and mobile proxies tend to be pricier than datacenter proxies. Nevertheless, each provider has its own pricing model, so the impact of budget on the final decision may vary.

As you can see, a combination of these factors must be considered when selecting the best proxy for your needs. While some factors may be more important than others, it's essential to weigh all of them to make an informed decision.

FAQs

1. What are the other types of proxies?

Proxies can be categorized according to protocol (HTTP(S) and SOCKS5), access (private and shared), and a variety of other factors.

2. Are proxy locations important?

Yes, locations matter. The speed of the connection is directly impacted by proxy locations. Additionally, some online content is geo-restricted. Your access will be denied if your proxy is not situated within the desired geography.

3. How can I check the IP address of a proxy?

You can check the IP address on testing websites like IP2location, DB-IP, IPinfo, etc. It should be noted that occasionally these websites display different locations for the same IP address. Typically, this is due to the fact that the IP address itself is disputed, which causes various analyses by IP libraries. You will need to contact the proxy provider in this case to obtain a different, higher-quality proxy.

4. Can I get 100% success in multi-accounting using a proxy?

To verify an online identity, websites detect and analyze more than only the IP address, but also browser fingerprints, such as User Agent, browser version, system language, etc., so using a proxy by itself won't completely shield you from detection. A more secure way to do multi-accounting is to use proxies and an antidetect browser together. In this way, you can conceal your true IP address and mask the real browsing data. Still, there’s no single method that can guarantee 100% success in multi-accounting. As a moderate number of account bans are due to inappropriate operations when warming the account or running ads with it, skills and techniques are very important, apart from a good antidetect browser and high-quality proxies.