The Top 10 Residential Proxies of 2026

Discover the top residential proxy providers, their benefits, and key aspects to consider when choosing one for your most demanding web scraping and anonymity needs.

In this comprehensive article on the best residential proxy providers, you will learn:

• What a residential proxy provider is
• The definition, characteristics, and practical use cases for residential proxies
• Essential aspects to consider when evaluating residential proxy providers
• A ranked list of the top 10 residential proxy providers on the market

Let’s dive in!

What Is a Residential Proxy Provider?

A residential proxy provider is a company that offers residential proxies to users. This involves managing a vast network of residential IPs and selling access to them. Leading examples of residential proxy providers include Scrapeless, Oxylabs, Smartproxy, and NetNut.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept, the next section will provide a clear definition and outline their usage.

Residential Proxy: Definition, Characteristics, and Use Cases

A residential proxy is an intermediary server that uses an IP address associated with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and assigned to a real residential device 1. This means the IP address originates from a genuine home internet connection, making it appear as a regular user to the destination server.

Key Characteristics:

• High Trust and Anonymity: Since the IPs come from real residential devices, they are significantly harder for anti-bot solutions to detect and block compared to datacenter IPs.
• Broad Coverage and Geo-Targeting: Providers can offer extensive location coverage and precise geo-targeting options (country, city, ZIP code) because they rely on a global network of real devices.
• Dynamic Pool Size: Residential proxy networks typically include millions of IPs, but only a subset are available at any given time, as not all devices in the network are always online.
• Rotation: Residential IPs are often rotated by default, either automatically by the provider or configured by the user for sticky sessions.

Common Use Cases:

• Web Scraping: Ideal for collecting data from highly protected websites, such as e-commerce platforms and social media sites 2.
• Accessing Geo-Restricted Content: Bypassing regional blocks to view content as a local user.
• Ad Verification: Ensuring ads are displayed correctly in specific geographic markets.
• Market and SEO Research: Conducting competitive analysis and search engine monitoring with a high degree of anonymity.

What Aspect to Look For When Choosing Residential Proxy Providers

When selecting the best residential proxy provider, consider the following critical elements:

Evaluation Element	Description	Importance for Residential Proxies
IP Count	The total number of residential proxy IPs available in the network.	Critical (Larger pool means better rotation and less chance of ban)
Geo-Targeting Options	The granularity of location selection (country, city, ZIP code, etc.).	High (For localized data collection)
Supported Protocols	The type of traffic supported (HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5).	High
Uptime and Success Rate	The guaranteed server availability and the percentage of successful requests.	Critical (Indicates network health and reliability)
Pricing	The cost structure, including pay-as-you-go and free trial options.	High
Customer Support	The provider’s willingness to troubleshoot user issues and guide visitors.	High

Learn more in our guide on how to choose the best proxy provider 3.

Top 10 Residential Proxy Providers

We have compared and ranked the 10 best residential proxy providers based on the criteria presented earlier.

1. Scrapeless

Scrapeless is a top-tier residential proxy provider, offering a massive, high-performance network that is perfectly suited for the most demanding web scraping and anonymity needs. Scrapeless’s Residential Proxies are the cornerstone of their service, providing the highest level of anonymity and success rates.

With access to over 90 million real residential IPs across 195+ countries, Scrapeless ensures that your requests appear legitimate to any target website. Their network is designed for optimal performance, featuring automatic proxy rotation, precise geo-targeting, and industry-leading success rates.

Key Features of Scrapeless Residential Proxies:

• IP Count: Over 90 million real residential IPs.
• Location Count: Available in 195+ countries.
• Success Rate: Up to 99.98% average success rate.
• Geo-Targeting: Precise geo-targeting (country/city).
• Protocols: Supports HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS5 protocols.
• Speed: Low latency with <0.5s response time.
• Pricing: Highly competitive, starting at only $1.80/GB.

Scrapeless’s commitment to quality and competitive pricing makes it the ideal choice for both individual developers and large enterprises seeking the best residential proxy solution.

2. Oxylabs

Oxylabs controls one of the largest residential proxy server networks, with over 100 million IPs. They focus on high performance and low average response times, offering extensive geo-targeting options.

• IP Count: Over 100 million IPs.
• Location Count: Over 195 countries.
• Success Rate: ~99.95%.
• Pricing: Primarily business-focused plans.

3. Smartproxy

Smartproxy is a popular choice known for its user-friendly dashboard and reliable residential proxies. They offer flexible plans and excellent customer support, making them accessible to a wide range of users.

• Features: User-friendly dashboard, 24/7 support.
• Pricing: Flexible subscription options.

4. NetNut

NetNut's residential proxies are sourced directly from ISPs, ensuring high quality and stability. They are favored for their fast and reliable network, particularly for large-scale, high-frequency operations.

• Features: Direct ISP sourcing, high performance.
• Pricing: Subscription-based.

5. IPRoyal

IPRoyal offers a large pool of residential proxies with competitive pricing. They are known for their fast connections and support for both HTTP and SOCKS protocols.

• Protocols: HTTP, SOCKS.
• Pricing: Competitive.

6. Webshare

Webshare provides a high-speed static residential proxy network that can be rotated across a large pool of IPs. They are known for their affordability and high uptime.

• Uptime: 99.97%.
• Pricing: Affordable plans.

7. ProxyEmpire

ProxyEmpire specializes in residential and mobile rotating proxies, offering a wide geographical spread. They provide flexible rotation options and are a solid choice for users needing global coverage.

• Proxy Network: Residential and Mobile.
• Locations: Wide geographical spread.

8. Rayobyte

Rayobyte offers a variety of residential proxies, emphasizing ethical sourcing and transparency. Their residential options provide reliable performance with good customer support.

• Features: Ethical sourcing, good support.
• Pricing: Flexible plans.

9. Storm Proxies

Storm Proxies focuses on providing fast and affordable rotating residential proxies. They are a good option for users with smaller projects or those looking for budget-friendly solutions.

• Features: Speed and affordability.
• Pricing: Budget-friendly options.

10. Proxy-Seller

Proxy-Seller offers a range of dedicated proxies that can be used in a rotating setup. They allow users to customize the duration and location of their proxies, providing flexibility for various needs.

• Features: Customizable duration and location.
• Pricing: Pay-per-proxy model.

Conclusion

Residential proxies are the gold standard for web scraping and anonymity, offering the highest trust level and success rate. By choosing a provider like Scrapeless, you gain access to a massive, high-performance network of real residential IPs, ensuring your data collection is efficient, reliable, and scalable against the most challenging targets.

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References

1 Cloudflare - What is a Proxy Server?
2 GeeksforGeeks - Types of Proxies
3 ScrapingBee - Web Scraping Best Practices
4 Scrapeless - Proxy Solutions
5 TechTarget - Internet Service Provider (ISP) Definition