Buy too few proxies and your accounts get linked, while your scraper hits the website's limits. Buy too many and you overpay. Here is how to estimate the right number for typical tasks, with simple rules and examples.
Accounts and multi-accounting
The rule is simple: one account, one proxy. If several accounts on the same platform log in from one IP, the website may link them, and a ban on one can drag the others down with it.
How to count:
- As many accounts as you run on each platform — that many proxies.
- Add 10–20% spare for new accounts and in case an address has to be replaced.
- Accounts on different platforms can sometimes share a proxy, but a separate one each is safer.
Example: 30 accounts on one social network and 10 on another means 40 proxies plus spare — 45–50 in total.
For accounts, take proxies with a permanent IP for the whole term: logging in to an account from a new address every time looks suspicious. How to pair proxies with profiles is covered in "What Is an Antidetect Browser".
Scraping and data collection
Here the number depends on how many requests the website accepts from one address before it starts showing CAPTCHAs or blocking.
The formula:
proxies = requests per minute you need ÷ requests per minute the website comfortably accepts from one IP
How to find the second number:
- Take one or two proxies and start slowly — say, one request every 5–10 seconds.
- Speed up gradually until you see a CAPTCHA, a 429 error ("too many requests") or a block.
- Drop back to a pace just below that threshold — that is your safe rate per address.
Example: you need to collect 600 pages a minute, and the website comfortably serves 10 pages a minute to one IP. So you need 600 ÷ 10 = 60 proxies, plus 10–20% on top in case the website limits some of the addresses anyway.
For scraping it is often handier to pay for traffic rather than addresses: you create as many proxies as you need and get new addresses with a new generation. When that pays off is covered in "Pay-per-GB Proxies".
Other tasks
| Task | How many proxies |
|---|---|
| Running accounts | One per account + 10–20% spare |
| Scraping | Required rate ÷ safe rate per IP + 10–20% |
| Checking search rankings by region | At least one per country or region, more if you run many checks |
| Checking ads and websites from different countries | One or two per country |
| Personal privacy in your browser | One is usually enough |
How not to overpay
- Start small. Buy a few proxies, test them on your task, and only then buy more. How to test them — see "How to Test a Proxy".
- Check the websites first. IPv6 proxies only work with IPv6 websites — check yours with the IPv6 test so you don't buy proxies that can't open the site you need.
- Factor in the bulk discount. At Netrun, a volume discount applies from 50 IPv6 proxies per order, and the price per proxy falls as the quantity grows. Sometimes it pays to take a margin up front rather than top up later.
- Don't buy ten times more "just in case". Better to top up when the task grows.
FAQ
Can several accounts share one proxy?
On the same platform, better not: the website may link them by IP. Across different platforms the risk is lower, but a separate proxy for each account is still safer.
What happens if I don't have enough proxies for scraping?
The website will start showing CAPTCHAs and blocking addresses, and collection will slow down. Then either lower the rate per IP or add proxies.
Can I buy more proxies later?
Yes, at any time — with a new order in the configurator. Pay-per-GB traffic is topped up into the same pool.