Proxies differ in where their IP addresses come from: a data centre, home internet or a mobile network. That decides how much websites trust an address, what it costs and what it is good for. Here are the three types in plain words.
Datacenter (server) proxies
The addresses belong to servers in data centres — the same places websites and services run.
- Pros: fast and stable, affordable, and you can get lots at once. The address stays assigned to you for the whole term.
- Cons: websites can easily tell the address belongs to a hosting company rather than an ordinary user. Strict platforms are wary of such addresses.
Datacenter proxies come as IPv4 and IPv6. There are vast numbers of IPv6 addresses, so these proxies are the most affordable, but they only work with websites that have IPv6. More in "IPv4 vs IPv6 Proxies".
Residential proxies
Home internet addresses — the same ones ordinary people have at home. To a website, a visitor with such an IP looks like a regular user.
- Pros: high trust from websites, a wide choice of countries and cities.
- Cons: more expensive than datacenter proxies, usually billed per gigabyte; speed and stability depend on someone else's home connection; the address can change at any moment.
Providers usually get residential addresses through networks of users' devices. Choose a provider that is open about where its addresses come from.
Mobile proxies
Mobile carrier addresses. The proxy runs through a modem with a SIM card, and the website sees an ordinary mobile IP.
- Pros: the highest trust. Mobile carriers have many subscribers sharing one IP at the same time, so blocking such an address means blocking lots of real people, and websites do it cautiously. Mobile carrier IPs open any website.
- Cons: the most expensive; speed depends on the carrier and network load; the address changes from time to time — sometimes on your command, sometimes the carrier's.
More in "Mobile Proxies Explained".
Comparison
| Datacenter | Residential | Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the IP comes from | A data centre | Home internet | A mobile carrier |
| Trust from websites | Medium | High | Highest |
| Price | Low | Higher | Highest |
| Speed and stability | High | Depend on someone else's connection | Depend on the carrier |
| Permanent address | Yes, for the whole term | Usually not | Changes over time |
| How many addresses | As many as you like | Many, by traffic | Few, by modem |
Which to choose for your task
- Accounts on IPv6 websites (Google, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram) when each needs its own permanent IP — datacenter IPv6 proxies.
- Scraping and price monitoring on IPv6 websites — datacenter IPv6 paid by traffic: many addresses for little money.
- Social networks with strict checks, ad accounts, registering and warming up accounts — mobile proxies.
- Websites without IPv6 — mobile proxies.
The rule is simple: start with the most affordable type that does the job, and move to a more "trusted" one only if the website starts blocking addresses.
What Netrun offers
- Per-IP IPv6 proxies — datacenter addresses assigned to you for 30 to 180 days: the configurator.
- Pay-per-GB traffic — the same IPv6 proxies paid by the gigabyte: the "Traffic · GB" tab. When it pays off — see "Pay-per-GB Proxies".
- Mobile proxies — carrier modems, in the mobile proxies section. If none are on sale right now, check back later.
FAQ
Which proxies are the least noticeable?
Mobile ones: real carrier subscribers stand behind their addresses. But datacenter proxies work perfectly well wherever a website doesn't fuss about where an address comes from.
Why does an IP check say "hosting" or "data centre"?
Because a datacenter proxy's address really does belong to a server. That doesn't make it bad — it is simply how datacenter proxies work.
Can I combine different types?
Yes, and it is often the cheapest option: datacenter proxies for bulk work, mobile ones for the most demanding platforms.