Residential vs datacenter proxies: which to use
Residential proxies send your requests through IPs on home internet connections; datacenter proxies use fixed addresses from hosting networks. Choose by what the website needs to see, how you want to be billed and how long you need each IP.
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Residential vs datacenter proxies comes down to one question: does the website need to see a request from a home connection in a particular country, or do you need a fixed, predictable address? Residential proxies answer the first, datacenter proxies the second. This guide compares them on where the IPs come from, how they're billed, how long you keep each IP and which workloads suit each.
It doesn't include speed or block-rate benchmarks. Those depend on your requests, the sites you use and the time you test, so the only numbers worth trusting are the ones you measure on your own workload.
Residential vs datacenter proxies in one table
The short answer: use residential proxies when a website has to see a home connection in a specific country, and datacenter proxies when you need fixed addresses for systems you own or monitor, billed per IP.
| Attribute | Residential | Datacenter |
|---|---|---|
| IP origin | Addresses that internet service providers assign to home connections | Addresses from hosting and cloud networks |
| What a website sees | A request from a consumer network in the exit country | A request from a server network |
| How you get IPs | Through a gateway that assigns exit IPs | A fixed list of addresses assigned to you |
| Usual billing | Per GB of traffic | Per IP, per billing period |
| How long an IP lasts | Rotating, or sticky for a TTL while the exit IP stays available | Static for as long as you rent it |
| Typical workloads | Country-accurate views of public pages, ads and search results; localization QA; agent browsing | Traffic to your own systems, monitoring from fixed addresses, predictable test traffic |
Where the IPs come from
Residential IPs are the addresses internet service providers assign to homes. A residential proxy network routes your traffic through some of those connections, which providers get access to in different ways. What is a residential proxy? explains the routing step by step and lists the sourcing questions to ask a provider.
Datacenter IPs belong to hosting and cloud networks. The provider runs servers, and the addresses are assigned to its customers, so no home connection is involved.
Public registration data shows which network an address belongs to, so a website can tell a consumer connection from a hosting network. Some sites take that into account, along with the visitor's country, when they decide which content or prices to show. That's the main practical difference between the two. The site's terms apply either way, whichever network your request comes from.
How each is billed
Residential proxies are usually billed per GB. Your cost follows the traffic you transfer, so heavy pages and media cost more than small JSON responses.
Datacenter proxies are usually billed per IP per period. Your cost follows the number of addresses you hold and for how long, which suits steady traffic to a known set of systems.
On netdash, residential plans are one-time GB purchases with graduated pricing per order, and purchased GB never expire. Datacenter IPs are billed per IP every 30 days, with no per-GB charge. Current rates are on residential proxy pricing.
Consistency and sessions
Residential traffic goes through a gateway. In rotating mode the gateway assigns exit IPs; a sticky session keeps one exit IP for the TTL you set, while that IP stays available. Home connections go offline from time to time, so long jobs should be able to start a new session and carry on.
Datacenter IPs are static. On netdash, each one stays assigned to you for as long as the subscription renews. If a system has to recognize you by address for weeks, a static IP is the simpler fit.
When residential IPs fit
- The page you need depends on where a visitor connects from: localized prices, currency, language versions or consent banners shown to people on home connections in a specific country.
- You need exits in several countries without renting fixed addresses in each one.
- Your requests stand alone, or form short multi-step tasks that one sticky session can cover, such as an AI agent working through a task on permitted sites.
- Your traffic is light or uneven, so paying for the GB you transfer costs less than holding addresses for a whole billing period.
Targeting on netdash residential plans is country-level, set with a two-letter ISO code in the username. See residential proxies for the plans.
When datacenter IPs fit
- Your own servers, APIs or staging environments accept traffic only from known addresses.
- You monitor your own endpoints from fixed locations.
- A partner needs a stable address to add to their access rules.
- You send steady, heavy traffic to systems where the origin network doesn't matter, and per-IP billing works out lower than per-GB billing for that volume.
netdash datacenter proxies are static IPs billed per IP every 30 days. Self-serve checkout is paused; contact sales for availability.
A decision table
| If this is true | Lean towards | Because |
|---|---|---|
| The website must see a home connection in a given country | Residential | Datacenter addresses belong to hosting networks |
| A system must recognize your IP for weeks | Datacenter (or a static ISP IP) | Residential exit IPs are rotating or sticky for a limited time |
| Traffic per address is high and steady | Datacenter | Per-IP billing has no per-GB charge |
| Traffic is light, bursty or spread across many sites | Residential | Per-GB billing follows what you actually transfer |
| You need exits in many countries | Residential | You choose the exit country per request; static IPs sit in fixed locations |
| One multi-step task needs one IP for a while | Residential with a sticky session | The session holds one exit IP for the TTL you set |
Using both
You don't have to pick one for everything. A workable split is static datacenter IPs for traffic to your own systems and partners, and residential IPs for country-accurate views of public websites.
On netdash the two are separate products. Residential plans share one username and password and are bought per GB; datacenter IPs come as their own host:port:user:pass list with credentials for that order. To see all four netdash networks side by side, compare proxy types. If you're also weighing static ISP IPs, read ISP vs residential proxies.
Responsible use
Whichever IP type you choose
Respect robots.txt and each site's terms, keep request rates reasonable and back off when a site slows you down, don't collect personal data without a lawful basis, and don't access content behind logins or paywalls without authorization. netdash doesn't solve CAPTCHAs or other challenges, and your code shouldn't try to get past them: if a site rate-limits or challenges your requests, slow down, check its terms, or use its official API. Read how we expect netdash to be used.
FAQ
We don't publish speed measurements, and general figures don't transfer well between workloads. Speed depends on the exit connection, the distance to the website and the website itself. Measure with your own requests on sites you're permitted to access.
It depends on your traffic. Per-GB billing suits light or spread-out traffic; per-IP billing suits heavy, steady traffic through a few addresses. Estimate both with your expected traffic and number of IPs. The pricing page has a calculator for netdash's per-GB plans.
On netdash, one username and password cover every residential and mobile plan. Datacenter IPs are delivered as their own host:port:user:pass list, with the credentials for that order.
Related
- What is a residential proxy?
How residential IPs route your requests, and what to ask a provider about sourcing.
- ISP vs residential proxies
Static ISP IPs and rotating residential IPs: assignment, billing and workloads.
- Static vs rotating proxies
Which session type fits logins, monitoring, testing and data collection.
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