# Pay-as-you-go proxies

Pay-as-you-go proxies are bought in the quantity you need at the moment you need it, without a subscription, a monthly minimum or an allowance that resets. You fund an account and spend it on gigabytes or addresses; the alternative is a plan that bills every month whether or not the allowance was used. Pay-as-you-go suits irregular workloads, tests and anyone who dislikes paying for unused capacity; plans suit steady high volumes when they come with lower rates.


## Pay-as-you-go versus plans

|  | Pay-as-you-go | Subscription plan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Commitment | None | Monthly or annual |
| Unused capacity | Stays on the balance (or expires after a period, depending on the provider) | Lost at the end of the period |
| Overage | None: buy more | Billed at a higher rate |
| Rate | Set by the size of each purchase | Set by the plan |


## What to check

- Whether unused traffic expires, and when.
- The minimum purchase and whether it fits a test.
- Whether the per-GB rate at your realistic purchase size is competitive with plan rates.


## How it works at ProxShift

ProxShift is pay-as-you-go only: a prepaid wallet from $20, gigabytes and terms bought when needed, no plan to keep active, and traffic that never expires. Automatic renewal of dedicated orders exists but is off by default and uses the balance only.

Source: https://proxshift.com/glossary/pay-as-you-go