10 use cases · 4 networks

The right proxy for the job, explained before you pay.

Each use case below tells you which network to use and why, how to configure the endpoint, what it will cost at your volume and where people go wrong. Answer three questions on the right and get a recommendation in ten seconds.

Browse use cases Compare networks
  • $2.45per GBResidential: scraping, SERP, monitoring, verification
  • $0.99per IP / moISP: accounts, checkout, anything that must not move
  • $0.70per IP / moDatacenter: bulk, open sources, fixed egress
  • $2.62per GBMobile: social, in-app, the most protected targets

01 — Use cases

Ten jobs, each with its network, recipe and budget.

Every guide is written the same way so you can compare: the problem, the network we recommend and why, the exact username to use, a cost estimate at your volume, the mistakes to avoid.

Web scraping Collect public data at scale without rate limits, geo-blocks or bot scores stopping the crawl. Residential recommendedfrom $2.45/GB Price monitoring Track competitor prices, stock and delivery rules in each market as the local customer sees them. Residential recommendedfrom $2.45/GB SEO and SERP tracking Pull search results from any country or city, free of personalization, for rank tracking and keyword research. Residential recommendedfrom $2.45/GB Ad verification Load the creatives your campaigns serve, from the exact city, device and carrier of the audience. Residential recommendedfrom $2.45/GB Social media management Run each account from a consistent, trusted IP in the right country and on the network the platform expects. Mobile recommendedfrom $2.62/GB E-commerce automation Checkout, limited releases, inventory checks and marketplace operations with IPs the retailer trusts. ISP recommendedfrom $0.99/IP/mo Brand protection Detect counterfeit listings, grey-market sellers, phishing pages and unauthorized use as your customers encounter them. Residential recommendedfrom $2.45/GB Travel fare aggregation Compare airline, hotel and rental prices per point of sale, where datacenter traffic is blocked or shown different fares. Residential recommendedfrom $2.45/GB App and QA testing Verify geo-specific flows, localization, payments and CDN behaviour from real end-user networks in each market. Residential recommendedfrom $2.45/GB Market research and data collection Collect reviews, listings, jobs, real-estate and public datasets per market for analysis and model training. Residential recommendedfrom $2.45/GB

02 — Fit matrix

Which network fits which job.

One wallet buys all four networks, so the question is never which provider but which network for this target. The matrix is our honest reading; each cell is explained on the use-case page.

Use case Residential ISP Datacenter Mobile
Web scraping Recommended Possible Good fit Possible
Price monitoring Recommended Good fit Possible Possible
SEO and SERP tracking Recommended Good fit Possible Recommended
Ad verification Recommended Possible Not suited Recommended
Social media management Good fit Recommended Not suited Recommended
E-commerce automation Good fit Recommended Not suited Good fit
Brand protection Recommended Possible Not suited Good fit
Travel fare aggregation Recommended Possible Not suited Good fit
App and QA testing Recommended Possible Good fit Recommended
Market research and data collection Recommended Possible Recommended Possible

Recommended = the network we would pick first. Good fit = works well with the right settings. Possible = works, with a cost or stability trade-off. Not suited = expect blocks or wasted spend.

03 — How to decide

Three questions settle almost every case.

The picker above runs this logic. Read it once and you will route new targets without thinking about it.

  1. 01

    Does the target judge the IP?

    Open APIs, sitemaps, your own properties and low-protection catalogues do not: use datacenter and pay the least per request. Anything that challenges visitors or serves them different content does: start with residential.

  2. 02

    How long must one IP last?

    A request: rotate. A flow of minutes to a day: a residential sticky session. Weeks or months, as for an account or a whitelisted integration: a dedicated ISP IP, unlimited traffic, the same address for the whole term.

  3. 03

    Is the target mobile-first or hostile?

    Social platforms, in-app inventory, operator-billed services and the toughest checkouts treat carrier IPs as their most trusted traffic. When residential is not enough, mobile is the answer, rotating per GB or as your own device.

04 — Questions

Straight answers about choosing a network.

Can I mix networks in one project?

Yes, and you should. One wallet funds all four; route open sources to datacenter, guarded ones to residential, accounts to ISP or mobile. Nothing to renegotiate when a target changes its defences.

How do I estimate my monthly cost?

Per-GB networks: pages × average size. Each use-case page has an estimator with realistic page sizes. Per-IP networks: one IP per parallel task or account, times the term price for your zone.

What if I pick the wrong network?

Unused per-GB traffic stays on your balance and dedicated IPs run to the end of their term; switch the target to another network from the same account. Testing costs a few dollars.

Do all networks support the same protocols and tooling?

Yes: HTTP(S) and SOCKS5, username-password or IP-whitelist authentication, unlimited threads, dashboard and API. Only the endpoint format differs: a gateway with username parameters for pools, ip:port lists for dedicated IPs.

Which use cases are not allowed?

Attacks, fraud, unauthorized access, spam, harvesting personal data without a legal basis and anything illegal where you or the target operate. The acceptable use policy is enforced on every network.

Where do I start if my case is not listed?

Answer the three questions in the picker; they cover the decisive factors. Then open the closest use-case guide for the recipe and the budget method.

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