A short list of proxy networks and scraping APIs with their rotation options, anti-bot handling, free entry points and starting prices, plus a step-by-step setup of a rotating residential proxy.
Scrapers get blocked when too many requests come from one IP address, so most scraping projects route traffic through a pool of proxies. There are two ways to buy that. A proxy network sells you access to residential or datacenter IPs, usually billed per GB of traffic, and your own code handles retries, rendering and CAPTCHAs. A scraping API bills per successful request and bundles the proxy, rotation and anti-bot handling into one call. The right choice depends on how much of the stack you want to own, how protected your target sites are, and whether your costs grow with bandwidth or with page count. This page compares five catalog tools on those points: product type, pool size, rotation and sticky sessions, anti-bot handling, free entry options and the published starting price. Every value comes from the vendor's own pricing page or documentation, checked on 2026-10-20. The steps section shows how to set up a rotating residential proxy on one of them.
Last verified Suggest an update
Bright Data
ZenRows
DecodoBright DataBright Data sells both a residential network and an unblocking API and lists unlimited seats; ZenRows has a no-card free plan; Decodo sells residential traffic pay-as-you-go at $4/GB.
Offers a residential network the vendor puts at 400M+ IPs in 195 countries with sticky and rotating sessions, plus Web Unlocker, which handles CAPTCHA solving and retries for you.
When to pick it: If you want one vendor for raw proxies and a managed unblocking API, and can pass a KYC check for residential IPs.
Residential proxies billed per GB with per-request rotation or one IP kept for up to 30 minutes, targeting down to ZIP code and ASN, and a 3-day trial with 100 MB.
When to pick it: If you run your own scraper and want per-GB billing without a long commitment, starting from pay-as-you-go.
Scraping API where one parameter switches a request to residential IPs together with anti-bot handling; failed requests are not charged and a free plan gives 5,000 credits a month.
When to pick it: If you prefer paying per successful page and want rendering and anti-bot handling bundled with the proxy.
Scraping API with rotating proxy pools, CAPTCHA and anti-bot handling on all plans, and a proxy-port mode so existing scrapers can use it like a normal proxy.
When to pick it: If your scraper already expects a proxy address and you want the vendor to manage rotation and retries.
Residential proxies that rotate per request by default, with sticky windows of 3, 5 or 10 minutes and pay-as-you-go traffic up to 50 GB.
When to pick it: If you need short sticky sessions in the US or Western Europe and want to start without a monthly plan.
None of these tools has a free plan.
| Criterion | Bright Data | Decodo | ZenRows | ScraperAPI | WebScrapingAPI | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product type | Proxy network (residential, ISP, datacenter, mobile) plus Web Unlocker API source | Proxy network (residential, ISP, mobile, datacenter); separate Site Unblocker and Web Data API source | Scraping API (Fetch); standalone residential proxies are documented as a legacy product source | Scraping API, also reachable through a proxy port source | Residential proxy network; Scraper API sold separately source | |
| Residential pool (vendor figure) | 400M+ residential IPs from 195 countries source | 115M+ IPs in 195+ locations source | Over 55 million residential IPs from more than 190 countries source | Not stated on official site | Not stated on official site | |
| Rotation and sticky sessions | Sticky and rotating sessions source | Rotate per request or keep one IP for up to 30 min source | Auto-rotation; ttl parameter keeps the same IP (minimum 30, maximum 1 day) source | Rotating proxy pools; sticky sessions documented source | Rotating by default; sticky for 3, 5 or 10 minutes source | |
| CAPTCHA / anti-bot handling | Yes, through Web Unlocker (CAPTCHA solving and automated retries) source | Not in residential plans; separate Site Unblocker product with CAPTCHA handling source | Yes in Fetch with premium_proxy=true; not bundled with standalone residential proxies source | Yes, CAPTCHA and anti-bot detection on all plans source | Not stated on official site | |
| Free plan or trial | Free trial offered; Unlocker API has a free tier source | 3-day free trial with 100 MB source | Free plan, 5,000 credits/month, no card (excludes standalone Residential Proxies) source | 7-day trial with 5,000 API credits, no credit card source | Not stated on official site | |
| From (official pricing) | Residential Pay as you go: $8/GB shown reduced to $4.00/GB with coupon RESIGB50, no commitment source | Pay As You Go $4/GB; monthly 3 GB plan $3.75/GB ($11.25 + VAT billed monthly) source | Build $16/mo (45K credits/month); residential bandwidth draws 25,000 credits per GB source | Hobby $49/month (100,000 API credits) or $44.10/month billed annually source | Pay as you go $8.50 per GB (up to 50 GB); Starter $52 per month with 8 GB source | |
| Geo-targeting | Country, state, city, ZIP code and ASN source | Continent, country, state, city, ZIP code and ASN source | Region or country parameter source | US & EU only on Hobby and Startup; country-level from Business source | Pricing page lists country and city targeting; product page documents country=random plus US, GB, DE, FR, CA, AU, NL source |
Facts from the vendors' official pages, checked on the date in the last column. Prices are what the vendor published on that date.
Register, verify your email address, then open the Residential Proxies tab in the left-side menu of the dashboard.
Choose a monthly subscription, or the 3-day free trial with 100 MB if you are a new user. For a one-off job, top up the Wallet and buy traffic with Pay As You Go at $4 per GB, one GB at a time. A subscription and Pay As You Go cannot run at the same time.
Authenticate the proxy with a username and password, or whitelist the IP addresses of the servers that run your scraper.
Leave the location random or target a country, city or US state. Then choose whether the IP rotates on every request or stays the same for up to 30 minutes.
Generate the proxy as endpoint:port, HTTPS or SOCKS5 and paste it into your script, bot or third-party scraping software.
Track traffic usage, request counts and top targets in the dashboard statistics, so you know when the GB allowance is running out.
ZenRows has a free plan with 5,000 credits per month and no card. It unlocks every feature except standalone Residential Proxies, it allows 5 concurrent requests, and unused credits do not roll over.
A rotating proxy gives a request a different IP address from the pool, often on every request. WebScrapingAPI rotates by default. If you add a session ID and a rotation value, it keeps the same residential IP for 3, 5 or 10 minutes.
ZenRows explains the difference on its own products. Standalone residential proxies give you only the IP pool, and your code handles rendering and CAPTCHAs. Its Fetch API with premium_proxy=true uses the same residential IPs plus built-in anti-bot handling in one call.
With Decodo residential proxies you choose the session type in the dashboard. The IP either rotates on every request or stays the same for up to 30 minutes. Location can be random or set to a country, city or US state.
Proxy networks usually bill per GB of traffic. Scraping APIs bill per request. In ScraperAPI's case a standard page costs 1 credit, Amazon 5, Google and Bing 25 and LinkedIn 30. The dashboard has a Domain Cost Estimator, and you can set a max_cost limit per request.
Yes, for ScraperAPI. Besides its API endpoints, it accepts requests through a proxy port (proxy-server.scraperapi.com:8001) with your API key as the password. The vendor recommends setting a 70-second timeout in your application.
Something wrong or missing on this page — a wrong fact, an outdated price, a tool that should be here? Tell us, ideally with a link to the official page. We check every suggestion within 7 days; a suggestion never changes the page by itself.