ISP vs residential vs datacenter proxies (2026)

What does ISP mean in "ISP proxy"?

ISP means the IP block is registered to a consumer internet service provider. Its WHOIS record and its ASN name a broadband provider, not a hosting company. The server that uses the IP, however, sits in a datacenter. That is the honest definition, and it applies to most products sold as "static residential" on the market. Our own: ISP (static residential) IPs are registered to consumer internet service providers but run on servers in datacenters, not on home devices. You can check any IP after delivery: an ASN lookup shows the registered network. The ISP proxy guide explains the details.

How do IP databases label each type?

IP databases give each IP a "usage type" built from its registration and other signals. Three widely used examples:

• IP2Location usage type: ISP (fixed-line ISP), MOB (mobile ISP), DCH (data center, web hosting or transit), COM (commercial) and others.
• MaxMind user type: residential, cellular, hosting, business and others.
• IPinfo ASN type: isp, hosting, business, education or government.

An ISP-registered IP usually inherits the ISP label. Some databases also test for hosting signals and may label it hosting. We do not promise any label. Check each IP in two or three databases after delivery.

How do SteadyProxy's prices compare with named vendors?

Compare at the same quantity and date. On 19 October 2026, MarsProxies listed one ISP IP at $2.99 for 30 days; our 1-IP ISP plan is $2.24. Webshare listed 100 dedicated ISP IPs at $178.50 a month; our 100-IP plan is $133.88, down to $1.34/IP · 30 days. The price per IP of our plans never rises with quantity. We make no claim about our price rank at other quantities or dates. Every dated price is in the static proxy price index 2026.

Which type should you choose for your job?

Choose by what the target checks:

• The exact address (a firewall, a partner API, a SaaS allowlist): a dedicated datacenter IP at $1.34 is enough.
• The network type and a stable login history (logins to your own or clients' business accounts on consumer platforms, local ad checks): an ISP IP at $2.24.
• Many different IPs for a short time (broad public-data collection): rotating residential, sold per GB by other vendors. SteadyProxy does not sell it.

The static vs rotating comparison covers the last choice in detail. All our plans are on the pricing page.

What is the difference between dedicated, private and shared IPs?

Dedicated means one customer uses the IP during the rental. Ours: Each static IP is rented to one customer for the whole 30-day period; reselling or sharing access with third parties is not allowed. Many vendors use "private" for the same idea, but neither word says anything about who used the IP before. Shared means several customers use the same IP at once. On 19 October 2026, Oxylabs listed shared ISP IPs at $1.5 per IP for up to 3 users, and Bright Data listed 10 shared ISP IPs at $18 against $35 for 10 dedicated ones.

Why do sellers call datacenter-hosted IPs residential?

Because the IP is registered to a consumer ISP, many sellers call it "static residential". The term describes the registration, not the location of the server. Real residential traffic exits through a consumer's own connection and device, which is what rotating residential pools use. A fixed IP for 30 days on a consumer-ISP block is, in practice, an IP hosted on a server. We think buyers should know that before they pay.