Residential proxies represent intermediary IP addresses borrowed from real users' devices - desktop, laptop computers, and sometimes IoT-like smart TVs. Mobile phones fit the bill as well, though only when they’re on WiFi (News - Alert): IPs on mobile data are sold separately as a premium option. Residential proxies are an extensive, web-like network of actual IP addresses given by internet service providers (ISPs). 

With a residential proxy network, your IP can change and be secure online. Typically, the IP addresses are attached to the physical locations and consist of various size networks. Residential proxies differ from those of datacenter proxies since they are usually generated through servers and, therefore, appear with a bit of suspicion. 

Residential proxies, though, exhibit a good reputation for being registered under consumer ISPs and appearing to be genuine users.

Use Residential Proxies

Most of the residential proxies' advantages over data center proxies accrue from their characteristics, especially for web scraping, SEO marketing, ad verification, and price comparison, among others, which require high anonymities and low rate detection. Here are some examples of advantages that result from using residential proxies:

• Comprehensive location coverage: Residential proxies belong to millions of people worldwide. In that regard, they cover many locations – far more than a data center can. They are great for SEO crawling, ad verification, and software localization, among others.
• Small block rate: Residential proxies get challenging blocking by websites since they look more like legal users. They can also go through the site constraints to access some information the site had kept away from them.
• High accuracy: Residential proxies can access every website devoid of passing through filters or manipulation, giving accurate and dependable data. They are not challenged by Captcha and other anti-bot measures that may often face data center proxies.
• Privacy protection: Residential proxies will protect your location and identity privacy by hiding your actual IP address. Moreover, they encrypt traffic, keeping away third parties that may track or spy on your browsing activities.

Get Residential Proxies

Are you looking for an excellent residential proxy seller? It's not always easy. Being careful is crucial. 

• Ponder on Quality: A proxy's value comes from the vastness, variety, and readiness of the IP pool. Find a vendor with an extensive, diverse collection of residential IPs. They should keep updating and renewing them. 
• Price: Residential proxy costs aren't the same everywhere. They change based on the seller, offer details, and traffic you require. Your goal? Find a seller who is fair in pricing. It should suit your financial limits and requirements. 
• Features: Residential proxies have many aspects to consider. For example, you have to think about the type, the protocol, the rotation, the targeting, and the authentication choices. 

The best residential proxy providers in 2023 are:

• Smartproxy: This is a provider known for budget-friendly and simple-to-use residential proxies. It boasts a network that houses over 40 million residential IPs, stretching into 195 countries globally. Smartproxy supports both HTTP and HTTPS protocols and provides automatic and sticky rotation. You can target by country and city and verify authentication through username/password or a whitelisted IP. A user-friendly dashboard, a proxy generator, and a browser extension are added features. With plans kicking off at $75/month, you receive 5 GB of traffic.
• Oxylabs: Oxylabs is a provider that specializes in top-tier, high-performing residential proxies. Its vast network incorporates over 100 million residential IPs, spanning across 195 countries. It is compatible with HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols, offers automatic and custom rotation, and allows country, city, and ASN targeting. Authentication can be validated through username/password or allowed IP.
• Data Lightbeam: Data Lightbeam is a service provider boasting an array of features and superior proxy management resources. Their network spans 72 million residential IPs in 195 nations worldwide. They support HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols and offer automatic and manual rotation. You can target by country, city, carrier, and ASN. They also offer username/password or whitelisted IP secure authentication. Besides these, their user-friendly dashboard, comprehensive proxy manager, efficient data collector, practical web unlocker, and accurate luminati tester add value to your experience. Pricing plans start from $500 monthly for 40GB of data. 

Residential proxies are IP addresses taken from real devices of real users. They come with many advantages that have made them the first choice for millions worldwide compared to the data center proxies. Some top benefits for residential proxies include broad location coverage, low block rate, high accuracy, and privacy protection. 

For this reason, they become handy in web scraping, SEO monitoring, ad verification, and price comparison, among other similar jobs to be done where high anonymity and low detection rates are required. Nevertheless, not all residential proxy providers are equal, and consider the quality, price, features, and support of every provider before making your choice. The best residential proxy providers 2023 include Smartproxy, Oxylabs, and Bright Data.