Cheapest Residential Proxies Per IP in 2026 (Real Numbers, No Marketing)
Price per IP only means something with three footnotes
Every provider advertises a low per-IP or per-GB number, and almost every one hides the same three footnotes: does the balance expire, are targeting filters extra, and is the IP clean enough to survive a real target. A "cheap" IP that expires in 30 days, charges extra for city targeting, and dies on first contact with Cloudflare is not cheap — it is expensive per surviving session. Read every price with those three questions attached.
The real 2026 per-IP numbers
| Model | Sticker | Real cost per usable IP | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-per-IP residential (922) | $0.05–0.16/IP | Same — no expiry, targeting included | None if you buy in the right tier |
| Per-GB residential | "$3–8/GB" | Depends entirely on usage; expires in 30 days | Idle credit evaporates monthly |
| Monthly "unlimited" | "$100/mo" | High if you use it lightly | Shared exits, others' bans hit you |
| Free / public lists | $0 | Effectively infinite (all dead) | Blacklisted, unusable for real work |
How pay-per-IP gets genuinely cheap
On a pay-per-IP model, the per-IP price falls as pack size rises. The 922 tiers start around $0.16/IP at the entry Starter pack and drop toward $0.05–0.07/IP effective at bulk volumes, launch bonuses included. Since balances never expire, the cheapest real strategy is: test small, then buy your annual volume at the lowest tier and draw it down over months. You lock the low per-IP rate without the "spend it this month" penalty that per-GB plans impose.
The fees that turn cheap into expensive
- Expiry. Credit that dies in 30 days is a hidden ~100% surcharge if you use half of it. 922 balance carries forever.
- Targeting surcharges. Some networks bill extra for city/ISP filters; on 922proxy.app they're included in the per-IP price.
- Minimums. Enterprise per-GB networks quietly start at $500/mo — irrelevant to most buyers but it inflates their headline "cheap" GB rate.
- Payment overhead. Card checkout prices in KYC and chargeback risk; crypto strips that margin out.
The honest verdict
For many-identities/light-traffic work — antidetect, accounts, bots — pay-per-IP is the cheapest model per surviving identity in 2026, and it isn't close. For a single heavy crawler pulling terabytes, per-GB wins. Pick by workload shape, then push the per-IP rate down with volume and no-expiry buying.
FAQ
What's the cheapest way to start?
An entry Starter pack in crypto — small, no expiry, so it doubles as both your test and your first production IPs.
Why avoid free residential proxies?
They're scraped or malware-sourced, already blacklisted, and often outright dangerous. Zero sticker price, maximum real cost.
Does a bigger pack really lower the price?
Yes — per-IP drops with tier. Combined with no expiry, bulk buying is the single biggest lever on your effective cost.