ISP vs Residential Proxies: The Difference
Tags: isp, residential, proxies, beginners
Published: 2022-10-14 12:15:21

When it comes to different proxy types, it’s easy to get confused. Residential, datacenter, mobile, and ISP proxies are names that are spelled the most frequently in the world of public data collection. 

You may already know that a residential proxy and an ISP proxy are both assigned from an internet service provider. But these proxies also have many differences in their technical features and use cases, perhaps even more than similarities.

Let’s see what ISP proxies are and how they differ from residential proxies. Find out what technical features each type of these proxies has and which proxy server to choose for different scenarios.

**What Are ISP Proxies?**

[ISP proxies](https://metrow.com/isp-proxies/), sometimes also called static residential proxies, combine the best of datacenter and residential proxies. These IPs are owned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), just like residential proxies, but hosted on data center servers, like datacenter proxies. ISP proxies are created by registering a datacenter IP address with an ASN number which is associated with an ISP.

[ISP proxies](https://metrow.com/isp-proxies/) don’t rely on end-user connections, which makes them faster and more reliable. They’re also cheaper than residential proxies. These proxies are owned by internet service providers, which makes them harder to detect than datacenter proxies.

**What Are Residential Proxies?**

[Residential proxies](https://metrow.com/residential-proxies/) are IP addresses associated with a residential address. These IPs are assigned by an ISP to home addresses. Every request that a proxy user sends goes from the user’s device to the proxy server, residential IP, and then to the target website. Residential proxies are rotating - proxy users can rotate residential proxies with every request or at set intervals.

[Residential proxies](https://metrow.com/residential-proxies/) are the least likely to get blocked compared to other proxy types. The reason is that these IPs come from regular internet users and are associated with their devices. For the same reason, residential proxies are the most expensive ones and the slowest.

Some of the main advantages of residential proxies are their wide selection of locations. Users can find a residential proxy to connect to even in the most remote geo-locations.

**What Is the Difference Between ISP and Residential Proxies?**

[ISP proxies](https://metrow.com/isp-proxies/) and [residential proxies](https://metrow.com/residential-proxies/) differ in their technical features and use cases. Let’s compare their technical aspects and see which type of proxy is the best choice in different scenarios.

**Proxy Rotation**

Residential proxies are rotating IPs which means that users can change their residential proxy with every request or at set intervals. Rotating IPs can be an advantage for some tasks but a drawback for others. For example, when managing social media accounts, rotating IPs can lead to a ban. In this case, rotating residential proxies should come from the same geographical region. 

ISP proxies are static, which means that these IP addresses remain the same for an infinite duration. This feature makes these IPs great for managing multiple social media accounts.

**Speed**

Residential proxies are always shared, which means lower speed. This is due to the sometimes unstable connection of the end-users and the long path that a request needs to travel until it reaches the target. 

If your tasks require fast proxies, then you should choose ISP proxies. For example, purchasing limited-edition items requires very fast proxies and high bandwidth. This makes ISP proxies perfect for the task.

**Anonymity**

Both residential and ISP proxies are owned by internet service providers rather than web hosting services. This ensures the high anonymity of both proxy types. In general, proxies are great for enhanced anonymity, so regardless of what proxy type you choose, if it comes from a reliable proxy service provider, you don’t have to worry about compromising your anonymity.

But if you’re worried about getting blocked, then choose residential proxies. ISP proxies come from an organized subnet and lack diversity, which increases the chances of getting your IP addresses blocked. 

**Proxy Pool**

Some tasks require a large proxy pool. This is especially relevant if you need to send many requests to the same or different targets or if you plan to scale your projects significantly. If that’s the case, you should choose residential proxies.

ISP proxies are limited in their locations because they still come from data centers and cannot match the coverage of residential IPs. The same applies to the proxy pool. Because of their origin, there will always be more residential proxies than ISP proxies.

Conclusion
 

If you’re looking for proxies with combined features of residential and datacenter proxies, ISP proxies are the right choice. However, it doesn’t mean these IPs are better than residential proxies. Both of these proxy types route requests through a proxy server and ensure anonymity, but they also have many different features.

ISP proxies, sometimes also called static residential proxies, come from data centers but are also registered with an internet service provider. These proxies are fast, cheaper than residential IPs, and more stable. 

When it comes to comparing ISP and residential proxies, these IPs differ in their rotation, speed, and pool sizes. Due to this, their use cases also differ. 

For example, ISP proxies are better for managing multiple accounts because they are static. At the same time, a residential proxy is connected to a real user device, which means it has the least chance of getting flagged as a proxy and getting banned.

[Residential](https://metrow.com/residential-proxies/) and [ISP proxies](https://metrow.com/isp-proxies/) both have great features, but in general, these proxies are very different. Perhaps the only thing they have in common is the fact that they’re assigned from an ISP.