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IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Proxy Types, Coverage and Pricing

Software comparisons

IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies compared: residential and datacenter proxies, geo-targeting, pricing models, and network coverage for scraping projects.

Milena Popova

Last updated - ‐ 6 min read

Key Takeaways

  • IPRoyal offers more proxy types and better geographic targeting.

  • Choose InstantProxies if you need basic datacenter or residential proxies.

  • Choose IPRoyal if your scraping projects require ISP or mobile proxies.

Both providers offer standard datacenter and residential proxies for data collection and automation. The main difference between them comes down to variety versus simplicity. IPRoyal gives you a wider range of products, including mobile and ISP proxies, along with advanced geo-targeting features.

InstantProxies sticks to a low-cost selection of two products: residential and datacenter proxies. If you need complex routing and a detailed dashboard, go with IPRoyal. If you just want cheap proxy connections without the extra features, InstantProxies is the better fit.

IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Overview

A quick comparison shows how differently these two providers approach their networks. The table below outlines their main infrastructure differences.

Feature IPRoyal InstantProxies
Residential proxies Yes Yes
Datacenter proxies Yes Yes
ISP proxies Yes No
Mobile proxies Yes No
IP pool 64M+ Not published
Locations 195+ countries US, Canada, Europe, Asia
Targeting Self-service country, state, city By request via support
Sticky sessions Up to 7 days 5-minute rotation
Protocols HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 HTTP, HTTPS
Pricing model Pay-as-you-go, scalable bulk Pay-as-you-go, monthly subscriptions
Support 24/7 live support Live chat (business hours), 24/7 tickets

IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Residential Proxies Compared

IPRoyal maintains a residential pool of over 64M IPs across 195+ countries. You can target specific countries, states, and cities directly from your dashboard. The proxy service offers sticky sessions for up to 7 days, a 99.4% success rate, and response times around 0.5 seconds. Traffic never expires, and the network supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols.

InstantProxies uses real ISP IPs and rotates them every 5 minutes. Its general coverage spans the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, but it doesn’t publish its total pool size or location count. Also, if you need precise geographic targeting, you’ll have to request locations through customer support, either via live chat during business hours or a ticket system.

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IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Datacenter Proxies Compared

IPRoyal’s dedicated Datacenter Proxies cover 60+ countries, start at $1.57/IP for 30 days, and scale down to $1.39/IP for 90 days. We support HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols for full compatibility, and the intuitive dashboard makes managing your proxies as easy as possible.

Our Datacenter Proxies also come with unlimited sessions, dual authentication, 99.9% uptime, and you can choose between shared and dedicated IPs.

InstantProxies offers a cheaper starting point: datacenter proxies start at $1 per IP with a $10 monthly minimum, and residential traffic is $1 per GB with the same $5 monthly minimum, making InstantProxies the clear choice for tight budgets.

InstantProxies is often the better choice if you’re working to a tight budget and moving heavy data volumes. IPRoyal is the better fit if you need broader location coverage or SOCKS5 support.

IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Proxy Types and Product Range

IPRoyal offers a full range of proxy types: residential, datacenter, ISP, and mobile. There’s also a specialized Web Unblocker tool alongside a suite of free proxy services. With IPRoyal, you can handle all your use cases in one place.

InstantProxies only offers datacenter and residential proxies. If your project requires mobile proxies, like managing large-scale social media campaigns, you will have to buy them from a different provider.

IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Pricing Comparison

IPRoyal Residential Proxies start at $7.00/GB and drop to $1.75/GB for bulk orders. The provider stands out by offering non-expiring traffic and no minimum monthly commitments.

Our Datacenter Proxies start at $1.57/IP, ISP Proxies start at around $1.80/IP/day, and Mobile Proxies start at $10.11/day.

InstantProxies offers a cheaper starting point: datacenter proxies start at $1 per IP with a $10 monthly minimum for 10 proxies, and residential traffic is $1 per GB with a $10 monthly minimum, making InstantProxies the clear choice for tight budgets.

Note that while the current pricing (as of October 2026) shows a minimum commitment of $5 for both proxy types, the dashboard purchase reverts to $10.

IPRoyal’s volume discounts, however, close the gap for larger projects, and the non-expiring data ensures you never waste money on unused bandwidth.

Product IPRoyal InstantProxies
Residential $7.00/GB (scales to $1.75/GB) $1/GB ($10/mo minimum)
Datacenter From $1.57/IP $1/IP ($10/mo minimum)

IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Ease of Use and Support

IPRoyal provides a detailed dashboard, browser extensions, and free utilities like a proxy tester , proxy checker, and IP lookup tool. We also offer 24/7 live support and provide dedicated account managers to help enterprise clients with complex setups.

InstantProxies advertises a quick 60-second setup and easy API management. Its standout feature is a pre-purchase testing tool that lets you check proxies against your target URL before you buy. For support, InstantProxies offers live chat during Pacific business hours (7 AM to 5 PM) and a 24/7 ticket system.

If you need immediate help at any hour, IPRoyal is ready to assist you 24/7 via live chat and email.

IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Pros and Cons

IPRoyal pros:

  • Four proxy types plus Web Unblocker and a free proxy tester
  • Published pool size and performance data
  • Self-service city-level targeting
  • SOCKS5 support
  • 7-day sticky sessions
  • Non-expiring traffic
  • 24/7 live support

IPRoyal cons:

InstantProxies pros:

  • Lower starting prices
  • Unlimited bandwidth on datacenter proxies
  • Live pre-purchase proxy testing
  • 100% uptime on its public status page
  • Quick 60-second setup

InstantProxies cons:

  • Only offers datacenter and residential proxies
  • No published pool size or country count
  • Geographic targeting requires a support request
  • No SOCKS5 support
  • Live chat is limited to Pacific business hours

IPRoyal vs. InstantProxies: Which Should You Choose?

Choose IPRoyal if you need ISP or mobile proxies, SOCKS5 support, city-level targeting, longer sticky sessions, or specialized tools like the Web Unblocker. It’s also the better option if you need a scalable proxy network with 24/7 support you can reach out to anytime.

Choose InstantProxies if you’re on a strict budget and only need basic datacenter or residential proxies. It’s the perfect fit if you want cheap IPs and the ability to test them against your target site before you pay.

FAQ

Does InstantProxies offer mobile or ISP proxies?

No, it only offers datacenter and residential proxies.

Can I target a specific city with each provider?

Yes, but the main difference is that with IPRoyal you can select specific cities directly from your dashboard, whereas with InstantProxies, you must contact customer support to request specific locations.

Does either of them support SOCKS5?

IPRoyal supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5. InstantProxies only supports HTTP and HTTPS.

How large is each provider’s proxy network?

IPRoyal has a published residential pool of over 64M IPs. InstantProxies does not publish its network size.

Can I test proxies before buying?

InstantProxies offers a live pre-purchase testing tool on its website so you can check proxies against your target URL before you pay. IPRoyal does not offer this feature.

What happens to unused residential traffic?

IPRoyal’s residential data never expires. InstantProxies ties its residential plans to a monthly billing cycle, so unused data does not carry over.

Which provider suits high-volume datacenter scraping?

It depends on your geographic needs. InstantProxies scales to 100K+ proxies with 1M+ threads and unlimited bandwidth, making it strong for high-throughput work on a budget. IPRoyal covers 60+ datacenter countries with 10,000+ concurrent connections, no rate limits, and SOCKS5 support, which matters when your targets are geographically spread.

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