Proxy Types Compared
The four main proxy types are datacenter, mobile, residential, and TOR. Each balances cost, speed, detectability, and anonymity differently.
Comparison at a glance
| Dimension | Datacenter | Mobile | Residential | TOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | Very high | Medium-high | Medium | Low |
| Detectability | High | Very low | Low | Very high |
| Anonymity | Low | Very high | High | Maximum |
| IP pool | Thousands to millions | Very large | Tens of millions | ~7,000 exits |
| Typical cost | Lowest | Highest | High | Free |
| Ideal use | Volume scraping | Social and retail | Ads and e-commerce | Threat research |
Datacenter proxies
Datacenter proxies use IPs hosted in commercial data centers. They offer the highest speed and lowest cost for high-volume work on targets with lighter protection.
Best for
- ◆High-volume web scraping
- ◆SERP monitoring
- ◆Load testing and API integration
- ◆Cost-sensitive workloads
Mobile proxies
Mobile proxies route traffic through real 4G/5G carrier IPs. Shared carrier NAT makes them extremely difficult to block.
Best for
- ◆Social platform automation
- ◆Limited-edition retail
- ◆Mobile app QA
- ◆Strongly protected sites
Residential proxies
Residential proxies use real home internet connections. They resemble ordinary users and work well on protected e-commerce, ticketing, and advertising sites.
Best for
- ◆Ad verification
- ◆Brand protection
- ◆E-commerce price intelligence
- ◆Geo-restricted ticketing
TOR proxies
TOR proxies use the volunteer-run Tor anonymity network. They maximize anonymity but are slower and often blocked by commercial sites.
Best for
- ◆Threat intelligence
- ◆Dark-web and .onion access
- ◆Anonymous security research
- ◆Independent verification
Frequently Asked Questions
Try all four types on one account
Every PinguProxy plan includes datacenter, mobile, residential, and TOR proxies. Choose the right type for each session without separate subscriptions.