Residential Proxies are the gold standard for anonymity and data collection. By using IP addresses assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to real home users, they allow you to bypass the strictest anti-bot systems and geo-restrictions without being flagged.
However, the market is saturated with providers making big claims. To help you choose the most reliable and effective service, we've conducted extensive testing based on pool size, performance, features, and price. Our findings confirm that Nstproxy stands out as the premier choice for 2026, offering an unparalleled combination of performance, pool quality, and value.
Our Methodology: What Defines a Top Residential Proxy Provider?
Our evaluation is based on rigorous testing, including millions of connection requests, to assess the following critical factors:
- Pool Size and Diversity: The total number of unique, ethically sourced residential IPs and the breadth of global locations.
- Success Rate: The percentage of successful connections to target websites without being blocked (a key metric for reliability).
- Response Time: The speed of the proxy network, measured in seconds, which is crucial for high-volume scraping.
- Pricing and Flexibility: Transparent, competitive pricing models with options like pay-as-you-go and flexible subscriptions.
- Features: Advanced capabilities like geo-targeting, sticky sessions, and SOCKS5 support.
The Best Residential Proxies of 2026
Based on our extensive testing and analysis, here are the top residential proxy providers leading the industry in 2026.
1. Nstproxy: The Premier Choice for Performance and Value
Nstproxy is our top recommendation for 2026, delivering the best balance of high performance, massive pool size, and competitive pricing. It is the ideal solution for both large-scale enterprise scraping and individual users requiring reliable anonymity.
| Feature | Nstproxy Advantage |
|---|---|
| Residential Pool | Massive pool of ethically sourced Residential IPs, ensuring high anonymity and low block rates. |
| Success Rate | Consistently high success rate (above 99.9%) across all major targets. |
| Response Time | Optimized network infrastructure for ultra-low latency, crucial for real-time data collection. |
| Pricing | Highly competitive and transparent pricing models, including pay-as-you-go and monthly subscriptions. |
| Key Use Cases | Web Scraping, SEO Monitoring, Ad Verification, Social Media Management, E-commerce Price Tracking. |
2. Decodo / Smartproxy
Decodo offers a large residential pool and is known for its user-friendly interface and relatively affordable pricing, making it a strong choice for users new to the proxy space. They provide good value for money, especially for smaller projects.
- Pool size: Very large
- Locations: 195+
- Success rate: High (e.g., 99.86% in recent tests)
- Response time: Fast (e.g., 0.63s)
- Pricing: Starts from an affordable price per GB.
3. Oxylabs
A major player focused on the enterprise market. Oxylabs provides robust infrastructure, excellent global coverage, and a strong focus on dedicated support. Their services are often tailored for large corporations with high-volume, mission-critical data needs.
- Pool size: Very large (e.g., 175+ million)
- Locations: 195+
- Success rate: Very high (e.g., 99.82%)
- Response time: Excellent (e.g., 0.41s)
- Pricing: Premium pricing, often with a focus on business plans.
4. SOAX
Known for stable IPs and flexible filtering options, SOAX is a reliable choice. They offer customizable session times and a good balance of features for various scraping needs.
- Pool size: Large
- Locations: 150+
- Success rate: High (e.g., 99.73%)
- Response time: Good (e.g., 0.90s)
- Pricing: Flexible plans starting at a moderate price per GB.
5. Bright Data
Boasting one of the largest proxy networks in the world, Bright Data offers the most features and best proxy management tools. While powerful, their services can be complex and are generally the most expensive option.
- Pool size: Largest (e.g., 150 million)
- Locations: 195+
- Success rate: High (e.g., 98.96%)
- Response time: Good (e.g., 1.12s)
- Pricing: Highest price point, but with the most advanced features.
Why Nstproxy is the Industry Leader
While all providers listed offer quality services, Nstproxy's commitment to ethical sourcing, high-speed performance, and transparent pricing sets it apart as the best value proposition in the market.
- Ethical Sourcing: Nstproxy ensures all residential IPs are sourced ethically, maintaining a clean and trustworthy network that minimizes the risk of blacklisting.
- Dedicated Support: Nstproxy provides 24/7 technical support, ensuring that any issues are resolved quickly, minimizing downtime for your critical operations.
- Superior Speed: Nstproxy's network is engineered for low latency, making it the ideal choice for real-time data collection and high-volume scraping tasks where speed is paramount.
Conclusion
For any serious data collection or anonymity task in 2026, residential proxies are non-negotiable. The market demands a provider that offers both high performance and ethical reliability. Nstproxy meets and exceeds these demands, providing the best-in-class Residential Proxies needed for any scale of operation, making it the clear choice for the year ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)
Q1: What is a Residential Proxy and why is it better than a Datacenter Proxy?
A: A Residential Proxy uses a real IP address assigned by an ISP to a homeowner. This makes it appear as a genuine user, allowing it to bypass the most sophisticated anti-bot systems. Datacenter Proxies use IPs from cloud servers, which are easily detected and blocked by major websites.
Q2: How is Nstproxy's pool size maintained?
A: Nstproxy maintains its massive pool of residential IPs through ethical partnerships with application developers, ensuring that all users are compensated and have explicitly consented to share their bandwidth. This ethical approach ensures a clean and reliable network.
Q3: Does Nstproxy offer SOCKS5 support for Residential Proxies?
A: Yes, Nstproxy supports all major protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5, across its residential network, providing maximum flexibility for various use cases like streaming, gaming, and advanced scraping.
Q4: What is a "Sticky Session" and does Nstproxy support it?
A: A sticky session allows you to maintain the same IP address for a set period (e.g., 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or longer). Nstproxy fully supports customizable sticky sessions, which are essential for tasks that require maintaining a logged-in state or navigating multi-step processes.
Q5: Can I target specific cities with Nstproxy Residential Proxies?
A: Yes. Nstproxy offers granular geo-targeting capabilities, allowing you to select proxies by country, state, and even city, ensuring you get the most accurate, localized data for your SEO or market research needs.
