Choosing the right proxy service can make or break your web scraping, SEO monitoring, or data collection efforts. IPRoyal and Oxylabs are two leading proxy providers, each offering unique strengths for businesses and individuals. This in-depth comparison explores their features, pricing, performance, and ideal use cases to help you decide which service best suits your needs.
Whether you're a small business owner seeking affordable proxies or an enterprise needing robust scraping solutions, this article provides a detailed analysis with statistical insights, tables, and graphs to guide your decision.
Overview of IPRoyal and Oxylabs
IPRoyal, founded in 2020, is a newer player in the proxy market, focusing on affordability and flexibility. It offers residential, datacenter, mobile, and ISP proxies, targeting small to medium-sized businesses and individual users. With over 32 million IPs across 195 countries, IPRoyal emphasizes cost-effective solutions and non-expiring traffic.
Oxylabs, established in 2015, is a premium provider known for its enterprise-grade solutions. Boasting over 100 million IPs, it caters to large businesses with advanced needs like web scraping and market research. Oxylabs offers residential, datacenter, mobile, and next-gen proxies, along with specialized scraping APIs.
Proxy Types and Features
Both providers offer a range of proxy types, but their features differ significantly.
IPRoyal Proxy Types
- Residential Proxies: Over 32 million IPs, supporting HTTP/HTTPS and SOCKS5 protocols. Offers sticky sessions up to 7 days and city-level targeting.
- Datacenter Proxies: Dedicated and shared options in over 30 countries, ideal for high-speed tasks.
- Mobile Proxies: Available in seven locations with 3G/4G/5G support and unlimited traffic.
- ISP Proxies: Combines residential anonymity with datacenter speed, no traffic limits.
Oxylabs Proxy Types
- Residential Proxies: Over 100 million IPs with ZIP code-level targeting in the US. Supports HTTP/HTTPS and limited SOCKS5 (TCP only).
- Next-Gen Residential Proxies: AI-powered with auto-retry and dynamic fingerprinting for improved scraping success.
- Datacenter Proxies: Over 2 million IPs, including shared and dedicated options, with unlimited concurrent sessions.
- Mobile Proxies: Shared IPs from real mobile devices, suitable for localized data collection.
Oxylabs offers more advanced features like next-gen proxies, while IPRoyal focuses on simplicity and flexibility, such as non-expiring traffic and longer sticky sessions.
Pricing Models and Cost Comparison
Pricing is a critical factor when choosing a proxy provider. Here's how IPRoyal and Oxylabs compare.
| Feature | IPRoyal | Oxylabs |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Proxy Starting Price | $7/GB (pay-as-you-go, non-expiring) | $10/GB (pay-as-you-go, capped at 50GB/month) |
| Datacenter Proxy Starting Price | $9/month for 5 dedicated proxies | $1.2/IP for dedicated proxies |
| Mobile Proxy Pricing | $10/GB, unlimited traffic | $22/GB |
| Free Trial | No free trial, pay-as-you-go | 3-day 100MB trial for $1 |
IPRoyal's pay-as-you-go model with non-expiring traffic is ideal for users with unpredictable needs. Oxylabs, while more expensive, offers volume discounts and enterprise plans starting at $300/month for 38GB ($8/GB).
Performance and Reliability
Performance metrics like success rate and response time are crucial for proxy services. According to Proxyway's 2023 tests, Oxylabs achieved a 99% success rate with an average response time of 0.6 seconds, while IPRoyal's tests showed a 99.7% success rate with slightly faster speeds due to less network congestion.
| Metric | IPRoyal | Oxylabs |
|---|---|---|
| Success Rate | 99.7% | 99% |
| Average Response Time | 0.5 seconds | 0.6 seconds |
| Uptime | 99.99% | 99.99% |
Both providers offer high reliability, but IPRoyal's smaller pool may lead to occasional IP reuse, while Oxylabs' larger pool reduces this risk.
Use Cases and Applications
Both providers cater to various use cases, but their strengths differ.
IPRoyal Use Cases
- SEO Monitoring: Affordable proxies for keyword research and SERP analysis.
- Web Scraping: Suitable for small to medium-scale scraping projects.
- Ad Verification: Cost-effective for verifying ad placements.
Oxylabs Use Cases
- Large-Scale Web Scraping: Ideal for enterprises with high-volume data needs.
- Market Research: Precise geo-targeting for localized data collection.
- E-commerce: Scraper APIs for price monitoring and product insights.
Oxylabs excels in enterprise-grade applications, while IPRoyal is better suited for budget-conscious users.
Customer Support and User Experience
IPRoyal offers 24/7 support via live chat, email, and Discord, with a user-friendly dashboard and free browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Oxylabs provides 24/7 support with dedicated account managers for all customers, but its setup process requires SMS verification.
Trustpilot ratings show IPRoyal at 4.7 and Oxylabs at 4.3 as of January , indicating strong customer satisfaction for both.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | IPRoyal | Oxylabs |
|---|---|---|
| Residential IP Pool | 32M+ | 100M+ |
| Geo-Targeting | City-level | ZIP code-level (US) |
| Sticky Session Duration | Up to 7 days | Up to 30 minutes |
| SOCKS5 Support | Full | TCP only |
| Scraper APIs | No | Yes |
Related: Webshare Proxy Review
Related: Proxyshare Review
Pros and Cons
IPRoyal
- Pros: Affordable pricing, non-expiring traffic, simple setup, full SOCKS5 support.
- Cons: Smaller IP pool, no scraper APIs, limited mobile proxy locations.
Oxylabs
- Pros: Massive IP pool, advanced scraper APIs, precise geo-targeting, dedicated account managers.
- Cons: Higher pricing, complex setup, limited SOCKS5 support.
Conclusion: Which Proxy Service Should You Choose?
IPRoyal is the go-to choice for small businesses, freelancers, and individuals seeking cost-effective proxies with flexible plans. Its non-expiring traffic and simple setup make it ideal for smaller-scale SEO and scraping tasks. Oxylabs, with its massive IP pool and advanced features, is better suited for enterprises with large-scale data needs.
Consider your budget, project scale, and required features when choosing. Both providers offer reliable solutions, but IPRoyal wins for affordability, while Oxylabs excels in scalability.