What to verify before buying Decodo in 2026

Verdict

Decodo, formerly Smartproxy, combines residential, static residential, mobile and datacenter proxies with web-scraping products. Its public residential pricing showed a $4/GB pay-as-you-go option and monthly plans starting with 3 GB at $3.75/GB when checked. The advertised “from $2/GB” figure is a volume-dependent lower bound, not the price of the smallest plan.

The buying details that need the most attention are the 3-day, 100 MB residential trial, automatic activation of the selected plan after the trial unless cancelled, recurring subscriptions, and a conditional 14-day refund policy. ProxyBuyerGuide has not independently benchmarked Decodo’s speed, success rate, pool size or ability to avoid blocks.

Decodo at a glance

Who may find Decodo suitable

Decodo may be worth considering if:

• you want residential PAYG or a small monthly residential entry plan;
• you want several proxy types and scraping products under one provider;
• a short residential trial is useful before the selected paid plan begins;
• HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 support covers the intended application;
• you are comfortable checking the live plan, renewal and refund eligibility before payment.

It may be a weaker fit if:

• you require an unconditional refund after substantial usage;
• you do not want a trial that can convert into a selected paid plan;
• you want unused monthly traffic to remain indefinitely after an ordinary renewal or downgrade;
• you need independently verified performance comparisons before purchase;
• you want the advertised lowest per-GB figure without the required volume commitment.

Residential pricing: entry price versus volume rate

The live residential table showed a 1 GB pay-as-you-go purchase at $4/GB. Monthly plans began with 3 GB at $3.75/GB, or $11.25 billed monthly, before applicable VAT. Larger monthly plans reduced the unit price, while the headline “from $2/GB” represented the lower end of the scale.

Compare the total payment, included traffic and renewal model—not only the smallest displayed unit rate. PAYG and monthly subscriptions solve different buying needs and should be recorded separately.

Trial and automatic plan activation

Decodo’s official FAQ described a 3-day residential-proxy trial with 100 MB for eligible new users. The selected residential plan activates automatically after the trial unless the user cancels before conversion.

The 14-day money-back option does not apply to a purchase that used the free trial. Before starting, confirm the selected post-trial plan, billing amount, VAT, cancellation control and exact trial eligibility in the dashboard.

Refund eligibility is conditional

The public refund policy is not an unconditional 14-day promise. It applies to an eligible first purchase within a service type made through self-service, requested within 14 days, and excludes cryptocurrency payments, free-trial purchases and Enterprise plans.

For proxy products, usage must not exceed 20% of plan traffic or 1 GB, whichever threshold is reached first. Abuse or breach of the terms can also make a purchase ineligible. Plan upgrades, renewals or downgrades can remove the first-order refund protection.

Recurring plans and unused traffic

Decodo states that monthly traffic plans are recurring. Its plan-change FAQ says unused traffic transfers when upgrading, but is lost on an ordinary renewal or downgrade. Buyers should verify the next billing date and cancellation state in the dashboard.

This differs from providers that advertise non-expiring PAYG traffic. It may still fit predictable monthly workloads, but it is less suitable when usage is irregular and unused allocation must remain available indefinitely.

Performance claims and what ProxyBuyerGuide did not test

Decodo publishes pool-size, stability and unblockability claims. ProxyBuyerGuide did not independently count the network or reproduce performance measurements under a common protocol. These statements remain provider claims and are not used here to declare Decodo faster or more reliable than competitors.

A comparative performance conclusion would require the same targets, geography, protocols, session settings, request mix, sample size and failure definitions, with dated raw results.

Legitimate use cases and limitations

Depending on product type, proxies can support legitimate public-web-data collection, SEO monitoring, market research, price observation, ad verification and geographic QA. Product availability does not prove that every destination or workflow will work.

Before use, check the provider’s acceptable-use rules, target restrictions, account-verification requirements and applicable laws and website terms. Do not use proxies for fraud, spam, credential abuse or evading platform enforcement.

Check the current Decodo offer

Confirm the product, final price, total commitment, trial or refund eligibility, renewal setting and allowed use before payment.

Visit Decodo

Official sources

• Decodo residential pricing
• Decodo free-trial FAQ
• Decodo refund policy
• Decodo monthly subscription FAQ
• Decodo plan-change FAQ

Editorial and affiliate disclosure

ProxyBuyerGuide is an independent proxy-provider comparison and review website. It does not sell Decodo proxies, accept payment for plans or provide access to the provider network. A purchase through an affiliate link may generate a commission for ProxyBuyerGuide at no additional cost to the buyer.

Affiliate status does not change the evidence rules, product-fit analysis or reverification schedule. Provider claims are labeled and are not presented as ProxyBuyerGuide test results.

Facts last checked: July 31, 2026.