Residential Proxy Entry-Price and Minimum-Purchase Index — August 2026
In this nine-provider public-price sample, the smallest ordinary listed purchase ranged from $1.00 to $8.50. The median minimum purchase was $4.00; the median effective entry rate was $4.00/GB.
Minimum cash entry is not the same as the lowest advertised $/GB
Eight of nine providers in the sample listed an ordinary one-GB entry. NodeMaven required a two-GB standard monthly package. Decodo contained a same-page PAYG conflict, so its row is retained but explicitly flagged.
| Provider | Minimum purchase | GB included | Effective entry $/GB | Billing | Expiration / rollover | Evidence state | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DataImpulse | $1.00 | 1 | $1.00 | PAYG | Unused GB rolls over automatically | MATCH | Official source |
| Proxying | $1.50 | 1 | $1.50 | PAYG | Purchased data never expires | MATCH | Official source |
| Webshare | $3.50 | 1 | $3.50 | Monthly | UNKNOWN | MATCH | Official source |
| Rayobyte | $3.50 | 1 | $3.50 | PAYG | UNKNOWN | MATCH | Official source |
| Bright Data | $4.00 | 1 | $4.00 | PAYG | No monthly rollover applies to PAYG; balance rules vary | MATCH | Official source |
| MarsProxies | $4.99 | 1 | $4.99 | PAYG / package | No traffic expiration stated on main pricing page | MATCH | Official source |
| IPRoyal | $7.00 | 1 | $7.00 | PAYG / package | Traffic never expires | MATCH | Official source |
| NodeMaven | $8.50 | 2 | $4.25 | Monthly | Unused traffic rolls over | MATCH | Official source |
| Decodo | $4.00 | 1 | $4.00 | PAYG | UNKNOWN | CONFLICT | Official source |
Interpretation: the index measures accessibility of the first ordinary paid purchase. It does not measure speed, success rate, IP quality, block rate or reliability.
Methodology
- Population: rotating residential proxy products with a public official pricing or product page accessible on July 31, 2026.
- Sample: nine providers already covered by ProxyBuyerGuide for which the minimum ordinary paid purchase could be normalized from public information.
- Excluded: free trials as the entry product, custom enterprise quotes, coupon-only bulk rates, static ISP products and managed scraping APIs.
- Minimum purchase: the smallest ordinary listed payment needed to obtain paid residential traffic.
- Effective entry rate: minimum purchase divided by included GB.
- Evidence states: MATCH when the public source supports the normalized row; CONFLICT when the same official source disagrees with itself; UNKNOWN for an unverified field.
Formula
effective entry price per GB = minimum ordinary purchase in USD / included traffic in GB
Limitations
- This is a purposive public-price sample, not every provider in the market.
- Checkout totals, VAT, geography add-ons and account-specific promotions were not tested.
- “No expiration” and rollover statements are recorded only when the official public source states them.
- Provider claims were not independently performance-tested.
- The August 2026 label identifies the release; the exact evidence snapshot is July 31, 2026.
Source notes
- DataImpulse: Official page states $1/GB without a subscription. Official source.
- Proxying: Official pricing page shows 1 GB for $1.50. Official source.
- Webshare: Official product page shows a 1 GB monthly entry plan at $3.50. Official source.
- Rayobyte: Starter tier is $3.50/GB for 1–49 GB; index uses 1 GB. Official source.
- Bright Data: Public page shows PAYG at $4/GB with promotional code and no commitment. Official source.
- MarsProxies: Official table shows 1 GB at $4.99. Official source.
- IPRoyal: Official product page states plans start at $7/GB. Official source.
- NodeMaven: Lowest ordinary monthly plan is $8.50 for 2 GB. Official source.
- Decodo: Main table shows $4 PAYG for 1 GB, while FAQ on the same page states $8.50/GB. Main table value retained and conflict flagged. Official source.
Change log
Version 1.0 — July 31, 2026: initial nine-provider snapshot. Future releases will preserve prior CSV files and identify additions, removals and changed fields.
Reuse and citation
Suggested citation: ProxyBuyerGuide (2026), “Residential Proxy Entry-Price and Minimum-Purchase Index — August 2026,” snapshot July 31, 2026. Cite this page and state the snapshot date. The CSV may be reused with attribution.