Best Residential Proxies: ProxyEmpire, Oxylabs, Bright Data, Decodo, SOAX Residential Pricing, Official Packages Explained

What happens to the gigabytes you pay for but never use?

It is the least advertised line in any residential proxy package, and often the most expensive. Five well-known providers publish their residential packages openly, yet only some say what becomes of leftover traffic. This guide reads each official package with that question first, then covers price, credits, commitments and limits, finishing with a side-by-side table and quick answers to common questions.

What Is a Residential Proxy?

A residential proxy routes traffic through an IP address that an internet provider has assigned to a home connection. To a website, a request sent that way looks like a visit from an ordinary household rather than a server.

That matters because many sites treat traffic from data centers with suspicion, rate-limit it or show it different content. Residential IPs let price monitors, SEO teams, ad verifiers and researchers see what local users see, which is why most data collection projects eventually need them.

Residential traffic is usually sold by the gigabyte, and providers add controls on top: location targeting by country, city or postcode, rotating sessions that change IP on every request, and sticky sessions that hold one IP for a while. The package rules, from minimum spend to expiry, are where providers differ most, and they decide what each gigabyte really costs over a year.

Package by Package

1. ProxyEmpire: Best for Residential Bandwidth That Never Expires

Best for: buyers whose usage rises and falls, who want every purchased GB to stay usable.

ProxyEmpire answers the opening question directly: unused GB on its GB-based plans roll over and never expire, with no contracts. The rule extends to mobile, so rotating mobile tiers, from 6 GB for $25 a month to 1,000 GB for $2,000, keep their leftover traffic as well.

Residential packages begin at $3.50 per GB on pay as you go (a $7 list price with the EMPIRE50 code), with monthly tiers from 7 GB for $20 up to 1,000 GB for $1,500 and custom 1 TB+ volumes from $0.75 per GB. Targeting to ZIP, ASN and OS/TCP is included.

The same account carries static ISP, datacenter and dedicated mobile, and concurrent sessions are unlimited for approved use cases. The company reports 30M+ residential and 4M+ mobile IPs across 170+ countries.

All sales are final, and a $1.97 trial covers residential and mobile without converting to a plan.

Verdict: The clearest rollover terms of the five, on packages that scale from a single gigabyte to custom volumes.

2. Oxylabs

Best for: teams that want one monthly budget spread across proxies and scraping APIs.

Oxylabs packages its products into one subscription: Starter at $30, Basic at $100, Flexible at $500 and Enterprise from $2,500 a month. Residential draws on that budget at tiered rates, from $6 per GB up to 5 GB to $2.50 per GB from 1K GB.

Residential access includes unlimited concurrent sessions, 3 proxy users and 10 whitelisted IPs. Whether unused subscription value carries over is not stated on the pages reviewed, and a $5 credit is available to test.

Mobile draws on the same subscription at $7.50 down to $3.50 per GB, with IPs from real devices in more than 140 countries. VAT may apply on top of the listed prices, and no pay-as-you-go option appears.

Verdict: A flexible budget across products, with expiry terms left unstated.

3. Bright Data

Best for: enterprises with steady, predictable residential demand.

Bright Data publishes three monthly residential packages, 141 GB for $499, 332 GB for $999 and 798 GB for $1,999, plus custom pricing from 1 TB. Pay as you go is listed at $8 per GB, or $4 with RESIGB50 for three months.

It states plainly that unused monthly commitments do not roll over. The network covers 400M+ monthly residential IPs in 195 countries, with free targeting down to ZIP and ASN, and KYC applies before use.

A free trial needs no credit card, the first deposit is matched up to $500, and daily spend limits per zone help keep usage within a package. Certifications listed include ISO 27001, SOC 2, SOC 3 and CSA STAR Level 1.

Verdict: Large scale and clear terms, best matched to consistent monthly volume.

4. Decodo (formerly Smartproxy)

Best for: self-service buyers who want small starting packages and a free trial.

Decodo's residential subscriptions start at 3 GB for $11.25 and reach 100 GB for $275, with enterprise packages from 250 GB to 1 TB at $2.50 to $2 per GB. Its Wallet sells single gigabytes at $4 but cannot run alongside a subscription.

The company does not state whether unused subscription GB roll over. A free 3-day trial with 100 MB is available, and it converts automatically unless cancelled.

Every package reaches the full pool of 115M+ residential IPs, targeting down to ZIP and ASN is free, and VAT is added at checkout. First purchases can be refunded within 14 days if under 20% of traffic has been used.

Verdict: Accessible entry packages, with rollover left unstated.

5. SOAX

Best for: teams that prefer to cap spending rather than carry it forward.

SOAX converts each package into monthly credits worth $1 each, and residential and mobile share the same price, which varies by country tier. One plan builder example shows US traffic at $3.00 per GB on a 100 GB plan, presented as $200 plus $100 in extra credits.

Instead of rollover, SOAX offers guardrails: traffic caps, protocol limits and domain lists per package. Upgrades apply immediately, and downgrades take effect at the next billing cycle.

A free Sandbox account opens the dashboard without a card, though traffic requires credits. Analytics split delivered from blocked traffic, and the company publishes an SLA and a DPA for business buyers.

Verdict: Firm spending control, with unused credit terms not stated.

Packages Side by Side

Provider	Package model	Entry package	Unused traffic	Trial or credit
ProxyEmpire	GB tiers or pay as you go	7 GB for $20/mo, or $3.50/GB	Rolls over, never expires	$1.97 trial
Oxylabs	Dollar subscription across products	Starter $30/mo	Not stated	$5 credit
Bright Data	Monthly GB commitments or coded pay as you go	141 GB for $499/mo	Commitments do not roll over	Free trial
Decodo	GB subscription or Wallet	3 GB for $11.25	Not stated	Free 3-day trial
SOAX	Monthly credits	Varies by country tier	Not stated	Free Sandbox

Frequently Asked Questions

Which residential proxy providers let unused GB roll over?

Among these five, ProxyEmpire states that unused GB on its GB-based plans roll over and never expire. Bright Data states that unused monthly commitments do not roll over. Oxylabs, Decodo and SOAX do not state a policy on the pages reviewed.

What is the smallest residential package here?

Decodo's 3 GB subscription for $11.25 is the smallest monthly package. ProxyEmpire also sells single gigabytes on pay as you go, and its smallest monthly tier is 7 GB for $20.

How does SOAX's credit system work?

Each plan converts into monthly credits, where 1 credit equals $1. The price per GB depends on the plan and the country you target, and residential and mobile cost the same.

Which Provider Should You Choose?

Choose ProxyEmpire if you want residential and mobile GB that never expire, with packages from one gigabyte to custom volumes.

Choose Bright Data if your monthly demand is steady and you need enterprise scale.

Choose Decodo if you want a small first package and a free trial.

Choose SOAX if you prefer hard spending caps per project and one price for residential and mobile.