Proxy type · Shared vs Dedicated Proxies
Shared vs Dedicated Proxies
A dedicated (private) proxy is yours alone. A shared proxy splits one IP between several customers, cutting the price but inheriting everyone else's reputation.
- Typical price
- Shared from $0.30 · dedicated from $1.50 / IP
- IP trust
- Dedicated: high · shared: variable
- Best for
- Budget crawling (shared) · Accounts & checkout (dedicated)
Reputation is the whole story
On a shared IP, one customer scraping aggressively poisons the address for everyone on it. Any workload touching a login form, a payment page, or an ad account should be on a dedicated IP.
Semi-dedicated middle ground
Semi-dedicated proxies cap the IP at two or three users and are often vetted per use case, giving most of the reputation benefit at roughly half the dedicated price.
How to test before you buy
Run the trial IPs through an IP reputation lookup and hit your actual target with 50 requests. A clean-looking IP that already 403s on your target is worthless regardless of price.
Advantages
- + Shared: cheapest entry point
- + Dedicated: predictable reputation
Trade-offs
- − Shared: pre-burned IPs
- − Dedicated: 3–5x price
Shared vs Dedicated Proxies FAQ
Are shared proxies safe?+
Technically yes, reputationally no. Your traffic is isolated, but the IP's history is not.
How many users share a shared proxy?+
Typically three to twenty, depending on the provider. Few disclose the number — assume the high end.
