No, the high quality mobile proxy is not always needed

[Lukmat]

Every time, in any app or social media category on BHW:

• you must have high-quality mobile proxy
• you must have a proxy
• you must have a residential proxy
• you must have our super proxy

Someone asks why they’re not getting views on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, or why they’re getting bans or something similar.
Right away, a group of 50 people shows up and says: “You need a super mobile proxy,” etc.
Of course, not just one — ideally, a separate one for each account.
Strangely enough, these people are selling proxies on BHW…


There’s nothing wrong with that, because it’s business. The problem is that even users who don’t sell proxies keep repeating this narrative. A myth has been created that’s hard to break.


I’ve tested accounts on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, X, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and many more.
The only network that required high-quality proxy was LinkedIn.
All the others worked just fine with a high-quality VPN — preferably from a smaller provider, not a popular one like Nord.


What really matters is how you use the VPN or proxy on a mobile device.
If you use a VPN directly on your iPhone or Android, you CANNOT use it inside that system.
You need to share the VPN or proxy connection from another device via, for example, Wi-Fi.
Otherwise, the Android or iOS system will tell the app directly that you're using a VPN or proxy — that’s the whole trick.


Now, back to proxies offered on BHW:


a) Mobile proxies
I found literally one company on BHW that blocked all the leaks, like those that show you're using a router and not a phone.
Yes, even if the IP looks correct, most proxy providers’ networks on BHW scream:
"I'm a router," "I'm a modem," "Windows," "Linux" — and you can see this in the structure of internet packets.
I won’t advertise the company, but it has the word "hop" in the name. The rest are misconfigured.
Mobile proxies are fine, when you find the real provider who is expert in networking
Otherwise it's just asking for trouble


b) Residential proxies
This is the biggest scam possible. How does some anonymous guy on BHW, selling proxies for $2, have access to tens of thousands of IPs from all over the world? He would never pay off such infrastructure. Here’s how it usually works:

1. There’s a provider who installs adware or spyware on devices of unaware users. It quietly creates a proxy tunnel.
2. This provider sells access to smaller proxy companies.
3. Then a proxy reseller buys access and sells you "residential proxies."

At the same time, the original Facebook user might still be using their device — along with hundreds of others who are tunneling through it via this chain of resellers.


c) Datacenter proxies
Here, things are more transparent — but how are they different from a VPN?
I don’t know, maybe they’re worse configured, because some guy from BHW is behind the proxy, while a VPN has actual tech designed to cover IP leaks?


Another thing — hundreds of millions of people worldwide use VPNs every day.
It would be dumb for social media companies to block VPN IPs altogether.
IP bans aren’t as common as people think.
What’s much more important is proper device configuration — especially mobile — SIM card tracking, scanning nearby Wi-Fi networks, and many other tracking methods.


Sure, mobile proxies can be useful — they give you more trust in social networks.
But you can also mess up the proxy settings and end up even worse.
It’s not about what you use — it’s how you use it and how well it’s configured.


That’s what proxy sellers don’t tell you, while spamming every thread with “buy high quality proxy.”


My conclusion:
-mobile proxies, yes if configured by tech expert
-if you don't need proxy for concrete country, just use your own mobile operator and airplane mode to reset IPs
-otherwise, go VPN, smaller, less known companies than Nord


There is also another myth, "you need to have unique IP"
No, you don't need. If you have ipv4 adress, even 2000 users in the USA can use it the same in TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube.
IP pool is limited. Bans for IP is domain of small forums, for huge networks it's like banning whole country in 1 month

 

[seamlessproxies]

You're spot on with most of your points. The "you absolutely need a high-quality mobile proxy for everything" narrative has become a bit too simplified - especially when it's repeated by sellers pushing their own services.

From our own internal testing across IG, TikTok, Reddit, and X:
Behavioral consistency and proper session setup often matter more than just the IP type. You can easily burn through accounts even on top-tier proxies if other layers (headers, timing, device fingerprint, etc.) are off.

The VPN insight is 100% correct too - routing traffic through another device (instead of using it directly on the phone) helps avoid the OS-level leaks that many overlook.

Also agree that a lot of so-called “residential” proxies come from SDK-based P2P networks. That’s not inherently a problem - it depends entirely on how clean the traffic is, how well the peers are managed, and how predictable the IP behavior is. Most users just don’t realize what’s under the hood or how many other hands might be on the same exit at any given time.

TL;DR:
Proxies are tools - they can help, but the setup and how you use them matters way more than just the label.

 

[Lukmat]

You're spot on with most of your points. The "you absolutely need a high-quality mobile proxy for everything" narrative has become a bit too simplified - especially when it's repeated by sellers pushing their own services.

From our own internal testing across IG, TikTok, Reddit, and X:
Behavioral consistency and proper session setup often matter more than just the IP type. You can easily burn through accounts even on top-tier proxies if other layers (headers, timing, device fingerprint, etc.) are off.

The VPN insight is 100% correct too - routing traffic through another device (instead of using it directly on the phone) helps avoid the OS-level leaks that many overlook.

Also agree that a lot of so-called “residential” proxies come from SDK-based P2P networks. That’s not inherently a problem - it depends entirely on how clean the traffic is, how well the peers are managed, and how predictable the IP behavior is. Most users just don’t realize what’s under the hood or how many other hands might be on the same exit at any given time.

TL;DR:
Proxies are tools - they can help, but the setup and how you use them matters way more than just the label.

Proxies are fine, but narrative:
-you always need it for everything
-you need residental proxy
Is just wrong, overspammed on BHW.

I would use mobile proxy for massive account creation if I need geotarget for example to UK. VPN is not good for that.
Even that, I would check everything. Most of providers don't even have UDP, but we are talking about packets structure too. If you check some packets dump, paste to chatgpt it will tell "typical for ubuntu server" xD
Most these home proxy sellers just buy 10 raspeberry pi, put mobile modems and bum, they are selling "high quality proxies"

But I would use VPN, if I make 5-10 IG, TikTok, YT accounts and take care about configuration, proper behavior.

 

[BooSpaceMan]

I mean, one has to be pro-active and not just do things in a way that miiiiiight cause him trouble in the future.
Your assumptions are correct, mobile proxies are not always necessary, but one has to try to minimize the footprints at all times when starting something to not bite his own ass in the future.

If one can afford mobile proxies, in general it's safer than a VPN that might (and let's be fair, IS) used in all those websites by multiple people.

And about what you said about mobile proxy sellers not correctly "spoofing" their proxies, I do fully agree, but I honestly don't think it's as big of an issue with your tcp footprint shows windows/linux instead of android.

Do websites even check the TCP packets to flag users?

"There is also another myth, "you need to have unique IP"
No, you don't need. If you have ipv4 adress, even 2000 users in the USA can use it the same in TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube.
IP pool is limited. Bans for IP is domain of small forums, for huge networks it's like banning whole country in 1 month "

Where did you get that info considering the US has a wild amount of Ipv4 available??


The United States has been allocated approximately 1.5 to 1.6 billion IPv4 addresses — which is roughly 35–37% of the entire IPv4 address space.

The total number of IPv4 addresses is 2³² = 4,294,967,296.
Not all are usable (e.g. some are reserved for private use, multicast, etc.), but about 3.7 billion are usable.

 

[Lukmat]

I mean, one has to be pro-active and not just do things in a way that miiiiiight cause him trouble in the future.
Your assumptions are correct, mobile proxies are not always necessary, but one has to try to minimize the footprints at all times when starting something to not bite his own ass in the future.

If one can afford mobile proxies, in general it's safer than a VPN that might (and let's be fair, IS) used in all those websites by multiple people.

And about what you said about mobile proxy sellers not correctly "spoofing" their proxies, I do fully agree, but I honestly don't think it's as big of an issue with your tcp footprint shows windows/linux instead of android.

Do websites even check the TCP packets to flag users?

"There is also another myth, "you need to have unique IP"
No, you don't need. If you have ipv4 adress, even 2000 users in the USA can use it the same in TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube.
IP pool is limited. Bans for IP is domain of small forums, for huge networks it's like banning whole country in 1 month "

Where did you get that info considering the US has a wild amount of Ipv4 available??


The United States has been allocated approximately 1.5 to 1.6 billion IPv4 addresses — which is roughly 35–37% of the entire IPv4 address space.

The total number of IPv4 addresses is 2³² = 4,294,967,296.
Not all are usable (e.g. some are reserved for private use, multicast, etc.), but about 3.7 billion are usable.

Ill use chatgpt for that answer, these number leads, that even thousands of users in social networks can use the same IP.
No problem, if for example whole street in New York is using same IP for TikTok

Estimated IPv4 Address Space​

​

Verizon owns IP space through its subsidiaries like:

• Verizon Business
• Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership)

Estimated:

• Owns 50–70 million public IPv4 addresses
  (may vary slightly depending on leases, sub-allocations, and mergers)

Examples of Verizon IPv4 ranges:​

• 72.64.0.0/11
• 96.224.0.0/11
• 98.160.0.0/11
• And many /16 and /17 blocks

​

T-Mobile now includes Sprint's allocations.


Estimated:

• Owns 25–40 million public IPv4 addresses

• 
  
  

  [*]

  ISPs like T-Mobile & Verizon use CGNAT​

  
  

  • In mobile networks, millions of users share a small pool of public IPs via Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT).
  • Phones often get private IPs (10.x.x.x or 100.64.0.0/10) and connect through shared public gateways.
  • For example, Verizon might have 50 million subscribers, but only use a few million public IPs to serve them all

 

[Hunter spirit]

I'm using multiple Reddit accounts on the same computer, I simply create a new browser profile on chrome to set up each new account. I was banned once for upvote manipulation. Right now, I'm managing three Reddit accounts using different browser profiles, no VPN, no proxies since maybe 3 months?

A few months ago, I tried using AdsPower with so-called "high-quality mobile proxies," but those accounts barely lasted two weeks at best, being banned without any reason (the famous server error message) I'm not sure if I was doing something wrong, but honestly, this current method works just fine for me, and without spending money on those so-called "high-quality mobile proxies."

 

[Marin Valencia]

Solid breakdown. Totally agree — too many people just repeat “use mobile proxies” without understanding real device-level tracking. It’s not always about the IP, but how the app detects your setup. VPN + smart config can go a long way if you know what you’re doing. Appreciate the honesty here.

 

[Servant of the Creed]

Not to mention that proxies seem to be damn expensive for a starter.

Most people come to this website to figure out ways to make money. And then boom you get slapped with a “you need proxy”.

First proxy I bought was like 28$ per 2 days (got it for testing purposes). The full month one was ~100€ and I was thinking “if I want to get 5 accounts this will cost me 500 per month? AND there is a risk of getting banned?”

Not worth it.

 

[Spicy Chromosomes]

It's like anti-detect browsers, in many cases they are not really necessary
You can use a VPN + Firefox Portable for free and your results will be probably the same or even better than some guys using residential proxies + anti-detect browsers

 

[Proxy Cake]

You are right in a way, a lot of commenters over simplify the use of proxies as the one answer to solve all of your issues.

You are only speaking from your experience and what you need proxies for. If you are creating a small amount of accounts on different sites then sure a VPN could work.

If you are buying Nike drops, so you need to try and purchase 1000 times in an hour, you cannot use a VPN and you need the highest quality proxies possible.

If you are wanting to create and run 100 accounts on any website there is no way I would recommend you use a VPN for this.

Websites have trust scores that aren't available for the public to know and in my experience, VPN's effect this trust score. Does a misconfigured residential proxy also change this trust score? I'm not sure.

I appreciate this discussion though!

 

[XloginFREE]

I agree , I been using VPN for social media management for a while and it works fine. The real issue is often device fingerprinting and the configurations, not necessarily the quality of the proxy. I be more careful next time when buying proxies.

 

[FindYourHost]

Every time, in any app or social media category on BHW:

• you must have high-quality mobile proxy
• you must have a proxy
• you must have a residential proxy
• you must have our super proxy

Someone asks why they’re not getting views on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, or why they’re getting bans or something similar.
Right away, a group of 50 people shows up and says: “You need a super mobile proxy,” etc.
Of course, not just one — ideally, a separate one for each account.
Strangely enough, these people are selling proxies on BHW…


There’s nothing wrong with that, because it’s business. The problem is that even users who don’t sell proxies keep repeating this narrative. A myth has been created that’s hard to break.


I’ve tested accounts on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, X, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and many more.
The only network that required high-quality proxy was LinkedIn.
All the others worked just fine with a high-quality VPN — preferably from a smaller provider, not a popular one like Nord.


What really matters is how you use the VPN or proxy on a mobile device.
If you use a VPN directly on your iPhone or Android, you CANNOT use it inside that system.
You need to share the VPN or proxy connection from another device via, for example, Wi-Fi.
Otherwise, the Android or iOS system will tell the app directly that you're using a VPN or proxy — that’s the whole trick.


Now, back to proxies offered on BHW:


a) Mobile proxies
I found literally one company on BHW that blocked all the leaks, like those that show you're using a router and not a phone.
Yes, even if the IP looks correct, most proxy providers’ networks on BHW scream:
"I'm a router," "I'm a modem," "Windows," "Linux" — and you can see this in the structure of internet packets.
I won’t advertise the company, but it has the word "hop" in the name. The rest are misconfigured.
Mobile proxies are fine, when you find the real provider who is expert in networking
Otherwise it's just asking for trouble


b) Residential proxies
This is the biggest scam possible. How does some anonymous guy on BHW, selling proxies for $2, have access to tens of thousands of IPs from all over the world? He would never pay off such infrastructure. Here’s how it usually works:

1. There’s a provider who installs adware or spyware on devices of unaware users. It quietly creates a proxy tunnel.
2. This provider sells access to smaller proxy companies.
3. Then a proxy reseller buys access and sells you "residential proxies."

At the same time, the original Facebook user might still be using their device — along with hundreds of others who are tunneling through it via this chain of resellers.


c) Datacenter proxies
Here, things are more transparent — but how are they different from a VPN?
I don’t know, maybe they’re worse configured, because some guy from BHW is behind the proxy, while a VPN has actual tech designed to cover IP leaks?


Another thing — hundreds of millions of people worldwide use VPNs every day.
It would be dumb for social media companies to block VPN IPs altogether.
IP bans aren’t as common as people think.
What’s much more important is proper device configuration — especially mobile — SIM card tracking, scanning nearby Wi-Fi networks, and many other tracking methods.


Sure, mobile proxies can be useful — they give you more trust in social networks.
But you can also mess up the proxy settings and end up even worse.
It’s not about what you use — it’s how you use it and how well it’s configured.


That’s what proxy sellers don’t tell you, while spamming every thread with “buy high quality proxy.”


My conclusion:
-mobile proxies, yes if configured by tech expert
-if you don't need proxy for concrete country, just use your own mobile operator and airplane mode to reset IPs
-otherwise, go VPN, smaller, less known companies than Nord


There is also another myth, "you need to have unique IP"
No, you don't need. If you have ipv4 adress, even 2000 users in the USA can use it the same in TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube.
IP pool is limited. Bans for IP is domain of small forums, for huge networks it's like banning whole country in 1 month

You're right to push back against the marketing hype. I also used to warm and manage accounts without mobile proxies, especially on platforms with lenient filters or when burn rate wasn't a concern. But in specific conditions, mobile IPs do save time and reduce variables. For example, when you're running ops across multiple regions with local GMB or social profiles, they reduce phone verifications and flag triggers without the need to spoof fingerprints or constantly rotate setups.

Also depends on your threat model. If you're farming at volume and don't care about loss, you're fine with DC or resi. If you're building long-term, mobile proxies are still worth it in many cases not for the "quality" label but for the frictionless setup.
That said, I totally agree not all mobile proxies are equal. Many sellers brand their setup as "4G" or "real phone" when it's just dongles with poor rotation or bad carrier pools. We’ve personally tested several sources before finding a serious provider who uses actual phones, manages IP pools carefully, and understands what matters in a real-world botting context. Since then, we’ve been able to bypass most of the usual limitations much more reliably.

The tech alone isn’t magic but when it’s in the right hands, it works.

 

[giringlytsu]

You’re absolutely right that it’s not simply about buying “super” proxies, but about how they’re set up and used on a device level. In my experience social platforms care far more about device signals—SIM data, Wi-Fi fingerprints, app-level leaks—than whether your IP comes from a “premium” pool or a free VPN. A well-configured VPN from a smaller provider, or simply toggling airplane mode on your own phone to get a fresh carrier IP, will often work just as reliably as any “residential” or mobile proxy sold on these forums. The real giveaways are misconfigured packet headers and proxies that betray their PC or datacenter origin. If you really need geo-specific lines, go with a provider that guarantees no WebRTC or DNS leaks and tests on real phones, but otherwise focus your time on perfecting your device setup and app environment rather than hunting for the next “best” proxy sale.

 

[ricrafroga]

You’re spot on that the “must-have super mobile proxy for every account” line has become more of a sales pitch than solid advice. In my testing on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Reddit, a clean VPN from a smaller provider—properly shared over Wi-Fi rather than installed as a system VPN—worked just as reliably as any pricey residential pool.