PROXIES FOR SCRAPING

+1 for the mobile proxies. Versatile and fit for scraping.

It depends on your needs and budget. Mobile proxies are the costliest, followed by residential and then datacenter proxies. For sites with minimal bot protection, datacenter proxies usually offer the best value.

Mobile proxies are best.

TechEinstien said:

Mobile proxies are best.

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I doubt that.

The real answer depends entirely on your target. If you're scraping platforms with heavy anti-bot systems (think Instagram, TikTok, or Google) then mobile or residential proxies are your best bet. They mimic real user traffic, making detection way harder. Mobile 4G/5G proxies especially shine here because they rotate through carrier IPs that look legit to most platforms. Yeah, they’re pricier and sometimes slower, but you’re paying for trust and uptime.

Residential proxies are a solid middle ground; more affordable than mobile, still reliable for most scraping tasks, especially if you manage your request rates smartly. But if you go too aggressive, even good residential pools will burn fast.

Datacenter proxies? Only worth it for lightweight scraping on sites that don’t care much about bots. They’re fast and cheap, sure, but get flagged instantly on anything with decent protection.

And if you’re just starting out or running a small operation, don’t overlook building your own residential exit node; like using a Raspberry Pi with Tailscale. It’s free, stealthy, and works surprisingly well for low-to-mid volume work. Zero blocks so far for some guys running it.

Bottom line: there’s no one-size-fits-all. Match your proxy type to the platform’s defenses and your budget. Spend smart: not all on cheap garbage, not all on overkill. Test, measure, adapt.

G33K said:

I doubt that.

The real answer depends entirely on your target. If you're scraping platforms with heavy anti-bot systems (think Instagram, TikTok, or Google) then mobile or residential proxies are your best bet. They mimic real user traffic, making detection way harder. Mobile 4G/5G proxies especially shine here because they rotate through carrier IPs that look legit to most platforms. Yeah, they’re pricier and sometimes slower, but you’re paying for trust and uptime.

Residential proxies are a solid middle ground; more affordable than mobile, still reliable for most scraping tasks, especially if you manage your request rates smartly. But if you go too aggressive, even good residential pools will burn fast.

Datacenter proxies? Only worth it for lightweight scraping on sites that don’t care much about bots. They’re fast and cheap, sure, but get flagged instantly on anything with decent protection.

And if you’re just starting out or running a small operation, don’t overlook building your own residential exit node; like using a Raspberry Pi with Tailscale. It’s free, stealthy, and works surprisingly well for low-to-mid volume work. Zero blocks so far for some guys running it.

Bottom line: there’s no one-size-fits-all. Match your proxy type to the platform’s defenses and your budget. Spend smart: not all on cheap garbage, not all on overkill. Test, measure, adapt.

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Yes it depends on purpose. But mobile proxies works on all.

Mobile proxies are the safest bet. They use real 4G/5G IPs so Instagram treats them like organic users which means less chance of bans. Downside is they’re pricey.

Residential proxies are a decent middle ground they’re still pretty safe and cheaper than mobile, but will get flagged if overused. Datacenter proxies are fast and cheap but get banned super quick on IG.

Look, everyone’s hyping mobile proxies like they’re magic, and sure, they work. But let’s not pretend datacenter proxies don’t still dominate where it actually matters: efficiency, speed, and scalability. If you’re scraping anything that isn’t actively hunting bots, and let’s be honest, most sites aren’t: then datacenter is not just good, it’s the smart choice.

You get blazing-fast connections, rock-solid uptime, and you can spin up thousands of IPs without draining your wallet. When you're running large-scale operations where cost per request adds up fast, paying 5x more for mobile just to scrape a site with basic rate limits? That’s not being cautious, that’s being wasteful.

Modern scraping isn’t just about hiding, it’s about throughput. And datacenter proxies deliver. With proper request throttling, header rotation, and session management, you can fly under the radar on a huge number of targets. Add in IP pooling and automatic retries, and you’ve got a system that’s fast, reliable, and built to scale.

Let’s not forget: even mobile and residential proxies get flagged when abused. The IP type doesn’t save you from bad patterns. If you’re slamming requests like a bot, any proxy will get burned, no matter how “legit” the source looks.

Meanwhile, datacenter providers have gotten smarter. Cleaner subnets, better geographic coverage, integration with automation tools; we’re not talking about sketchy $2 proxy lists anymore. High-tier datacenter networks now offer stability and performance you simply can’t match with residential or mobile, especially when you’re doing bulk collection from APIs, e-commerce sites, or public directories.

So no, datacenter proxies aren’t dead. They’ve evolved. And for anyone running serious volume on mid-tier targets, they’re not just viable: they’re optimal. Don’t pay for overkill just because everyone’s chasing the shiny new thing. Smart scraping means using the right tool for the job, and often, that tool is fast, clean, and sitting in a datacenter.