Two kinds of residential trust
A residential proxy uses an IP assigned by an ISP to a genuine household device. Because traffic flows through real user connections, sites see an ordinary visitor, and the large pool lets you rotate through many addresses.
An ISP proxy, also called static residential, lives on datacenter hardware but carries an IP registered to a consumer ISP. It looks residential to the target yet runs at datacenter speed and keeps the same address for as long as you hold it.
When each one wins
Residential proxies are the better pick when you need scale and natural IP variety: large data-collection jobs, ad verification, and checks across many locations. Rotation spreads the load across many addresses.
ISP proxies shine when you want a stable identity that does not change, plus fast, consistent speed. They suit long sessions on a single account or workflows where a rotating IP would look suspicious, as long as the target does not penalize datacenter-hosted addresses.
Residential vs ISP compared
The core trade-off is rotation and pool size versus a fixed, faster address.
| Residential (rotating) | ISP (static residential) | |
|---|---|---|
| IP source | Real home devices | Datacenter hardware, ISP-registered address |
| Pool | Large rotating pool | One dedicated IP per rental |
| IP change | Every request or sticky up to 24 hours | Never changes during the rental |
| Speed | Slightly slower hop | Fast and consistent |
| Nefo pricing | From $4.50 for 5 GB, bandwidth never expires | From $1.76 for 7 days, $3.51 for 30 days |
| Best for | Scale, many locations, ad verification | Long sessions on one account, allowlisting |
What Nefo provides
Rotating residential proxies cover 227 countries and territories, with country, state, city and ISP targeting, HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5, and sticky sessions up to 24 hours.
For a fixed address, static ISP proxies are dedicated to you for the rental, in 24 countries, with no UDP. If you need a residential address kept for weeks at a flat per-IP price, see IP Vault. Not sure where the IPs come from? Read where static ISP proxies come from.
Frequently asked questions
Not quite. ISP proxies are hosted in data centers but registered under a consumer ISP, so they look residential while offering datacenter speed and a fixed IP. Residential proxies run on real home connections and rotate through a large pool.
ISP proxies are generally faster and more consistent because they sit on datacenter hardware. Residential proxies add a hop through a home connection, though the difference is often minor.
Residential proxies come from household connections, so sites see an ordinary home visitor whose address varies as the pool rotates. ISP proxies are registered to a consumer ISP, but some sites can tell the address is hosted in a data center.
A Static Residential ISP IP costs $1.76 for 7 days, $3.51 for 30 days and $39.17 for 360 days, with the same price in all 24 countries. 10 or more IPs save 8%. Each is dedicated, over HTTP(S) and SOCKS5, with 100 GB per IP per 30 days under fair use.
Often. Sticky residential sessions hold one IP from 1 minute up to 24 hours, which covers many long-session needs, but the address is not permanently fixed. For an address you keep for weeks or months, rent an ISP IP.