Shared vs Private Proxy
A shared proxy assigns the same IP to multiple users at once, while a private (dedicated) proxy gives one user exclusive use of the IP.
The difference between shared and private proxies is exclusivity. A shared proxy pool assigns IPs to many customers simultaneously - you and strangers may hit the same target from the same IP. A private (dedicated) proxy reserves an IP for you alone, so its reputation depends only on your behavior.
Shared proxies are cheaper because the provider spreads infrastructure cost across many users. The trade-off is reputation risk: if another user abuses a shared IP against a target you also scrape, that IP may already be flagged or banned when you use it. Speed can also suffer when many users share bandwidth.
Private proxies cost more but give you clean, predictable IPs. Because no one else uses them, they are less likely to be pre-flagged, and their reputation reflects only your request patterns. This matters most for sensitive tasks - account management, checkouts, long sessions - where a shared IP's baggage would cause problems.
Choose shared proxies for high-volume, low-sensitivity scraping where occasional bad IPs are acceptable and cost matters. Choose private/dedicated proxies for account-based work, commercial reliability, or any target where a clean IP reputation is critical.
How many people use the address at once
A private, or dedicated, proxy assigns an address to one customer. A shared proxy sells the same address to several customers simultaneously, which is why it costs a fraction of the price.
The technical service is identical. What differs is whose behaviour the destination attributes to you. On a shared address, another customer's aggressive crawling consumes the rate-limit budget you were counting on, and their ban becomes yours without warning or explanation.
There is a middle category some providers call semi-dedicated, where an address is sold to a small fixed number of customers. It reduces the problem without removing it, and the number is rarely disclosed.
What is dedicated in our catalogue
Every static address we sell is dedicated for the whole term:
Exclusivity by product
ISP, datacenter, IPv6 dedicated to you for the term
Mobile modem reserved for you; the carrier address is
shared with real subscribers by design
Residential a pool, exits shared over time but never
simultaneously within your session- If price differences between providers look impossible, ask how many customers share one address. That is usually the answer.
- Dedicated protects you from other customers, not from your own request patterns.
- A dedicated address still has a previous tenant. If a fresh one arrives blocked at your target, we replace it.
- Mobile is the deliberate exception: the shared carrier address is exactly what gives it trust.
Where the labels blur
Private does not always mean one customer
Some providers use private for a small shared pool. Ask for the number.
Shared is not always wrong
For low-stakes public data it can be perfectly adequate at a much lower price.
Dedicated does not mean clean
Exclusivity applies to the present, not to the address history.
Residential cannot be dedicated
Exclusive use of a household connection is not a product anyone sells at scale.
Related terms
See this in practice
Ready to use shared vs private proxy?
SotaProxy gives you access to rotating residential, mobile, datacenter, and ISP proxies. No minimum commitment.
Get started