Mobile proxies explained

What a mobile proxy is

A mobile proxy uses an IP address assigned by a mobile carrier. The traffic usually leaves through a phone or a cellular modem connected to the carrier's network. The website sees an address registered to a mobile network operator in a particular country.

How it works

Carriers have far more customers than public IPv4 addresses, so many subscribers share each address through a technique called carrier-grade NAT. One address can represent hundreds or thousands of phones at once. Addresses also change often, as devices reconnect or move between cell towers.

A mobile proxy provider connects devices or modems to carrier networks and lets you route traffic through them. Some let you request a new address on demand, and some rotate on a timer. Because the connection is cellular, speed and delay depend on signal, congestion and the carrier.

Pros

• Shared addresses make it costly for sites to block them, since a block may hit many real users.
• Useful for seeing what mobile users see, including mobile-only pages and carrier-specific content.
• Addresses rotate naturally on cellular networks.

Cons

• The most expensive proxy type.
• Speed and latency vary, and some carriers throttle heavy use.
• Shared addresses carry the behaviour of other users, so the address you get may already be flagged for something someone else did.
• Fewer providers and smaller pools than the other types.
• A carrier or a site may forbid certain uses in its terms.

How mobile proxies are usually priced

Pricing is typically per port or per dedicated device on a monthly basis, or per gigabyte for pooled access. A port plan gives you a modem or device slot with a set bandwidth or rotation options, and a pooled plan charges for data. Rotation features, such as changing the address on demand, may cost extra. Compare what is included, including whether the plan has a data limit or fair-use rule. We do not list prices on this site.

How to test one

Enter the proxy details in the proxy checker and run it. Check the exit country, the response time and the anonymity level. Then look up the exit address in the IP lookup and check that the network owner is a mobile carrier, not a hosting company.

Test a few times at different times of day, and request a rotation if your provider supports it, to see whether the address and country change as promised. On a genuine mobile network, expect latency to be higher and more variable than on a datacenter proxy.

Red flags when buying

• Exit addresses that belong to hosting companies, not mobile carriers.
• Promises of unlimited fast data at a very low price. Carrier data is not free to the provider.
• No clear information on which carriers and countries are available.
• Claims that sites will never block you.
• A rotation feature that does not actually change the address when tested.
• No terms of service, acceptable-use rules or refund policy.

Compare the types in residential vs. datacenter proxies. Provider comparisons will be added once we have tested them.