Oxylabs alternatives: where to go for your use case, and how to move your proxies
Seven providers reviewed, one card per reason for leaving, and a seven-step cutover plan.
Short answer: pick Decodo for a lower price per GB with the same setup, IPRoyal if your usage comes in bursts and you want zero monthly minimum, Bright Data if you need the widest product range and can live with identity checks, SOAX if you mix residential and mobile IPs, Zyte or ScraperAPI if you'd rather pay for successful pages than gigabytes, and Apify if you want ready-made scrapers. One rule before anything else: don't top up your Oxylabs balance during the move, because self-service purchases are non-refundable. We compared these seven providers on their pricing pages and documentation in 2026.
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why teams leave Oxylabs, even when it works
Oxylabs is a solid provider. On review platforms it sits around 3.9 out of 5 across more than 770 reviews, most of them five stars, and users often praise fast, knowledgeable support. Still, roughly one review in eight gives it a single star, and those reviews tend to circle the same three issues: money, identity checks, and losing control of the account.
Premium entry pricing
Residential traffic starts at $6 per GB on small volumes and only reaches $2.50 per GB past 1,000 GB. Plans run from $30 (Starter) to $500 a month (Flexible), and Enterprise starts at $2,500 a month. Independent roundups place it at the expensive end of the market and steer smaller budgets toward Decodo.
No refunds on self-service
The pricing page says it plainly: every purchase made through self-service is non-refundable. Customers describe accidental renewals followed by a refused refund. Topping up "just in case" right before you leave means losing that money.
KYC that can stop a project cold
Some targets, such as LinkedIn or ticketing sites, only unlock after a Know Your Customer check. Oxylabs' KYC policy states that a failed check leads to an automatic refusal of service, and it keeps the right to terminate. Several users call the process intrusive.
Rigid billing
Several users report that changing plans goes through support rather than a self-serve switch, and the dashboard has a learning curve. For a team that adjusts volume every month, that friction ends up costing more than a few cents per GB.
Balances and accounts that vanish
Among the negative reviews: topped-up credit missing the next day, a $28 balance charged with no explanation, and an account banned because the cardholder's name didn't match the account owner. These are isolated cases, but they hurt when your whole data pipeline depends on one login.
Dedicated IPs that arrive blacklisted
One customer received dedicated ISP proxies that were already on the Spamhaus blocklist, all from the same subnet. For an IP you pay for monthly, that's the worst outcome: it's blocked before your first request.
You're leaving Oxylabs because… go with…
Usually only one card applies to you. Each one jumps to the provider's full card below.
$3.75 down to $2 per GB, plus a 100 MB trial to check it.
Your usage is bursty and you hate paying for idle monthsIPRoyalNo monthly minimum, and purchased traffic never expires.
You want the biggest catalog with tools built inBright Data$8 per GB at list price, but everything sits in one account.
You need mobile IPs as much as residentialSOAXOne rate for both networks, from $3 per GB.
You'd rather pay for pages than gigabytesZyte or ScraperAPIBilled per successful response or per credit.
You don't want to code your own scraperApifyReady-made scrapers and $5 of free usage every month.
Oxylabs alternatives, one by one
For each provider: why switch to it, who it fits, its main limit, how to plug in what ran on Oxylabs, and what it costs. All prices are list prices in US dollars, before tax. NetNut, which still shows up in many lists, is left out on purpose: the FBI seized its domains in 2026.
Decodo: the same model as Oxylabs, for less
Lower price per GBWhy switch to Decodo. It's the most direct swap: a residential network billed per GB, on a gentler price curve. The first tier is $3.75 per GB (3 GB for $11.25), dropping to $2 per GB at 1,000 GB. If you don't want to commit, pay-as-you-go runs through a wallet at $4 per GB, still below Oxylabs' $6 entry rate.
Who it's for. Freelancers and small teams using a few dozen GB a month who simply want to pay less for the same job.
Who it's not for. Teams that want a full platform with a hosted browser, datasets and scraping tools in one place.
Its limit. The free trial is short: three days and 100 MB. Refunds exist, but only within 14 days, only if you've used less than 20% of the traffic, and never on the trial.
How to migrate. Sessions are the big difference. On Oxylabs you pin an IP by adding -sessid- to the username. On Decodo, the port decides: gate.decodo.com on port 7000 or 10000 for rotating IPs, any port from 10001 to 49999 for a sticky one. For a country, use a subdomain such as us.decodo.com. Plan to rewrite the function that builds your proxy URLs, not just swap the password.
- Residential
- $3.75 to $2/GB
- Pay as you go
- $4/GB
- Trial
- 3 days, 100 MB
- Refund
- 14 days, under 20% used
IPRoyal: pay for what you use, with no expiry date
No minimumWhy switch to IPRoyal. It flips the subscription model. You buy traffic, and it stays in your account until you use it, with no monthly reset and no monthly minimum. One GB costs $7.35, 10 GB brings it to $5.51 per GB, and past 10 TB it falls to $1.84. A subscription knocks off another 5%.
Who it's for. Irregular projects: a quarterly price check, a one-off research pull, a client who orders data now and then. In community threads, IPRoyal comes up often as the value-for-money pick.
Who it's not for. Anyone who wants to try before paying. There's no free trial.
Its limit. At low volume a GB costs more than at Oxylabs ($7.35 vs $6). The draw is non-expiring traffic, not the unit price.
How to migrate. Buy a small amount and route part of your requests through it while the rest still goes to Oxylabs. Since nothing expires, you can spread the comparison over several weeks without wasting a cent.
- Residential
- $7.35/GB (1 GB) to $1.84/GB
- Minimum
- none
- Expiry
- never
- Trial
- none
Bright Data: the broadest platform, if you accept the checks
All-in-one platformWhy switch to Bright Data. If you're leaving Oxylabs over service rather than price, Bright Data is its closest peer: proxies, an unblocker, a hosted browser and datasets under one account. We rate it 4.2 out of 5 in our full Bright Data review.
Who it's for. Teams collecting at scale on hard targets who want a single vendor for everything.
Who it's not for. If KYC is why you're leaving Oxylabs, you'll meet it again here: it's required before using the residential or mobile network, sometimes over a video call. Web Unlocker doesn't need it.
Its limit. Price. Residential is listed at $8 per GB pay-as-you-go, above Oxylabs. Subscriptions start at $499 a month. Watch the offers: a promo code brings it to $4 per GB for three months, and your first deposit can be matched up to $500.
How to migrate. Bright Data works in zones. You create a residential zone, set country and session there, and your username looks like brd-customer-<id>-zone-<zone> on brd.superproxy.io:44445. Start KYC on day one and keep Oxylabs running until it clears. Plan details are in our Bright Data pricing page, and its matchup with a cheaper provider in Bright Data vs Thordata.
- Labs score
- 4.2/5
- Residential
- $8/GB pay as you go
- Subscriptions
- from $499/month
- KYC
- required for residential
SOAX: one rate for residential and mobile
Mobile includedWhy switch to SOAX. SOAX charges the same per-GB rate for residential and mobile traffic. If mobile IPs were a separate line on your Oxylabs bill, that's a real change. Builder costs $200 a month at $3 per GB, Team $500 ($2.20), Scale $1,500 ($1.50), and Enterprise starts at $3,000 with GB from $0.85.
Who it's for. Teams scraping apps or sites that treat mobile traffic more kindly, with a steady monthly budget.
Who it's not for. Small projects: the first paid plan is $200 a month.
Its limit. No free trial. There's a free Sandbox tier, but it includes no credit: you pay $5 per GB there. Enough to wire up your code, not to compare for free.
How to migrate. Push a handful of real requests through Sandbox before committing to a monthly plan. Measure success rate on your actual targets, not on a test page. That's the only number that matters.
- Plans
- $200 to $1,500/month
- Per GB
- $3 down to $0.85
- Mobile
- same rate as residential
- Trial
- none, paid Sandbox
Zyte: pay for successful responses, not gigabytes
Pay per successWhy switch to Zyte. If you mostly used Oxylabs' Web Scraper API ($0.50 down to $0.25 per 1,000 results), Zyte is the more flexible counterpart. You pay per 1,000 successful responses based on how hard the site is: from $0.13 for a simple HTTP page to $1.27 for a protected one, and from $1.01 to $16.08 when a real browser is needed.
Who it's for. Developers who want cost that tracks pages delivered and are done managing IP rotation.
Who it's not for. Anyone who needs raw proxies for non-scraping jobs, such as checking ads by country.
Its limit. The range is wide. A browser-rendered page can cost dozens of times more than a plain one, so estimate how many of your targets need JavaScript rendering first.
How to migrate. The $5 credit and 30-day trial are enough to run your targets one at a time. The $100, $200 and $500 commitments are optional: stay on pay-as-you-go until you know your real cost.
- HTTP
- $0.13 to $1.27 per 1K
- Browser
- $1.01 to $16.08 per 1K
- Free
- $5 credit, 30-day trial
- Commitment
- optional
ScraperAPI: simple plans and a no-card trial
No-card trialWhy switch to ScraperAPI. You buy a credit plan and the API handles proxies, rotation and blocks. Hobby is $49 a month for 100,000 credits, Startup $149 for 1 million, Business $299 for 3 million, and Scaling $475 for 5 million. Annual billing takes 10% off.
Who it's for. Small teams that want a predictable monthly line and an instant start: the 7-day trial gives 5,000 credits with no card, and a free plan keeps 1,000 credits afterward.
Who it's not for. Anyone who wants fine control over IPs, sessions and countries, the way a classic proxy network allows.
Its limit. A credit isn't a page. Hard sites burn several credits per request, so the plan's headline volume is a ceiling, not a promise.
How to migrate. Run the trial on your toughest targets first. If they fit the credit budget, the easy ones will too.
- Plans
- $49 to $475/month
- Trial
- 7 days, 5,000 credits
- Free plan
- 1,000 credits
- Annual
- 10% off
Apify: scrapers someone already wrote
No codeWhy switch to Apify. If you bought Oxylabs proxies to run your own scripts, Apify lets you stop writing them. Its store has ready-made scrapers for major sites that you launch from a web interface. We rate it 4.2 out of 5 in our Apify review.
Who it's for. Marketing and sales teams who want data without a developer, and developers who want to host scrapers without running servers.
Who it's not for. Anyone who only needs IPs. Apify is an execution platform, not a pure proxy vendor.
Its limit. Cost is counted in compute units at $0.2 each, plus the price of some paid scrapers. A badly tuned run can use more than expected.
How to migrate. The Free plan gives $5 of usage a month with no card, enough to rerun one of your Oxylabs jobs with an existing scraper and compare output. Starter then costs $19 a month ($17 billed annually). To weigh it against the other big name, read Apify vs Bright Data, and if Apify isn't a fit, see Apify alternatives.
- Labs score
- 4.2/5
- Free
- $5 usage per month
- Starter
- $19/month ($17 annual)
- Compute unit
- $0.2
Oxylabs and its alternatives compared
Our default picks: Decodo to cut the bill without touching your setup, Zyte if you want to stop counting gigabytes. The table shows entry prices and whatever might slow your start.
| Pricing model and entry price | Trial, commitment, checks | |
|---|---|---|
| OxylabsStarting point | Residential $6 to $2.50/GB; plans $30 to $500/month | $5 welcome credit; self-service non-refundable; KYC for some targets |
| DecodoBudget | Residential $3.75 to $2/GB; $4/GB pay as you go | 3-day, 100 MB trial; 14-day refund window |
| IPRoyalNo minimum | Residential $7.35 to $1.84/GB | No trial; traffic never expires; no minimum |
| Bright DataAll-in-one platform | Residential $8/GB pay as you go; subscriptions from $499/month | 5,000 free requests; KYC required for residential |
| SOAXMobile included | Plans $200 to $1,500/month; $3 to $1.50/GB | No trial; Sandbox at $5/GB |
| ZytePer success | $0.13 to $16.08 per 1,000 successful responses | $5 credit, 30-day trial; optional commitment |
| ScraperAPICredits | $49 to $475/month | 7-day trial, 5,000 credits, no card |
| ApifyReady-made scrapers | Starter $19/month; compute unit $0.2 | $5 usage per month, no card |
List prices in US dollars before tax, as shown by each vendor in 2026. They change often, so check them before you commit.
Leaving Oxylabs in seven steps
Switching proxy providers isn't a data export. It's a rewrite of how you connect. The order below protects your money, your data flow and your success rate.
Measure what you actually use
FirstPull your monthly volume in GB or results from the Oxylabs dashboard, along with target countries, the share of sticky sessions and the targets that give you trouble. Note which product you rely on: residential proxies, dedicated IPs or the scraper API. That snapshot tells you whether to shop on price per GB or price per page.
- Record
- GB per month, countries, sessions
Start KYC at the new provider
Day 1If your destination requires verification (Bright Data does for residential and mobile), start it on day one. It can take several days and may involve a video call. Until it clears, Oxylabs stays your primary provider.
- Risk
- pipeline stops if KYC fails
Stop topping up Oxylabs
MoneyTurn off auto-renewal now but keep the account live. Self-service purchases aren't refundable, so any top-up during the move is lost if you leave sooner than planned. Burn the remaining balance on the traffic that hasn't moved yet.
- Action
- disable auto-renewal
Rewrite how you build proxy credentials
CodeOn Oxylabs, everything lives in the username: customer-USER-cc-US on pr.oxylabs.io:7777, plus -sessid- to hold an IP. Others do it differently: Decodo picks the session by port, Bright Data sets country and session in a zone. Wrap this logic in one function in your code, then plug the new provider in behind it.
- Oxylabs
- pr.oxylabs.io:7777
- Decodo
- gate.decodo.com
- Bright Data
- brd.superproxy.io:44445
Compare on your real targets
MeasureUse the trials: 100 MB at Decodo, $5 and 30 days at Zyte, 5,000 credits at ScraperAPI, or a small purchase at IPRoyal, where traffic doesn't expire. Track success rate, response time and cost per usable page on the same targets you ran through Oxylabs. A generic test page tells you nothing.
- Key metric
- cost per usable page
Move traffic in slices
GradualSend a small share of traffic to the new provider first, target by target. Raise the share as the success rate holds. Keep Oxylabs as a fallback for stubborn targets: some need a different IP type or a full browser.
- Fallback
- Oxylabs until the balance runs out
Close the Oxylabs account cleanly
Wrap-upOnce nothing runs through Oxylabs, download your invoices, confirm no plan will renew, remove your card and clear any whitelisted IPs you registered. Rotate proxy passwords left in scripts or automation tools too, such as a Make scenario connected to Oxylabs or a Zap that calls Oxylabs.
- Keep
- invoices and usage history
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What derails a proxy provider switch
Switches rarely fail for technical reasons. They fail on timing, on money already committed, and on comparisons run against the wrong pages.
Cancelling before KYC clears
Closing Oxylabs the day you open a Bright Data account risks days without data if verification drags or fails. Keep the old provider live until the new one confirms in writing.
Comparing prices that don't compare
A residential GB, 1,000 API results and a ScraperAPI credit measure different things. Convert everything to the cost of one page actually delivered from your target, or the cheapest option on paper turns into the priciest.
Topping up out of habit
A forgotten Oxylabs renewal won't be refunded. Switch it off before you even start comparing.
Committing to a big plan too early
SOAX and Bright Data reward monthly commitment. Until you know your success rate with them, start on pay-as-you-go or the smallest plan and scale up.
Forgetting sticky sessions
A logged-in flow (cart, account, pagination) breaks if the IP changes mid-way. Check that your new provider's session syntax holds an IP long enough for your use case.
Picking a provider with a shady network
A very cheap residential pool can rest on devices enrolled without consent. The NetNut seizure in 2026 made that real: service stopped overnight for its customers. Favor providers that explain where their IPs come from.
- Monthly volume, countries and sticky-session share recorded
- Oxylabs auto-renewal turned off
- KYC started at the destination
- Credential building wrapped in a single function
- Trial run on real targets, cost per page calculated
- Gradual cutover with Oxylabs as fallback
- Invoices downloaded and card removed at closing
- Proxy passwords rotated in automation tools
Oxylabs alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Oxylabs?
At low volume, Decodo: residential starts at $3.75 per GB versus $6 at Oxylabs. At very high volume, SOAX Enterprise goes as low as $0.85 per GB and IPRoyal hits $1.84 past 10 TB. Always work out cost per successful page, not just price per GB.
Is there an Oxylabs alternative without KYC?
Bright Data requires KYC for residential and mobile, but not for its Web Unlocker. Per-page APIs such as Zyte and ScraperAPI are worth a look if Oxylabs' restricted targets are what's blocking you. Check your target's rules anyway: a sensitive site can be restricted everywhere.
Which providers offer a free trial?
Decodo gives 3 days and 100 MB, Zyte $5 and 30 days, ScraperAPI 7 days and 5,000 credits with no card, Apify $5 of usage every month, and Bright Data 5,000 requests. IPRoyal and SOAX have no trial; at IPRoyal, buy 1 GB instead, since it never expires.
Residential proxies or a scraping API: which should you choose?
Go with proxies if you already have a working scraper and just need IPs. Go with an API if you spend your time fighting blocks: a simple page costs more, but you only pay for successful ones. Plenty of teams run both.
Oxylabs vs Bright Data: which one should you keep?
Both target the same buyers. Bright Data costs more per GB pay-as-you-go ($8 vs $6) but offers a wider catalog and launch promotions. Both require KYC for certain uses. For more options, see Bright Data alternatives.
Can you get a refund from Oxylabs?
Not for a self-service purchase: the pricing page rules it out, and customers report refusals even after accidental renewals. If refunds matter to you, Decodo offers one within 14 days as long as you've used less than 20% of the traffic.
Why isn't NetNut on this list?
The FBI seized its domains in 2026 in a case tied to a botnet of hijacked devices, and its pricing page now shows the seizure notice. We don't recommend a provider in that position.
Do you need to rewrite your code to switch?
Only a small part: the host, the port and how you request a country or a sticky session. On Oxylabs it all sits in the username; on Decodo the session depends on the port. Moving to an API like Zyte changes more, because you send a URL to the API instead of routing a request through a proxy.
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