Pricing: Small Fees Give Decodo the Edge in a Tight Race
Decodo accepts cryptocurrencies and uses a per-month pricing scheme. Datacenter proxies start at $5.55 per month for 3 IPs and range up to $2,300 per month for 2,000 IPs. Static residential proxies start at $9.99 per month for 3 IPs and go up to $4,000 per month for 2,000 IPs. Decodo offers mobile proxies that start at $15 per month for 2GB of data and cap out at $550 per month for 100GB. Residential proxies have a lower asking price than Bright Data's at $3.50 per GB. Monthly plans range from $6 for 2GB to $225 for 100GB.
IPRoyal has flexible payment options with more than 25 cryptocurrencies accepted. Datacenter proxies are available in 50 countries and cost $1.57 per proxy per month. That price drops slightly the longer you use the proxy, costing only $1.39 per proxy for 90-day stints. Each proxy includes unlimited traffic, SOCKS5 support, and dedicated IPs. ISP proxies are also time-based: a one-day proxy costs $1.80, or you can use one for up to 90 days for $2.40 per proxy. There are also discounts for bulk purchases. Mobile proxies run $10.11 per day per proxy. Residential proxies start at $7.99 for the first gigabyte of data, then $5.15 per GB up to 50GB.
Given the differences in pricing structures, it’s difficult to provide a direct one-to-one comparison. However, IPRoyal offers greater flexibility with short-term proxy plans and more cryptocurrency payment options, but it charges for small changes, such as altering your proxy name. On the other hand, Decodo has affordable, easier-to-follow plans that are better suited for small businesses. With it being such a close matchup, the winner comes down to the fine details. Decodo doesn’t charge to change the name of your proxy while IPRoyal does, giving Decodo the win in this category.
Winner: Decodo
Dashboard Experience: Clean, Intuitive Designs on Both Sides
While some elements of proxy dashboard layouts are subjective, I do my best to keep the evaluations in this section as objective as possible.
Decodo has a stylish but professional dashboard with a black, gray, and purple design. Menus and buttons are large and easy to find thanks to plenty of interactive elements and boxes. Proxies are broken into small subsections on the main dashboard, making it easy to flip between without getting lost.
(Credit: Decodo/PCMag)IPRoyal has a bright white-and-orange design with a well-organized dashboard. It was pretty easy to navigate and didn’t have any noticeable clutter or poorly placed features. All your proxy information is available in the dashboard, making it easy to make changes on the fly and adjust account settings accordingly.
(Credit: IPRoyal/PCMag)Both proxies have taken care here to ensure a pleasant user experience. Ultimately, it’ll come down to personal preference over the light theme of IPRoyal or the dark theme of Decodo. As such, this category is a tie.
Winner: Tie
Proxy Pool: Decodo Dominates Across Every Category
Most proxy sites don’t publish an exact figure because the number of proxies fluctuates constantly. However, both Decodo and IPRoyal have at least some general figures that give an idea of what to expect.
Decodo:
- Datacenter proxies: More than 500,000 dedicated and shared proxies (400,000 of those being based in the United States)
- Residential proxies: More than 115 million IPs available in 195 locations
- Mobile proxies: More than 10 million mobile IPs in 160 locations
IPRoyal:
- Datacenter proxies: An undisclosed number in over 60 countries
- Residential proxies: More than 32 million IPs worldwide
- Mobile proxies: More than 4.5 million mobile IPs
IPRoyal has impressive figures, but the company doesn’t disclose which countries are covered by its residential and mobile proxies. Plus, Decodo pulls ahead in every metric, giving it the better proxy network of the two.
Winner: Decodo
Privacy and User Data: Decodo Offers Greater Transparency and Trust
Decodo collects some user data, which is fairly standard for proxies. The company claims it doesn’t monitor user traffic requests, but also states that it will detect and block users for illegal or morally questionable activities. Identifying information, such as payment details and email correspondence, is kept. How long Decodo keeps data varies depending on the type of data and the company's use for it. Decodo defines this as “only for a duration that’s reasonably necessary for pre-defined purposes,” which means it could be indefinite. For residential proxies, Decodo claims to source every single one ethically with informed consent.
Like Decodo, IPRoyal claims to source all residential proxies ethically. The only hiccup there is that IPRoyal does so through a proprietary app called Pawns.app. While it isn’t inherently dangerous to use a proprietary proxy-sourcing system, it does make me take IPRoyal’s claims with a bit of skepticism. Outside of residential proxies, IPRoyal collects user data in a similar fashion to Decodo. That information includes usage data, identifying information, and general browsing behavior. Data is stored as long as IPRoyal deems it necessary, citing six months for application data. Notably, we found that MarsProxies and IPRoyal use almost identical language in their privacy policies, leading me to question the validity of some of the claims here.
Ultimately, Decodo wins for privacy. Neither service can be considered private or anonymous, but Decodo leaves fewer unanswered questions.
Winner: Decodo