Proxy vendors sell in two broad ways. Subscriptions buy a monthly allowance at a lower unit rate, and you pay whether you use it or not. Pay as you go buys what you need when you need it, usually at a higher list rate, with nothing owed in quiet months.
Which is cheaper
Compare what you pay per gigabyte you use, not the rate on the page:
effective rate = amount paid / GB actually used
A $300 monthly plan with 100 GB looks like $3/GB. Use 60 GB and it cost $5/GB. If your usage is steady and predictable, a subscription usually wins. If it is lumpy, seasonal or still unknown, pay as you go often does, even at a higher list price. Residential proxy price comparison runs these numbers across five vendors.
What to check
- Does pay-as-you-go traffic expire? Some vendors put a validity window on it, which quietly brings back the waste problem. See traffic expiry.
- Are there volume discounts without a commitment, and do they apply to the whole order?
- What is the smallest purchase, and is there a minimum top-up?
On ProxyHive
You top up a balance by card, PayPal or cryptocurrency, with a minimum top-up of $10, and place orders from it. There is no subscription to cancel, and nothing is charged between orders unless you turn on automatic top-up or renewal yourself. Volume discounts apply automatically to the whole order, traffic never expires, and rates hold for 12 months after purchase. The residential pricing explainer shows how the per-GB rate falls with volume.