Short answers
What is the difference between a mobile proxy and a residential proxy?
Mobile traffic leaves through carrier modems on 4G/5G networks. Residential traffic leaves through opt-in peer devices, which can use home broadband or mobile connections; that pool does not guarantee a particular access network. Both pools are shared, and neither reserves an address for you.
When should I use mobile instead of residential?
Choose mobile when your permitted check needs a carrier-network exit; choose residential when it needs a peer-network connection. Compare current availability for the country you need. A mobile proxy does not turn a desktop browser into a phone: device, viewport, language and browser location settings are separate test inputs.
Do mobile proxies cost more per GB?
No. One price ladder covers both pools and one balance sits behind it, so the same gigabyte can be spent on either, request by request. The rate depends only on the size of your order.
Which countries are available on each pool?
Use the locations page or countries endpoint to check devices online now for each pool and country before ordering and before a scheduled run. Availability changes. A published country page provides setup guidance; it does not prove that a device is currently online there.
Where does the traffic come from?
Mobile traffic runs on carrier modems operated by our network partner; residential traffic runs on opt-in peer devices in the partner network. Both pools are shared: you buy traffic through them, not an address reserved for you.
Does a sticky session work the same on both?
The session token works the same way on both. A sticky session keeps the same device. The carrier may still change the IP of that device. An unavailable device or interrupted connection can affect either pool, so keep a recovery plan for a multi-step job.
How do I switch pools?
Change the pool token: mbl selects mobile, peer selects residential, and any lets the gateway select an available pool in the requested country. Keep an explicit pool token when comparing network types. The gateway host, ports and account credential stay the same.
Where a mobile address comes from
A mobile exit is a modem with a SIM, attached to a mobile network exactly as a phone is. The address it presents is assigned by the carrier and belongs to the carrier’s ranges. Mobile traffic runs on carrier modems operated by our network partner; residential traffic runs on opt-in peer devices in the partner network.
A mobile proxy supplies a route through a carrier modem. It does not reproduce a particular phone, radio signal or device configuration. Set those inputs separately when your test needs them. The carrier can change the modem’s address while the device remains the same.
Where a residential address comes from
A residential exit is a device whose owner opted in to the partner network. Peer devices can use home broadband or mobile connections, so choosing this pool does not establish a household connection or a particular device type. Devices can go offline; do not assume a session will keep an address or remain available for a whole job.
That is the honest frame for both pools. These are shared pools of real consumer connections; we do not sell reserved or fixed addresses on this product, and the device behind any given request may be gone a minute later.
What the receiving end can tell
A site may use an IP database to classify the address and choose a market. Different databases can disagree, and the site can also use browser, account or saved-location settings. Record the route you requested separately from the result you verified; the country-check guide explains that distinction.
For an authorised ad check, choose the required network route and configure the app, browser and audience inputs separately. Verify the placement and creative that actually loaded. For a website check, keep locale, viewport, account state and session policy consistent when comparing the two pools; the QA workflow sets out those inputs.
Coverage and how far a GB goes
Check current locations for the country and pool your job needs. Compare mobile 4G/5G and residential using the devices online now, rather than the number of published country guides. If live counts are unavailable, check again before buying traffic for a country-specific run.
The same price tiers and GB balance apply to both pools. Traffic consumption depends on the requests, resources, redirects and retries in your actual job; neither pool guarantees a particular number of completed checks per GB. Measure a representative sample and compare it with dashboard usage. The GB planning guide explains how to scale that sample without counting retries twice.
| Order size | Per GB | Saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 GB | EUR 4.50 | |
| 5 to 24 GB | EUR 3.90−13 % | |
| 25 to 49 GB | EUR 3.50−22 % | |
| 50 to 99 GB | EUR 3.20−29 % | |
| 100 to 249 GB | EUR 2.90−36 % | |
| 250 GB and more | EUR 2.50−44 % |
GB never expire. What you buy stays on your balance until you use it; a new purchase adds to the same balance. The trial is 0.5 GB for EUR 2.90, once per customer.
One ladder, one balance, both pools. The rate depends on the size of the order and nothing else.
Rotation and sessions on each pool
Both pools support per-connection rotation with rot-ondemand, timed rotation at the supported intervals, and named sticky sessions. Per-connection rotation selects an exit for each connection; addresses can repeat. A sticky session keeps the selected device while it remains available, and its IP may still change. Rotation does not reset browser cookies or account state.
Keep the proxy session name and application state together for a multi-step check. If a connection fails, mark the step incomplete and retry only operations safe to repeat; a new session name is not proof that an earlier operation failed. The rotation and sessions guide explains the modes and session limits.
A decision table by job
| Job | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price and marketplace monitoring | Either, by required network | Check current country availability and keep product, market and browser inputs consistent. |
| Ad verification, in-app placements | Mobile when a carrier exit is required | Configure the app and audience separately, then verify the placement that loaded. |
| Ad verification, web placements | Either, by campaign requirements | Keep browser, account and market settings consistent for the check. |
| QA of a mobile app or layout | Either, by the network test case | Set device and viewport separately; use mobile when the carrier route is part of the test. |
| QA of a site in another country | A pool with current supply there | Check the actual result as well as the country token you requested. |
| Localised search and catalogue research | Either, by required network | Network routing does not choose device type, language or saved store location. |
| Agent runs and data pipelines | An explicit pool for a network-specific job | Use any only when either available pool satisfies the workload. |
Switching between them
These examples also vary country and rotation; they are illustrative. For a pool comparison, keep the country and rotation settings the same and change only the pool token. Check current availability before choosing the example country.
# mobile 4G/5G, United States, timed rotation every 10 minutes
curl -s -x "http://gw.portproof.org:7000" \
--proxy-user "USERNAME-mbl-us-rot-auto10:$PROXY_PASSWORD" https://api.portproof.org/v1/echo-ip
# residential, Spain, per-connection rotation (addresses can repeat)
curl -s -x "http://gw.portproof.org:7000" \
--proxy-user "USERNAME-peer-es-rot-ondemand:$PROXY_PASSWORD" https://api.portproof.org/v1/echo-ip
# whichever pool answers in France
curl -s -x "http://gw.portproof.org:7000" \
--proxy-user "USERNAME-any-fr-rot-auto10:$PROXY_PASSWORD" https://api.portproof.org/v1/echo-ipA country with no device online for the requested pool answers 502 with E_NO_STOCK_COUNTRY. Check current availability before a scheduled run. For a bounded interactive connection check with a prompted password, use the curl testing guide; the setup docs carry the full token table, and pricing has the current tiers and paid trial.
What is not allowed
What is not allowed: the pool you choose does not change the rules. We refuse social multi-accounting, sneaker and ticket bots, betting arbitrage, sybil airdrop farming, bonus abuse, credential stuffing on either pool, and any use against the law of the exit country. The full list is in the acceptable-use policy.
Read next
Sticky proxy sessions: rotation and duration
Choose a rotation mode, understand session lifetime and keep the configuration consistent through a job.
Read the guide
How many GB of proxy traffic do you need?
Measure a sample, account for extra attempts and use the bandwidth calculator to plan an order.
Read the guide