Static vs Rotating Proxies: Which One Do You Need?

Static and rotating proxies serve different purposes. Learn when to use each type and how they work.

The proxy world splits into two fundamental categories: static (dedicated) and rotating (shared pool). Understanding the difference is key to choosing the right tool for your task.

Static Proxies

A static proxy gives you a dedicated IP address that belongs exclusively to you for the duration of your subscription. The IP doesn't change unless you manually request a swap.

How billing works: You pay per IP per month. Buy 10 IPs, you get 10 fixed addresses.

Best for:

  • Account management (social media, gaming, e-commerce)
  • Any use case requiring consistent identity
  • Services that flag IP changes as suspicious
  • Long-running sessions and persistent logins

Rotating Proxies

Rotating proxies pull from a large pool of IPs, assigning you a different address on each request (or at timed intervals). You don't own any specific IP — you share the pool.

How billing works: You typically pay per GB of bandwidth used, regardless of how many IPs you cycle through.

Best for:

  • Web scraping at scale
  • Price monitoring across thousands of pages
  • Ad verification
  • Any task requiring many different IPs

Quick Decision Guide

Need to maintain an identity? → Static
Need to be a different person each request? → Rotating
Managing accounts? → Static
Collecting data? → Rotating
Small number of IPs, long-term? → Static
Thousands of IPs, short bursts? → Rotating

What We Offer

Botosaur currently offers static proxies in both ISP residential and datacenter variants. Rotating proxy pools are in development. Browse our current plans to get started.