In the proxy market, "IPv4" is not stated separately because it is the default. When you buy a proxy, you get an IPv4 address unless stated otherwise. Behind this default lies not a technical necessity but a reality based on economics and compatibility.
The IPv4 Address Space and Exhaustion
IPv4 addresses are 32 bits, which adds up to roughly 4.3 billion addresses. That number looked infinite in the 1980s. Today the number of internet-connected devices is far higher, and the free pools of the regional registries are effectively exhausted.
Because the free pool is exhausted, new IPv4 blocks can only be obtained by taking them over from another organization. This has turned addresses into a commodity.
How Does Scarcity Affect Prices?
The address itself is the largest single item in the cost. The reason IPv6 proxies are so cheap is precisely that this item drops to almost zero.
Why Isn't Everyone Moving to IPv6?
Technically, IPv6 is better in every respect. In proxy use, however, what decides the matter is not technical superiority but what the target accepts:
If the target site does not support IPv6, the billions of addresses you hold are worth nothing. That single item explains why IPv4 is still the standard.
For the advantages and limits of IPv6, see our IPv4–IPv6 comparison .
The Value of IPv4 Blocks and Proxy Quality
Because addresses are expensive, providers try to protect their blocks. This shows in the behavior of a quality provider:
- Abuse management: It responds quickly to rule violations in order to protect block reputation.
- Block renewal: It replaces burned addresses; this is a costly but necessary service.
- Preference for dedicated: Shared use degrades block reputation quickly.
- Terms of use: The list of prohibited uses is usually long and explicit.
A provider with vague terms of use that is indifferent to abuse is not concerned with protecting its block reputation. That means you will also have trouble with the neighbors coming from the same block.
Diversity in the IPv4 Pool
Address scarcity directly affects pool diversity. In cheap packages, hundreds of IPs usually come from just a few blocks, which means fragility against block-level blocking .
A significant part of the price difference comes from block diversity. Alongside "how many IPs", you also need to ask "how many blocks".
NAT and Sharing
Another consequence of address scarcity is sharing. CGNAT is common on mobile networks and NAT on home connections. This produces an interesting result in the proxy world: sharing provides protection against blocking. For details, see our CGNAT article .
Summary
Even though its address space is exhausted, IPv4 remains the standard of the proxy world because target site support is universal. Scarcity has made the address the largest item in the cost, and that shapes everything from pricing to pool diversity. When buying, looking at block distribution and the provider's abuse policy as much as at the number of IPs is what determines long-term quality. For product options, see our datacenter and ISP proxy pages.