Why they are cheap
The older address system, IPv4, ran out of addresses years ago, and each one now has a price. IPv6 has more addresses than anyone can use. A provider can hand out a fresh one for every request at almost no cost.
The limit
A request through an IPv6 proxy leaves from an IPv6 address, so the website must be reachable over IPv6. Many large sites are. Many smaller ones, and some large ones, are not, and a request to those simply fails.
Checking a target
Look the site up and see whether it has an IPv6 address:
macOS and Linux
dig AAAA example.com +shortWindows
nslookup -type=AAAA example.comAn answer made of groups of letters and digits separated by colons means the site is on IPv6. No answer means it is not, and you need an IPv4 plan for it.
What they are good for
- Collecting public data in bulk from sites that support IPv6.
- Search engines and the largest platforms, most of which are on IPv6.
- Jobs where the number of different addresses matters more than what kind they are.
Two kinds
IPv6 datacenter addresses belong to hosting networks and are the cheapest gigabyte we sell. IPv6 residential addresses belong to home providers and are accepted in more places.
- Residentialfrom $2.64 per GB
- Residential Litefrom $0.69 per GB
- Mobilefrom $2.64 per GB
- Mobile USAfrom $4.20 per GB
- Unlimited Datacenterfrom $0.24 per hour
- IPv6 Datacenterfrom $0.18 per GB
- IPv6 Residentialfrom $0.30 per GB
Questions
Can I tell from an error that the site has no IPv6?
Usually the request fails to connect at all. Check with the lookup above rather than guessing.
Do my own computer and network need IPv6?
No. You connect to the proxy the normal way. Only the proxy's exit and the website need it.