In fields like cross-border e-commerce, social media marketing, and data collection, IP proxies have become an essential tool. However, with various types of proxies available, many beginners might feel confused. Especially when it comes to residential proxies, ISP proxies, and dual ISP proxies—though their names sound similar, each serves different functions and applications. This article aims to clarify their distinctions and application scenarios in a straightforward manner.

A residential proxy (Residential Proxy) involves IP addresses assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to household users, which are usually tied to physical locations, making them appear as regular home broadband users online.

• High Authenticity: Originating from genuine home broadband makes it hard for websites to detect them as proxies.
• Wide Application Scope: Suitable for social media account management, e-commerce anti-linking, and web scraping.
• Moderate Stability: Due to traffic coming from ordinary users, stability and speed can be influenced by user network conditions.

An ISP proxy (Internet Service Provider Proxy) provides static IPs directly allocated by ISPs, typically hosted on data center servers yet retaining the ISP's identity. These proxies combine the authenticity of residential proxies with the high performance of data center proxies.

• Fast and Stable: Deployed on servers ensures faster speeds and lower disconnection rates.
• Low Detection Rate: Since IPs come from ISPs, websites rarely recognize them as data center proxies.
• Ideal for Long-Term Projects: Perfect for cross-border e-commerce, ad placements, and anti-linking operations requiring long-term stability.

Dual ISP proxies (Dual ISP Proxy) represent an advanced form of proxy that combines IP addresses from two ISPs to offer enhanced stability and anonymity. They are particularly suited for sophisticated anti-detection and multi-account operation scenarios.

• Double ISP Verification: Prevents platforms from detecting single-source proxy IPs, enhancing account security.
• High Availability: Even if one ISP experiences network fluctuations, the other can maintain connectivity, ensuring business continuity.
• Higher Costs: More expensive than single ISP proxies but ideal for businesses demanding top-tier IP quality.

• Social Media Account Management: Start with residential proxies, followed by ISP proxies, and finally dual ISP proxies based on account sensitivity.
• Cross-Border E-Commerce Anti-Linking: Prefer ISP proxies first, then residential proxies, and use dual ISP proxies for large-scale account operations.
• Data Collection: When simulating numerous real users, residential proxies are preferable over ISP proxies.
• Ad Placements: ISP proxies are preferred due to their stability and low detection rates, though dual ISP proxies can also provide additional security benefits.

If you're new to this field, starting with residential proxies is recommended, gradually upgrading to ISP or dual ISP proxies as your needs evolve.