Choose Bright Data if
- Teams that need both raw residential/ISP/datacenter/mobile IPs and managed access APIs
- Agents that need a hosted or self-hosted MCP tool surface
ProxyEmpire documents rollover of unused purchased rotating traffic and gateway-based proxy sessions. Bright Data has raw proxy zones plus separately billed managed access, Browser API and MCP. An uneven crawl schedule and an agent requiring tools create two different reasons to choose a path.
Published entry offers, reviewed 2026-09-14
Compare the actual traffic commitment, session controls and cost of a usable response. If you already fetch and parse pages, run your existing HTTP client against the same permitted pages, country target and session policy on both residential gateways.
| Decision | Bright Data | ProxyEmpire | ProxyLane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example route for this job | Bright DataResidential proxy gateway | ProxyEmpireResidential proxy gateway | ProxyLaneResidential proxy gateway for the HTTP client or browser you already run |
| Charging basis | Traffic allowance; confirm the selected GB or port plan | Traffic allowance; confirm the selected GB or port plan | Prepaid GB that never expires |
| How you pay | Proxy networks have pay-as-you-go options without monthly commitment and volume/monthly plans; residential is metered by GB, while dedicated IP products can add per-IP charges. Managed APIs and Browser API have their own usage models; verify the selected product's checkout and recharge settings. | Rotating residential and mobile plans meter purchased GB with pay-as-you-go and recurring tiers; ProxyEmpire says unused purchased data rolls over and can be used without an active subscription. Static ISP and dedicated/mobile or unlimited options have different IP/term or flat-rate terms. | 350 MB trial for $1.95, then prepaid packages from $6.50/GB for 1 GB down to $2.50/GB for 1 TB. Unused traffic never expires. |
| Integration work | Create a proxy zone and use its gateway credentials for raw traffic, or call the managed API. Bright Data documents hosted and self-hosted MCP servers with selectable tool groups for agent clients. | Generate location and session settings in the panel, then pass the v2.proxyempire.io gateway and username/password to a proxy-capable HTTP client or browser; public API and Chrome/Android proxy managers are advertised. | HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 endpoints on three regional gateways: Europe, the Americas and Asia. Export proxy lists in 8 formats for scripts, scrapers and antidetect browsers. |
| A small or irregular job | Start with the matching pay-as-you-go proxy or API meter; check auto-recharge and any per-IP allocation before comparing against prepaid GB sellers. | Purchased GB rollover may help an uneven schedule; distinguish one-off traffic from monthly tiers and exclude temporary coupons when budgeting. | Start with the 350 MB trial for $1.95 or a 1 GB package. Unused traffic never expires. |
| Browser workflow | Browser API supplies remote browser infrastructure; a raw residential zone only supplies an exit IP for a browser you operate. | A sticky residential/ISP endpoint can preserve an identity in a browser you run; ProxyEmpire's Chrome manager configures proxies rather than hosting the browser. | Sticky sessions from 1 second to 72 hours, with a named session ID for each browser profile. |
| Connecting an agent | The official MCP server offers hosted and self-hosted routes; choose only the tool groups needed and check its separate quota against proxy/API billing. | Route an MCP browser/fetch tool through the documented gateway and use the public API for proxy management; verify credential and session handling in that tool. | Point your agent's fetcher or browser tool at the proxy endpoint. ProxyLane supplies the network, not a hosted browser. |
| A growing production workload | Separate proxy-zone traffic, API requests and browser traffic in the cost model; enterprise tiers and account controls are available for larger workloads. | Plan by proxy type and GB or IP unit, verify rollover for the SKU, and test target-specific access before expanding concurrency. | Target by country, region, city, ZIP, ISP or ASN across 195 countries. Larger packages lower the rate to $2.50/GB. |
| Check before moving |
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For an intermittent residential crawler, run matching requests through ProxyEmpire's configured gateway and a Bright Data proxy zone, keeping location and session policy aligned. Meter successful requests, retries and GB. ProxyEmpire's rollover and continued access without an active subscription may protect unused purchased traffic; confirm those older FAQ terms against the selected current SKU. Compare Bright Data's pay-as-you-go or volume option and recharge behavior against the actual pattern of active and idle months.
If an MCP agent, remote browser or managed unblocker is the intended operator, Bright Data documents those as separate products. ProxyEmpire advertises an account API and proxy managers, which can help configure exits for your own client but do not carry the same managed-workflow scope in the source records. Price a completed task on the chosen Bright Data surface, including its distinct meter; do not compare that result only with ProxyEmpire's residential per-GB allowance.
ProxyLane offers premium residential IPs with ultra-low fraud scores, from ethically sourced, real devices.
Test your workload for $1.9598.7%
of 1,000 sampled IPs rated low risk by Scamalytics
Low risk: scores 0–19 on Scamalytics’ 0–100 scale. Aggregate sample result; individual countries vary.
Advertised starting offers use different products and billing units. Price the matched route before choosing a plan.
$8per GB
Residential pay-as-you-go: $8/GB standard; $4/GB is a displayed 50% coupon promotion. No monthly commitment on this SKU; checkout may impose account verification.
$7per GB
Rotating residential pay-as-you-go: 1 GB for $7 list price, shown at $3.50 with a temporary 50% promotion; the $1.97 trial is a separate offer.
$1.95350 MB trial
350 MB trial for $1.95. Packages from $6.50/GB for 1 GB down to $2.50/GB for 1 TB, with traffic that never expires.
Try 350 MB for $1.95Same targets, same fields. Compare the cost of each usable record. Worksheet
Same targets on both routes
Not just 200 responses
Minimums, expiry, add-ons
Keep a rollback ready
From $2/GB. Buy the traffic you need, keep it until you use it.
Test our IP quality: 350 MB$1.95
For your first requests
per GB · Traffic never expires
For projects taking shape
per GB · Traffic never expires
For everyday workflows
per GB · Traffic never expires
For growing workloads
per GB · Traffic never expires
For bigger operations
per GB · Traffic never expires
For high-volume data
per GB · Traffic never expires
For your business, at your scale
Let's build your setup together
Bright Data starts at $8 per GB (pay-as-you-go standard rate), ProxyEmpire at $7 per GB (1 GB pay-as-you-go at list rate). Billing units differ, so compare the cost of a usable record on the same workload, not the headline rate.
Compare the actual traffic commitment, session controls and cost of a usable response. Bright Data: Residential proxy gateway. ProxyEmpire: Residential proxy gateway.
Yes. The 350 MB trial costs $1.95 and runs on the same residential network as paid packages. Unused traffic never expires.
Country, region, city, ZIP, ISP and ASN targeting across 195 countries. Sessions can rotate on every request or stay sticky from 1 second to 72 hours, over HTTP(S) or SOCKS5.
No. ProxyLane is a residential proxy network for the client, scraper or browser you already run. Your team keeps control of fetching, rendering and parsing.
Run the targets you would send to Bright Data or ProxyEmpire. Get 350 MB of residential traffic with sticky sessions up to 72 hours. Keep any unused traffic for later.