Best Residential VPN Providers in 2024

What is a Residential VPN?

Residential VPN services differ from traditional ones in the origin of IP addresses. Instead of using commercial IPs hosted in data centers, they use residential IPs from private areas. Such IPs are tied to physical devices and verified by Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

On the surface, the end result is the same. Residential VPN services secure your data by encrypting it and help to bypass geo-restrictions by hiding your IP address. However, it's more difficult for websites to tell if you are using a VPN with residential IPs.

Since the IP isn't commercial and is verified by an ISP, you blend in with the crowd of other users more easily. It's a crucial benefit that allows you to access geo-blocked content with a higher level of anonymity compared to datacenter IPs.

On the downside, residential VPN providers are more expensive and might slow down your network. It takes more resources to set up and maintain residential IP addresses properly. There are a few different ways it can be implemented.

Dynamic Residential IP VPNs

VPNs with dynamic IP addresses assign a new IP string each time you are using it. It's a great way to increase the anonymity of a residential VPN even more, but it might not be beneficial when you need the same IP location consistently.

Shared Residential IP VPN

A shared residential VPN solution allows multiple users to access the same residential IP addresses concurrently. Such services are cheaper since sharing lowers the price at the cost of reduced performance.

Often, it's only enough to bypass geo-restrictions anonymously. Most free residential VPN services are shared, but in addition to lower performance, you also risk exposing your data.

Dedicated Residential IP VPN

Dedicated IP address VPNs are the best option in terms of performance and anonymity. A dedicated Residential VPN is no exception, as it will have the fastest transfer speeds and ensure consistent access to the same residential IP addresses. However, expect to see a higher price tag with such VPNs.

Why use a Residential VPN?

A residential VPN accomplishes everything a regular VPN can, just with increased anonymity and less chance of IP address blocks.

• Security. A residential VPN will improve your online security more since it's more difficult to tell if you are using a VPN.
• Anonymity. Residential IPs improve anonymity while web browsing since you blend in better with the common crowd.
• Bypassing geo-restrictions. Accessing content without any restrictions is made easier with fewer CAPTCHAs or other IP restrictions.

Due to these benefits, residential VPN services are commonly used for accessing websites or services, limiting other VPNs. Often, they have lists of known VPN IP addresses and actively block them.

A residential VPN service can bypass such restrictions because its IP address doesn't originate from a data center used by other VPNs. Instead, you will appear as any other visitor from a residential area.

How to Choose a Residential VPN?

Since the two main weaknesses of residential VPNs are price and speed, they are the main factors you should consider when choosing. There is some variation based on your use cases, but generally, a residential VPN is best when the provider can ensure proper speed at low costs.

As with all VPN types, factors such as convenience, customer support, and provider reputation are also important. However, when looking for a residential VPN specifically, it's better to prioritize the factors we have outlined below.

• Price: no free residential VPN is worthwhile, but prices must be affordable and without any hidden fees. It's crucial for a residential VPN since it's often the most expensive option.
• Free trial: Trying out a residential VPN before purchasing is the only way to make sure it will fit your use case. As a rule, the best VPN providers have the most generous trials with nothing to hide.
• Location Choice: Multiple residential IP locations are crucial for bypassing geo-restrictions. However, in most cases, the IP count in those locations is more important.
• Speed: It's best to prefer a residential VPN service that is generally faster and ensures unlimited bandwidth.
• Privacy Protection: Encryption and a no-logs policy is a must that a residential VPN can't do without.

Best Residential VPNs Compared

Conclusion

A residential VPN is a great extra step to increase your online anonymity. It might cost more and can be a bit slower, so the best strategy is to choose a provider tackling these issues. CometVPN is the best option in the current market as it keeps the prices at bay while ensuring maximum speed and privacy.

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