Bright Data is the biggest name in proxies, and for a lot of buyers it is the right one. This page starts by saying exactly where they beat us. Then it makes the narrow case where we win: your own dedicated 4G/5G carrier modem instead of a shared pool slice, flat-price delivered data below their custom-project floor, and a start measured in minutes, not KYC days.
72M IPs. 195 countries. SOC2 and ISO certifications. Enterprise SLAs. A mature data marketplace. A compliance process built for Fortune-500 procurement.
None of that is marketing spin - it is why Bright Data is the default enterprise choice. If you need their raw IP scale, certificates your legal team recognizes, and paperwork that survives a procurement review, Bright Data is the right tool and we won't pretend otherwise. One concession we no longer make is country coverage: alongside the 500+ physical 4G/5G modems we own and operate in ~6 core countries, our SDK peer network of real devices now reaches 100+ countries and growing, over 1M IPs in total. The honest remaining gaps are scale, compliance and marketplace maturity - not geography. Everything below is only for the buyers that description does not fit.
Three true wedges. Not a feature-list war we would lose.
Bright Data's mobile runs roughly $9-14/GB (as of mid-2026, verify current rates) on a shared pool. Ours is your own real T-Mobile/AT&T class 4G/5G modem at $4/GB - single-tenant IP reputation, which is exactly the difference that matters against DataDome's t=bv IP-reputation ban.
Pricing verified July 2026 - always check current rates on both sides.
Bright Data's onboarding can take 2+ business days, with pre-KYC accounts limited to roughly 200 whitelisted sites (as of mid-2026, verify). We are usable immediately - and an AI agent can buy bandwidth with x402/USDC and zero signup.
Data Works has no ~$10k+ custom-project floor: every retainer is custom-quoted per project as one flat monthly number, with the principal engineer on the call - not an account-manager layer. First data in days, proven with a paid pilot on your hardest target.
We concede the big columns loudly and win the narrow ones. As of mid-2026 - verify current numbers on both sides.
| Bright Data | PROXIES.SX | |
|---|---|---|
| Network scale | 72M IPs, 195 countries - they win on raw scale, by a mile | Dedicated modems in 6 countries + SDK across 100+ countries and growing (1M+ IPs) |
| Compliance paperwork | SOC2 / ISO, Fortune-500-grade procurement - they win | No enterprise certifications - we compete on speed, not paperwork |
| Enterprise SLAs | Yes - they win | No formal enterprise SLA - a paid prove-it pilot on your target instead |
| Data marketplace | Mature marketplace + custom projects (~$10k+ floor) - they win on breadth | Custom-quoted flat done-for-you retainer, no minimum floor |
| Mobile IP model | Shared pool slice, ~$9-14/GB (mid-2026, verify) | Your own dedicated T-Mobile/AT&T class 4G/5G modem |
| Mobile price per GB | ~$9-14/GB (mid-2026, verify) | $4/GB, down to $2.40/GB at volume |
| Time to first request | KYC can take 2+ business days; pre-KYC limited to ~200 whitelisted sites | Minutes - no KYC; agents pay via x402/USDC with zero signup |
| Who you talk to | Account manager / enterprise support tiers | The principal engineer building your pipeline |
Pricing and onboarding claims verified July 2026. Both vendors change rates - verify before you decide.
Yes, we just told you to go to the competitor. If that list is you, go - you will be better served there.
Retainer bands verified July 2026 - quoted per project via the scoping form.
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. Bright Data has 72M IPs, 195 countries, SOC2/ISO certifications, enterprise SLAs and a mature data marketplace. Our network is two tiers: 500+ physical 4G/5G modems we own and operate in ~6 core countries, plus an SDK peer network of real devices - over 1M IPs across 100+ countries and growing. So country coverage is no longer the gap; raw IP scale, compliance certifications and marketplace maturity still are. We are the better pick only in a narrow lane: dedicated 4G/5G carrier IPs on hard anti-bot targets, flat-price done-for-you data, and a fast no-KYC start.
As of mid-2026 (verify current rates), Bright Data mobile runs roughly $9-14/GB on a shared pool. Ours is $4/GB, dropping to $2.40/GB at volume - and it is not a shared pool slice, it is your own dedicated real T-Mobile/AT&T class 4G/5G modem.
Anti-bot systems like DataDome ban on IP reputation before any challenge - the t=bv verdict is literally an IP-reputation ban. On a shared pool you inherit whatever the last tenant did with that IP. On your own carrier modem, the reputation is yours, backed by a CGNAT range shared with millions of legitimate phone users.
Bright Data's onboarding can take 2+ business days of KYC, with pre-KYC accounts limited to around 200 whitelisted sites (as of mid-2026, verify). We are usable immediately - and an AI agent can buy bandwidth with x402/USDC and zero signup.
That is exactly the gap Data Works covers. Bright Data's custom data projects start around a ~$10k+ floor (as of mid-2026, verify). Our done-for-you retainer is custom-quoted per project - one flat monthly number with the principal engineer on the call, no minimum program size - and we prove it with a paid pilot on your hardest target before you commit.
When you need their raw IP scale (72M IPs to our 1M+), compliance certificates (SOC2/ISO), enterprise SLAs, or a data marketplace your legal and procurement teams already recognize. Country coverage alone is no longer the reason - our SDK network reaches 100+ countries and growing. But on scale, compliance and marketplace maturity, Bright Data is the right tool and we will say so on the scoping call.
From running it yourself on our proxies to a fully managed pipeline - honestly compared.
Best when: You have engineers and 1-2 easy targets
Best when: Light, unprotected pages at low volume
Best when: 1-3 hard, defended targets like a hard target
If your problem is 1-3 hard anti-bot targets rather than 72M-IP scale, SOC2/ISO paperwork and a data marketplace, point us at the hardest one. We prove it in a paid pilot before you commit.