9 min readApr 4, 2026

IPv4 vs IPv6 Proxies: Which Should You Choose in 2025?

As we reach the middle of 2025 and IPv6 adoption increases, we thought we’d revisit the discussion of whether it’s better to choose IPv4 vs IPv6 proxies. For some context, the US ran out of IPv4 addresses in 2015, yet IPv4 still routes most of today’s internet traffic.

Background

The state of IPv4 and IPv6 in 2025

IPv4’s 32-bit address length limits it to roughly 4 billion unique addresses. IPv6 came along in 1998 with a 128-bit address format that gives us about 3.4×1038possible addresses — practically unlimited. While there are differences between IPv4 and IPv6, they are mostly irrelevant to a proxy user. There are only a few instances where the subtleties have any bearing, which we’ll discuss.

IP address requirements keep growing fast. The US alone has over 1.5 billion addresses assigned. This means that there is a tradeoff to be made at a global level between continuing to find creative ways to recycle IPv4 or commit to IPv6. Adoption is increasing, though, reaching a peak of 48.83% at the end of April.

In this article we’ll discuss the difference between IPv4 vs IPv6 and explain what relevance they have for proxy users in 2025.

The Differences

What Makes IPv4 and IPv6 Proxies Different?

The most basic differences between IPv4 and IPv6 are the length and format of their addresses. At the technical level, they have some differences in their protocol features at the architectural level, which has some bearing on their proxies.

IPv4192.168.1.1

32-Bit Address Scheme and Limitations

Address length32-bit
Unique addresses~4.3B
Since1983

IPv4 proxies use the fourth version of Internet Protocol with a 32-bit addressing system. This system creates approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses (2³²) shown in dotted decimal notation (like 192.168.1.1). Each address has four octets separated by dots, and each octet can have values from 0 to 255. IPv4 has been the main protocol since 1983, but its limited address space has become a big problem.

Through things like network access translation (NAT), IPv4 exhaustion has been mitigated, allowing private IPs within a network to be non-unique, with each network only having one public IP address. While NAT has reduced the urgency of transitioning to IPv6, it also complicates a whole range of activities like connecting to a device with SSH.

The IPv4 headers contain many fields such as version, header length, type of service, total length, and header checksum. These fields need processing time and can slow down routing.

IPv62001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334

128-Bit Address Space and Future-Proofing

Address length128-bit
Unique addresses~3.4×10³⁸
Since1998

IPv6 proxies use a substantially bigger 128-bit address space that gives approximately 340 undecillion (3.4×10³⁸) unique addresses. These addresses show up in hexadecimal format (like 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:8a2e:0370:7334) and usually appear as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits with colons between them.

As a result, IPv6 has an almost endless supply of unique IP addresses, which would make things like NAT unnecessary — every device could have its own unique IP. This is how it used to work up until the early 90s, for example.

IPv6 also has a simpler header structure with fewer fields than IPv4. It doesn’t have a checksum field, which makes packet processing faster.

Tradeoffs

Pros and Cons of IPv4 vs IPv6 Proxies

IPv4 proxies continue to be the ubiquitous proxy available, which makes them the most practical choice for many reasons. IPv6 brings its own benefits — but also a handful of nuanced drawbacks.

IPv4 Proxies

Pros

  • Compatibility

    IPv4 is widely supported by virtually every website, API, and online service. Users rarely face compatibility issues or service limitations with IPv4 proxies.

  • Geolocation accuracy

    IPv4 geolocation data is well-established and precise, making IPv4 proxies highly reliable for tasks that depend on accurate country or city-level targeting, such as ad verification or location-specific web scraping.

  • Stable performance

    The IPv4 infrastructure is mature, stable, and extensively tested, providing consistent performance and minimal latency issues.

  • Less scrutiny

    Due to their prevalence, IPv4 proxies blend seamlessly into normal internet traffic patterns, reducing the likelihood of triggering anti-bot or anti-abuse mechanisms.

Cons

  • NAT side-effects

    IPv4 proxies have very few disadvantages other than having to account for NAT in some specific instances. Their address scarcity isn’t something that impacts proxy users directly, as the entire internet is geared to solve this problem.

  • IP reuse from shared pools

    An often-cited problem is reuse of IPs, which can lead to blocks and bans for the activity of a previous user. This is a far more acute problem due to shared proxies rather than something that is due to IPv4 itself.

IPv6 Proxies

Pros

  • IP abundance

    IPv6 addresses are abundant and, in theory, more cost-effective to procure, allowing proxy providers more flexibility on pool size and rotation.

  • Future-proofing

    IPv6 proxies align with the long-term direction of internet infrastructure, providing ongoing compatibility as more services adopt IPv6 support.

  • No NAT translation

    IPv6 isn’t affected by NAT, which means communication with servers can be significantly easier and end-to-end addressing is preserved.

Cons

  • Compatibility issues

    IPv6 is not universally supported. Certain websites, particularly older or legacy platforms, APIs, or niche services, may restrict or entirely lack IPv6 support. Some countries or ISPs may not have IPv6 support either.

  • Potentially increased scrutiny

    IPv6 traffic patterns may occasionally trigger heightened scrutiny from anti-bot detection systems due to their relative rarity compared to IPv4 traffic. This is only really relevant when rotating through them quickly, e.g. rotating every request.

  • Less granular geolocation

    While accurate at the country level, IPv6 geolocation data can be less accurate at city-level targeting. This is only an issue if granular geotargeting is relevant to your use case.

Use Cases & Performance

IPv4 and IPv6 Use Cases and Performance

You can choose the right protocol by understanding how IPv4 and IPv6 proxies work in specific situations. Based on a few nuances and differences, there are some situations in which one is clearly a better choice than the other.

  • IPv4 proxies for web scraping

    IPv4 proxies are better suited to activities like web scraping, because only about 40% of the top 1,000 domains have IPv6 support. IPv4 proxies connect better when collecting data from mainstream websites.

    Sites like Amazon, Twitter, GitHub, and WordPress all currently lack IPv6 support, so an IPv4 proxy is the safer default for broad-coverage scraping.

  • Speed and latency

    Tests in different locations showed that IPv4 and IPv6 have similar speeds for basic connections, with almost the same round-trip times.

    IPv6 works better in multicast situations because it has simpler packet headers and better routing protocols like OSPFv3 — but for ordinary HTTP traffic the difference is negligible.

  • Security features: IPsec and authentication headers

    IPv6 is no more or less secure than IPv4 despite built-in IPsec. The Authentication Header (AH) protocol in IPv6 keeps data safe by using an Integrity Check Value (ICV) for the packet payload.

    IPv6’s tunnel mode Authentication Headers protect better by wrapping the whole original packet with security gateway addressing. Both protocols can use IPsec, but IPv6 blends these security features naturally through its extension header design. The Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) in IPv6 adds privacy through encryption, which standard IPv4 doesn’t have.

Decision Framework

Choosing IPv4 or IPv6 in 2025

At the end of the day, your choice between IPv4 vs IPv6 comes down to whether or not you have a use that only an IPv6 proxy can provide. In almost all other cases you’re better off using an IPv4 proxy.

Device and ISP compatibility

Your devices, ISP, and chosen proxy protocol must work together smoothly. Most modern operating systems now support dual-stack implementation, though Windows, macOS, and mobile platforms handle IPv6 differently.

You should verify your devices and ISP’s IPv6 protocol support before investing in IPv6 proxies. Google’s statistics show that IPv6 usage is set to cross 50% in 2025, but there are notable differences across countries and providers.

Future trends in IPv6 adoption

IPv6 adoption keeps growing faster, and global user traffic should pass 50% in 2025. Several governments have mandated IPv6 deployment, which means that IPv6 proxies will slowly become the standard as time passes.

Side By Side

IPv4 vs IPv6 Proxies Comparison

A quick reference for the practical differences proxy users actually care about.

  • Address format
    IPv432-bit (e.g. 192.168.1.1)
    IPv6128-bit (e.g. 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334)
  • Available address space
    IPv4~4.3 billion unique addresses
    IPv6~340 undecillion (3.4×10³⁸) addresses
  • Compatibility
    IPv4Works with almost all websites and services
    IPv6Limited support
  • Security features
    IPv4Optional IPsec setup
    IPv6Native IPsec and authentication headers
  • Header structure
    IPv4Complex with multiple fields
    IPv6Basic header structure without checksum field
  • NAT requirement
    IPv4Needs NAT to share addresses
    IPv6Direct routing without NAT
  • Best use cases
    IPv4Web scraping · Legacy systems · Mainstream websites
    IPv6Gaming · Streaming services · Mobile applications
  • Current adoption
    IPv4Handles over 90% of internet traffic
    IPv6~50% global adoption expected in 2025
  • Performance
    IPv4Common hardware-accelerated routing
    IPv6Enhanced multicast speed, latency similar to IPv4
  • Configuration
    IPv4Easy setup and control
    IPv6Requires advanced configuration
  • Memory usage
    IPv4Efficient memory use
    IPv6Needs more memory due to larger addresses

Source: Proxidize.com

Pricing

Get started with Proxidize

Pick the network that fits your workflow. Switch any time.

Best for web scraping

Per GB

Pay only for bandwidth used

$2/GB

Total: $1,000 for 500 GB

Bandwidth500 GB
100 GB10 TB
  • Real US mobile carrier IPs
  • City and ASN/ISP targeting
  • Unlimited concurrent connections
  • 99.5%+ success rate
  • HTTPS & SOCKS5 support
  • Real-time dashboard & API access
Start Free Trial
SSL secured
No commitments
Premium support
Best for account management

Per Proxy

Unlimited bandwidth*

$59/proxy/month

Total: $295 for 5 proxies

Proxies5 proxies
1100
  • Real US mobile carrier networks
  • City-level geo-targeting
  • Instant activation (<30s)
  • HTTP & SOCKS5 protocols
  • IP refresh on demand
  • Unlimited bandwidth included
Start Free Trial
SSL secured
No commitments
Premium support

Need more than 1 TB or 100 proxies?

Custom rotation rules, priority support, higher volume limits, and pricing starting at $0.5/GB.

Talk to Sales

Conclusion

So, IPv4 or IPv6 in 2025?

IPv6 adoption is steadily rising, with it expected to surpass 50% this year. The internet is slowly transitioning itself to support IPv6, but for the individual proxy user, this is still largely irrelevant. The decision between using IPv4 or IPv6 proxies isn’t critical, nor does the global context of IPv4 exhaustion meaningfully impact your day-to-day proxy usage.

When it comes down to practical proxy use, you may find that some differences between IPv4 and IPv6 are relevant to your specific use case. IPv4 proxies continue to offer broad compatibility, established geolocation accuracy, and stable performance. IPv6 proxies, on the other hand, provide slightly lower latency and eliminate certain complexities associated with NAT, but come with occasional compatibility hurdles and slightly less precise geolocation data.

Choosing an IPv6 proxy only makes sense if you need features unique to IPv6. In most scenarios, either type will fulfill your needs without significant advantages or disadvantages.

Key takeaways

What to remember about IPv4 vs IPv6 proxies

  • IPv6 adoption is increasing globally, but this does not practically impact individual proxy users
  • IPv4 proxies remain highly compatible and reliable, especially for mainstream websites
  • IPv6 proxies offer virtually unlimited addresses but occasionally suffer from compatibility issues
  • The practical differences between IPv4 and IPv6 proxies are minimal for most users
  • Choose IPv6 only if your specific use case requires its unique characteristics

Ready to get started?

Start free today, or talk to our team to build a plan around your scale.

Start Free TrialContact sales

Mobile proxies.

Real US mobile IPs from major carrier networks. Pay per GB or per proxy.

View mobile pricing

Residential proxies.

Millions of real residential IPs across 195+ countries. Pay per GB.

View residential pricing