On this page
- Verdict
- Side-by-side comparison
- About Decodo
- About IPRoyal
- Pricing compared
- Performance compared
- Pool & coverage
- Features face-off
- Trials & support
- Where Decodo wins
- Where IPRoyal wins
- Decodo pros & cons
- IPRoyal pros & cons
- Consider the alternative
- Switching between them
- Comparison FAQ
- Related comparisons
- Full reviews
- Related searches
- Make the call
Verdict
Decodo wins this matchup. It ranks #4 to IPRoyal’s #5 in our weighted benchmark, pairing easiest onboarding of any network we tested with stronger overall scores. IPRoyal still makes sense where purchased traffic never expires is the deciding factor.
Side-by-side comparison
| Criterion | Decodo | IPRoyal |
|---|---|---|
| Our rank | #4 of 15 | #5 of 15 |
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Entry price | $2.20/GB | $1.75/GB |
| IP pool | 55M+ | 32M+ |
| Success rate | 98.5% | 97.8% |
| Proxy types | 4 | 4 |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| City targeting | Yes | Yes |
| Support | 24/7 live chat | 24/7 chat |
About Decodo
Decodo is the network most often recommended to first-time buyers, thanks to an interface that makes proxies feel as simple as any consumer SaaS product.
Formerly known as Smartproxy, it rebranded while keeping the same mid-market positioning: serious capability without enterprise friction.
About IPRoyal
IPRoyal is the flexible mid-priced choice whose never-expiring pay-as-you-go traffic quietly saves buyers more than any coupon code could.
It carved out a loyal following among freelancers by refusing to expire purchased data and accepting crypto when few rivals did.
Pricing compared
On paper: $2.20/GB (Decodo) versus $1.75/GB (IPRoyal). Factor retries at 98.5% and 97.8% success and the premium buys back some ground — always run both through a pilot before committing volume.
Performance compared
Our latency and throughput testing favoured Decodo (92 vs 88 speed index), while pool depth favours Decodo. Match the strength to your workload’s bottleneck.
Pool & coverage
Coverage: 55M+ (Decodo) vs 32M+ (IPRoyal). For geo-sensitive work note that city targeting is available on both.
Features face-off
Decodo: Solid 55M+ pool with good uptime; 14-day money-back window.
IPRoyal: Genuinely affordable PAYG rates; Crypto payments accepted.
Trials & support
Decodo support: 24/7 live chat; trial: yes. IPRoyal support: 24/7 chat; trial: no. Responsiveness becomes decisive the night a pipeline breaks — weight it accordingly.
Where Decodo wins
- You are beginners and SMBs who want a smooth first proxy experience.
- Easiest onboarding of any network we tested.
- 14-day money-back window.
Where IPRoyal wins
- You are freelancers and small teams with irregular, bursty usage.
- Purchased traffic never expires.
- Crypto payments accepted.
Decodo pros & cons
- ✅ Easiest onboarding of any network we tested
- ✅ Solid 55M+ pool with good uptime
- ✅ 14-day money-back window
- ⚠️ Mid-tier pricing, not the cheapest
- ⚠️ Mobile pool smaller than specialists
IPRoyal pros & cons
- ✅ Purchased traffic never expires
- ✅ Genuinely affordable PAYG rates
- ✅ Crypto payments accepted
- ⚠️ Dashboard feels dated in places
- ⚠️ Pool trails the category leaders
Consider the alternative
Worth knowing: neither side of this duel tops our table. Cheapest Proxies does, at $0.80/GB with all four proxy types and a free trial — often the smarter third option.
Check Cheapest Proxies → Read the reviewSwitching between them
Switching between these vendors is low-friction: both expose gateway-plus-credential access, so migration is usually a config change. Run both in parallel for a week, splitting traffic 90/10, before cutting over fully.
Comparison FAQ
Which is better, Decodo or IPRoyal?
Decodo wins our weighted benchmark (#4 vs #5), combining easiest onboarding of any network we tested with stronger value scores. IPRoyal remains the right call when freelancers and small teams with irregular, bursty usage matches your situation.
Is Decodo cheaper than IPRoyal?
Entry pricing: $2.20/GB vs $1.75/GB. No on stickers — but compare cost per successful request after a pilot on your own targets.
Do Decodo and IPRoyal offer free trials?
Decodo: yes. IPRoyal: no. Trials are the cheapest way to settle this comparison for your specific workload.
Can I use both Decodo and IPRoyal together?
Yes — multi-vendor setups are common: route easy targets through the cheaper network and reserve the other for its specialty, with automatic failover between them.
Which has the bigger pool, Decodo or IPRoyal?
Decodo — 55M+ versus 32M+. Pool size matters most for high-concurrency rotation.
Full reviews
Deep-dive both sides: Decodo review · IPRoyal review — or browse all 15 provider reviews.
Related searches
Make the call
Ready to lock in the best proxy value of 2026?
Residential, ISP, datacenter and mobile IPs under one dashboard, from $0.80/GB, with no contracts and 24/7 support.