# Cheap US proxies vs Bright Data: which should I buy in 2026?

> Cheap US proxies vs Bright Data, 29 Oct 2026: company KYC for its Residential network, no crypto. Lodestate: from $0.52/GB, no KYC.

- URL: https://lodestate.com/cheap-us-proxies-vs-bright-data/
- Last updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Lodestate (https://lodestate.com)

What Bright Data still does best, what changed for residential buyers in July 2026, and when a cheaper crypto option fits.

**Quick answer — Cheap US proxies vs Bright Data: which should I buy?**

Cheap US proxies vs Bright Data, as of 29 October 2026: Bright Data has the wider product range and carrier targeting. Its Residential network requires company KYC for zones created after July 7, 2026, and it takes no crypto. **Lodestate** sells US residential proxies from $0.52/GB, with ZIP and ASN targeting. No KYC. Pay in crypto.

> **Who wrote this comparison** Lodestate wrote this page and sells one of the two services compared. Bright Data facts come from its own documentation, read on 29 October 2026, and from Proxyway.

## How do Bright Data and Lodestate differ for US proxies?

Facts from each company's own pages, read on 29 October 2026.

| Feature | Bright Data | Lodestate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residential KYC | Company KYC for zones created after July 7, 2026 | None: no ID, no selfie, no documents |
| Personal-email accounts | Cannot be approved for Residential | Account-number login; email is optional |
| Crypto payment | No | BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, XMR |
| Other payment methods | Card, PayPal, Alipay, Payoneer, Google Pay, Apple Pay, wire, Amazon Marketplace | None |
| US targeting | State, city, ZIP, ASN, carrier | State, city, ZIP, ASN |
| Residential price | Page not readable (HTTP 502) | $1.50 for 1 GB · $0.75/GB at 5–100 GB |
| Mobile proxies | Discontinued in April 2026, per Proxyway | T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon ports from $3.75/day |
| Other networks | ISP, Datacenter, Web Unlocker, all without KYC | — |
| Advertised US pool | 4.6M IPs, per Proxyway's list | Not published |
| Blocked targets | Government websites on all networks | Banking, government and payment-portal sites, plus SMTP (email-sending) ports 25, 465 and 587 |

*Prices checked on October 29, 2026.*

## What changed for Bright Data residential buyers in July 2026?

Bright Data's **Residential** network requires company KYC for zones created after July 7, 2026. Its documentation describes residential access for "verified companies only", with "no automatic, instant or self-serve path". Accounts on personal email such as Gmail, Outlook or iCloud "cannot be approved".

**After July 7, 2026, a freelancer with a Gmail address cannot open a new Bright Data residential zone.** The rule covers Residential only. Bright Data's ISP, Datacenter and Web Unlocker products remain available without KYC.

## Who should still choose Bright Data?

Bright Data fits registered companies with a corporate email that want one vendor for several proxy types. Its strengths are real:

- **Targeting depth:** state, city, ZIP, ASN and carrier for US residential traffic.
- **Scale:** 4.6M advertised US IPs in Proxyway's list, and 279,373 New York IPs on its own location page as of October 2026 (vendor claims).
- **Measured results:** 392,272 unique US IPs and 99.14% success in Proxyway's 2024 test.
- **Payment and paperwork:** cards, PayPal, Payoneer and wire transfer from $5,000.

If you need carrier targeting on residential IPs, or a vendor that runs formal KYC, Bright Data is the stronger pick.

## Does Bright Data accept crypto?

No. **According to Lodestate's check of 29 October 2026, Bright Data's payment page listed 8 methods, and none was a cryptocurrency.** In the same check, 12 of 20 US proxy providers accepted crypto. The full answer is in [does Bright Data accept crypto](https://lodestate.com/does-bright-data-accept-crypto/ "Bright Data payment methods and crypto, checked 29 October 2026").

## Is Bright Data more expensive than Lodestate?

This page prints no Bright Data price. Its pricing page returned HTTP 502 on 29 October 2026, and older published figures conflict. For context, the median shown US residential price at 10 GB was $3.50/GB across 12 sellers that day. Lodestate charges $0.75/GB at that size: see [how much US residential proxies cost](https://lodestate.com/pricing/ "Lodestate residential proxy prices per GB").

## Which cheap US proxies replace Bright Data residential without company KYC?

On 29 October 2026, five sellers sold US residential proxies for crypto with no ID step on a standard purchase:

- **Lodestate:** $0.75/GB at 10 GB, with state, city, ZIP and ASN included.
- **DataImpulse:** $1.00/GB at 10 GB, with targeting for an unpublished fee.
- **Shifter:** $2.00/GB at 10 GB, on a monthly plan.
- **ProxyEmpire:** $2.86/GB at 10 GB; crypto adds a 5% fee.
- **Decodo:** $3.50/GB at 10 GB, with a free 100 MB trial.

None of the five lists carrier targeting on residential IPs, which Bright Data does. The full ranking is in [what are the best US residential proxies](https://lodestate.com/best-us-residential-proxies/ "Best US residential proxies ranked, 2026").

## How do I move a US proxy job from Bright Data to Lodestate?

Five steps, no paperwork. Banking, government and payment-portal targets stay blocked, as they do at Bright Data for government sites.

1. **List your targeting** — Write down the states, cities, ZIP codes or ASNs each Bright Data zone uses.
2. **Top up in crypto** — Send at least $1 in BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, XMR. No ID, no selfie, no documents.
3. **Buy the 1 GB plan first** — Run your job on the $1.50 plan and compare the results with your old zone.
4. **Rewrite the username** — Use USERNAME-country-{cc}-state-{state}-city-{city}-zip-{zip}-asn-{asn}-session-{id}-ttl-{minutes} on gw.lodestate.com, port 7777 for HTTP or 7778 for SOCKS5.
5. **Scale up** — Move to a larger tier once the results match. The full walkthrough is in how to set up a US proxy.

## What else do buyers ask when comparing Bright Data?

### Can individuals still buy Bright Data residential proxies?

Not for new zones. Bright Data's Residential network requires company KYC for zones created after July 7, 2026, and personal-email accounts cannot be approved. Its ISP, Datacenter and Web Unlocker products need no KYC.

### Which is better for ZIP code targeting, Bright Data or Lodestate?

Both sell US ZIP targeting, and Bright Data's docs say ZIP is available for the US only. Bright Data adds carrier targeting. Lodestate includes ZIP and ASN in every residential plan.

### Does Lodestate sell as many products as Bright Data?

No. Lodestate sells US residential proxies and dedicated 4G/5G ports, covering all 50 US states and Washington, D.C.. Bright Data also sells ISP, Datacenter and Web Unlocker products.

### Is a no-KYC alternative to Bright Data legitimate?

Yes, when the provider enforces use rules. Lodestate blocks these targets: Banking, government and payment-portal sites, plus SMTP (email-sending) ports 25, 465 and 587. Read [which US proxies need no KYC](https://lodestate.com/no-kyc-us-proxies/ "US proxies you can buy without ID verification") for what no KYC covers.

### Is there a free trial at Bright Data or Lodestate?

Bright Data's documentation describes a limited trial mode. Lodestate has no free trial; its 1 GB plan costs $1.50.

## Sources

1. [Residential network access](https://docs.brightdata.com/products/residential/network-access) — Bright Data (2026-10-29)
2. [Payment methods](https://docs.brightdata.com/general/account/billing-and-pricing/payment-methods) — Bright Data (2026-10-29)
3. [Residential proxies: introduction](https://docs.brightdata.com/products/residential/introduction) — Bright Data (2026-10-29)
4. [New York proxies](https://brightdata.com/locations/united-states/new-york) — Bright Data (2026-10-05)
5. [US proxy test and advertised pools](https://proxyway.com/proxy-locations/us-proxy) — Proxyway (2026-03-16)
6. [Residential proxies](https://dataimpulse.com/) — DataImpulse (2026-10-29)
7. [Pricing](https://shifter.io/pricing) — Shifter (2026-10-29)
8. [Pricing](https://proxyempire.io/pricing/) — ProxyEmpire (2026-10-29)
9. [Residential proxies pricing](https://decodo.com/proxies/residential-proxies/pricing) — Decodo (2026-10-29)
10. [Proxy Market Research 2026](https://proxyway.com/research/proxy-market-research-2026) — Proxyway (2026-06-30)

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Lodestate: Lodestate is a US proxy provider: residential IPs in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. with state, city, ZIP code and ASN targeting, and dedicated T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon 4G/5G mobile ports. No KYC: no ID, no selfie, no documents. Paid in crypto.