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Industry research published mid-2026 found that several major proxy providers — Oxylabs, Massive, and SOAX among them — hid or discontinued their pay-as-you-go plans this year, in some cases raising the minimum entry point by up to 25 times. IPRoyal, Decodo, Oxylabs, and Massive also pulled the long-running 40-50% discount codes that made their list prices look better than what most buyers actually paid. The market didn't move in one direction, though — budget-tier resellers like ProxyEmpire and Webshare cut their rates roughly in half over the same period.
What actually changed
Independent proxy market research published in June 2026 documented two separate shifts happening at the same time. First, several providers — IPRoyal, Decodo, Oxylabs, and Massive among them — removed discount codes that had been running long enough to function as the real price most buyers paid, rather than a temporary promotion. Decodo and Oxylabs also revised their permanent plan pricing to sit roughly 25% below the original list price, while IPRoyal simply reverted to its pre-coupon rate — meaning the net effect on what a buyer actually pays varies by provider even though the headline story is the same.
Second, and more significant for smaller buyers specifically: Oxylabs, Massive, and SOAX hid or discontinued their pay-as-you-go plans entirely, pushing buyers toward committed, higher-minimum tiers instead. The research describes entry points rising by as much as 25 times at the providers that made this change — a small-volume or trial-stage buyer who previously could start with a modest purchase now faces a substantially higher minimum commitment at those specific providers.
The market didn't move in one direction
The same research found the budget and reseller tier moving the opposite way — providers like ProxyEmpire and Webshare, whose customer base skews toward budget-conscious and entry-level users, roughly halved their rates over the same period. The proxy market in 2026 isn't uniformly getting more expensive; it's bifurcating, with enterprise and mid-market providers raising the floor for smaller buyers while budget-focused providers compete more aggressively for exactly that segment.
What this means if you're evaluating providers right now
Check whether pay-as-you-go access still actually exists, not just whether it's advertised. A provider's marketing page and its current live pricing page can disagree, especially at providers that made this kind of change mid-year. Confirming current minimum purchase size directly is worth doing before assuming last year's pricing structure still applies.
A lower list price doesn't always mean lower access. A provider revising its permanent plan to be 25% cheaper on paper, while simultaneously removing the discount code that made the old price competitive, can leave the real price a typical buyer pays roughly unchanged, or worse, depending on which one they were relying on.
Testing-stage and low-volume buyers are the most exposed group. The providers that removed PAYG access specifically affected buyers who wanted to test a workflow or run occasional, modest volume — exactly the use case a large minimum purchase doesn't fit.
Where this leaves pay-as-you-go buyers
For teams whose actual usage doesn't justify a large committed minimum, or who want to validate a workflow before buying volume, this shift makes the remaining pay-as-you-go options more relevant, not less. SimplyNode's pricing didn't follow this trend — it remains pay-as-you-go with no monthly minimum and no expiration on unused bandwidth, the same structure regardless of whether you're buying 1 GB to test or scaling to production volume.
FAQ
Did all proxy providers raise their prices in 2026? No. Research found several major providers (Oxylabs, Massive, SOAX) removing pay-as-you-go access and raising entry minimums, while budget-tier providers like ProxyEmpire and Webshare cut rates roughly in half over the same period. The market split rather than moving uniformly in one direction.
Why did some providers remove their pay-as-you-go plans? The research doesn't state an official reason from the providers themselves, but the practical effect is pushing buyers toward higher-commitment, higher-minimum plans instead of low-volume or trial-scale access.
Does a lower advertised price mean a proxy plan actually got cheaper? Not necessarily. Some providers revised list prices down while also removing the discount codes that had made the previous price competitive — the real price a typical buyer pays can end up roughly unchanged despite the lower sticker price.
How can I tell if a provider still offers real pay-as-you-go access? Check the current live pricing page directly rather than relying on older reviews or marketing material, since several providers made this change mid-2026 without significant announcement.
Pricing and market structure findings reference Proxyway's 2026 Proxy Market Research report, published June 30, 2026.