Rotating vs Sticky Sessions: Which One Do You Need?
The simple rule: once you've picked a proxy type, there's one more choice to make. Do you want your IP to change with every request (that's rotating), or the same IP kept for a few minutes (that's sticky)? Both modes draw on the same pool of IPs; they just suit different jobs. Pick the wrong one and you'll notice quickly, usually when a login falls apart halfway through.
Answer three questions and you'll know which to use:
- Will you log in, or put things in a basket? Use sticky.
- Are you only reading public pages, one after another? Use rotating.
- Doing a bit of both? Use both: rotating for the reading, sticky for the steps where the site has to recognise you.
To see what happens under the bonnet, read what is a sticky session, or how rotating proxies work. Is this allowed? Both modes are for legitimate use within each site's terms of service.
Written and kept up to date by the people who run Budget Proxies. If a step no longer matches what you see on your screen, let us know through the contact page.
What this guide walks you through
- Rotating: a different taxi for every trip
- Sticky: one taxi that waits while you run errands
- How the two modes differ in practice
- Which mode fits what you're doing?
- Switching modes, and what it costs
Rotating: a different taxi for every trip
A rotating proxy works like hopping into a different taxi for every journey. Each request gets a different IP, or the IP changes on a short timer, drawn from a big pool of addresses that all sit behind one gateway.
Spreading the work this way means each address only handles a handful of your requests, which makes it easier to stay within sensible rate limits: the caps websites set on how many requests one visitor can send. Rotation is the default for stateless work, where every request stands on its own.
Sticky: one taxi that waits while you run errands
A sticky session is more like keeping the same taxi for a round trip with several stops. You keep one IP for a window you set, typically between 1 and 30 minutes, and every request in that window appears to come from the same visitor. That's what stateful work needs: anything where a login or session has to stay alive across several pages. When the window closes you're given a new IP, and you can also start a fresh session whenever you like.
How the two modes differ in practice
The table lines up the practical differences. If you only check one row, make it the first: whether you need the same address from one request to the next tells you most of what you need to know.
| What to compare | Rotating | Sticky |
|---|---|---|
| When the IP changes | Every request, or on a short timer | Kept for 1–30 minutes |
| Good for | Requests that stand alone | Tasks with several steps |
| Examples | Price monitoring, ranking checks | Logging in and browsing, checkout |
| Main strength | Spreads your requests across many IPs | You stay the same visitor across pages |
| Account tasks | Less suitable | The better fit, within platform terms |
Which mode fits what you're doing?
- Rotating suits collecting lots of public information: keeping an eye on prices, tracking search rankings and fetching many unrelated pages. A new IP for every request spreads your activity widely and stays efficient as the number of pages grows.
- Sticky suits tasks where the website needs to know it's still you from page to page: logging in and then moving around, filling in a form over several pages, or running a single business account from a steady address within the platform's terms.
The classic beginner mistake is running a login through per-request rotation and then wondering why the site keeps forgetting you. Plenty of projects use both modes: rotating for the wide sweep, sticky for the few steps that need a session. And whichever you choose, no proxy can promise what happens to an account; each platform's terms always apply.
Switching modes, and what it costs
Nothing, as it happens. Neither mode costs extra, because both are part of every plan, and the dashboard lets you flip between per-request and sticky whenever you like, on the datacenter, residential and mobile plans. What you pay depends only on the data you use. Estimate it with the proxy calculator and look through the plans on the pricing page; when you're ready, buy now from $2.49/GB.
Questions beginners ask
Not sure what to buy? Start at step 1
Here are our four types, from the lowest price per GB upwards. Try a small amount of the first one that could work for your project, and only move up a step if a quick test lets you down.
Sites without bot protection, big batches of public pages, automation and SEO tools
Protected sites, ad checks, market research and seeing what one place really sees
Apps and platforms built for phones, plus testing your own mobile app
Well-guarded sites, where a better success rate is worth the higher price
Small first order? Datacenter from $2.49/GB · billed on the data you actually move · ready straight away · 30 days to use it · no traffic logs.
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Read the guide →Got a particular job in mind?
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