Proxy chains: sending traffic through two proxies, and what it costs
A proxy chain sends your traffic through two or more proxies in a row: your software connects to the first, asks it to connect to the second, and the last one connects to the site, which sees only the last proxy’s address. It is useful when your network only lets you out through a proxy of its own, or when you want no single proxy to see both you and the site. It is slower, it breaks when any link fails, and every paid proxy in the chain bills the same traffic, so two per-GB proxies cost you each GB twice.
Both priced today, checked up to Oct 24, 2026:
- 10 GB of residential traffic: a median $5.00 per GB across 26 providers; the cheapest checkout is $7.92 at Geonode.
- 10 datacenter IPs for a month: a median $1.42 per IP a month across 7 providers; the cheapest checkout is $2.99 at Webshare.
Every billing type competes; free plans are left out. The amounts are the kind a first purchase is made in; change them on each comparison.
Answer · The live comparison uses prices checked up to Oct 24, 2026; every figure in the text keeps the date it was checked.
On this page
- You, two proxies, the site
- Youconnect to the first proxy and ask it to reach the second
- First proxysees your address and the second's; unless you reach the second over https://, also the site's name and your login to the second
- Second proxysees the first proxy's address and the site's name, not yours
- The sitesees only the second proxy's address
How a chain is built
Each proxy is asked to open a connection to the next, the same way a single proxy is asked to open one to a site: a CONNECT request to an HTTP proxy (RFC 9110, section 9.3.6) or a connect request to a SOCKS proxy (RFC 1928). Most programs accept one proxy, so chains are usually built with a tool in between. ProxyChains-NG, for one, hooks a program’s network calls and routes them “through proxy (or chained proxies)”, can “mix different proxy types in the same chain”, and offers four ways to use a list (ProxyChains-NG README and its sample settings):
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
strict_chain |
Uses every proxy in the order listed; “all proxies must be online” |
dynamic_chain |
Uses them in order but skips dead ones; “at least one proxy must be online” |
round_robin_chain |
Uses chain_len proxies in list order, each connection starting after the last proxy the previous one used; dead ones are skipped |
random_chain |
Picks a random proxy, or a chain of chain_len of them, for each connection |
When a chain is worth it
- Your network only lets you out through its own proxy. An office or school proxy can be the first link and the proxy you bought the second, so your traffic still leaves from the address you paid for. The ProxyChains README lists this first among its uses.
- You do not want one company to see both ends. The last proxy sees the site and the previous proxy’s address, not yours. The first sees your address and the second’s, and it carries your request to the second proxy: unless you reach the second over an encrypted
https://proxy address, that request shows the first the site’s name and your login to the second (HTTPS proxies explains what a proxy can see). Overhttps://neither sees the pages. - Not for “more anonymity” against the site. The site sees the last proxy’s address either way, and what can give a proxy away is that address and your own browser, not the number of hops (proxy anonymity levels).
What it costs
- Traffic, twice. Every byte crosses each proxy, so each proxy sold by the GB meters it. Two gateways at the same rate per GB double the rate you pay; pairing a per-GB proxy with one sold by the IP, or with your own office proxy, keeps the bill to one meter.
- Speed. Each link adds its own round trip to every connection, and a slow first proxy slows everything after it.
- Reliability. A strict chain fails when any link fails; a dynamic chain survives a dead link only by leaving it out, which changes who sees what.
- Rotation. If one link is a rotating gateway, each new connection can leave from a different address. Chain a rotating gateway last, where its address is the one the site sees, and keep earlier links fixed.
If you only need a different address for the site, one proxy does it on one traffic bill; the box above prices one today.
Price it for your amount
Today's checkout totals, every billing type competing. Change the amount to recalculate.
Geonode
$34.65Residential monthly subscription · Monthly
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · $0.69 per GB used
Buy at Geonode →GB and IP packages use separate amounts and billing units.