# Smartproxy vs IPRoyal: which do AI models recommend for proxy and web data, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Proxy and web data providers. Four of fourteen models named Smartproxy first on the direct prompt; zero named IPRoyal. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/it-data/proxy-networks/smartproxy-vs-iproyal/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartproxy | 15% | #2 of 11 | 5% | 21 | 12 of 14 |
| IPRoyal | 2% | #7 of 11 | 19% | 27 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Gemini 3.5 Flash: smartproxy first (first choices: SOAX, Smartproxy) (alternatives: Bright Data, NetNut, NodeMaven, Oxylabs, SimplyNode)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: smartproxy first (first choices: Smartproxy) (alternatives: Oxylabs, SOAX)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: smartproxy first (first choices: Smartproxy) (alternatives: Bright Data, Oxylabs, SOAX, Webshare)
- MiniMax M2.5: smartproxy first (first choices: Rayobyte, Smartproxy) (alternatives: Oxylabs)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Decodo, Oxylabs) (alternatives: Bright Data, SOAX)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Bright Data, Oxylabs) (alternatives: Decodo, NetNut, SOAX)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Decodo) (alternatives: Oxylabs, Proxy-Seller)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Decodo) (alternatives: Oxylabs, SOAX)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Decodo) (alternatives: Oxylabs, ProxyWing)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Decodo) (alternatives: Infatica, Oxylabs, ProxyWing)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Decodo) (alternatives: Oxylabs)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Decodo) (alternatives: DataImpulse, SOAX)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Decodo) (alternatives: Bright Data, Oxylabs)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither named (first choices: Decodo) (alternatives: Infatica, SOAX)

## What the models said about Smartproxy

- "free tiers from providers like Luminati or Smartproxy, but these often come with limitations in terms of speed and IP pool size" (Mistral Small, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "For most mid-market B2B companies, Smartproxy (Decodo) offers the best combination of network quality, feature set, and pricing" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "For most mid-market B2B companies, Smartproxy (Decodo) offers the best combination of features, pricing, and ease of use" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, direct prompt, first choice)
- "I recommend focusing on providers like Smartproxy or Rayobyte due to their mid-market positioning" (MiniMax M2.5, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about IPRoyal

- "Providers with Red Flags: IPRoyal: Removed from some recommendation lists due to concerns about fake reviews and transparency issues." (Mistral Small, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "This provider has a strong number of severe warnings regarding deceptive marketing." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Lower performance benchmarks (90% success rate, slower response times ~3.7s), limited city/country targeting" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, comparative prompt, soft negative)
- "Bright Data, IPRoyal, and FloppyData are most often considered the best providers in 2025" (Claude Haiku 4.5, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "1. IPRoyal - Best for Very Tight Budgets ($0-100/month)" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, first choice)
- "IPRoyal: Affordable (34M+ ethical IPs, 40+ countries). Rotating/sticky sessions, city-level targeting. Good for small-medium use." (Grok 4.1 Fast, comparative prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.