Minimum commitment
A minimum commitment is the smallest amount a provider will sell you. 377 of the 545 plans Proxy Compare prices are sold monthly and 17 are pay as you go, read 5 Oct 2026. On residential plans the minimum is often the real entry price, not the advertised rate.
Why it costs you money
It is what separates a headline rate from a rate you can buy. The cheapest per-gigabyte figures in this market sit on the largest commitments, so a rate quoted at 100 TB is not available to a buyer spending a few hundred dollars a month, no matter how prominently it appears on the page.
See it in the data
Related terms
- Per-GB pricingBilling by the gigabyte you move, the dominant model for residential proxies and the one most comparisons assume.
- Prepaid trafficBuying a block of gigabytes up front and drawing it down, instead of committing to a recurring monthly allowance.
- Pay as you goBuying bandwidth in top-ups instead of a monthly plan. Cheaper for bursty work, dearer per gigabyte.
- Bandwidth overageWhat a provider charges once you pass the gigabytes your plan includes. Often several times the headline rate.
- Every term we define
Questions
What is the smallest amount I can buy?
It varies by provider. 377 of the 545 plans priced here are sold monthly against 17 pay as you go, read 5 Oct 2026, and on residential the minimum is often the real entry price rather than the advertised per-gigabyte rate.
Does a bigger commitment lower the rate?
Usually. 280 of the 545 plans state an included allowance, read 5 Oct 2026, and the per-gigabyte rate normally falls as that allowance rises. What it does not do is refund the part you never use.
What happens to allowance I do not use?
It normally expires at the end of the billing month. Where a provider says otherwise it says so in the terms rather than on the pricing page, which is why the question is worth asking in writing before you commit.