DataResearchTools vs Smartproxy (Decodo): Mobile Proxy Comparison

Smartproxy rebranded to Decodo in late 2024, but the underlying infrastructure stayed largely the same. They remain one of the largest proxy providers by customer count, offering residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies across a broad geographic footprint.

DataResearchTools takes a different approach: a focused mobile proxy service built around Singapore carrier-grade IPs, designed specifically for multi-account operations and Southeast Asian coverage.

This comparison breaks down where each provider excels and where each falls short.

Smartproxy (Decodo) Overview

Smartproxy launched in 2018 in Lithuania and quickly grew into one of the most recognized names in the proxy industry. Their rebrand to Decodo came with a refreshed dashboard and expanded product line, but the core proxy infrastructure remained consistent.

What Smartproxy Offers

Residential proxies: 55M+ IP pool across 195+ locations
Mobile proxies: Available as an add-on product, not the core offering
Datacenter proxies: Shared and dedicated options
Scraping APIs: Pre-built solutions for common scraping targets
Browser automation tools: Integrated anti-detect features

Smartproxy built its reputation on residential proxies. Their mobile proxy offering came later and functions as a supplementary product rather than the primary focus.

Smartproxy’s Mobile Proxy Specifics

Smartproxy’s mobile proxy pool is significantly smaller than their residential pool. They advertise mobile IPs in 130+ countries, but the actual depth varies enormously by location.

Key specifications:

Mobile IP pool: Undisclosed exact number, estimated at 2-4 million
Session types: Rotating and sticky (up to 30 minutes)
Protocols: HTTP(S) and SOCKS5
Authentication: Username/password and IP whitelisting

DataResearchTools Overview

DataResearchTools operates a mobile proxy infrastructure anchored in Singapore. Rather than trying to cover every country with thin pools, we concentrate on deep, carrier-grade coverage in Southeast Asia.

What DataResearchTools Offers

Singapore mobile proxies: Carrier-grade IPs from major Singapore mobile operators
Sticky sessions: Extended session durations for account management
Multi-account infrastructure: Purpose-built for running multiple accounts on platforms
SEA-focused coverage: Deep pools in Singapore and expanding Southeast Asian coverage

Pricing Comparison

Pricing is where buyers typically start, so let us get this out of the way.

Smartproxy (Decodo) Pricing

Smartproxy uses a tiered per-GB model for mobile proxies:

Pay-as-you-go: Approximately $8-$12/GB for mobile proxies
Monthly plans: Lower per-GB rates at higher commitments (starting around $6/GB at 50GB+)
Enterprise pricing available for high-volume users

Their residential proxies are cheaper ($2-$4/GB), which often leads buyers to choose residential over mobile within Smartproxy’s ecosystem, even when mobile would be more appropriate.

DataResearchTools Pricing

DataResearchTools offers competitive per-GB pricing for mobile proxies:

Plans structured around usage tiers with volume discounts
Singapore mobile IPs priced to reflect carrier-grade quality
No hidden fees for concurrent sessions or sticky session usage

The per-GB comparison alone is misleading. What matters is cost per successful operation. If a provider charges $6/GB but 30% of requests fail or trigger account flags, the effective cost is much higher than a provider charging $8/GB with a 95%+ success rate.

Singapore Coverage Comparison

This is the most significant differentiator for anyone operating in Southeast Asia.

Smartproxy’s Singapore Coverage

Smartproxy lists Singapore in their country coverage, but the actual mobile IP pool for Singapore is thin. During our testing:

Mobile IPs from Singapore were limited in quantity
Some IPs labeled as “Singapore mobile” resolved to residential ASNs, not carrier ASNs
Rotation within Singapore-only mode recycled the same IPs frequently
Sticky sessions in Singapore sometimes assigned IPs from neighboring countries

This is not unusual for global providers. Maintaining deep mobile pools in every country is expensive, so they prioritize high-demand markets like the US, UK, and Germany.

DataResearchTools’ Singapore Coverage

Singapore is our home base. Our infrastructure runs on direct carrier relationships with Singapore mobile operators:

All IPs are verifiable carrier-grade mobile assignments
Deep pool prevents rapid recycling
Sticky sessions reliably hold Singapore IPs
No IP misattribution between mobile and residential classifications

For operations targeting Singapore platforms, local marketplaces, or Southeast Asian social media, this difference is measurable in account survival rates and detection outcomes.

Mobile IP Quality

IP quality is not just about whether an IP is “mobile.” It is about how that IP is perceived by target platforms.

ASN and Carrier Verification

We ran both providers through standard IP intelligence checks:

Smartproxy: Approximately 70-80% of IPs returned as mobile-classified in IP databases. The remainder showed as residential or ISP-classified. This is not necessarily a problem for scraping but creates inconsistencies for account management.
DataResearchTools: 98%+ of IPs correctly classified as mobile across major IP intelligence databases (MaxMind, IP2Location, IPinfo).

Platform Detection Rates

Testing against common platforms that employ sophisticated bot detection:

Smartproxy mobile: Moderate detection rates. Adequate for scraping and data collection. Higher friction on platforms with strict device-fingerprint correlation.
DataResearchTools: Lower detection rates on Southeast Asian platforms specifically, where our Singapore carrier IPs match the expected traffic patterns.

Session Types and Control

Smartproxy Session Management

Smartproxy offers:

Rotating sessions: New IP per request or at timed intervals
Sticky sessions: Up to 30 minutes per session
Session ID-based control: Set via username parameters

The session system works reliably in our testing. The 30-minute sticky cap is adequate for most scraping tasks but can be limiting for multi-account management workflows that require longer session persistence.

DataResearchTools Session Management

DataResearchTools provides:

Rotating sessions: Configurable rotation intervals
Extended sticky sessions: Longer hold times designed for account management
Session persistence: Reliable IP holding without mid-session drops
Concurrent session management: Multiple sticky sessions for multi-account workflows

For operators managing dozens or hundreds of accounts, the difference in session control directly impacts workflow design and account safety.

Session Reliability Under Load

We tested both providers with increasing concurrent sticky session counts:

10 concurrent sessions: Both providers maintained sessions reliably.
50 concurrent sessions: Smartproxy maintained approximately 90% of sessions. DataResearchTools maintained 98%.
100 concurrent sessions: Smartproxy showed increased drop rates. DataResearchTools maintained 95%+.

The difference becomes operationally significant at scale. Each dropped session means a potential account flag if the IP changes unexpectedly during an active account session.

Dashboard and API

Smartproxy Dashboard

Smartproxy’s dashboard (now Decodo) is polished and feature-rich:

Usage monitoring with real-time graphs
Endpoint generator for common configurations
API access for programmatic management
Integration guides for popular tools

Their dashboard is one of the best in the industry for general use. It reflects their years of investment in user experience.

DataResearchTools Dashboard

DataResearchTools focuses on functional efficiency:

Usage tracking and session monitoring
Endpoint configuration
Multi-account session management tools
API access for automation

Our dashboard is leaner than Smartproxy’s but purpose-built for proxy management rather than serving as a portal for multiple product lines.

Support Comparison

Smartproxy Support

24/7 live chat
Email support
Extensive knowledge base
Response quality is generally good for common issues, more variable for technical edge cases

DataResearchTools Support

Direct technical support
Faster escalation to engineering for complex issues
Smaller team means more personalized assistance
Stronger domain knowledge for multi-account and SEA-specific use cases

When to Choose Smartproxy (Decodo)

Smartproxy is the stronger choice when:

You need a single provider for residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies across multiple product lines
Your primary target geography is the US, Europe, or other well-covered regions
You prioritize a polished dashboard and extensive documentation
Your use case is primarily scraping or data collection rather than account management
You want the largest possible residential pool as a fallback option

When to Choose DataResearchTools

DataResearchTools is the stronger choice when:

You need deep Singapore mobile proxy coverage with genuine carrier-grade IPs
Your operations focus on Southeast Asian platforms and services
Multi-account management is your primary use case
You need extended sticky sessions that reliably hold Singapore IPs
IP trust scores on SEA platforms matter more than global coverage breadth

Verdict

Smartproxy is a solid general-purpose proxy provider with a mature platform. If you need broad coverage across many proxy types and many countries, they deliver a reliable, well-documented service.

DataResearchTools wins on specialization. For Singapore mobile proxies, multi-account operations, and Southeast Asian platform work, our focused infrastructure outperforms Smartproxy’s more generalized mobile offering.

The decision comes down to what you are actually doing. If you need to scrape US e-commerce sites and also want mobile proxies in Asia as a secondary use case, Smartproxy’s breadth makes sense. If Singapore mobile proxies are core to your operation, DataResearchTools delivers deeper, more reliable coverage.

For more comparisons, visit our proxy provider comparisons hub to see how other providers stack up.

Want to test the difference? Try DataResearchTools with a trial and run your own benchmarks against Smartproxy. Your detection rates will tell the story better than any comparison article.