Shifter
Unlimited-bandwidth peer-to-peer residential ports
$25/mo
from $25/mo /GB
- IP Pool
- 31M+
- Countries
- 130+
- Uptime
- 99.2%
- Avg. response
- 1.5s
- Free trial
- No
- Founded
- 2012
Our verdict
Shifter's unlimited-bandwidth port model remains its reason to exist: for bandwidth-hungry, tolerance-forgiving workloads, flat monthly ports can cost a fraction of per-GB billing at the big networks.
Quality is the gamble — sessions vary widely, the legacy reputation is mixed, and once you pay up for geo-targeted special ports the value case thins.
Worth considering for bulk, low-stakes bandwidth; test thoroughly, and keep expectations calibrated to the price.
Speed test & performance
- Advertised pool
- 31M+
- Model
- Unlimited ports
- Rotation
- 5 min
- Starting price
- $25/mo
P2P network
Flat monthly
Basic ports
Per port
Pros & cons
Pros
- Unlimited bandwidth per port
- Flat, predictable monthly pricing
- 31M+ advertised P2P pool
- One of the longest track records in the niche
- Beats per-GB economics for heavy bandwidth
Cons
- Erratic session quality
- Mixed legacy reputation (Microleaves)
- Geo-targeting locked to pricier ports
- Inconsistent support
Overview
Shifter — formerly Microleaves, one of the oldest names in residential proxies (2012) — sells peer-to-peer residential access through unlimited-bandwidth backconnect ports at flat monthly prices, a model that predates today's per-GB norm.
Network and coverage
The P2P network advertises 31M+ residential IPs worldwide. "Basic" ports rotate through the shared pool every 5 minutes; "special" ports add geo-targeting and better pools. Because billing is per port, heavy bandwidth users can beat per-GB economics substantially.
Who it is for
High-bandwidth, low-sensitivity workloads: bulk content downloads, tolerant-target scraping, SEO tooling. If your per-GB bill elsewhere is painful and your targets are forgiving, port economics shine.
Trade-offs
The Microleaves era left a mixed reputation the rebrand has only partly shaken. Session quality is erratic, support is inconsistent, targeting granularity is limited on basic ports, and the premium "special" ports erode the price advantage.
Features & capabilities
Unlimited bandwidth
No per-GB metering on any port.
Backconnect rotation
Pool rotation every 5 minutes on basic ports.
Geo-targeted special ports
Country targeting on premium ports.
API access
Port management via API.
City-level targeting
Country granularity at best.
Consistent session quality
P2P pool quality varies widely.
Integrations & supported tools
Privacy & compliance
Frequently asked questions
You pay a flat monthly fee per backconnect port with unlimited bandwidth, instead of per gigabyte. Basic rotating ports start around $25/month each, with geo-targeted special ports priced higher.
Yes — Shifter is the rebrand of Microleaves, which operated one of the earliest P2P residential networks. The rebrand modernized the product, though reputation from that era remains mixed.
When you push serious bandwidth at tolerant targets. Tens of gigabytes a month through one port costs the same flat fee, where per-GB networks would bill multiples more.
Basic ports rotate through the global pool without targeting. Geo-targeting by country requires the more expensive special ports, which narrows the price advantage.
Not its strength. The shared P2P pool shows erratic quality on defended sites; premium per-GB networks convert hard targets meaningfully better.
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