If your proxy shows the wrong location, the proxy is usually fine. The checker is reading a geolocation database, and databases disagree with each other, mostly on the city and sometimes on the region.
Two sites can show two different cities for the same IP and both be "right" by their own data. The country is almost always the same everywhere. The city is a best guess.
So don't chase an exact city match on every checker. Check the IP on the database your target likely uses, pick by region when precision doesn't matter, and make sure your browser timezone matches the IP.
Key takeaways
- An IP has no built-in location. Every checker looks it up in its own database.
- Databases disagree most on city, less on region, rarely on country.
- A different city on one checker is normal and not a fault of the proxy.
- Match the browser timezone and language to the IP, not to the city you hoped for.
- Refunds: sticky proxies only within the first hour and only if a live test fails, or if the IP/location disagrees with the listing per ip-api.com. Another database's city is not a refund reason.
Why one IP gets different cities
An IP address is just a number. Nothing in it says where it is. Companies like MaxMind, IP2Location, ipinfo and ip-api.com build their own maps from many sources and sell or share them. Each map is a little different.
Here is why they drift apart:
- ISPs move address blocks. A provider can shift a block of addresses from one city to another. Databases catch up at different speeds, so one still shows the old city while another shows the new one.
- Mobile carriers can route through a few hubs. A phone in one city may reach the internet through a gateway in another. The IP then points at the hub, not at the phone.
- Databases update at different times. One refreshes often, another only now and then. For a recently reassigned IP, you can see three answers in three tabs.
- City is a guess. Many databases fall back to the centre of a region or a big nearby city when they aren't sure.
This is why "ip location different on different sites" is such a common search. It happens to home connections, mobile connections and everything else.
Which database does the site use?
Websites don't all use the same source. A shop, an ad platform and a login page may each rely on a different provider. You can't see which one, so you test a few.
Elusive's catalog location is checked against ip-api.com. That means the city you filter by and see in the catalog is what ip-api.com says about that IP. It is one opinion. Other checkers may say something close, or something else.
If you know the platform you work with tends to agree with one database, check that one. If you don't know, check two or three and see what they have in common. A country and region that agree everywhere is a good sign.
What to do about it
- Buy or pick the proxy from the catalog with the location you want.
- Open its IP on ip-api.com and compare it with the catalog listing.
- Open the same IP on two or three other checkers. Note the country and region first, then the city.
- If you need a particular area, check that the region matches. Don't worry if the city name differs by a town or two.
- Set the profile's timezone, language and location to match the IP. See how to match timezone to your proxy.
- Open the sites you work with and see how they behave.
If precision matters, pick an IP near the area you need rather than one in the exact city. The catalog has a ZIP code and radius search for the US, covered in ZIP code proxies.
Common mistakes
- Judging the proxy by one checker. One odd city on one site tells you little. Compare several.
- Setting the timezone from the city you wanted. Set it from the IP's real region. A timezone that doesn't fit the IP is a bigger signal than a neighbouring city.
- Expecting street-level accuracy. No database gives it for a home or mobile IP.
- Mixing up location and block. A site that rejects you isn't necessarily reading your city. If the proxy connects but the site still refuses, go through the proxy works but the site blocks you checklist.
- Changing the proxy over and over. Each new IP can show yet another city. If region and timezone fit, keep working.
Limits
Be realistic about what a proxy location can promise.
- Location data is approximate. Treat the city as a hint and the country and region as solid.
- Sticky proxies keep their IP up to 24 hours. Residential and mobile proxies run on real devices that can go offline, and an ISP can change an IP, so the IP may drop earlier.
- A proxy doesn't make anything against a platform's terms OK. Follow each platform's rules, and use its own tools for teams where they exist.
Refunds and location
Check the IP soon after you get it. A sticky proxy can be refunded to your balance only within its first hour, and only if a live test of it fails, or if its IP or location disagrees with the listing according to ip-api.com. If that happens, contact support on Telegram within that hour. Real people answer.
A fraud score or another database's city is not a refund reason. As above, that is how geolocation works, and ip-api.com is the reference for the listing.
You can see the catalog and filter by country, region and city on the pricing and catalog section.
FAQ
Why does my IP show a different city on different sites?
Each site reads a different geolocation database, and databases update at different times. The country usually matches, but the city is an estimate that can differ from one database to another.
Can I make a proxy show an exact city?
You can filter the catalog by city, but how the IP shows up elsewhere depends on each database. Choose by region when you can, and use a ZIP code and radius search in the US if you need to be close to a place.
Does a wrong city mean the proxy is bad?
No. If the country and region fit and the proxy connects, it works. Compare a few checkers before you decide anything.
When can I get a refund for a location problem?
Only for a sticky proxy, within its first hour, and only if a live test fails or the IP or location disagrees with the listing according to ip-api.com. A fraud score or a different city on another database does not count.