What Businesses Need to Know Before They Buy IPv4 Addresses

IPv6 adoption keeps climbing. APNIC, citing Google's measurements, noted that global IPv6 use reached roughly 50 percent by late April 2026. Even so, many networks still rely on public IPv4 to reach the wider internet.

That gap is now a budgeting issue. Since 1 February 2024, AWS has charged $0.005 per hour for each in-use public IPv4 address, which makes unused or oversized address pools easier to spot on the bill.

This guide helps founders and technical leads decide whether to buy IPv4 space, lease it or reduce demand before committing a budget.

Market snapshot for 2026

Prices move with supply, demand and block size. In April 2026, the weighted average sale price across observed transactions was $19.56 per IP, according to IPv4 market reporting.

Treat any figure you read as a dated snapshot, not a fixed quote. The rate for a small block may not match a larger one.

Decide first: buy, lease or avoid

Buying can suit teams with stable, long-term demand and routing they manage themselves. Leasing may fit shorter projects or uncertain growth because it avoids a large upfront purchase.

Reducing demand is the third path. Many workloads can run behind network address translation (NAT) or use an IPv6-first design, which lowers the number of public IPv4 addresses you need.

Cloud charges affect this math. The AWS public IPv4 charge that began on 1 February 2024 made idle pools more visible. Bring-your-own-IP terms vary, so confirm current terms before assuming an exemption.

If your plans involve on-premises hardware or colocation rather than pure cloud, it helps to understand how dedicated servers consume public addresses because that affects how much space you need to source.

What owning IPv4 really means

Regional internet registries grant the right to use and register resources under a service agreement. RIPE NCC's standard terms frame this as a registration relationship, not absolute ownership, so read the agreement that applies to your region.

Policy and logistics that change deals

At ARIN, the minimum IPv4 transfer size is a /24, and recipients must qualify under needs-based policy. ARIN also permits Inter-RIR transfers with APNIC, RIPE NCC and LACNIC under compatible needs-based policies, while AFRINIC is not approved.

RIPE NCC restricts IPv4 transfers for 24 months after addresses are received, which can affect resale timing. APNIC requires an annual membership fee before completing an initial IPv4 transfer to a new or zero-address account.

Map these rules before you negotiate. A block that looks attractive may sit under a hold period or fail a needs check.

Technical acceptance checklist before you buy

• Run reputation and blacklist checks. Spamhaus describes listing criteria that can make ranges difficult to use until they are delisted.
• Confirm routability. Prefixes longer than /24 should not be expected to propagate globally, so a /24 is the practical minimum for independent announcement.
• Plan route origin authorizations (ROAs) and matching Internet Routing Registry (IRR) records so your autonomous system is authorized to originate the prefix.
• Plan reverse DNS and an RFC 8805 geofeed so geolocation databases can map the space correctly.
• Test a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) announcement in staging before you depend on the block in production.

Budgeting and hidden costs

The purchase price is only part of the spend. Cloud IPv4 charges, including the AWS per-hour fee, add ongoing cost for every address in use.

Sourcing options and risk controls

There are three broad routes: buy direct from a seller, use an open marketplace or work through a facilitator that helps with registry paperwork.

Direct deals give you more control but require more internal work. Marketplaces add visibility. Facilitators can handle process steps, but diligence varies.

If a broker-led route fits your risk profile, compare facilitator-style providers that work across ARIN, RIPE and APNIC and support escrow, blacklist checks and registry paperwork. One example is the Buy IPv4 service offered by Brander Group. Brander Group states that its process supports buyers in those regions and gives a typical transfer timeline of about 2 to 3 weeks. Treat any provider timeline as an estimate and confirm it for your case.

Whichever route you choose, use escrow and clear contract terms while registration paperwork is completed.

A practical mini-checklist

1. Decide whether to buy, lease or re-architect.
2. Confirm regional registry policy and transfer type.
3. Check reputation and blacklist status.
4. Verify /24 or larger for independent routing.
5. Plan ROAs, IRR, reverse DNS and an RFC 8805 geofeed.
6. Use escrow, clear contract terms and staging tests.
7. If you use Brander Group's service or another facilitator, confirm scope, timeline, escrow and support.

What drives the price of a block

Several factors move the number on a quote, not just the per-IP average. Block size matters, since one large contiguous /20 often prices differently per address than a handful of separate /24s.

Region matters too. Supply and policy differ across ARIN, RIPE NCC and APNIC, so the same size block can carry a different price depending on where it transfers.

Cleanliness is the quiet variable. A range with no blacklist history is worth more than one that needs delisting work before it can carry production traffic.

Transfer readiness also counts. A block sitting under a RIPE NCC 24-month restriction or waiting on a needs check is harder to move, and that friction shows up in the deal.

After the purchase, bring the space online safely

Closing the deal is the start, not the finish. Before you route anything, line up the technical records that let the space work.

Create or update your route origin authorizations and matching IRR records so your autonomous system is authorized to originate the prefix. Set reverse DNS and publish an RFC 8805 geofeed so geolocation databases place the range correctly.

Then bring it up slowly. Announce the prefix in staging, confirm propagation and watch reputation and blacklist status before you move customer traffic onto it.

Keep the paperwork. Your registry records, the transfer agreement and the escrow release should all be filed where your team can find them later.

FAQ

Will a /25 route globally?

You should not rely on it. Prefixes longer than /24 are widely filtered, so plan around a /24 minimum for independent announcement.

Do I actually own IPv4 addresses when I buy them?

Not in the absolute sense. Regional internet registries grant the right to use and register the space under a service agreement, which RIPE NCC frames as a registration relationship rather than ownership. Read the agreement for your region.

Should I buy or lease?

Buying suits stable, long-term demand and routing you manage yourself. Leasing avoids a large upfront cost and fits shorter projects or uncertain growth. Reducing demand with NAT or an IPv6-first design is a third path.

How long does a transfer take?

It varies by registry and by how clean the block and paperwork are. Facilitators such as Brander Group cite roughly 2 to 3 weeks, though you should treat any timeline as an estimate and confirm it for your case.

Does AWS charge for IPv4 addresses?

Yes. Since 1 February 2024, AWS charges $0.005 per hour for each in-use public IPv4 address, so idle or oversized pools add up. Bring-your-own-IP terms vary, so confirm current terms.

What is the smallest block worth buying?

A /24 is the practical minimum for independent routing, since longer prefixes are widely filtered. At ARIN the minimum transfer size is also a /24.

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