How Much Does a Sneaker Bot Setup Cost?

A sneaker bot setup usually costs more than the bot. Over a year, proxies, a cook group and sometimes a server can match or exceed the license itself. This guide breaks down each cost with real, dated prices, then adds them up for two example setups so you can see what a year of botting might cost before you start.

Bot, proxy and server prices below were checked on the sellers' own sites on October 7, 2026, and cook group prices on October 6, 2026, all in US dollars before tax. Prices change often, so check each listing for the latest verified figures.

The four main costs#

Smaller costs can come on top: paid captcha solving, store accounts where a site requires them, and payment card fees. We cover the big four here.

The bot license#

The license is usually the largest upfront cost, and the price varies a lot between bots:

• PrismAIO: $100 for the first month, then $50 a month. Prism's site
• Stellar AIO: $499 for the first 3 months, then $150 a quarter, or $899 for a year. Stellar's site
• Valor AIO: $1,999.99 including the first 30 days, then $49.99 a month.
• Refract: $1,999 for the first 3 months, then $50 a month.

Notice the pattern: a high upfront fee doesn't mean high renewals. Valor and Refract cost about $2,000 to start but around $50 a month after, the same as Prism. What you pay over a year depends on both. Our guide to licenses, renewals and rentals explains how renewals, lapses and rentals work.

Proxies#

Proxies are often the biggest ongoing cost. Stellar, for example, suggests at least one proxy per task, ideally two or more. How they're billed depends on the type:

• Residential proxies are billed by the gigabyte. IPRoyal lists $5.25 per GB on a 10 GB subscription and $7 per GB on 1 GB, and Oxylabs lists 20 GB a month for $100.
• ISP proxies are billed per IP, usually monthly. HypeProxies lists 100 ISP proxies for $125 a month, or 50 for $65.

How much residential data you'll use is hard to predict, because it depends on the store, the number of tasks and how long they run. One rare published figure: Refract suggests budgeting about 2 to 4 GB per 200 tasks for a Walmart drop, and notes that tasks waiting idle for a product use none. At IPRoyal's $5.25 per GB, that's roughly $10 to $21 for one such drop.

Which type you need depends on the stores you run. Our guide to residential, ISP and datacenter proxies compares them.

Cook groups#

A cook group isn't required, but many beginners join one for release info, monitors and setup help. Prices from OOSClub's listings:

• FlipFlip: $9.99 a month for its Pokémon pass, up to $49.99 a month for its Pro plan.
• Polar Chefs: $75 a month, $195 a quarter or $660 a year.

Our guide to cook groups covers what they include and how billing works.

Servers#

A server is a remote computer you rent to run your bot around the clock. Chef Servers, for example, lists virtual servers from $39.95 a month and bare metal servers from $59 a month.

A server isn't always worth it. Stellar warns that Target and Pokémon Center can detect server IPs and doesn't recommend servers there, so for some stores your own computer is the better choice. Our guide to whether you need a server covers when one makes sense.

Two example setups#

Here's what two setups would cost over a first year, using the prices above. These are our own calculations from listed prices, assuming you keep everything running for 12 months. The products are examples, not recommendations, and the right mix depends on the stores you run.

A lean setup#

The proxy line is the uncertain one. At Refract's Walmart figure, 10 GB a month covers roughly a few drops of 200 tasks. Running more, or on stores that use more data, raises it.

A larger setup#

In this setup, the proxies cost more over the year than the bot. Swapping in a bot with a $2,000 upfront fee, such as Refract, would add about $1,500 to the first year, but very little after that.

To build your own version with the bots, proxies, groups and servers you're considering, use the bot cost calculator.

Where the money goes after year one#

The first year is the most expensive, because it includes upfront fees. After that:

• Licenses drop to their renewal price, around $50 a month for several bots.
• Proxies and cook groups keep the same price, so they become a bigger share of your costs.
• Lapsing can be expensive. Some bots charge a reactivation fee to bring a lapsed license back, and Refract's is $200 plus the first month. Pausing isn't always cheaper than paying.

For other ways to start, including without a bot, see our guide to how much money you need to start reselling.

Ways to keep costs down#

• Start with one store and one bot that supports it well, rather than paying for broad coverage you won't use.
• Match proxies to the store. Paying for more proxies or data than your tasks need is the easiest way to overspend.
• Skip the server unless your stores and schedule need one.
• Use free tiers and trials where cook groups offer them, before committing to a yearly plan.
• Check for restocks and group buys before paying a premium for a license secondhand.

None of these costs guarantee a checkout. Before you spend, it's worth working out how many successful flips would cover a year of costs, which our guide to whether a sneaker bot is worth it walks through. To compare bots by price, start from the bots hub.