Every so often, the same idea reemerges: if IPv4 prices soften, it suggests that demand is fading and the market is merely driven by inertia. However, the data that surfaced this April points elsewhere. The market doesn’t seem euphoric, but neither is it dead. Instead, it shows signs of more distributed activity—less spectacular than during the boom years of hyperscalers—and still quite real for operators, cloud providers, hosting services, and VPS providers.
In this context, the names Hostinger and Hetzner have gained significance because they help disprove a too-simplistic reading of the business. They are not giants like AWS in the cloud, but they are highly relevant players in infrastructure, hosting, and virtual servers. The fact that both appear among the top IPv4 buyers in 2026 suggests that the need for addresses remains closely tied to deploying real services, onboarding clients, launching new instances, and maintaining production networks where IPv4 compatibility is still essential.
The biggest movers in IPv4 purchasing in 2026
The accompanying table clearly shows this mix of concentration and diversity. Amazon remains the dominant force in scale, but behind them are hosting operators, Japanese networks, European providers, and other infrastructure buyers—indicating the market is far from an outright decline due to obsolescence.
Main organizations by transferred IPs in 2026
| Rank | Organization | IPs Transferred |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon (Consolidated) | 10,584,064 |
| 2 | PCCW Global (HK) Limited | 1,015,808 |
| 3 | Hostinger Operations UAB | 720,896 |
| 4 | Japan Network Information Center / BBIXINTLNET | 524,288 |
| 5 | Japan Network Information Center / commufa | 524,288 |
| 6 | Hetzner Online GmbH | 393,216 |
| 7 | INTAC Services GmbH | 393,216 |
| 8 | Aviation RE LLC | 356,352 |
| 9 | N/A | 327,680 |
| 10 | DingFeng XinHui (HongKong) Technology Limited | 262,144 |
Brander Group emphasizes this point: Hostinger, with about 720,000 IPs, and Hetzner, with around 400,000 IPs, are clear signals that the hosting and VPS segment continues to purchase IPv4 addresses for operational activity rather than mere speculative accumulation. At the same time, the firm also notes that Amazon continues to influence market sentiment through its size and that concentration among large buyers persists.
Historical volume contradicts the idea of a exhausted market
The second chart provides a temporal context. The market is not behaving as if IPv4 has lost all usefulness. On the contrary, the graph shows that 2025 closed with a notably high volume, and although 2026 data is still partial, it maintains substantial activity.
Annual IPv4 purchase trend
| Year | IPs |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 3.5M |
| 2012 | 6.4M |
| 2013 | 8.9M |
| 2014 | 17.6M |
| 2015 | 55.7M |
| 2016 | 33.6M |
| 2017 | 65.3M |
| 2018 | 60.8M |
| 2019 | 41.8M |
| 2020 | 44.2M |
| 2021 | 36.4M |
| 2022 | 50.9M |
| 2023 | 43.8M |
| 2024 | 45.6M |
| 2025 | 58.1M |
| 2026* | 20.3M |
*Partial data shown in the image.
This aligns with another relevant point. Prefixx, a firm specializing in this market, states that in 2025 approximately 33 million IPv4 addresses were transferred through RIR records. This occurred amid lower prices but increased transactions and participation by buyers previously limited by cost. It also highlights that the RIPE NCC region was the most active volume-wise, while the ARIN space maintained a premium due to strong North American demand.
Lower prices don’t mean less demand
This is the core of the debate. The IPv4 market can become more affordable temporarily without demand disappearing. Prefixx explains that the price drops in 2025 resulted from increased supply from large holders and more cautious purchasing, not necessarily from a structural decline in utility. The firm also underlines that leasing remained resilient, with utilization above 80%, and many operators still prefer leasing rather than tying up capital with direct purchases.
Furthermore, ARIN continues to offer another key indicator of actual scarcity. Its statistics portal tracks transfers as a central metric, and Brander Group notes that the number of transfer requests reached 174 last month—above the 2026 monthly average and also above the three-year average of 150 requests per month. Meanwhile, Brander’s own analysis of ARIN’s waiting list calculates that the queue has already exceeded one year, with 523 unresolved requests following recent distributions. This does not depict a demand-free market but one where the available supply remains clearly constrained.
Why hosting, cloud, and ISPs still need IPv4
The underlying reason is quite straightforward: IPv6 is advancing but has not yet replaced IPv4 in daily operations. Prefixx summarizes this well, noting that the expansion of cloud computing, AI infrastructure, IoT, regulatory requirements, and new regions or availability zones continue to generate IPv4 address needs. In many deployments, IPv4 remains the practical compatibility layer for exposed services, management, APIs, customer onboarding, or hybrid networks.
This is where the large buyers fit in. Hyperscalers continue to acquire massive blocks for their global platforms. Hosting and VPS providers like Hostinger or Hetzner need IPv4 for virtual machines, dedicated servers, rapid provisioning, and clients operating mainly in IPv4 environments. ISPs and broadband operators maintain IPv4 as a critical resource for subscribers, CG-NAT, management systems, and hybrid deployments. Plus, companies that prefer leasing over direct purchase still sustain a fairly active rental market.
In other words, the 2026 IPv4 market does not present an image of a fossil asset. Rather, it reflects an infrastructure still limited but fluid, increasingly distributed among large clouds, hosting providers, network operators, and smaller buyers who take advantage of softer prices to enter or expand capacity. The fever may have subsided, but the demand remains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are companies like Hostinger and Hetzner still buying IPv4 in 2026?
Because hosting, VPS, and many cloud services still depend on IPv4 for compatibility, quick provisioning, active networks, and customer onboarding. Brander Group cites both as examples of real operational demand within the infrastructure market.
Does lower IPv4 prices mean demand is gone?
Not necessarily. Prefixx explains that in 2025, prices fell due to increased supply and more disciplined buying, but transaction volume continued to grow, keeping the market active.
Is IPv4 still scarce in 2026?
Yes. Brander Group notes that ARIN’s waiting list exceeds one year, with 523 unresolved requests after recent distributions—indicating supply remains quite limited.
Which types of companies still need more IPv4?
Hyperscalers, hosting and VPS providers, ISPs, broadband operators, and firms deploying cloud, edge, or legacy-compatible services. The shift to IPv6 is ongoing but hasn’t yet broken the operational reliance on IPv4.
via: Brander Group