The IPv4 address market underwent a significant transformation in 2025. After years of climbing prices that peaked above $50 per address, the market experienced its most notable price correction in over a decade — while simultaneously seeing record-breaking transaction volumes and a broader pool of active buyers than ever before.
For organizations considering buying, selling, or leasing IPv4 space, understanding these shifts is essential for making informed decisions heading into 2026.
The defining trend of 2025 was the sustained decline in IPv4 purchase prices across all block sizes. Large blocks (/16 and above) were hit hardest, with per-address prices dropping below $20 for the first time since 2019 — a level that hadn’t been seen in over six years.
What drove the correction? The answer lies in shifting demand dynamics among the market’s largest buyers. Major cloud providers and hyperscalers — Amazon chief among them — had been the dominant force driving prices upward throughout 2020–2022. Once these buyers secured their address inventory, they stepped back from the market. The remaining buyer pool, while growing in numbers, couldn’t sustain the volume needed to maintain peak-era prices.
The result was increased supply from large holders looking to divest, combined with more cautious buying, creating price competition that pushed per-address costs down across the board.
Despite falling prices, the IPv4 transfer market was anything but quiet. Approximately 33 million IPv4 addresses were transferred through RIR registries in 2025, and the number of individual transactions continued to rise. The RIRs’ transfer registries now contain over 56,000 transactions recorded since 2012.
This growing volume signals an important distinction: lower prices didn’t reflect weakening demand, but rather a market that was becoming more accessible. Organizations that were previously priced out — smaller ISPs, growing hosting providers, startups scaling cloud infrastructure — found opportunities to acquire the address space they needed at more manageable price points.
The market also showed distinct regional patterns. ARIN-registered addresses continued to command premium pricing due to strong demand from North American cloud and enterprise buyers. Meanwhile, RIPE NCC saw the highest transfer volumes, reflecting the more active European market.
At the start of 2026, the global allocation stands at roughly 3.7 billion IPv4 addresses distributed across the five RIRs: ARIN holds 45%, APNIC 24%, RIPE NCC 23%, LACNIC 5%, and AFRINIC 3%. These proportions matter because inter-RIR transfers continue to facilitate cross-regional deals, but each registry’s policies and processing timelines differ.
The IPv4 leasing segment proved notably resilient through the price correction. Average leasing rates eased slightly to around $0.40 per IP per month, but utilization remained above 80%. For many organizations, leasing continues to be the preferred approach — it avoids the large upfront capital expenditure of purchasing while providing the operational flexibility to scale address space up or down as needed.
The APNIC region showed elevated pricing above $0.60 per IP, reflecting strong demand from fast-growing Asian markets where IPv4 scarcity is most acute. Looking ahead, global leasing rates are expected to remain in the $0.38–$0.45 range through most of 2026.
A common question surfaces every year: won’t IPv6 adoption eventually eliminate the need for IPv4? The answer remains nuanced. While IPv6 deployment continues to progress — particularly among large carriers and content networks — it hasn’t reached the critical mass needed to meaningfully reduce IPv4 dependency.
Several macro trends are actually increasing IPv4 demand:
The consensus among market observers is that 2026 will be a year of stabilization. The dramatic price corrections of 2025 are likely to moderate, with prices finding a new floor. Several factors support this outlook:
For sellers, the current environment still offers strong returns — especially for organizations sitting on unused or underutilized address blocks. While peak-era prices may not return, the market remains liquid and active, and a well-positioned block with clean history can command competitive pricing.
For buyers, this may be one of the best windows in recent years to acquire IPv4 space. Prices are at multi-year lows, transfer processes have become more efficient, and supply is more readily available than at any point in the last five years.
Navigating the IPv4 market requires understanding not just pricing trends, but registry policies, transfer timelines, block reputation, and the regulatory landscape across different RIRs. As a registered broker with ARIN, RIPE NCC, and APNIC since 2007, Prefixx brings nearly two decades of experience to every transaction.
Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or lease IPv4 addresses, our team provides white-glove service with zero buyer fees and a streamlined process that respects your time and budget.
Contact Prefixx to discuss your IPv4 strategy for 2026.
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