How to Get a Static IP Address: From Your ISP, Without It, and for Home
How to get a static public IP: ask your ISP (usually a business plan), or get one without your ISP through a VPN dedicated IP with port forwarding or a VPS. Which type you need, behind-CGNAT checks, home pros and cons, and free alternatives.
Quick Answer
Ask your internet provider for a static IP; most only sell one on a business plan for a monthly fee. If yours will not, or you are behind CGNAT, Starlink or 5G home internet, get a fixed public address without your ISP: a VPN dedicated IP with port forwarding (PureVPN from $4.45/mo on a 2-year plan) or a small cloud server with a WireGuard tunnel. If you only need port forwarding to keep pointing at one device, reserve a local static IP in your router for free.
To get a static public IP address, ask your internet provider: most offer one only on a business plan, for a monthly fee. If your provider will not, or you are on CGNAT, Starlink or 5G home internet, get a fixed address without your ISP instead: a VPN dedicated IP with port forwarding, or a small cloud server with a tunnel.
First make sure you need a public one. If you only want port forwarding to keep pointing at the same PC or console, you need a local static IP, which you set in your router for free. The table below sorts out which you need, then each route is explained with its real cost.
Which Static IP Do You Actually Need?
| What you want to do | Type of static IP | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Port forwarding to a PC, console or camera at home | Local (LAN) static IP | Reserve the device’s address in your router. Free. |
| Friends join your game server or Minecraft world | Public static IP or a stable public address | ISP static IP, or a VPN dedicated IP with port forwarding |
| Reach cameras, a NAS or Home Assistant from outside | Public static IP or a stable public address | ISP static IP, VPN dedicated IP with port forwarding, or a VPS tunnel |
| Run a website or mail server at home | Public static IP from the ISP | Business plan; many residential lines block port 25 and 80 |
| A work system only lets one IP log in (allowlist) | Fixed outgoing IP | VPN dedicated IP is enough; no inbound ports needed |
Local static IP in two minutes: open your router’s DHCP or “address reservation” page, pick the device, and reserve its current address. Walkthroughs for TP-Link, ASUS and Netgear cover the same screen.
How to Get a Static IP From Your ISP
- 1
Check whether your plan can have one
Search your provider’s help pages for “static IP”. Residential plans from big cable and fibre providers usually do not offer it; their business plans do.
- 2
Ask sales, not support
Static IPs are sold, so business sales gives the real answer and the price. Ask for one usable address, not a large block, unless you need several.
- 3
Confirm what you are buying
Ask whether the address is truly static, whether inbound ports such as 80, 443 or 25 are open, and whether you will be moved off CGNAT.
- 4
Configure your router
The ISP gives you the address, gateway and subnet mask (or sets it on its gateway). Enter them on your router’s WAN page if asked.
- 5
Test it
Compare the address in our NAT checker with the one you were given, then test an open port from outside.
What providers actually offer: AT&T sells static addresses in blocks (a block of 8 gives 5 usable addresses) and quotes the price on request. Xfinity residential plans do not offer static IPs; Comcast Business does. Starlink offers none, only a reserved public IPv4 on Priority plans.
Details per provider: Xfinity static IP, Starlink static IP. Prices compared in how much a static IP costs.
Behind CGNAT? Check Before You Pay
If your router’s WAN address is in 100.64.0.0/10 (100.64–100.127), your ISP shares one public IPv4 between many customers under carrier-grade NAT (RFC 6598). A static IP from the ISP only helps if it also moves you off CGNAT, so ask that question explicitly. On mobile, satellite and many fibre networks the answer is no, which is when the routes without your ISP matter. Check your line with how to check for CGNAT.
How to Get a Static IP Without Your ISP
| Route | Inbound connections | Works behind CGNAT | Cost | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Static IP from your ISP | Yes | Only if the ISP takes you off CGNAT | Usually a business plan plus a monthly IP fee | Phone call or upgrade |
| VPN dedicated IP + port forwarding | Yes, chosen ports | Yes | PureVPN dedicated IP from $4.45/mo on a 2-year plan, plus port forwarding | App or router setup |
| Small VPS + WireGuard tunnel | Yes, any ports | Yes | Cloud IPv4 alone is $0.005/hour on AWS (about $3.65/mo), plus the server | Linux skills |
| Dynamic DNS (no static IP) | Yes, if you have a public IP | No | Free to a few dollars | Router or small app |
For comparison, the ISP route usually means moving to a business plan before the IP fee is even added. A VPN dedicated IP is a public address only you use, for a few dollars a month on any line. On its own it fixes your outgoing IP, which is enough for allowlists. To let people reach you on it, the VPN must also forward ports to you; PureVPN sells the two as a bundle. A VPS gives you more control (any port, your own firewall), but you maintain the server. The cheapest options are compared in cheap static IP options.
PureVPN
- Dedicated IP from $4.45/mo on a 2-year plan ($15.95 monthly)
- Port forwarding: all ports or up to 15 chosen ports
- US, UK, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, Australia and more
- 31-day money-back guarantee
5-year plan·$1.69/mo $12.95/mo
NordVPN
- Same exit address every time you connect
- No inbound port forwarding
- 30-day money-back guarantee
2-year plan
+3 months free
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Setup details: PureVPN port forwarding and is a VPN dedicated IP worth it.
Static IP for Home: Pros, Cons and Free Alternatives
Worth it when
• You host a game server, NAS, cameras or Home Assistant that others reach by address
• A work or school system only accepts one IP
• You run services that break when the address changes
Downsides
• Extra monthly cost, often with a plan upgrade
• A fixed address is easier to track and to target with scans
• Does not help at all if the ISP keeps you on CGNAT
What about free dynamic DNS? It only works if your line already has a real public IP. Many fibre, cable, 5G, Starlink and mobile connections now use CGNAT, where dynamic DNS cannot accept a single inbound connection, and allowlists still need a fixed number. If you do have a public IP, a dynamic DNS name follows it for free: DuckDNS or Dynu. For a home server behind CGNAT, see port forwarding behind CGNAT.
Static IP Guides
Sources (checked October 31, 2026):
- • AT&T: Static IP addresses (block sizes, pricing on request)
- • AWS: VPC pricing (public IPv4 at $0.005 per hour)
- • PureVPN: Dedicated IP and port forwarding
Static IP FAQ
Prices change often. Figures above are the providers’ own published numbers on the date checked; ISP business pricing is quoted per address and region.