- Prices for IPv4 address blocks such as the /24 have fluctuated significantly over the past decade, peaking around 2021 before easing in recent years due to market factors.
- The evolving price trend underscores lingering scarcity, implications for network planning, and ongoing reliance on IPv4 despite gradual IPv6 adoption.
What happened: IPv4 /24 price trends reflect shifting supply and demand dynamics
Over the past decade, the price of IPv4 address space — including the widely traded /24 block (containing 256 IP addresses) — has experienced distinct phases driven by scarcity, demand and broader market conditions. IPv4 addresses became a tradable commodity as the free pool was exhausted by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) — with all major RIRs running out of newly allocatable IPv4 space between 2011 and 2015.
Data series from Hilco Streambank show that prior to 2016 IPv4 prices were relatively low — just under USD 10 per address — as transaction volumes were modest. Between 2016 and 2019 the unit price doubled, with smaller blocks such as /24s attracting premiums. Prices stabilised at around USD 20–25 per address in 2019–2020 before rising sharply during 2020–2021, when average prices reached between USD 45 and USD 60.
By the end of 2022 and throughout 2023, prices began to decline from these peaks, settling around USD 30–40 per address for many block sizes. 2025 data suggests that prices for /24s have continued to moderate, with mid-sized blocks recorded at approximately $30 to $38 per IP.
This downward trend has coincided with increased market supply — including returned or surplus blocks from large holders — and a notable rise in leasing activity, which has softened the need for outright purchases of IPv4 blocks.
Regional pricing data from late 2024 also points to modest increases in some markets, with /24-/22 blocks in the RIPE and ARIN regions inching up slightly, reflecting local demand pressures.
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Also read: What are IP addresses and why they are important?
Why it’s important
IPv4 addresses have become a form of digital capital because they are finite and critical to current internet operations. Despite the long-term transition to IPv6, organisations still rely heavily on IPv4 for connectivity, hosting, cloud services and legacy systems. For background on why IPv4 addresses retain value and importance in the internet ecosystem, see “What makes an IP address a form of digital capital in 2026”.
The historic price trends of the /24 block reveal several key market dynamics. First, scarcity drove rapid price escalation through 2021 as demand outstripped available tradable space. Second, increasing supply through divestment of large blocks and enhanced leasing activity has worked to stabilise or pull down prices, particularly for mid-sized blocks like the /24.
Yet the market remains nuanced. Prices do not plummet because IPv4 remains indispensable in many regions and use cases, and leasing offers flexibility for organisations that may not need permanent ownership of address space. At the same time, how these valuations will evolve as IPv6 adoption gradually expands — and whether IPv4 will continue to hold its capital value — remains an open question.
