IPv4 vs IPv6 for whitelisting: which one will your platform accept?
IPv6 static IPs cost a quarter of IPv4. That only helps if the platform you're whitelisting with accepts IPv6. Here's what we know about the common ones, and how to check yours.
When you whitelist an IP with a broker, a payment provider or any API, the first question is whether it takes IPv4 only or IPv6 as well. Get it wrong one way and you overpay. Get it wrong the other way and nothing works. Honestly, for most platforms outside trading, IPv4 is the safer pick today. Many Indian brokers and big cloud platforms accept IPv6, though, and there the saving is real: at TrueIP, IPv6 is ₹50 a month and IPv4 ₹200, plus GST. If you'd rather skip the reading, our plan finder asks two questions and tells you which to buy.
Why IPv6 is cheaper
There are only about four billion IPv4 addresses, and they ran out years ago, so each one costs real money to acquire. IPv6 has so many addresses that each customer can have their own without anyone running short. That's the whole price difference. Once whitelisted, a dedicated IPv6 does the same job as a dedicated IPv4: one fixed address that belongs to you.
What common platforms accept
From official docs and our own tests, as of October 2026. Platforms change, so treat this as a starting point.
| Platform | IPv6 in allowlist? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Many Indian brokers (Zerodha, Fyers, Upstox and others) | Yes | See our broker IPv6 list. Some are still IPv4-only. |
| AWS security groups | Yes | Rules take IPv6 ranges in CIDR form. |
| Cloudflare IP access rules | Yes | Single addresses and ranges. |
| Microsoft 365 (Entra named locations) | Yes | IPv4 and IPv6 ranges. |
| Google Workspace context-aware access | Yes | IPv4 or IPv6, on higher editions. |
| GitHub organisation IP allow list | Yes | GitHub asks admins to add IPv6 addresses too. |
| Delta Exchange India | Yes | Accepts both in the key's whitelist. |
| Stripe API key restrictions | No | IPv4 addresses or ranges only, per Stripe's API keys docs. |
| Cashfree Payouts | No | Their docs say IPv4 has to be whitelisted, not IPv6. |
| Binance | No | Asks for IPv4. Its API didn't answer over IPv6 in our test. |
| RazorpayX payouts | Not stated | Use IPv4. |
| NIC e-invoice and e-way bill | Not stated | Asks for Indian static IPs. Use IPv4. |
| SMPP providers | Not stated | Use IPv4. |
The pattern: cloud and developer platforms tend to take IPv6. Payments, government systems and telecom mostly don't say, and when they don't say, assume IPv4.
How to check your platform in two minutes
1. Try the allowlist field
Open the IP whitelist or allowlist setting and type a documentation address like 2001:db8::1. If the form rejects it as invalid, the platform is IPv4-only. If it accepts it, delete it again before saving.
2. Check that the API answers over IPv6
Accepting an IPv6 address in a form is one thing. The API also has to be reachable over IPv6, or your calls will go out over IPv4 anyway.
curl -6 -sI https://api.example.com/ | head -1A response line means the API answers over IPv6. A timeout or "couldn't connect" means it's IPv4-only, whatever the form says. Run it from a machine that has IPv6, or through an IPv6 proxy.
3. Read the docs, or ask
Search the platform's docs for "IPv6" next to "whitelist" or "allowlist". If there's nothing, ask support. "Not mentioned" usually means IPv4.
The dual-stack trap
If your machine has both IPv4 and IPv6, your HTTP client picks one for each connection, usually IPv6 when the server supports it. Say you whitelisted only your IPv4 address with a platform that also answers on IPv6. Some calls go out over IPv6 from an address that isn't on the list, and fail at random. Either whitelist both or force one: curl -4 on the command line, or the equivalent setting in your HTTP library. Sending the calls through a single dedicated IP proxy avoids the question, because the platform only ever sees that one address.
When to pick which
- Pick IPv6 when the allowlist accepts it and the API answers over it. Brokers that support it, AWS, Cloudflare, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Delta Exchange are good examples. You pay ₹50 instead of ₹200 a month for each IP.
- Pick IPv4 for payments, banks, government APIs, SMS gateways and most exchanges, or whenever you're not sure. It's accepted everywhere an allowlist exists.
- Using several platforms? If even one of them is IPv4-only and you want a single address, take IPv4.
Can you switch later?
Yes, but think of it as a new address. Moving from IPv4 to IPv6 to save money, or the other way because a platform turned out to be IPv4-only, means a different IP, so you update each allowlist once. On platforms that take a while to approve changes, like NIC, that's worth avoiding. Where you're unsure today, start on IPv4. You can add an IPv6 later for the platforms that take it, and keep the IPv4 for the rest.
Quick checklist
- Try
2001:db8::1in the platform's allowlist field. - Run
curl -6 -sIagainst the API to see whether it answers over IPv6. - If the docs don't mention IPv6, treat the platform as IPv4-only.
- Watch for dual-stack machines sending some calls over the address you didn't whitelist.
- Still unsure? The plan finder takes two questions, and the use cases page covers the setup for each kind of platform.
Get your dedicated static IP
IPv6 ₹50 a month, IPv4 ₹200 a month, plus GST. Live in minutes, whitelisted once.