The truth is that no one is safe online, and cyberattacks have become the biggest concern for anyone with an internet connection. While internet users have access to many countermeasures for fighting these problems, it’s challenging to cope with damage control and prevention.
Modern digital businesses manage a steady stream of customer data daily. Current target audiences want to know what companies are doing with their financial details and personal data. They need assurances that businesses are capable of keeping their information safe and secure.
This is where proxy servers come into the picture.
With that in mind, here is a list of the ten best proxy server services compared based on ease of use, features, performance, price, and support.
EDITORS’ CHOICE
Top 11 Proxy Servers
Here’s my list of the top ten proxy servers available (plus an extra freebie), complete with individual pricing plans and specific features to consider.
- Decodo Best server overall
- IPRoyal 4G mobile proxy features
- Webshare Best Budget Datacenter
- SOAX Best for Geo-Targeting
- DataImpluse Best Pay-Per-Use
- Oxylabs Best for AI Scraping
- NetNut Great stability and speed
- MarsProxies Best for Sticky Sessions
- Proxy-Seller Best datacenter proxy
- HMA Top anonymous browsing server
- Hide.me An excellent bundle of features
Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) — Best server overall
Decodo (formerly known as Smartproxy) is a standout as the best proxy service solution for both business and residential use. They offer global connectivity, anonymous browsing, encrypted traffic, and back-connect proxies ideal for online tasks such as web scraping and data gathering.
Decodo services and features like mimicking natural human behavior and an AI unblocker tools make it virtually impossible for target websites and ISPs to detect your presence and block or ban your activities. You can deploy simultaneous proxy connections, access geo-restricted content, scrape websites, and harvest data without interruptions.
There isn’t any overwhelming setup with Decodo either, it’s accessible for online business owners needing to handle SEO, social media automation, or competitor analysis
Key features
- Support for 195+ countries worldwide – access a pool of more than +125 million IPs.
- Unlimited proxy connections – get global access to geo-restricted services.
- Sneaker proxies – deploy large-scale sneaker copping operations.
- Datacenter proxies – 100K datacenter proxies for fast and reliable access worldwide.
- Dedicated DC proxies – US access to infrastructure for assigning private datacenter IPs.
- 99.86-99.99% success rate – no CATPCHAs/blocks
Plans and pricing
Decodo offers pricing plans for residential, datacenter, dedicated DC, and residential reseller proxies.
Residential Proxies
-
Pay As You Go $3.50/1GB
Higher usage plans are available for lower per GB rates — 100GB plan @ $2.25/GB, 1TB plan @ $1.50/GH
Decodo’s residential proxies offer unlimited threads, unthrottled internet connections, 30-minute sticky IP sessions, and a three-day money-back guarantee.
Datacenter Proxies
- From $0.026/IP
Get access to hundreds of subnets, 100K rotating IPs, ultra-fast connection, 24/7 customer support, easy setup, and more.
Static Residential Proxies
- From $0.27/IP/mo
Allows you to choose between a shared or dedicated static residential proxy and get unlimited threads and concurrent sessions while keeping your IPs forever.
Mobile Proxies
- From $2.25/GB
Great option for managing multiple accounts or for app builders. Helps to avoid CAPTCHAs as well as bans with premium IPs.
IPRoyal — Best for Flexible Pricing
IPRoyal is among the most trusted proxy server services available on the web. Its selection of sneaker proxies, automatic IP rotation, and extensive network coverage through servers worldwide make it an excellent solution for bypassing geo-restrictions and accessing restricted content.
IPRoyal proxies stands out with its 4G mobile proxy feature and flexible pricing. Powered by residential IPs and real user devices from cellular networks, dedicated 4G mobile proxies excel at unlocking geo-blocked content without detection, blacklisting, or a ban.
If you don’t need to use a proxy daily and have more sporadic needs, IPRoyal offers non-expiring traffic and unlimited bandwidth so it’s ready to go when you are.
IPRoyal proxy servers offer a top solution for SEO optimization, competitor and market research, pricing comparison, and web scraping.
Key features
- Automatic IP rotation – access to a global IP pool for 99% uptime, data scraping, and more.
- Time-based sticky IPs – access to millions of sticky IPs for up to 24 hours.
- Dedicated 4G mobile proxy network – reduce the risk of detection and blocking.
- A pool of IPs – access to more than two million IP addresses and unlimited concurrent sessions
- Enhanced security features – HTTPS with end-to-end encryption, multiple authentications, and the SOCKS5 security protocol enhance security while processing data.
Plans and pricing
IPRoyal offers four pricing plans: Residential Proxies, Datacenter Proxies, Mobile Proxies, and ISPs.
Residential Proxies
- From $1.75/GB
With more than 195 locations worldwide, anonymous and secure IPRoyal residential proxies allow you to target states and cities using sticky IPs and automatic IP rotation.
Datacenter Proxies
- From $1.39/proxy
With API access, SOCKS5 security, and unlimited bandwidth, IPRoyal datacenter proxies are ideal for business users looking for maximum uptime. Access to 40+ locations.
Mobile Proxies
- From $10.11/day
Offers 5G/4G/3G support, unlimited bandwidth, access to 4.5M+ residential IPs, and API access.
ISP
- $2.40/proxy
Allows for unlimited traffic, offers 99.9% uptime, a premium ISP provider, and SOCKS5 is supported.
Webshare — Best Budget Datacenter
Webshare delivers on being budget friendly with a surprisingly generous free tier. This makes it perfect for beginning or low-volume users who want access to online anonymity, basic scraping capabilities, or geo-unblocking.
It proves reliable for everyday use with more than 10+ million IPs across their services. You’re able to rotate sessions and have dual authentication with speeds ranging from 20-120 Mbps and unlimited bandwidth (on paid plans).
They offer 10 free proxies on their forever free ties so it’s a risk-free trial.
Key features
- Large IP Pool – 10M+ IPs (datacenter/residential/ISP); rotating proxies; dual authentication (IP/user-pass).
- Fast Speeds – SOCKS5/HTTP support; unlimited bandwidth on plans; speeds 20-120 Mbps.
- Generous Free Plan – Free 10 proxies forever; dashboard for monitoring; privacy-focused but limited API.
Plans and pricing
Webshare pricing is broken down into three different services each with their own tiers: Proxy servers, static residential, and rotating residential.
Discounts offered for yearly and high-volume plans.
Proxy Server
-
Free (10 proxies)
100 proxies – $0.0299/proxy/mo, 1,000 proxies – $0.0299/proxy/mo, 5,000 proxies – $0.0239/proxy/mo, 60,000 proxies – $0.0179/proxy/mo
Discounts for yearly pricing, as low as $0.0144/proxy
Static Residential
-
$0.30/proxy/mo for 20 proxies
$0.30/proxy/mo for 100 proxies, $0.285/proxy/mo for 500 proxies, $0.27/proxy/mo for 1,000 proxies, $0.225/proxy/mo for 10,000
Even better prices with yearly pricing, as low as $0.18/proxy
Rotating Residential
-
$3.50/1 GB/mo
$27.50/mo for 10 GB, $65/mo for 25 GB, $225/mo for 100 GB, $4,200/mo for 3,000 GB
Even better prices with yearly pricing, as low as $1.12/GB
SOAX — Best for Geo-Targeting
If you’re looking for an AI forward option, SOAX leverages AI for data-extraction across 191 million+ ethical IPs with geo-targeting down to the city/ISP level. They also use auto-rotation to effectively avoid blocks to keep your operations running.
They have GDPR compliance and a no-code API so it’s easy to integrate SOAX into your workflow. This is a refreshing compliance aware and ethical option for proxy services.
Key features
- Focus on ethical IPs – 191M+ ethical IPs (residential/mobile/datacenter/ISP) in 195+ countries; city/ISP targeting.
- Quick response – Auto proxy rotation, anti-bot/CAPTCHA bypass, low-latency smart routing (<1s response).
- Compliance-forward – No-code data extraction APIs; session control for Telegram/social; GDPR-compliant.
Plans and pricing
SOAX breaks their services and pricing down into four categories: residential proxies, mobile proxies, US datacenter proxies, and web data API.
Residential & Mobile Proxies
-
Starter – $3.60/GB/mo for 25GB
Advanced – $3.40/GB/mo for 50GB, Professional – $2.46/GB/mo for 300GB, Business – $2.00/GB/mo for 800GB
Enterprise pricing also available upon request.
US Datacenter Proxies
-
Starter – $0.62/GB/mo for 145GB
Advanced – $0.49/GB/mo for 346GB, Professional – $0.42/GB/mo for 1,761GB, Business – $0.40/GB/mo for 4,000GB
Enterprise pricing also available upon request.
Web Data API
-
Starter – $1.30/1k requests/mo
36k requests included -
Advanced – $1.25/1k requests/mo
136k requests included -
Professional – $1.10/1k requests/mo
672k requests included -
Business – $0.90/1k requests/mo
1.77m requests included
Enterprise pricing also available upon request.
DataImpulse — Best Pay-per-use
DataImpulse delivers on being a lean, no-frills proxy option. No traffic expiration ensures that your costs are predictable even if you aren’t a daily user. They support HTPP/SOCKS5 protocols for broad compatibility and offer IPs in 194 countries, on par with many other options in our list.
DataImpulse is a great option for startups or bootstrapped business owners who want usage and payment flexibility for their proxy servers. They do have a smaller IP pool than some other services we’ve covered here but they still suits occasional users well.
Key features
- 5M+ IPs in 194 countries; premium/regular pools; multi-location/ASN filtering (doubles price beyond country).
- No expiration; worldwide coverage; HTTP/SOCKS5; good for major locales despite some anti-block struggles.
- User Friendly Dashboard; unique pools reduce overlap; efficient for larger ops.
Plans and pricing
DataImpulse stands out by offering pay-as-you-go pricing for their residential, mobile, datacenter, and premium residential proxies.
Residential
-
$1/GB
Up to 50GB -
$0.80/GB
1TB
Traffic never expires, rotating sessions, free country-targeting, API, access and 24/7 support. Custom pricing available.
Datacenter
-
$0.50/GB
Up to 100GB -
$0.45/GB
1TB
Traffic never expires, rotating sessions, free country-targeting, API, access and 24/7 support. Custom pricing available.
Datacenter
-
$2/GB
Up to 25GB -
$1.60/GB
1TB
Traffic never expires, rotating sessions, free country-targeting, API, access and 24/7 support. Custom pricing available.
Premium Residential
-
Pay-as-you-go
$5/GB -
Basic
$5/GB – 10GB included -
Custom
$4/GB – from 1,000GB
Oxylabs — Best for AI scraping
Oxylabs is arguably the best proxy service provider for small and mid-sized businesses. With over 175 million IPs under its belt, this company offers global coverage for performing corporate tasks such as web scraping, competitor monitoring, marketing intelligence, pricing comparison, market research, SEO, and more.
Their range of server proxies is impressive. While Oxylabs offers everything that you need to scrape the web and gather data, they come at a higher price tag. Thankfully, the company provides structured pricing plans that allow you to expand your service by adding new features.
Key features
- Scraper API – over 100 million IPs allow you to gather parsed data from scraped websites worldwide.
- SOCKS5 – add extra security to your custom protocols and programs.
- Unlimited simultaneous connections – launch geo-targeted bulk scraping operations without restrictions.
- Cyberattack prevention – detect cyber threats with datacenter proxies, identify counterfeit products, avoid malicious attacks, and more.
- IP switching – a proxy rotator makes proxy management as straightforward as possible.
Plans and pricing
Oxylabs offers pricing plans for residential, next-gen residential, shared, dedicated, mobile, and rotating ISP proxies.
Residential Proxies
-
Basic – $40 per month
$8/GB for 5 GB -
Micro – $99 per month
$7.75/GB for 13 GB -
Starter – $300 per month
$7.50/GB for 40 GB -
Advanced – $600 per month
$6.98/GB for 86 GB
Try code OXYLAB50 at checkout for 50% off residential plans, while code valid. Unlimited concurrent sessions, free geo-targeting, 24/7 support.
Mobile Proxies
-
Pay-as-you-go
$9/GB -
Micro – $99 per month
$8.25/GB for 12 GB -
Starter – $300 per month
$7.89/GB for 38 GB -
Advanced – $600 per month
$7.50/GB for 80 GB
Try code OXYLAB40 at checkout for 40% off mobile plans, while code valid. Unlimited concurrent sessions, free geo-targeting, 24/7 support.
Web Unblocker
-
Micro – $75 per month
$9.4/GB for 8GB -
Starter – $325 per month
$8.60/GB for 38 GB -
Advanced – $660 per month
$7.50/GB for 88 GB
Try code WU40 at checkout for 40% off Unblocker plans, while code valid. 50 requests/s rate limit, premium proxies, CAPTCHA bypass.
ISP Proxies
-
Starter – $16 per month
$1.60/IP for 10 IPs -
Advanced – $130 per month
$1.30/IP for 100 IPs -
Premium – $600 per month
$1.20/IP for 500 IPs
Unlimited bandwidth with fair usage, unlimited duration, 24/7 support. Custom pricing available.
Dataenter Proxies
-
5 IPs – Free
Unlimited bandwidth -
10 IPs – $12 per month
$1.20/IP/mo -
50 IPs – $55 per month
$1.10/IP/mo -
100 IPs – $100 per month
$1/IP/mo -
200 IPs – $180 per month
$0.90/IP/mo -
500 IPs – $425 per month
$0.85/IP -
1000 IPs – $750 per month
$0.75/IP/mo
Additional pricing for dedicated datacenter and ISP proxies available on Oxylab’s website.
Visit Oxylabs for additional information >>NetNut — Best Speeds
NetNut is a top-class proxy server provider for internet users looking for maximum uptime, unlimited simultaneous connections, fast connectivity, and responsive customer support. The company offers three proxy types, all perfect for scalable data scraping, gathering operations, and market research.
With a browser extension for Google Chrome and a user-friendly setup, getting started with NetNut is extremely straightforward. NetNut provides solutions for global geo-targeting for any city or country. You can launch large-scale data scraping operations on an unlimited number of websites.
Key features
- Global DiviNetworks ISPs – over 100 premium internet service providers offer access to millions of residential IPs.
- Unlimited concurrent connections – international data gathering via a dynamic P2P proxy network.
- A pool of datacenter, residential, and rotating IPs – access to 150K datacenter IPs, 85+ million residential IPs, and more than a million static residential IPs.
- High-speed connectivity – 100Gbps bandwidth capacity.
- Global geo-targeting – scrape websites in any location worldwide.
Plans and pricing
NetNut offers several pricing plans for US Datacenter Proxies, Mobile Proxies, Rotating Residential Proxies, and Static Residential (ISP) Proxies.
US Datacenter Proxies
-
Starter $100 – 100GB/30 days
Production ($350/500GB/30 days), Semi-Pro ($450/750GB/30 days), Professional ($500/1T/30 days), Master ($1,000/2TB/30days).
All US Datacenter Proxies plans include unlimited connections, email, and live support (except Starter). These are excellent solutions for ensuring maximum uptime, global geo-targeting, enhanced security, and more.
Rotating Residential Proxies
-
Starter $99 -28GB/30 days
Production ($499/150GB/30 days), Semi-Pro ($999/350GB/30 days), Professional ($1,999/800GB/30 days), Master ($3,750/2TB/30days).
Rotating residential proxies offer global coverage, session and rotation support, and unlimited concurrent requests from more than 85 million residential IPs. You can create a dynamic P2P proxy network to gather data from any source on the web.
Static Residential Proxies
-
Starter $99 – 7GB/30 days
Production ($499/50GB/30 days), Semi-Pro ($999/125GB/30 days), Professional ($1,999/350GB/30 days), Master ($4,500/1TB/30days).
Static residential proxies allow users to tap into the power of the global DiviNetworks and gain access to more than 100 internet service providers worldwide. Aside from global access, users also receive 100Gbps bandwidth capacity, enhanced traffic security, and 24/7 IP availability.
Mobile Proxies
-
Starter $99 – 13GB/30 days
Production ($499/72GB/30 days), Semi-Pro ($999/163GB/30 days), Professional ($1,999/340GB/30 days), Master ($4,500/1TB/30days).
Mobile proxies use dynamic IP addresses for anonymity and privacy. The provide country-level targeting and use real phone IPs on 3G/4G.
MarsProxies — Best for Sticky Sessions
MarsProxies stands apart by providing sticky sessions for up to one week which enhances account management for social media management, eCommerce, or long-form content automation.
They also allow for city-level geo-targeting using residential/ISP mixes which improves success on managed platforms.
If you’re managing multiple accounts MarsProxies is a great option to check out.
Key features
- City-level targeting; sessions up to 1 week.
- Residential/ISP; high success for social/eCom
Plans and pricing
MarsProxies prices their proxies differently depending on the type. Prices are calculated by number of proxies, number of GB, and billing period.
Residential Proxies
-
Choose your number of proxies (1-1000)
As low as $3.49/GB (based on number of proxies)
ISP Proxies
-
Priced per proxy (5-199+)
As low as $2.79/proxy/month
The also offer a 1-day testing plan for as low as $1.35/proxy.
Datacenter Proxies
-
Priced per proxy (1-150+)
As low as $5.19/proxy/month
The also offer a 1-day testing plan for as low as $0.99/proxy.
IPv6 Datacenter Proxies
-
Priced per proxy (5-500+)
As low as $0.22/proxy/90 days
The also offer a 1-day testing plan for as low as $0.99/proxy.
Sneaker Proxies
-
Priced per proxy (5-150+)
As low as $4.85/proxy/90 days
The also offer a 1-day testing plan for as low as $0.90/proxy.
Mobile Proxies
- $93 per 30 days
- $179.10 per 60 days
- $255 per 90 days
The also offer a 1-day testing plan for $8.99. Plans include unlimited traffic with 99.9% uptime.
Proxy-Seller — Best budget datacenter proxy
Proxy-Seller is a versatile proxy marketplace offering private IPv4/IPv6 datacenter, ISP, residential, and rotating mobile proxies optimized for social media management, SEO scraping, gaming, and geo-unblocking.
They have IPs across 220+ countries and offer high-speed dedicated proxies and precise targeting by country, state, or city. Like most of their competitors, they have a 99.9% uptime but set themselves apart with a very user-friendly control panel making Proxy-seller a great beginner option.
Key features
- Proxy servers in 20 locations – access a datacenter proxy network in 20 countries.
- Enhanced security protocols – HTTPS, HTTP, and SOCKS5.
- Two-method authentication – IP and username/password verification.
- Trusted company – excellent Trustpilot 4.5/5 (200+ reviews); dashboard with stats; 99.9% uptime.
- Mobile 4G proxies – dynamic IPs, SOCKS5 and HTTPS connections, unlimited traffic, and more.
Plans and pricing
Proxy-Seller doesn’t offer a standard pricing structure. Instead, clients can choose a proxy in more than 40 different countries. The price per proxy ranges from $0.83 to $2.67, depending on the country. Rental periods range from one week to 12 months.
IPv4
-
Starts at $0.49/proxy
US – $1.22/proxy
IPv6
-
Starts at $0.05/proxy
US – $0.16/proxy
ISP Proxy
-
Starts at $0.81/proxy
US – $3/proxy
Residential Proxy
-
Pay-as-you-go for $3.50/GB
$9/month for 3GB, $25/month for 10GB, $60/month for 25GB, $115/month for 50GB, $220/month for 100GB
Mobile Proxy LTE
- US proxies start at $33/proxy
HMA — Best Free Option
HMA stands for HideMyAss – a free, user-friendly, affordable, and reliable VPN and proxy service provider. It’s simple: enter a URL on their proxy page and connect instantly. This makes HMA an excellent solution for internet users looking for unlimited bandwidth.
It provides essential IP leak protection for enhanced browsing privacy and a web-based proxy browser for downloading files, data mining, web browsing, and more.
It has servers in six countries, including the UK and the US. With HMA, users can bypass geo-restrictions and access blocked websites worldwide.
Key features
- Anonymous web browser – surf the web without websites detecting your IP address.
- URL encryption – hide your IP for enhanced privacy and security online.
- Unrestricted bandwidth – increase your internet connection speed while harvesting data from the web.
- Tracking prevention – the free online proxy allows you to disable cookies and block scripts such as JavaScript to prevent third-party tracking.
- VPN – secure your online traffic, encrypt data, hide and rotate IPs, and more.
Plans and pricing
HMA offers a free tier service as well as a 12 month or 36 month plan.
Free
- Free of charge
12 Month
-
$4.99/mo
Save 58% when billed annually
Choose between 5 or 10 devices depending on your needs. Access to 100+ locations worldwide, 3400+ servers, dedicated servers for streaming & P2P connections.
36 Month
-
$2.99/mo
Save 74% when billed annually
Choose between 5 or 10 devices depending on your needs. Access to 100+ locations worldwide, 3400+ servers, dedicated servers for streaming & P2P connections.
Hide.me — An excellent bundle of features
Hide.me is one of the most versatile proxy service providers on our list. This company offers all of the top-grade features, including zero ads, for a better user experience. Ease of use is also one of its advantages.
All you need to get started with Hide.me is a Firefox or Google Chrome extension. The extension has a built-in browser tool for eliminating annoying add-ons. Unlike similar vendors, Hide.me doesn’t record logs on user activity, ensuring each user receives maximum protection. Additionally, this vendor offers SOCKS5 proxies for free.
Key features
- SOCKS5 via browser extension – top internet speeds ensure fast media streaming and gaming.
- Log Free – No logs and integrates with VPN.
- WebRTC – IP leak protection.
- Limitless bandwidth – unlimited browsing for free.
Plans and pricing
Hide.me offers free access to SOCKS5 proxies and a private proxy browser for bypassing geo-blocks and offers paid plans based on duration.
Free
- Free of charge
1 Month
- $11.99/month
Premium paid plans get unlimited data traffic, access to 91 locations and 2600 servers, 10 simultaneous connections, no logs, fixed IP address, streaming support, and dynamic port forwarding.
12 Months
-
$4.58/month
Billed Annually
Premium paid plans get unlimited data traffic, access to 91 locations and 2600 servers, 10 simultaneous connections, no logs, fixed IP address, streaming support, and dynamic port forwarding.
26 Months
-
$2.69/month
Billed Annually
Premium paid plans get unlimited data traffic, access to 91 locations and 2600 servers, 10 simultaneous connections, no logs, fixed IP address, streaming support, and dynamic port forwarding.
Overall Top 10 Proxy Providers Comparison Table
If you want an at a glance of our top 10 proxies providers, here’s the breakdown. We’ve covered the price, success rate, and who the tool is likely best for.
| Rank | Provider | Residential Price | Success Rate | Best For |
| 1 | Decodo | $1.50-3.50 | 99.86% | SMB Value |
| 2 | IPRoyal | $1.75-2.63 | 99%+ | Flexible Pricing |
| 3 | Webshare | $2.75 | 95%+ | Budget Datacenter |
| 4 | SOAX | $3-5 | 99.95%+ | Geo-Targeting |
| 5 | DataImpulse | $1+ | 90%+ | Startups |
| 6 | Oxylabs | $3.49 | 99.9%+ | AI Scraping |
| 7 | NetNut | $3.53 | 99%+ | High Speed |
| 8 | MarsProxies | $3.49 | High | Sticky Sessions |
| 9 | Proxy-Seller | $0.70-3.50 | 99.9% | Private Datacenter |
| 10 | HMA | Free | N/A | Beginners/Free |
| 11 | Hide.me | Free | N/A | Affordable Features |
How to choose a web proxy
Since there are so many proxy options, here are several tips to help you to choose the best web proxy for your needs.
Assess your needs
The type of web proxy that you choose depends on your specific needs. Assess your project scope and select a proxy service provider with the best features.
Types of proxies
While there are many different proxies, some are more prominent and offer applications more suitable for everyday use, such as real-user mimicking, added security, bypassing geo-restrictions, and web scraping.
Top proxy types include:
Top proxy types include:
- Residential proxies – real-user mimicking;
- Dedicated proxies – perfect for enhancing business security;
- Datacenter proxies – faster data request response and complete anonymity;
- Shared proxies – cost-effective solutions for bypassing geo-restrictions and web scraping; and
- Semi-dedicated proxies – ideal for accessing social media websites.
| Proxy Type | Best For | Providers | Avg Price (per GB or IP) | Success Rate |
| Residential | Scraping / Anti-Ban | Decodo, IPRoyal | $2-4 | 99%+ |
| Datacenter | Speed / Budget | Webshare, Proxy-Seller | $0.08-1/IP | 95%+ |
| ISP/Static | Account Managment | IPRoyal, MarsProxies | $1-2/IP | High |
| Mobile | High Anonymity | SOAX, Proxy-Seller | $7-10 | 98%+ |
Free vs. paid options
We recommend avoiding free proxies, especially if you’re a business owner. While they may look like perfect solutions, they lack critical features and often share your log activities with third parties. Premium proxies excel at privacy, security, safety, and features.
| Free (e.g., HMA) | Paid Residential (e.g., Decodo) | |
| Bandwitdh | Unlimited (single site) | Unlimited/scalable |
| Speed | Variable | 100+ Mbps |
| Bans/Blocks | High Risk | 99%+ success |
| Privacy | Logs Possible | No-logs/ethical |
| Support | Sometimes Limited | 24/7 chat |
Check user reviews
User reviews can help you to determine the best proxy service for your needs. Checking user reviews can tell you a lot about a proxy service provider.
They contain pertinent information and real-life experiences of people who have tried and tested multiple proxies.
List all the features
While most people look at the price when choosing a service, you should also examine the range of features.
You need a proxy provider that offers top features such as unlimited traffic, multiple server locations, and enhanced security.
Compare the features with the cost to see how much value you get with a provider.
Best proxies for different use cases
Choosing the best proxies for your needs can be confusing. Since the best solution depends on your needs and specific use cases, I’ve created a short list of the best options for different purposes.
Best free proxy servers for 2026
Best proxies for gaming
Best for small businesses
Best for streaming
FAQs
Web proxies are web servers that act as intermediaries between the internet and the user. When a user sends a request to see some content online, a web proxy reroutes their request through its server and provides the wanted content.
The perk of using a web proxy is that you can mask your IP and stay anonymous online by hiding your browsing activities from third parties like ISPs, hackers, and advertisers. Proxies reroute your traffic, using servers in different locations, allowing you to remain anonymous and secure while surfing the web.
The primary purpose of web proxies is to create a secure internet connection and keep the user’s actual location and identity private.
Web proxies keep internet users safe and anonymous by creating a gateway between them and the servers on the web. This protects them against cyber threats while visiting websites.
You can build a proxy by choosing the administrative console for creating and configuring a proxy server. It only takes a few clicks and the console can configure things for you automatically, such as the protocol (SIP and HTTP are supported).
Then, all that is left is to choose a proxy server template and review your proxy server.
Even though free proxy service providers offer top proxy types with loads of features, free proxies aren’t reliable, trustworthy, or secure.
You can use free proxies to enhance your online privacy, unblock geo-restricted content, and hide your IP, but you risk leaking your private information to third parties.
Most free proxy providers share your information with ISPs and other third parties.
Although proxies and VPNs do almost the same thing, they are different. Both solutions protect your identity, hide your IP, and reroute your online traffic. However, their operation modes are different.
Web proxies use raw data formats to transfer user data across the internet. While this operation mode gives the user anonymity, it can also expose their real identity.
A VPN creates a tunnel between the web and the user’s device. It encrypts the traffic, keeping the user’s information safe and secure. VPNs offer better functionalities and features than proxies, including better connectivity, reliable data encryption, and enhanced security.
Conclusion
This list should help you to compare some of the top proxy providers and find a suitable solution for your unique needs.
Whether you’re a business owner or a regular internet user, any of these proxy providers listed above will provide real value for your money and effort.
Most companies on my list offer a free trial and money-back guarantee. Choose wisely, test the service before you invest, and you’ll find a suitable match.
