A proxy server is an intermediary between a user and an internet server. It intercepts the user’s internet requests and forwards them using a dedicated IP address. The proxy server uses a masked IP address for better privacy and security of individuals and businesses.
A proxy service provides these 4 benefits.
- Ensures privacy, anonymity, and security.
- Improves performance by caching website content.
- Useful for social media management & competitive analysis.
- Provides added functionality like internet usage control and monitoring.
Geekflare has researched and listed some of the best cheap proxy services based on the bandwidth, optimization, and customization options they provide.
- Oxylabs – Best for Compliance
- Smartproxy – Best value provider
- SmartProxy Pricing
- Webshare – Best for Comprehensive Features
- IPRoyal – Best for Web Scraping
- Bright Data – Best for Performance
- Proxy-Cheap – Best for Uptime Performance
- ProxyEmpire – Best for Dedicated Support
- Soax – Best for Response Time
- Show less
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Oxylabs
Best for Compliance
Oxylabs is a premium proxy provider that distinguishes itself in the market with top-tier solutions for large-scale public data collection. Now, with freshly cut proxy prices, individuals, and businesses can get their hands on top-quality proxy servers without stretching their budgets. They work exceptionally well for market research, SERP monitoring, cybersecurity, and other web intelligence efforts.
Oxylabs has tailored its proxies to meet specific data collection needs, with proxy types ranging from datacenter and residential to an AI-powered proxy solution. On top of the usual proxy features, the company also offers unlimited concurrent sessions, exceptional proxy uptime, and rapid response times (avg. 0.63s). Their proxies cover the entire globe in 195 locations, offering free-of-charge geo-targeting and massive pools of more than 100 million residential IPs and 2 million dedicated datacenter IPs.
Regarding privacy, Oxylabs is compliant with GDPR and CCPA, ensuring added privacy and security. Alongside 24/7 customer support, they go a step further by hosting webinars, publishing step-by-step tutorials, and offering extensive documentation to assist users.
Oxylabs Pros
Ideal for business needs.
Extensive global reach with 195 locations.
Reliable uptime and response time.
Oxylabs Cons
Most pricing plans are curated for businesses.
A more intuitive interface would improve user experience.
Oxylabs Pricing
Oxylabs offers multiple plans, and almost all of them are tailored for businesses. Here are the starting prices:
- Residential Proxies: $8/GB.
- Mobile Proxies: $22/GB.
- Dedicated Datacenter Proxies: $2.75/IP.
- Web Unblocker: $75/month.
Smartproxy
Best value provider
When it comes to proxy solutions, Smartproxy emerges as a standout option. Awarded as the Best Value Provider three years in a row by Proxyway, Smartproxy offers a complete proxy line, including residential, mobile, ISP, dedicated ISP, datacenter, and dedicated datacenter proxies.
Smartproxy has 65M+ IPs covering over 195 locations around the globe. They have one of the best connection success rate and speedy response times. For example, their residential proxies respond in just 0.57 seconds with a 99.43% success rate.
You can test-drive the residential proxies with a 3-day free trial for 100MB and choose from a variety of subscription options, starting at just $2.2/GB.
Loved by 85K+ users worldwide for its free tools, advanced integration tutorials, quick start guides, and 24/7 tech support, Smartproxy is a perfect choice for individual hustlers or fast-growing businesses for almost any use case.
Smartproxy Pros
3-day free trial for residential proxies and 7-day free trial for Scraping APIs
65M+ IPs in 195+ locations
User-friendly dashboard with free 24/7 support
Smartproxy Cons
Doesn’t provide datasets
No free trial option for other proxy types
SmartProxy Pricing
You can pick from a wide range of subscriptions depending on your needs. Here are the entry points for each proxy type.
- Residential proxies: $2.2/GB
- Static residential proxies: $2/IP
- Mobile proxies: $6/GB
- Datacenter proxies: $0.09/IP
- Site Unblocker: $6/GB
Best for Comprehensive Features
Webshare is a comprehensive web proxy service that offers a wide range of proxy solutions, from web browsing to scraping, to meet various online privacy, security, and access needs. It offers various proxy types, such as free, shared, datacenter, anonymous, HTTP, and SOCKS5 proxies, and is used for secure and anonymous web browsing, content scraping, ad verification, and overcoming geo-restrictions for content streaming and gaming, etc.
Webshare is spread across 195 countries and offers 10 free IPs with access to all paid features. While the number of proxies available isn’t specified, upon verifying, I noticed more than 100,000 proxies on offer, with an average uptime of 99.97% and a response time of 1.31s. It complies with GDPR and CCPA and guarantees that daily proxy activity and private information are never shared with third parties.
Regarding support, Webshare covers everything, including an informative blog, a comprehensive help center, and detailed API documentation. The real-time system status monitor is worth mentioning as it provides the flexibility to troubleshoot and optimize the proxy setup.
Webshare Pros
Offers good global coverage.
Impressive uptime and response time.
Affordable rates with a free plan are an added advantage.
Webshare Cons
Customer support could be improved.
While it has great coverage, some countries have limited proxy.
Webshare Pricing
The pricing varies according to the proxy and the quantity considered purchasing. Here is the starting price of each. These prices can vary as they are subject to conditions.
- Proxy Servers start at $0.05/Proxy.
- Static Residential Proxy starts at $0.22/Proxy.
- Residential Proxy starts at $4.5/GB.
IPRoyal
Best for Web Scraping
IPRoyal offers a wide range of proxy services, including Static Residential, Rotating Residential, Sneaker, Private, Datacenter, and Mobile. All proxy types are tailored to various needs, including scraping, as they support web scraping, SEO and SERP scraping, price monitoring, etc.
While IPRoyal offers reliable performance through its effective proxy services, the Residential Proxy is arguably the best in the segment. It is suitable for safe and efficient web scraping and internet browsing. Some of its best features are the never-expiring traffic, flexible rotation options, SOCKS5 support, city/state targeting, API access, and sticky sessions.
IPRoyal’s proxy network covers 195 countries. Users do not need to worry about limited IPs, as it offers near to unlimited bandwidth with 341,385 IPs for the United States proxy servers alone, which is an impressive proxy pool size. The network has an average uptime of 99.9% and a response time of around 1s.
For privacy, IPRoyal assures all its users of its GDPR and CCPA compliance. The interface is user-friendly, with a comprehensive dashboard. For support, they have provided blogs, a help center, and detailed API documentation.
IPRoyal Pros
A cheap residential proxy with a good response time.
Offers good global coverage with impressive uptime.
Ideal for web scraping and internet browsing.
IPRoyal Cons
The pricing is expensive, except for the Residential proxy.
Customer support could be improved.
IPRoyal Pricing
IPRoyal pricing varies according to the proxy, the quantity purchased, and other conditions. Here is each proxy’s starting price.
- Static Residential Proxy starts at $2.40/Proxy.
- Residential Proxy starts at $1.75/GB.
- Datacenter Proxy starts at $1.39/Proxy.
- Mobile Proxy is $117 per month.
Bright Data
Best for Performance
Bright Data proxy is a prominent proxy with a wide collection of proxy types on offer like residential, datacenter and ISP proxies. It stands out with its web data services, and is ideal when trying to collect public data for data security, market research, and SERP & SEO activities.
Bright Data offers AI-powered web scrapers and tools curated for proxy solutions that make ad verification, SEO monitoring, and bypassing geo-restrictions easy. Its global coverage is impressive, with 195 countries, 72 million+ IP availability, and an average response time of 1.02 seconds.
In terms of privacy, Bright Data proxy is GDPR and CCPA-compliant and offers its users industry-leading security protocols. While many proxy services fail to provide human customer support, Bright Data offers it 24/7. For further support, there are dedicated blogs, a help center, and detailed API documentation.
Bright Data Pros
Impressive global coverage with 195 locations.
Easy-to-use proxy solutions and reliable performance.
Offers 24/7 human customer support and a free trial.
Bright Data Cons
The pricing could be affordable.
Some features are complicated for new users.
Bright Data Pricing
Each proxy solution is offered with plans curated according to user requirements. While most proxy services get you into a monthly commitment, the no-commitment offer makes it a great choice for those who want to test and don’t want to purchase a hefty plan.
Proxy-Cheap
Best for Uptime Performance
Proxy-Cheap focuses on providing affordable proxy solutions to meet the needs of varying user bases. Companies can use it to create multiple accounts, aggregate travel fares, create SEO proxies, conduct market research, and protect their brands.
With affordable pricing, Proxy-Cheap offers decent uptime and success rates. It spans 150 countries and has a pool of around 7 million real IPs.
Regarding privacy, Proxy-Cheap has used industry-standard solutions. However, the lack of GDPR and CCPA can be concerning. The blogs, video tutorials, and a dedicated knowledge base enhance the support, but the lack of human-based customer support makes it unreliable.
Proxy-Cheap Pros
Comes with one-day plans.
Decent global coverage spread across 150 locations.
Reliable performance and affordable pricing.
Cons
Lacks GDPR and CCPA compliance.
The support isn’t the best, and you can notice instability.
Proxy-Cheap Pricing
The pricing varies according to the proxy and the quantity you purchase. Here is the starting price of each, subject to change depending on conditions.
- Static Residential Proxies: Starts at $0.99/Proxy
- Rotating Residential Proxies: Starts at $2.99/GB
- Mobile Proxies: Starts from $15/Proxy
- Datacenter Proxies: Starts from $0.30/Proxy
ProxyEmpire
Best for Dedicated Support
ProxyEmpire offers proxy solutions ranging from rotating mobile proxies to dedicated mobile proxies and rotating datacenter proxies. For residential proxies, it provides both static and rotating. For users who require residential proxies, this is a good fit as they can do online tasks such as web scraping, price monitoring, ad verification, SEO monitoring, etc., more effectively.
ProxyEmpire’s network spans over 170 countries and offers well over 9 million premium residential IPs. It comes with 99.9% uptime and a 99.95% success rate. It allows users to customize their proxy control experience
While ProxyEmpire offers basic proxy features, it does not provide anything additional. Though it has a strict privacy policy, it lacks GDPR and CCPA, which is concerning from a business perspective. It does not give users the option of a human point of contact for support, replying instead to guidelines and blogs for assistance.
While it isn’t the best in terms of privacy, in terms of support, it is decent as it offers a blog and guides. However, the lack of human assistance is a downside.
ProxyEmpire Pros
It comes with Pay-as-you-go support.
Impressive global coverage spread across 170 locations.
Transparent Subscription and pricing.
ProxyEmpire Cons
Lacks GDPR and CCPA compliance.
The support isn’t the best, and the plans are expensive.
ProxyEmpire Pricing
The pricing varies according to the proxy and the quantity you consider purchasing. Here is the Pay-as-you-go price for each.
- Static Residential Proxies start at $2/Proxy.
- Rotating Residential Proxies start at $9/GB.
- Rotating Mobile Proxies start from $20/GB.
- Rotating Datacenter Proxies start from $0.625/GB.
Soax
Best for Response Time
Soax is a proxy service provider that is useful for data extraction and internet browsing. It supports protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5, which allows for flexibility and efficiency in accessing content web scraping and data collection operations.
While Soax is an emerging proxy service, it hasn’t stopped and is going strong, providing proxies in 195 locations worldwide. Its success rate is 99.5%, and its response time with specific proxies is impressive at 0.55 s.
Regarding privacy, Soax is GDPR-compliant but not CCPA-compliant. It has provided dedicated customer service, with assistance available via chat, email, or phone.
Soax Pros
Reliable customer support and transparent pricing.
Impressive global coverage, spread across 195 locations.
Decent overall performance.
Soax Cons
Lacks CCPA compliance.
The support isn’t the best, and the plans are expensive.
Soax Pricing
The pricing varies according to the proxy and the quantity you consider purchasing. Here is the Pay as you go of each, which varies based on conditions like 150GB traffic and 75GB traffic.
- Residential Proxies start at $4.9/GB.
- Mobile Proxies start at $4.9/GB.
- US ISP Proxy starts at $4.9/GB.
- Datacenter Proxies start from $0.65/GB.
Best Cheap Proxy Service Comparison
| Proxy Provider | Locations | Proxy Solutions | GDPR & CCPA compliance | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPRoyal | 195 countries | Rotating & Static Residential, Datacenter & Mobile Proxies | Yes | Residential Proxy starts at 7$/GB (per month) |
| Smartproxy | 150 countries | Residential, ISP, Mobile, Datacenter Proxies | Yes | Residential Proxy starts at 7$/GB (Pay as you go) |
| Oxylabs | 188 countries | Residential, Mobile, Rotating ISP, Shared Datacenter & Dedicated Datacenter Proxies | Yes | Residential Proxy starts at 10$/GB (Pay as you go) |
| Webshare | 195 countries | Proxy Server, Static Residential, Residential Proxy | Yes | Residential Proxy starts at 7$/GB (per month) |
| Bright Data | 195 countries | Residential, Datacenter, ISP, Mobile Proxies | Yes | Residential Proxy starts at 8.4$/GB (Pay as you go) |
| Proxy-Cheap | 170 countries | Static & Rotating Residential, Datacenter IPv4 & IPv6, Mobile Proxies | No | Residential Proxy starts at 4.99$/GB (Pay as you go) |
| ProxyEmpire | 195 countries | Rotating Residential & Mobile, Static Residential, Dedicated Mobile, Rotating Datacenter proxies | No | Residential Proxy starts at 9$/GB (Pay as you go) |
| Soax | 195 countries | Residential, Mobile, ISP, and Datacenter proxies | Lacks CCPA compliance | Residential Proxy starts at 6.6$/GB (On purchasing 15GB) |
A premium proxy service provides users with additional features like proxy pool IP size, usability, reliability (ease of use and customization), speed, performance (uptime, success rate, and response time), security, customer support, and cost. Reputable providers like Webshare, IPRoyal, Oxylabs, and Birghtdata cover most of these bases.
Benefits of Using a Proxy Service
A proxy service offers enhanced anonymity and security on the web at its most basic without demanding advanced technical knowledge. A proxy service is beneficial for individual users as well as corporate users as it is useful for web scraping, data collection, and competitive intelligence, allowing them to gather data without being blocked or detected. Due to these features, when it comes to proxy vs. VPN, users often choose the former.
Who Should Use a Proxy Service?
A proxy service enhances online privacy and security for individual users and businesses. It also has additional uses, like accessing geo-restricted content, conducting web scraping and data collection, managing social media accounts, and performing market research and competitive analysis.
Ethical and Legal Use of a Proxy Service
It is essential to be responsible while using a proxy server to prevent its misuse in illegal online activities. Illegal activities done by proxy users are liable to legal repercussions, which is why it is important to follow the terms and conditions of the proxy server being used. While using a proxy service, both the user and the proxy provider are expected to behave ethically and in compliance with the law.