Proxy servers have become essential in today’s online world. They increase your anonymity, security, and freedom, letting you make the most of the internet without worrying about restrictions or limitations. However, not all proxies are good proxies, so choosing the right option is important.
In this article, we’ll suggest the ten best proxy providers on the market and highlight their most significant pros and cons. Let’s start by explaining what proxy addresses are and how they benefit private and business users.
Proxies or proxy servers are third-party servers that route your internet connection through their own IP addresses. They function as a middleman between you and the website, app, or service you want to access or use by taking your web request, analyzing it, and sending it to the destination server.
Since your genuine IP address stays hidden the whole time, you gain online anonymity and privacy. At the same time, your device and data remain protected from malicious users.
Most premium proxy providers offer IP addresses in various locations, letting you browse the internet as if you’re somewhere else. This allows you to bypass geo-restrictions and access region-specific content from anywhere.
By choosing an IP address closer to the location of your target server, you can improve your connection speed and reduce lags. This can be beneficial for anyone, from individuals playing online games and streaming movies to business users scraping large amounts of data from multiple websites.
Some IP addresses can rotate after each request you make, ensuring maximum anonymity and efficiency while performing automation tasks. These are usually residential proxies that give you access to an entire proxy pool with hundreds of thousands or even millions of IPs worldwide.
Common business use cases of proxy addresses include data scraping, market research, brand protection, ad verification, web testing, travel fare aggregation, SEO, social media management, etc.
Now that you know more about proxies, let’s explore the best options out there.
Best 10 Proxy services to consider
1. MarsProxies
Best for small to medium-sized personal and business projects
Why We Picked It
MarsProxies combines high quality with affordability. Their proxies are fast, reliable, and equipped with the latest features, at the same time available in highly flexible plans. You can customize the ideal plan for your needs and budget and get all the advanced features without paying extra.
Who It’s For
This provider is a popular choice among private users and small to medium-sized businesses. They offer all the main proxy types, great customer support, an intuitive dashboard, and features like non-expiring residential traffic that make their solutions extremely cost-effective. You can use these proxies for anything, from gaming and sneaker botting to web scraping and social media automation.
PROS
- High-speed IPs in 190+ locations
- Flexible plans and easy setup
- Sneaker and mobile proxies with unlimited traffic
- Non-expiring residential traffic
CONS
- No free trial
- Mobile proxies in 2 locations
2. IPRoyal
Best for budget-conscious business and enterprise clients
Why We Picked It
IPRoyal is a highly reputable proxy service that offers an ethical residential network built from scratch. Their proxies are high-performing, easy to use, and reasonably priced. You can find many unique features designed to improve your online experience, along with an expert support team that responds within seconds.
Who It’s For
IPRoyal’s solutions and pricing are ideal for businesses and enterprises looking to scale without overspending. The company adheres to the industry’s latest data protection standards, letting clients use their proxies with peace of mind. The proxies are ideal for large-scale scraping, ad verification, social media management, data protection, etc.
PROS
- 32M+ ethical residential IPs in 195+ locations
- Pay-as-you-go plan with non-expiring residential traffic
- Customizable plans with no extra costs
- High-performing proxies with unique features
CONS
- No rotating datacenter proxies
- No free trial
3. Bright Data
Best for enterprises with large-scale data collection projects
Why We Picked It
Bright Data controls a massive proxy network and offers multiple data scraping solutions, including web scraper APIs and pre-collected datasets. While the setup is not as straightforward as with other popular providers, the support is ready to help 24/7. You can find various proxy types and expect high success rates.
Who It’s For
Based on the company’s offerings and pricing, it’s clear that they are focusing on enterprises with large-scale data collection projects. While the fixed plans have high starting prices, the pay-as-you-go option makes the service more accessible.
PROS
- Large proxy network and worldwide coverage
- Multiple web scraping tools
- 24/7 customer support
- Free trial
CONS
- Fixed plans with high starting prices
- Complex dashboard
4. Proxy-Cheap
Best for small users looking for basic features
Why We Picked It
Proxy-Cheap offers the main proxy types with basic features. They offer IP addresses in worldwide locations, decent speeds, and a user-friendly dashboard. While you may not find features like city or state-level targeting in the residential plans, the prices are some of the most affordable out there.
Who It’s For
This proxy service is a good option for small users on a budget looking for basic features. You can use the proxies for small-scale web scraping, account management, ad verification, e-commerce, etc. Affordable trial plans are also available, letting you test some proxy types at a minimal cost.
PROS
- Multiple proxy types
- 6.9M+ residential IPs in 130+ locations
- Affordable pricing
- A 7-day paid trial
CONS
- Residential proxies with no city or state-level targeting
- Only US mobile proxies
5. NetNut
Best for experienced users and businesses with large-scale projects
Why We Picked It
NetNut is a reputable proxy service controlling a large pool of 85M IPs, although the number is estimated for 2027, so it doesn’t really reflect the current state. Aside from multiple types of reliable proxies, they also offer datasets and web scraping tools.
Who It’s For
Based on the company’s product catalog, it’s clear that their target clients are enterprises with data scraping projects. While their subscription plans and high pricing don’t make sense for small users, the proxies are cost-efficient for clients with large-scale needs.
PROS
- Large proxy network and worldwide coverage
- Multiple web scraping tools
- Free trial
- High success rates
CONS
- Fixed plans with high starting prices
- IP pool count not updated since 2017
6. Smartproxy
Best for business clients with web data projects
Why We Picked It
Smartproxy has a rich product catalog including various proxy types, web scrapers, and tools. They provide reliable proxies, responsive customer support, and an intuitive dashboard. The pricing is reasonable, and many subscription plans and pay-as-you-go options are available.
Who It’s For
This proxy provider is a great choice for businesses with various web data projects. You can use their proxies for a wide range of tasks, including price aggregation, web scraping, multi-accounting, SEO, and more. With multiple pricing options, there’s something for every budget.
PROS
- 55M+ IP addresses in 195+ locations
- Various proxy types and web scraping tools
- 14-day money-back option
- Free trial
CONS
- Bandwidth limitations
- Only US dedicated datacenter proxies
7. Shifter
Best for enterprises with traffic-intensive tasks
Why We Picked It
Shifter is a well-known proxy provider offering a large proxy network, worldwide coverage, and multiple payment options. While you can’t find datacenter or mobile proxies, you can pick from several residential varieties and sneaker proxies as well. The proxies are reliable and perform well.
Who It’s For
This proxy service offers multiple subscription plans based on ports and not GBs. The pricing may be on the higher end, but the traffic allowance is generous. Shifter’s products include scraping APIs as well, so the entire service is most suitable for larger customers with traffic-intensive data scraping tasks.
PROS
- Large IP network and global coverage
- Web scraping APIs
- Residential proxies in three varieties
- Free trial for companies
CONS
- Fixed plans with high starting prices
- Geo-targeting options at an additional cost
8. Astro
Best for small-time users looking for rotating IPs
Why We Picked It
Astro may not be one of the most popular options in the proxy industry, but their offerings deserve a place on our list. You can find various proxy types available in flexible plans with an option to order as little as 100 MB. Basic features like geo-targeting come without extra costs.
Who It’s For
This small proxy service is a good option for individuals or small businesses looking for rotating proxy servers for their small data collection or multi-accounting projects. The IP pool may be limited, but the proxies work well, and the pricing is affordable, so they are worth considering.
PROS
- Multiple rotating proxy options
- Worldwide coverage with over 100 locations
- Flexible sticky session duration
- Minimum order of just 100MB
CONS
- Limited proxy pool size
- No static IP addresses
9. Oxylabs
Best for enterprise clients with data collection projects
Why We Picked It
Oxylabs is an enterprise proxy provider offering robust infrastructure and multiple web scraping APIs. With over 100M IP addresses, reliable uptime, and round-the-clock customer support, they are one of the most popular options in the proxy industry.
Who It’s For
Thanks to the gigantic proxy pool, no-code datasets, and web scraping APIs, Oxylabs is a common choice for enterprises with large data collection projects. While the enterprise plans have fixed pricing aimed at clients with bigger budgets, there are also regular subscription plans and a pay-as-you-go option available.
PROS
- 100M+ IP addresses in 195+ countries
- Multiple web scraper APIs and datasets
- Ethical proxy pool
- Free trial
CONS
- Pay-as-you-go plan with traffic order limit
- Fixed plans with high prices
10. MPP Group (Myprivateproxy)
Best for small users looking for datacenter proxies
Why We Picked It
MPP Group, more commonly known as Myprivateproxy, is a small proxy provider offering fast datacenter proxy solutions. You can find dedicated, private, and shared datacenter IP addresses as well as specialized proxies for sneaker copping, ticketing, and PokemonGo. Their location coverage is rather limited, but the proxies are functional and affordable.
Who It’s For
With datacenter IP addresses available in 16 US cities and 8 European locations, dual authentication support, and unlimited bandwidth, this proxy service is good enough for many casual internet users and small businesses. Common use cases of MPP Group proxies include small-scale price scraping, unlocking geo-blocked content, and purchasing multiple tickets and limited-edition sneakers.
PROS
- Three datacenter proxy options
- Plans with zero traffic limits
- A 3-day money-back guarantee
- A single free IP refresh per billing cycle
CONS
- Limited location coverage
- No residential IPs
Final Words
Using the right proxies can help you protect your privacy on the internet and use it to the fullest. Whether you need reliable IPs for gaming, streaming, web scraping, or automating tasks, the options listed here are worth considering. Compare their pros and cons, and choose wisely!
FAQs
What are proxies?
Proxies or proxy addresses are third-party servers using unique IP addresses to connect you to websites and services. They route your connection through their IPs, providing you with increased anonymity, privacy, and security on the internet.
What are the main types of proxies?
The main types of proxies based on IP sourcing are residential, ISP, datacenter, and mobile proxies. Residential and mobile proxies are naturally rotating, although most providers offer static sessions. ISP and datacenter proxies can be either static or rotating, depending on the provider.
How do you choose the best proxy provider?
When choosing a proxy service, make sure it offers the proxy type, locations, and features you need. Don’t forget to consider your budget, so try to find a provider with customizable or flexible plans and pricing. Having a responsive customer support team you can count on is always recommended.