Best 5 proxy servers providers in 2024
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Šarūnas Karbauskas
Online privacy expert
In the rapidly expanding proxy server market, finding a reliable provider becomes challenging with so many options available. Despite their early controversial uses, proxies have evolved into essential tools for individuals and businesses. They serve various purposes, from web scraping and market research to accessing geo-restricted content or enhancing privacy.
However, with the flood of providers, each promising the best service, it can be challenging to distinguish genuinely good ones, and sifting through reviews and product details is simply too time-consuming. To help you save time and money, we've tested and put together a list of the top five proxy server providers for 2024. We checked the kinds of proxies and features they offer to ensure you're choosing a powerful and trustworthy service.
Top 5 proxies in 2024 – shortlist
- Oxylabs – the overall best proxy service
- Smartproxy – the most cost-effective proxy for excellent performance
- Webshare – affordable proxy service for small businesses
- Bright Data – well-performing proxy with extensive IP address variety
- NetNut – robust proxy geared toward large businesses
How we tested proxies
We compiled our review after assessing each provider based on the following factors:
- Proxy types. We reviewed the range of proxy types each provider offers to identify the most versatile providers offering specialized and feature-rich proxies. We recommend reading our guide about various proxy server types if you’re unfamiliar with the topic.
- Price. We looked at the starting price for core proxy types such as residential, datacenter, ISP, and mobile.
- Performance. We checked vital performance metrics such as speed, reliability, and connection consistency. This step was crucial in acquiring insights into how efficient the proxies are.
- Pool size and location. Location coverage and IP pool size were other criteria we took into consideration. This helped us understand how well each provider would meet specialized geo-targeting needs.
- Support. We looked at how each provider handles customer support in terms of responsiveness and availability. This evaluation is essential to understand how potential issues might be handled.
- Ethics and reputation. We took the time to overview each provider's ethical standards and reputation. The evaluation encompassed such aspects as proxy procurement policies and customer feedback. This ensured that providers not only met technical standards but also upheld strong ethical values.
Best proxy providers – detailed list
Our extensive proxy testing concluded that the following five providers are the most worthwhile providers in 2024. They are versatile, affordable, and ensure excellent performance under any circumstances.
1. Oxylabs – the best overall proxy provider in 2024
| Main proxy types: | Residential, ISP (static and rotating), mobile, datacenter (shared, dedicated, rotating), Web Unblocker |
| Free trial: | 7-day trial available through support |
| Support: | 24/7 live chat support, dedicated account manager |
| Protocols: | HTTP(S), SOCKS5 |
Oxylabs is one of the undisputed proxy market leaders, offering a comprehensive suite of powerful web intelligence tools with proxies among them. With one of the broadest range of proxy types – from residential proxies to data center proxies and everything in between – it delivers excellent success rates and covers every location worldwide.
Oxylabs proxies leverage a pool of 102M+ IPs, offering unlimited bandwidth and advanced geo-targeting capabilities at no extra charge. This advantage sets it apart from competitors who often charge for these features. On top of that, Oxylabs ensures its proxy solutions are well-supported with such tools as a proxy manager app and extension, third-party integrations, residential proxy endpoint generator, and more.
However, what truly makes it shine is its dedication to ethical residential proxy procurement processes. Oxylabs carefully sources residential proxies from reliable partners, making most of the network composed of Tier A+ model proxies.
One thing to note about Oxylabs is that its pricing plans can be steep, starting at $10/GB for residential proxies. However, weighed against the value it provides, Oxylabs is the perfect match for those seeking top-notch quality. Plus, you can use the code cybernews30 and get a 30% discount for Residential Proxies, Mobile Proxies, Shared Datacenter Proxies, and Web Unblocker.
2. Smartproxy – the most cost-effective proxy for excellent performance
| Main proxy types: | Residential, ISP, mobile, datacenter proxies (shared and private), Site Unblocker |
| Free trial: | 3-day residential proxies trial |
| Support: | 24/7 live chat support and dedicated account manager for enterprise plans |
| Protocols: | HTTP(S), SOCKS5 |
Smartproxy is another trusted proxy provider offering a massive pool of IP addresses for the most efficient way to test, launch, and scale your next web data project. It provides one of the fastest residential proxy servers in the market and swift onboarding with self-service for all its products.
Smartproxy perfectly balances performance and cost, offering flexible and affordable pricing options for every need. Users can test Smartproxy without commitment with a free 3-day residential proxies trial or get a 14-day money-back option if they wish to start with a subscription plan immediately. Finally, users can choose the no-commitment "Pay As You Go" option and pay only for the gigabytes they use for their project.
With an intuitive dashboard, outstanding 24/7 customer service, a browser extension for proxy management, free apps like an anti-detect browser, and a proxy address generator, Smartproxy is the perfect companion for all businesses and solopreneurs.
Smartproxy's flexible pricing and solid product performance give users complete control over their web projects. More precisely, residential proxy plans start at only $8.5/GB. The only downside is that their dedicated address location coverage is limited.
3. Webshare – affordable proxy service for small businesses
| Main proxy types: | Residential, ISP, datacenter (shared, dedicated, and semi-dedicated) |
| Free trial: | Free plan |
| Support: | Email or bot chat (24/7 live chat coming soon) |
| Protocols: | HTTP, SOCKS5 |
Webshare has swiftly secured its place as one of the best price-to-performance proxy providers for small to midsize market segments. Additionally, it has a free plan featuring 10 IP addresses, allowing users to test the service before fully committing.
Webshare offers the most customizable proxy environment thanks to the intuitive dashboard and infrastructure. From the minute they sign up, users are seamlessly guided through the proxy setup process with tutorial videos and helpful pop-ups. It’s also easy to fine-tune the proxy usage experience with custom plan options, sub-users, usage tracking, and more.
Among its most unique features are verified proxies, which are data center proxies verified to be compatible with specific sites, allowing users to access them with extremely high success rates.
One downside is that Webshare doesn’t provide all proxy types (e.g., mobile proxies). However, if that's not your priority, Webshare emerges as an attractive option, especially since residential proxy prices start at only $7/month per GB.
4. Bright Data – well-performing proxy with extensive IP address variety
| Main proxy types: | Residential, datacenter (shared, rotating, and dedicated), ISP, mobile |
| Free trial: | 7-day free trial |
| Support: | 24/7 customer support |
| Protocols: | HTTP(S), SOCKS5 |
Bright Data is another leading proxy service provider with one of the largest proxy pools, delivering excellent services and performance. It offers millions of IP addresses worldwide with precise geo-targeting and IP rotation. Additionally, its proxies are known for superb performance, high success rates, stability, and good response time.
Aside from proxy performance, there’s a suite of convenient proxy management tools. Expect nifty solutions like an open-source proxy manager, browser extension, and an API. Bright Data also offers a user-friendly dashboard and excellent 24/7 support, making your proxy integration experience a breeze.
While Bright Data offers outstanding services, it also charges a premium price for residential proxies ($10.50/GB). Whether or not you want to pay depends on your use case, but if you do – you’ll be in good hands.
5. NetNut – robust proxy geared toward large businesses
| Main proxy types: | Residential, ISP, mobile, datacenter (static and rotating) |
| Free trial: | 7-day free trial |
| Support: | Live chat, email, WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram |
| Protocols: | HTTP(S), SOCKS5 |
NetNut is a famous proxy provider known for its consistent performance and big IP pools dispersed across various locations worldwide. It covers core proxy types, like residential, data center, and mobile, all the while offering features like IP rotation, geo-targeting, IP whitelisting, and more.
NetNut has an easy-to-use dashboard with real-time proxy management and detailed usage statistics. It offers numerous support options, including live chat, email, WhatsApp, Skype, and Telegram. It focuses on enterprise clients, which is evident in its pricing – it’s more consistent with other premium providers, and there are no pay-as-you-go plans.
While NetNut offers value to enterprises and solopreneurs, their pricing, purchasing, and onboarding processes are focused on larger companies and may be less appealing to other market segments. To be precise, rotating residential proxies start at a whopping $300/month, which is roughly $15 per GB.
Best proxy providers compared
See the best proxy providers at a glance:
| Oxylabs | Smartproxy | Webshare | Bright Data | Netnut | |
| Price | Premium | Moderate | Moderate | Premium | Premium |
| Locations | Broad | Broad | Regular | Broad | Broad |
| Proxy selection | residential, ISP (static and rotating), mobile, datacenter (shared, dedicated, rotating), Web Unblocker | residential, ISP, mobile, datacenter proxies (shared and private), Site Unblocker | residential, ISP, datacenter (shared, dedicated, and semi-dedicated) | residential, datacenter (shared, rotating, and dedicated), ISP, mobile | residential, ISP, mobile, datacenter (static and rotating) |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes | Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, dedicated account manager | 24/7 live chat support and dedicated account manager for enterprise plans | via email or bot chat (24/7 live chat coming soon) | 24/7 human support | live chat, email, WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram |
Conclusion
Proxies offer incredible versatility, boosting online security and enhancing various business use cases. However, with numerous providers emerging in the market, you must tread carefully so you don’t end up paying for a lousy service. Here's a quick rundown of our recommendations to make your job easier.
According to our evaluations, Oxylabs is the best overall proxy provider. It has an excellent proxy infrastructure, covers all proxy types, boasts top-notch performance, and delivers outstanding customer support. These features and flexible service options for enterprise clients earn them the best premium provider status.
If you're looking for a more budget-friendly solution, Webshare is our best cheap proxy provider recommendation. It provides excellent performance at incredibly affordable prices. Finally, for a provider with the best speed, check out Smartproxy and its market-leading response times.
FAQ
What is the safest proxy type?
The safety of a proxy highly depends on the provider, configuration, and use case. However, in general, it’s best to avoid free proxies because they are unreliable and suffer from frequent downtime and security vulnerabilities.
Are proxies better than a VPN?
There’s no straightforward answer on whether proxies are better than a VPN as there are many nuances to consider, which you can find in our article on proxies vs VPN.
What is the best residential proxy provider?
According to our research, Oxylabs is the best option for residential proxies. It’s high-performing, offers precise geo-targeting (from country to ASN), comes with a free endpoint generator, and is easy to integrate. Above all, it stands out for quality and is sourced from reputable providers.
What is the best ISP proxy provider?
We recommend checking out Oxylabs for robust ISP proxies with speedy response time, extended sessions, and support with HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols.
What is the best SOCKS5 proxy provider?
Smarproxy is the ultimate choice for SOCKS5 proxy. Its SOCKS5 proxies can also come as residential, mobile, or dedicated datacenter proxies and cover many protocols – TCP, UDP, SMTP, and FTP. The proxies' excellent uptime and response time are matched only by affordable pricing.
What is the best data center proxy provider?
Oxylabs is the best data center proxy provider, offering shared and dedicated data center proxies. Not only does it provide unlimited bandwidth and free geo-targeting, but it also carefully pre-selects and tests its proxies.
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