20 Best Proxies Online: Free and Paid Services

Online privacy is hard to achieve. In the real sense, it seems impossible. It's even riskier to browse the web if you feel the government or some agencies are monitoring you. And how about blockades that stand against your web scraping escapades? These trackers won't just stop snooping and censoring. Well, this is where proxies come in.

They let you maintain a certain level of seclusion on the internet. With proxies, you can fool sniffers and blockers and be sure that you've taken a bold step in covering your web tracks.

Whether you're looking for free services or don't mind paid ones, this ultimate list of the best proxy services online will help you make the right choice.

What Are Proxies?

A proxy is like a middleman between your device and the internet. Instead of connecting directly to a website, your request goes through a proxy server, which hides your real location (IP address). This makes it harder for websites to track you and can help you access sites that might be blocked in your area. Proxies are often used to stay more private online or get around restrictions on certain websites.

How Is a Proxy Different From a VPN?

Both proxies and virtual private networks (VPNs) hide your IP address, helping to protect your online privacy. However, they work differently and are suited for different tasks.

Proxies function at the application level, meaning they only reroute traffic from specific websites or apps that you set them up for. For example, if you're using a proxy to scrape data from a particular website, only that site’s traffic will go through the proxy. Proxies are a good choice when you need to focus on accessing one specific resource or bypassing content restrictions.

VPNs, on the other hand, operate at the network level. They encrypt all of your internet traffic and send it through a secure tunnel, no matter which apps or websites you're using. This makes VPNs a stronger choice for overall privacy and security, as they protect your entire connection, including all the data sent to and from your device.

In summary, proxies are ideal for tasks like web scraping and accessing specific websites, while VPNs are better suited for encrypting all online activity and securing your connection across the board.

Now that you know the difference, let’s explore the best proxy services available today.

What Are the Different Types of Proxies?

There are various types of proxies, each designed for specific tasks. Knowing which type to use will help you keep your online privacy, improve web scraping, and access restricted content more effectively.

1. Residential Proxies

Residential proxies use real IP addresses provided by internet service providers (ISPs). These proxies are ideal for web scraping because they make it harder for websites to detect and block your activities. If you're collecting large amounts of data from websites that impose strict access limits, residential proxies are highly effective at avoiding bans.

For example, you can use a tool like Automatio.ai for web scraping tasks, which allows you to automate data extraction from websites. Automatio integrates with proxies in some automations to ensure your scraping runs smoothly, helping you bypass restrictions and gather data efficiently.

2. Datacenter Proxies

Datacenter proxies originate from data centers and are not linked to ISPs. They offer higher speed at a lower cost than residential proxies, but they can be more easily detected and blocked by websites. These proxies are ideal for smaller-scale scraping tasks or accessing less restricted content quickly.

3. Mobile Proxies

Mobile proxies route traffic through real mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. These proxies are perfect for tasks involving mobile-optimized websites or mobile applications. Mobile proxies are often used for testing apps, managing multiple social media accounts, or scraping mobile-specific content.

4. Public Proxies

Public proxies are free and accessible to anyone. However, they tend to be slower and less secure, with a higher likelihood of being blocked. Public proxies are best suited for basic browsing and not recommended for sensitive tasks like web scraping or data collection.

5. Dedicated Proxies

Dedicated proxies provide exclusive use to a single user, ensuring reliable and faster connections. They are ideal for secure transactions, managing multiple online accounts, or accessing restricted websites without the risk of bans.

By understanding the different types of proxies, you can choose the best option for your specific tasks, whether it's using residential proxies for web scraping or dedicated proxies for high-security needs.

Best Proxy Services: Free and Paid Options

When choosing the best proxy service for tasks like web scraping, online privacy, or bypassing geo-restrictions, it’s crucial to pick a provider that offers reliable, secure, and fast connections. Below is a list of the top 20 proxy service providers for 2024, each offering a range of options to suit different use cases.

1. Smartproxy

Website: smartproxy.com

Smartproxy is a leading proxy provider known for its extensive network of over 40 million IPs across the globe. The service offers both residential and data center, making it versatile for various online tasks such as web scraping, data collection, and managing multiple accounts. Smartproxy boasts a 99.99% uptime guarantee and provides users with a user-friendly dashboard to manage their proxies easily . The service is particularly appreciated for its speed and reliability, allowing users to access geo-restricted content seamlessly . Additionally, Smartproxy supports both HTTP/HTTPS and SOCKS5 protocols, ensuring compatibility with most applications and tools.

Pros:

• Large pool of over 65 million IPs
• Fast speeds and reliable performance
• User-friendly dashboard and flexible plans
  

Cons:

• Higher pricing compared to some competitors
• Limited simultaneous connections on lower plans

Pricing: Paid

2. Rayobyte

Website: rayobyte.com

Rayobyte (formerly known as Blazing SEO) specializes in providing affordable and reliable proxy solutions, particularly residential proxies. With a focus on scalability, Rayobyte caters to both small and large businesses, making it ideal for tasks like web scraping and data extraction​

Pros:

• Affordable residential and data center proxies
• High performance and scalability
• Good customer support

Cons:

• Limited location options for some proxies
• User interface may be less intuitive for beginners

Pricing: paid

3. Webshare

Website: webshare.io

Webshare delivers both residential and data center proxies at competitive prices. Known for its user-friendly interface, it allows for easy management of proxies. Their customizable subscription plans make it an ideal choice for users handling large-scale data extraction and web scraping tasks.

Pros:

• Affordable pricing for both proxy types
• User-friendly dashboard for easy management
• Customizable subscription plans

Cons:

• Limited bandwidth on cheaper plans
• Less robust documentation compared to competitors

Pricing: Paid with Free Options

4. NetNut

Website: netnut.io

NetNut specializes in rotating residential proxies and mobile proxies with high-speed performance. It is particularly useful for market research, ad verification, and large-scale web scraping due to its extensive proxy pool and high success rates.

Pros:

• Direct ISP-sourced residential proxies
• High-speed performance and low latency
• Great geo-targeting capabilities

Cons:

• Pricing can be on the higher side
• Fewer tutorials or guides available for new users

Pricing: paid

5. Shifter

Website: shifter.io

Shifter provides a large pool of rotating proxies with unlimited bandwidth, making it a top choice for users requiring continuous data collection. Its IP rotation ensures security and reliability, ideal for long-term web scraping and high-frequency tasks.

Pros:

• Unlimited bandwidth with rotating IPs
• Ideal for long-term scraping projects
• High level of security and anonymity

Cons:

• Higher price point for premium features
• Limited customer support hours

Pricing: paid

6. Asocks

Website: asocks.com

Asocks provides secure and customizable residential and mobile proxies. Known for strong encryption and flexibility, it’s ideal for users looking for web scraping and data extraction solutions with a focus on privacy.

Pros:

• Strong encryption and high-level privacy features
• Flexible pricing plans
• Good customer support

Cons:

• Less well-known than some larger providers
• Limited proxy pool compared to top competitors

Pricing: paid

7. IPROYAL

Website: iproyal.com

IPROYAL features over 2 million IPs in well-distributed servers around the world. In addition to allowing HTTPS connection, it also supports SOCKS5. IPROYAL uses IP safe-listing to secure trust from sources and prevent potential IP blocking. This makes it an ideal candidate for web scraping.

The proxies are cheap and affordable, with plans as low as $0.08. Despite the price, it offers unlimited bandwidth. Its ability to cache bandwidth also ensures that the accessed websites load faster. Like many residential proxies, it features automated IP switching. But you can opt for the static proxy to maintain one IP address if you like.

Pros

• SOCKS5 offers end-to-end encryption of your connection.
• Bandwidth caching preloads websites.
• It's easy to set up.
• Flexible proxy services.
• It kills cookies and browsing data.
• IP safe-listing lets you evade bot blocking and potential IP censoring.

Cons

• Although it's cheap, it doesn't have a refund policy.

Pricing: Paid

8. Kproxy

Website: kproxy.com

Don't want to download software? Kproxy is one of your bets. In addition to installable browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, Kproxy gives you instant access to private surfing right within a browser tab. And on Android, you can install the Kproxy browser to surf the web anonymously off mainstream browsers.

You can start on the free plan if your needs are not high. But you might need to shed some money into the premium plan for advanced IP masking and access to restricted websites. While these features only work for browser-based apps, the Kproxy agent lets you configure your network to access restricted OS-based apps.

Pros

• It provides many useful options, and it's easy to use.
• The premium plan offers IP masking and prevents traffic sharing.
• Accessible on the fly without needing to install any software.
• It doesn't slow down connectivity.
• Free browser extensions.

Cons

• The free plan places a limit on restricted content that you can access.
• Extensions log user activities. So privacy is still questionable.

Pricing: Free (premium plans available)

9. WHOER

Website: whoer.net

WHOER offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Yandex, and Opera. It leverages distributed servers to hide your IP address without storing your traffic data. WHOER offers free and premium proxies. However, the free plan still caps your access to selected websites. And it often limits connection speed.

The premium plan comes with more secure connectivity and access to more servers besides improved speed. WHOER also features dynamic IP and domain name system (DNS) switching. Of course, the extensions don't work with third-party apps since they're not outside the scope of a browser.

Pros

• Dynamic DNS and IP switching make it suitable for web scraping.
• The premium proxy doesn't store your internet data in cookies.
• Unlimited access to restricted websites.
• Distributed servers foster better access to region-restricted apps and websites.
• Extensions are available for various browsers.

Cons

• The free version might be slow.
• You can't access certain restricted websites with free proxy.
• It's not a recommended option for web scraping.
• The desktop app may present some technical issues.

Pricing: Free (premium plans available)

10. Hola

Website: hola.org

Hola is a residential proxy provider. It tweaks IPs within the residential network by tapping randomly available ones. As with many residential internet proxies, it works in a peer-to-peer (P2P) fashion.

The free version of Hola operates at a basic proxy level and doesn't offer outright traffic encryption. However, you get more protective features with the premium plan. Hola is equally fast and compatible with many internet-enabled devices, including Xbox, Playstation, PCs, mobile devices, and Smart TVs.

Pros

• Setting up is straightforward.
• The free version offers basic proxy features.
• It supports many devices, non-web apps, and web browsers.
• You can manually switch servers to change IP addresses.
• Unlimited IP runtime.
• It has a pretty decent performance.
• Efficient ISP-based IP sharing.

Cons

• Traffic encryption is only available on the premium plan.
• The free version can be app or website-selective.
• It may track and log your internet traffic.

Pricing: Paid (free plan available)

11. HMA

Website: hidemyass.com

HMA offers free proxy as a side attraction to its paid VPN. The proxy is browser-based, and it routes to any website using HMA's auto-generated IP. Ultimately, it encrypts your IP to give you anonymous access to a requested source. You can choose to encrypt your URL as well. But this doesn't add much to the user-end privacy.

However, a requested website might malfunction or not work due to JavaScript disabling. Although it features an option for disabling cookies, HMA's free proxy may still log your network traffic and browsing data. And this threatens your privacy, as third-party apps and websites can track you this way.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface and setup
• Offers both free and premium options
• Good for casual browsing and basic use

Cons:

• Limited features compared to dedicated proxy services
• Free version can be slower and less secure

Pricing:

12. Storm Proxies

Website: stormproxies.com

Here's to a paid proxy with unlimited bandwidth regardless of the plan. Storm Proxies offers thousands of back connect residential proxies that change every three to fifteen minutes. The dedicated web proxies allow more flexibility plus an improved connection speed.

Storm Proxies is ideal for web scraping, crawling, and other tasks that require voluminous requests. You can also merge proxies from various regions for a more secure connection. It offers dedicated social media proxies for swapping accounts to other geolocations.

Pros

• It's doesn't log browsing information.
• Top-notch customer support.
• You can run concurrent requests with unlimited bandwidth.
• You can rotate IPs manually or allow autorotation.

Cons

• No support for SOCKS5.
• Limited geotargeting.

Pricing: Paid

13. Tor

Website: torproject.org

Are you looking for a private browser instead? Tor browser is one of the best web-based free proxies out there. It even ranks among the best browsers for accessing the dark web unnoticed. So you can imagine how secure it is. Tor not only hides your IP address but routes your request through several relay nodes before it gets to its destination.

While Tor appears free, it's not in the real sense. The browser offers proxy services based on donations from its user community. And that's why it remains a premium service offerer despite being free. Although the Tor browser tracks sessions in real-time, it automatically deletes your cookies data once you close the browser.

Pros

• Safest free proxy option.
• Easy to use and set up.
• It masks IP address through request chaining using thousands of servers.
• Independent of mainstream browsers.
• It kills cookies and browsing data automatically after a session.

Cons

• Request chaining might slow down requests.

Pricing: Free

14. Proxfree

Website: proxfree.com

As the name sounds, Proxfree is a free proxy service for hiding your IP online. Proxfree is web-based. Hence, it doesn't require you to download any software or extension before using it. While it lets you choose a server location, this is limited to a few regions.

When you open the main page, you'll have to enter the URL of the website you want to access, and it fetches the content for you. It's a fair enough communication layer. Proxfree also lets you customize your browsing options. For instance, you can choose to kill cookies to avoid traffic tracking.

Pros

• It's completely free.
• Requests routes through Proxfree server.

Cons

• It cannot access many websites at a time and may present privacy loopholes.
• Limited location switching.

Pricing: Free

15. VPNBook

Website: vpnbook.com

Here's another web browser-based proxy. VPNBook is a free proxy service that lets you access a website right away via an encrypted route. When you open a webpage from VPNBook, it redirects from one of its proxy servers. You can also choose proxies from the UK, US, Canada, or France.

Like many other free proxies, VPNBook might still log your browsing data. Additionally, it doesn't work with some region-restricted websites.

Pros

• It's a free proxy.
• Uses SSL encryption to mask IPs.
• Easy to use.
• You don't need to download any software.

Cons

• It may present some privacy issues.
• Contain ads.
• Limited proxy servers.

Pricing: Free

16. Anonym.to

Website: anonym.to

Anonym.to is free, and you don't need to download an app to use it. It's available on a website basis. Although you'll be able to hide your IP by routing through anonym.to, the service itself still monitors your traffic. So it still presents some privacy issues.

Considering that this proxy doesn't offer IP twists, it's hard to recommend it for use in advanced scenarios like web scraping. That said, you can still try it if your needs revolve around merely visiting a website unnoticed.

Pros

• It's completely free.
• Easy to use.
• It provides embeddable code for anonymous referral to external links.

Cons

• It presents privacy issues.
• It's not suitable for scraping anonymously.
• It only works within a browser tab at a time.
• The proxy might not be suitable for accessing region-restricted websites and content.

Pricing: Free

17. MarsProxies

Website: marsproxies.com

MarsProxies is a premium proxy service that offers a wide range of proxy types, including residential, datacenter, ISP, mobile, and sneaker proxies. With over 1 million IPs in more than 190 countries, it caters to various online needs, such as web scraping, social media management, and content streaming.

MarsProxies provides non-expiring residential traffic, allowing users to purchase data without time limitations. The platform supports both HTTP/HTTPS and SOCKS5 protocols, ensuring compatibility with most applications. Users can also benefit from precise geo-targeting, making it easier to bypass geo-restrictions.

Pros:

• Extensive IP network with high availability.
• Non-expiring residential traffic.
• Competitive pricing and bulk discounts.
• User-friendly dashboard and support available 24/7.

Cons:

• No free trial option.
• Limited advanced features compared to some competitors

Pricing: Paid

Privacy and Security in Proxy Services

When selecting a proxy service, privacy and security should be top priorities. Proxies are intended to enhance your anonymity online, but using unreliable services can expose you to significant risks, including data breaches or involvement in cybercrime without your knowledge.

A key example is the shutdown of the RSOCKS proxy service in 2022. This Russian-based botnet, as documented by the U.S. Department of Justice, used hacked IoT devices and sold access to these compromised systems, enabling cybercriminals to engage in activities like phishing and credential stuffing​(Justice). The botnet exploited millions of devices globally, a striking demonstration of how dangerous it can be to use proxy services that operate outside legal and ethical boundaries. More details on this case can also be found in various reports, such as the summary provided on Wikipedia ​(Wikipedia).

Wrapping Up

While we've listed both free and premium proxies here, there's a pattern for each proxy type. In terms of trust and security, premium proxies take the lead. As for free proxies, you need to be on the lookout, as most of them don't guarantee your anonymity online.

Nonetheless, while we vehemently discourage free proxies for executing larger tasks like web scraping and SEO, some of them still work for individuals. So if you're low on budget or don't plan to spend a dime on proxies, use free proxies at your discretion. Tor, for instance, is a trusted proxy browser. That said, premium proxies are still the best bet, no matter what your needs are.

And don't forget to check out Automatio.ai, our top-pick no code tool for web scraping, automated form filling, and more.