Proxies and how they are used have evolved since the early days of the internet. They started as simple web caching tools before becoming predominantly used as a basic way to obfuscate your location while browsing the web. Today’s proxy services are less privacy-focused because they’re marketed toward developers and businesses. Proxies lost their privacy tool status when VPNs became easier, more secure ways to hide internet traffic from advertisers and snoops. Modern proxy services are marketed toward business clients who need a small army of IP addresses to conduct market research, scrape web data for training LLMs, test websites, and manage multiple social media accounts. The best proxies we've tested include Oxylabs for enterprise clients, and Decodo and Soax for small businesses and consumers. But these aren't the only services worth checking out, so read on for all of our top picks.
Overview
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![Oxylabs]()
Best for Enterprise-Level ClientsOxylabs
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![Bright Data]()
Best Company TransparencyBright Data
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![Decodo]()
Best Browser ExtensionDecodo
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![Soax]()
Best Pricing PackagesSoax
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![Webshare]()
Best Free ProxiesWebshare
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![IPRoyal]()
Best Payment OptionsIPRoyal
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Best for Buying TicketsStorm Proxies
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![MarsProxies]()
Best Customer Support OptionsMarsProxies
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![NetNut]()
Best Free TrialNetNut
You Can Trust Our Reviews
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
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Credit: Oxylabs
![Oxylabs]()
Best for Enterprise-Level ClientsOxylabs
Pros & Cons
If IP address variety is important to you, Oxylabs' pool of more than 177 million is among the largest we've seen. The more IP addresses on offer, the stronger your likelihood of getting the level of anonymity you or your business demands from a proxy service.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: There’s no beating Oxylab’s residential pool of over 175 million IPs in 195 locations worldwide. The company supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols across its proxies as well as unlimited concurrent sessions for up to three users and 10 whitelisted IPs. It’s a great pick for market research, as the service integrates well with third-party tools like Multilogin, Playwright, and Selenium.
Trust and privacy: All of Oxylab’s proxies are ethically sourced through a partnership with Honeygain, which allows individuals to sign up to get paid for their bandwidth. We chatted with a company representative and confirmed that Oxylabs adheres to active, informed consent for endpoints. The company claims that it does not retain or store user data or have visibility on any traffic that passes through its proxy network.
Location spoofing: We had no trouble spoofing our location with Oxylabs, and we did not observe any leaks.
User experience and ease of use: Oxylabs features a bright white and purple design that we found easy to navigate and set up on a desktop. Menus are clearly labeled, and it was always clear when a proxy connection was established. However, the Google Chrome extension was a bit clunky compared with competitors' more streamlined extensions.
Who It's For
Market analysts: While not geared toward individual customers or the self-employed, Oxylabs offers a suite of products and services tailored for business users who want the option to scrape dozens of data points across the web.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IP Locations 195 # of Residential IPs 175000000 Browser Extension Free Trial Mobile Option Pay-as-You-Go Protocols Supported HTTP Protocols Supported HTTPS Protocols Supported SOCKS5 Support Types Support website Learn More Oxylabs Review -
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Credit: Bright Data
![Bright Data]()
Best Company TransparencyBright Data
Pros & Cons
Bright Data offers a massive pool of datacenter, ISP, mobile, and residential proxies for enterprise-level clients. You can try out the services with a free trial, though the company’s stringent Know Your Customer approval process may slow you down. That said, we like the company's strict policies. It's appropriate for companies, especially those with high-paying corporate customers, to protect their networks from users who use proxies for malicious or fraudulent activities.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: Bright Data has more than 770,000 datacenter proxies across 98 countries, with a limit of 100 gigabytes of data per proxy per month. You can also make use of 700,000 dedicated and shared static residential proxies or 40,000 rotating proxies. Bright Data also has 7 million mobile IPs, each supporting ASN, carrier, and mobile network targeting.
Trust and privacy: We contacted Bright Data, and a spokesperson confirmed that the company sources its residential proxies ethically and with user consent. Some user data is stored, including full name, addresses, geolocation, device identifiers, and information regarding user site interaction. The company gets some of this info, such as a customer’s work history, from various online sources that customers may not have given voluntarily.
Location spoofing: We successfully spoofed our location and encountered no DNS leaks or mislabeled proxies.
User experience and ease of use: Bright Data's dashboard is simple and intuitive. The Chrome extension had a similar design with clearly labeled controls, though we ran into a hiccup with the verification process, which asked for more data than we were comfortable providing.
Who It's For
Users who value transparency: If you're looking for a company with transparent policies, Bright Data is a good option. In its highly transparent privacy policy, Bright Data details the kinds of customer data it collects and explains how to delete it, which is ideal.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IP Locations 195 # of Residential IPs 400000000 Browser Extension Free Trial Mobile Option Pay-as-You-Go Protocols Supported HTTP Protocols Supported HTTPS Protocols Supported SOCKS5 Support Types Email, Phone, Telegram channel Learn More Bright Data Review -
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Credit: Decodo
![Decodo]()
Best Browser ExtensionDecodo
Pros & Cons
Decodo used to be called Smartproxy, and rebrand aside, the company still provides stellar services. Decodo is best for people who need reliable proxies for small to medium-sized businesses. The company boasts a large residential proxy pool, and you can try out the proxies using a free trial, which is excellent.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: Decodo has a large set of over 500,000 dedicated and shared datacenter proxies, with the majority based in the United States. Decodo offers flexible pricing per proxy, with options suitable for both individual and enterprise use. The proxies come with unlimited traffic and support HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols.
Trust and privacy: Decodo’s privacy policy is clear and outlines acceptable uses concisely. According to a Decodo spokesperson, the service obtains all of its residential proxies ethically and with full consent. Some personal data is kept for business operations, including email addresses, correspondence, and payment details.
Location spoofing: We successfully spoofed our location without any leaks. However, the location we were actually connecting to was sometimes slightly different than the listed proxy location.
User experience and ease of use: Sign-up was a breeze, and we found the dashboard easy to navigate. All options are clearly outlined and explained. Additionally, we found Decodo’s Chrome browser extension particularly useful.
Who It's For
Small business owners: If you plan to use proxies for browser-based tasks like social profile management or market research, then Decodo’s large set of datacenter IPs will come in handy. We also tested Decodo’s Chrome browser extension and the browser-based dashboard and found them well-designed and easy to use for managing multiple proxies.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IP Locations 195 # of Residential IPs 115000000 Accepts Cryptocurrency Browser Extension Free Trial Mobile Option Pay-as-You-Go Protocols Supported HTTP Protocols Supported HTTPS Protocols Supported SOCKS5 Support Types Email, live chat, support website Learn More Decodo Review -
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![Soax]()
Best Pricing PackagesSoax
Pros & Cons
People who are looking for proxy services for small and medium-sized businesses will appreciate Soax's hyper-local targeting for certain proxy types. Though we wish Soax offered its own browser extensions, the proxies were easy to access via open-source proxy management tools.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: Soax’s predictable pricing structure makes it a solid pick for businesses that need to keep a clear track of expenses. Rather than pay per proxy, you pay for a set of data with Soax. Soax offers four monthly service tiers: Starter ($90), Advanced ($170), Professional ($740), and Business ($1,600).
Trust and privacy: Soax claims to source its residential proxies ethically, using a consent-based sign-up system in which users share bandwidth. However, a Soax spokesperson did not disclose which apps or services the company uses to secure these proxies. Soax retains some data, including device identifiers, residential node locations, and user registration data. Soax adheres to the European Union’s GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act regarding data handling and storage.
Location spoofing: Testing showed that Soax effectively spoofed our location without any data leaks or inaccuracies.
User experience and ease of use: Soax’s dashboard layout is excellent and is free of clutter. It doesn’t offer in-house browser extensions, but you can configure Soax to use other third-party proxy management tools for in-browser spoofing and control.
Who It's For
Businesses that want predictable prices: Soax's best-selling point is its consistent pricing packages. Whether you need to pay a single monthly price or your budget is flexible, Soax offers scalable or predictable pricing plans, which are incredibly helpful.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IP Locations 195 # of Residential IPs 155000000 Accepts Cryptocurrency Free Trial Mobile Option Pay-as-You-Go Protocols Supported HTTP Protocols Supported HTTPS Protocols Supported QUIC Protocols Supported SOCKS5 Protocols Supported UDP Support Types AI chatbot Learn More Soax Review -
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Credit: Webshare
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Best Free ProxiesWebshare
Pros & Cons
While Webshare’s commitment to bulk pricing isn't ideal for every customer, if you need a lot of inexpensive, US-based proxies, the service is worth a look. A Chrome browser extension makes it easy to connect to and switch between proxies, which is great.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: Webshare stands out by offering 10 legitimate, free datacenter proxies that work as advertised. The paid plans bring more to the table, with an expanded set of over 400,000 datacenter proxies and 30 million rotating residential IP addresses. However, we found the premium tiers to be a bit rigid compared to competitors' more flexible plans.
Trust and privacy: Webshare’s privacy policy is well-structured and straightforward. Some personal information is retained, including email addresses, full names, billing information, and various online identifiers. However, the company is located in California, and its policies align with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Location spoofing: We did not experience any IP leaks when testing Webshare’s proxies. We successfully spoofed our location in Spain and the United Kingdom without any issues.
User experience and ease of use: Webshare’s dashboard is a bit cluttered compared to competitors', but it's still simple enough to download and use. Likewise, the Chrome extension functioned as intended and matched the full dashboard's design.
Who It's For
Businesses that need a free proxy: Webshare's most unique feature is its price: Free. Webshare offers a monthly plan that includes 10 totally free shared datacenter proxies and one gigabyte of data. A free service tier is a great way to help new customers learn how to use proxies before making an expensive purchase, and I hope more proxy companies will offer similar free services, too.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IP Locations 195 # of Residential IPs 300000000 Browser Extension Free Trial Protocols Supported HTTP Protocols Supported SOCKS5 Support Types Email, live chat, support website Learn More Webshare Review -
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Credit: IPRoyal
![IPRoyal]()
Best Payment OptionsIPRoyal
Pros & Cons
IPRoyal is a reasonably priced, consumer-level proxy service. We like that the company obtains its residential IPs ethically and commend it for its transparency.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: IPRoyal stands out for its vast network of 32 million residential proxies worldwide. It also has a generous offering of mobile and ISP proxies for businesses. That said, IPRoyal’s refund policies are odd, and the company’s Trustpilot reviews are somewhat suspicious.
Trust and privacy: A spokesperson for IPRoyal confirmed that all residential proxies are ethically sourced and operate under informed consent. The company collects some personal data, such as usage information and sign-up data. Data is retained as long as necessary for operational purposes. The privacy policy was readable but had some identical language to MarsProxies, which we found strange.
Location spoofing: After some clunky configuration steps, we were able to spoof our location with IPRoyal without any leaks.
User experience and ease of use: Installation was tricky since the company requires a valid phone number, which isn’t a common practice. We found that VoIP numbers worked for the purpose. Once we were in, the dashboard and extension were organized well and didn’t have any glaring flaws or issues.
Who It's For
Users who want to pay with cryptocurrency: Some services on this list don't accept any cryptocurrency, while others accept only a few coin types. If you prefer to pay for services using cryptocurrencies, IPRoyal has you covered. The service accepts more than 25 cryptocurrencies, as well as payments via Alipay, Apple Pay, credit cards, Google Pay, and PayPal.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IP Locations 195 # of Residential IPs 32000000 Accepts Cryptocurrency Browser Extension Mobile Option Pay-as-You-Go Protocols Supported HTTP Protocols Supported HTTPS Protocols Supported SOCKS5 Support Types Discord Learn More IPRoyal Review -
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Credit: Storm Proxies
![Storm Proxies]()
Best for Buying TicketsStorm Proxies
Pros & Cons
Storm Proxies’ monthly pricing packages are inflexible but quite affordable and include unlimited bandwidth. That said, the service’s proxy pool is the smallest on this list, and its locations are limited. Also, the service lacks a true free trial, so if you want to try it, do it for just 24 hours as part of the company’s money-back guarantee.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: Storm Proxies is best suited for users with specific tasks in mind, like buying sneakers or purchasing hard-to-get concert tickets. You can also obtain proxies for social media management. On the other hand, the service doesn’t have as large a proxy network as competitors, with a total pool of 700,000 IPs, and the privacy policy is a bit lacking in important details.
Trust and privacy: We found it difficult to get to the heart of what Storm Proxies actually collects. A spokesperson stated that the company does not retain or log any user data, but the privacy policy stated otherwise. Similarly, it is unclear whether Storm Proxies sources residential IPs ethically, as the company claims to use secret technology that cannot be disclosed.
Location spoofing: Storm Proxies successfully obfuscated our actual location and did not leak any information.
User experience and ease of use: Storm Proxies opts for a simple design with clear tabs for each feature. It’s not the most eye-catching, but it is easy enough to use. You don’t get much in the realm of extra details like graphs or other analytics.
Who It's For
Task-specific users: Storm Proxies is best for people who want to perform highly specific, yet anonymous, online tasks, such as buying sneakers and purchasing hot concert tickets. During testing, we were impressed by the company's quick, painless refund process and had positive interactions with the support team.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs 700000 Mobile Option Protocols Supported HTTPS Support Types Email, support website Learn More Storm Proxies Review -
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Credit: MarsProxies
![MarsProxies]()
Best Customer Support OptionsMarsProxies
Pros & Cons
MarsProxies is an affordable and easy-to-use consumer-level proxy service. The browser extension requires no prior familiarity with proxies, making it an excellent choice for beginners looking to dip their toes into SEO research or for those managing multiple corporate social media accounts.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: We appreciated MarsProxies’ scalability and flexible plans, which are suitable for most use cases. The company offers residential proxies in over 190 locations, robust mobile proxies, task-specific proxies, and a solid selection of datacenter IPs. The diverse selection makes MarsProxies a solid pick for businesses and consumers alike.
Trust and privacy: MarsProxies claims to source its residential IPs ethically and with informed consent. The company owns and operates its entire proxy infrastructure, giving the service greater control over data handling. A representative stated that the company does not log browsing activity or usage data. However, we found that these statements did not reflect the privacy policy. The latter states that it keeps a decent bit of information about you, including your name, date of birth, and logs of your activity while using the proxy.
Location spoofing: It was easy to spoof our location with MarsProxies. It took just a couple of clicks to get the Chrome extension up and running, and we didn’t experience any IP leaks.
User experience and ease of use: The sign-up process is simple, and we found the MarsProxies design intuitive. The orange and black design makes it stand out from competitors who use a plain white background with minimal flair.
Who Its For
Users who want accessible support options: Our interactions with the MarsProxies customer service team were polite and helpful, so if you're looking for a service that lets you ask questions and learn more about services without rampant upselling, MarsProxies is a good option.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IP Locations 190 # of Residential IPs 1000000 Accepts Cryptocurrency Browser Extension Mobile Option Pay-as-You-Go Protocols Supported HTTP Protocols Supported HTTPS Protocols Supported SOCKS5 Support Types Discord Learn More MarsProxies Review -
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![NetNut]()
Best Free TrialNetNut
Pros & Cons
NetNut lacks a lot of add-ons and extra tools that you may find with proxy services aimed at larger businesses, but it makes up for that by offering very affordable proxies that are easy to access. The company's rotating residential proxies worked as promised during the testing period, and during our interactions, NetNut's customer support staff were polite and positive.
Why We Picked It
Proxy pool and features: NetNut’s free one-week trial makes it a great pick if you’re not sure if a proxy is right for you. You get a decently sized network with NetNut, with over 150,000 private and shared proxies worldwide. That number balloons to over 85 million rotating IP addresses for residential proxies.
Trust and privacy: NetNut collects a lot of data, but the company is transparent about what it collects. It not only collects data from registered users but also gathers a substantial amount of information, such as location data, from potential customers visiting the site. NetNut hosts its datacenter proxies through a third-party service. A spokesperson stated that the company sources all residential proxies ethically and with informed consent.
Location spoofing: We had to clear our cache to get targeted results. After that, we found that NetNut successfully spoofed our location with no notable leaks or errors.
User experience and ease of use: NetNut has a straightforward dashboard that was easy to install. There’s no browser extension, so you’re on your own there. We used an open-source proxy extension called FoxyProxy to conduct our spoofing tests.
Who It's For
Users who want to try before they buy: If you're not quite sure which proxy type you need for your next online project, NetNut gives you a week to try all the proxies it offers. The free trial is more generous than those offered by other small-business-focused proxy providers.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IP Locations 200 # of Residential IPs 85000000 Accepts Cryptocurrency Free Trial Mobile Option Protocols Supported HTTP Protocols Supported SOCKS5 Support Types Email, personalized support, live chat Learn More NetNut Review -
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Best For | Best for Enterprise-Level Clients | Best Company Transparency | Best Browser Extension | Best Pricing Packages | Best Free Proxies | Best Payment Options | Best for Buying Tickets | Best Customer Support Options | Best Free Trial | Best for Enterprise-Level Clients | Best Company Transparency | Best Browser Extension |
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# of Residential IPs | 175000000 | 400000000 | 115000000 | 155000000 | 300000000 | 32000000 | 700000 | 1000000 | 85000000 | 175000000 | 400000000 | 115000000 |
# of Residential IP Locations | 195 | 195 | 195 | 195 | 195 | 195 | 190 | 200 | 195 | 195 | 195 | |
Protocols Supported | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, UDP, QUIC | SOCKS5, HTTP | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 | HTTPS | HTTPS, SOCKS5, HTTP | HTTP, SOCKS5 | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 | HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 |
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Support Types | Support website | Email, Phone, Telegram channel | Email, live chat, support website | AI chatbot | Email, live chat, support website | Discord | Email, support website | Discord | Email, personalized support, live chat | Support website | Email, Phone, Telegram channel | Email, live chat, support website |
Buying Guide: The Best Proxy Services for 2026
What Is a Proxy Service?
Think of proxies as the older, less sophisticated cousin of VPNs. The technologies function similarly, but a proxy is not as effective at protecting privacy as a VPN. A proxy service allows you to redirect some of your internet traffic (like your browser's data, for example) through a global network of IP addresses. It doesn’t obfuscate your original IP address or encrypt your data by default.
In contrast, a VPN masks all of your internet traffic (though most VPNs include a split-tunneling feature) while you browse or stream media wherever you are in the world. VPNs typically offer better security protections and consumer-friendly features, such as ad and malware blocking. Many VPNs include a browser extension that serves as a single, lightweight, encrypted proxy. A VPN browser extension like the one offered by Windscribe may be sufficient for personal use, but it won’t offer the same features and functionality that a collection of business-oriented proxies would.
Modern proxy services have found a new audience among businesses that need proxies for a variety of use cases, including advertising comparisons, competitive market analysis, search engine optimization (SEO) research, social media profile management, website comparisons, or web scraping for LLM training. Regular people use proxies too, but usually for very specific situations, such as hiding their IP address while buying hard-to-get concert tickets online. Some of the proxy companies on this list offer specialized proxy servers specifically for purchasing tickets or other highly sought-after items, such as limited-edition sneakers.
How Do I Choose a Proxy Service?
Whenever we test proxy services, the first question we ask is, "Who does this serve?" Some proxy services, such as Bright Data and Oxylabs, are marketed toward enterprise-level businesses that require multiple IP addresses with high (or unlimited) data caps. Not surprisingly, these companies typically offer larger proxy packages and tools to integrate proxies with advertising or SEO research tools.
There are also companies that, in addition to selling proxy access, offer tools and pricing packages better suited for small and medium-sized businesses. The companies at this level typically offer helpful add-ons or have ultra-streamlined pricing plans that make it easy for smaller businesses to fit the services into their budgets. Decodo and Soax each fit the description of mid-tier proxy services.
Consumer-level proxy companies also serve their target audience well. These companies typically offer the most flexible payment plans, allowing individuals to scale up their proxy orders as their business needs evolve. These companies are also more likely to offer special proxy services for buying sneakers or tickets online. IPRoyal, MarsProxies, and Storm Proxies are all examples of consumer-level proxy companies.
SOCKS/SOCKS5 (socket secure) is the standard protocol that proxies use to route your data. It’s a traffic protocol, which means it can change where your traffic appears from, but cannot mask the path it takes to get there. Third parties like your internet service provider (ISP) can still see what you’re doing while connected to a proxy. Some proxies, such as those from Oxylabs, can be configured to use HTTPS to anonymize your on-site credentials from attacks. However, no proxy can offer comprehensive encryption.
When choosing a proxy service, your company's specific use case will determine which service is best suited for your work. However, it's always a good idea to look for companies with large proxy pools in diverse locations, so you can access as many different IPs as possible. We also recommend proxy services that include helpful add-on features, such as browser extensions or integrations with other platforms.
What Kind of Proxy Does My Company Need?
Proxy companies typically market proxies by referencing their origin, which can be a datacenter, an ISP, a mobile network, or a residential customer's IP address. When shopping for a proxy service, ensure that the proxy types offered support up-to-date security protocols, such as HTTPS and SOCKS5. The companies featured on this list offer the following proxy options:
Datacenter Proxies
These proxies are typically located in datacenters, making them easier to detect. Datacenter proxies are ideal for conducting in-depth market research, scanning public databases, or accessing websites that do not utilize bot detection or proxy blockers. The primary benefit most people see from datacenter proxies is that they're less expensive than other proxy types.
Most companies offer dedicated and shared datacenter IPs. You can use dedicated proxies for as long as you need, making them ideal for longer-term projects, such as managing multiple social media accounts. Shared, rotating proxies are ideal for concealing your business's IP address when accessing geo-restricted media or monitoring competing websites.
ISP Proxies
Sometimes companies refer to these proxies as "static residential proxies" in their marketing materials. ISP proxies come from legitimate service providers, like Verizon or AT&T. If you’re blocked by platforms or services when using datacenter proxies, the next step is to try ISP proxies. These proxies are typically more expensive than datacenter proxies and work best for companies that require a small number of residential IP addresses for ad testing or long-term website comparison.
Mobile Proxies
Mobile proxies let you unlock geo-restricted content and bypass website blocks. These addresses are from carriers worldwide, and most companies offer proxies for 3G/4G/5G networks. These proxies tend to be more expensive than the other proxy types offered, but most companies offer a pay-as-you-go option, so you only pay for the data you use.
Residential Proxies
Residential proxies typically account for the largest share of a company's proxy pool and are also the most in demand. These proxies are ideal for tasks such as managing social profiles, gathering e-commerce data, or web scraping for AI training. When setting up your proxies, look for providers that let you target locations by country and city. Some services even allow you to target proxies from specific ISPs, which is ideal.
Residential proxies are usually more expensive than datacenter proxies because the IP addresses are assigned to real customers who share their bandwidth with a proxy service, sometimes voluntarily. We'll dig into the ethics of proxy sourcing and usage below.
What Makes a Proxy Service Trustworthy?
We highlight companies with transparent policy documents and stringent Know Your Customer policies. When you sign up, you're putting a lot of trust in these companies, and we appreciate it when companies reward that trust by preventing illegal or immoral proxy usage.
Like their flashier cousins, VPNs, proxy services can log your online activity. That's why, in every PCMag review, we interview companies about how they protect customers' data. It's always a good idea to know what companies do with the personal information you give them when you sign up to use a service. If there's one section of the review you shouldn't skip, it's the interview.
You should also be aware of how companies obtain IP addresses. As mentioned above, some companies use less-than-ethical methods, such as using third-party botnets for their remote IPs, so if you use a residential proxy, the IP owner may not know that they’re sharing bandwidth with you. Some companies use gaming or social apps to encourage mobile and residential IP owners to share their bandwidth, which is preferable to stealing it. During the interview, we ask companies about sourcing methods and how customers grant consent for bandwidth sharing.