There have never been so many proxy providers for individuals and businesses to choose between. With everything moving online during the pandemic, the use of proxies has increased and more and more people are looking for the one they can use, example http://proxybros.com/.
We have consulted with proxy experts Proxyway.com to put together a list of the best proxy providers available as we go into 2024 and analyzed four proxies for different purposes.
Best Proxy Providers
Oxylabs
In most controlled tests, Oxylabs easily outperforms its competitors. Oxylabs offer both datacenter and residential IPs, both of which perform exceptionally. Many businesses are wary of using proxies because they have negative connotations in some circles. Unscrupulous proxy providers can cause all kinds of problems. Fortunately, Oxylabs is one of the good guys, operating entirely in the white zone.
Oxylabs bills users per IP address. This setup leaves you free to run as many concurrent sessions as you like with the IPs you have paid for. You can also buy a proxy rotator add-on that will automatically rotate your IPs, enabling you to avoid bans.
Smartproxy
Smartproxy is one of the best residential proxy providers on the market today. They offer all the essentials that most people will need at an affordable price. Not only are their plans affordable yet high-quality, but the entry threshold is significantly lower than most of their competitors. The wide range of pricing options and the ability to buy add-on traffic as you need it means that you can choose a plan tailored to your needs.
There’s no free trial. But a three-day refund policy gives you the chance to test out the service and make sure it’s right for you before you commit.
Luminati
Luminati boasts a vast, feature-packed proxy network. The performance is excellent, and there’s even support for 4G mobile IPs. Whatever your use case is, Luminati can provide you with the tools you need. Luminati’s offering is supported by excellent infrastructure and comprehensive support.
The main drawback of Luminati is its cost. Luminati is among the most expensive proxy providers out there. However, if you need a heavy-duty network that operates well at scale, Luminati is probably your best choice.
GeoSurf
GeoSurf is an established residential proxy provider that enables city-level geotargeting. Having been in operation for more than a decade, you can trust GeoSurf to know the proxy landscape and know what they are doing. Most providers will let you choose a specific country to target, but targeting cities is essential for specific use cases.
Unfortunately, the pool of 2.5 million residential IPs is relatively low compared to some of its competitors. The service is also on the more expensive side. The proxies are reliable, and 24/7 customer support ensures that any issues you run into can be solved promptly.
Best Rotating Proxies
Smartproxy
Smartproxy is one of the few proxy providers out there offering a vast server network with locations worldwide and reliable service, regardless of the city or country you target. A large proxy pool and reliable, flexible rotation ensure that IP bans won’t hinder your activity. While Smartproxy only offers eight cities, it has a network of servers spread over 195 countries.
You can get all of this in an affordable package that comes with 24/7 customer support as standard.
Oxylabs
Oxylabs is one of the best proxy providers out there for anyone who needs enterprise-level features from their proxy service. These features include support for SOCKS5 proxies, city-level targeting, and a vast, worldwide network. Their flexible proxy controls make them one of the best rotating proxy providers out there.
A 7-day trial is available for business customers, and there is a blanket 3-day refund policy. Given that Oxylabs is one of the most expensive proxy providers on the market, these trials are welcome features. 24/7 customer support ensures that any problems you run into can be solved promptly and efficiently.
Luminati
Luminati is a market leader among rotating proxy providers. They offer the largest pool of rotating residential proxies out of all the providers that we assessed. They also offer static residential IPs for use cases where rotation is unnecessary. What’s more, Luminati also offers both 3G and 4G mobile proxies. You can target a wide range of countries and cities, taking advantage of unlimited connections.
Luminati is another expensive provider, but their service is just the kind of comprehensive offering that businesses need. There’s a 7-day trial period for businesses or a 3-day trial for individual users. Luminati also has a strict Know Your Customer procedure that might put some people off. However, this speaks to the legitimacy of the service.
GeoSurf
Despite offering fewer rotating proxies than most of its competitors, GeoSurf is still a rotating proxy provider worth taking seriously. Not only is their IP pool among the most stable on the market, but its support for custom IP rotation makes it suitable for a wide range of use cases. These flexible rotation options allow GeoSurf to stand out from its competitors.
Despite GeoSurf’s relatively small proxy pool, support for unlimited connections and servers in numerous countries, and cities, its price will be a sticking point for some customers.
Best Residential Proxies
Smartproxy
Smartproxy is one of the best-value proxy providers on the market. Anyone who needs backconnect residential proxies will be hard-pressed to find a more reliable provider than Smartproxy. Both individual and business users in need of residential proxies will appreciate the range of features that Smartproxy offers. It isn’t as feature-packed as some of its competitors, but the feature set is fantastic for the price.
Once you have set up your account, the user experience is smooth and straightforward. Smartproxy’s 2P residential IP pool exceeds 40 million, spread over 195 countries and eight cities. Smartproxy’s customer support isn’t just comprehensive; it is award-winning.
Oxylabs
Oxylabs is a business-focused residential proxy service offering both rotating and static IPs. Their proxy network is truly global with servers in just about every country and thousands of cities. They also offer ASN targeting and support for unlimited concurrent requests. Oxylabs’ residential proxies offer market-leading performance.
You can choose to rotate your IP on every request, or request a sticky session of up to 30 minutes. With an IP pool of 70 million residential IPs, IP bans will be a thing of the past.
Luminati
Luminati boasts one of the largest residential proxy networks on the market. Their service is one of the most popular out there, and for a good reason. Their pool of 72 million residential IPs is one of the largest IP pools of any proxy provider. You can target by country, city, ASN, or carrier. This targeting makes it easy to set things up however you need. Luminati also enables you to choose between rotating and static residential IP addresses.
When you combine the features above with comprehensive customer support, extensive user documentation, and unlimited concurrent requests, Luminati’s relatively high cost makes sense. If money is no object, this is one of the best proxy providers out there.
GeoSurf
GeoSurf is a proxy provider focussed on quality over quantity. At first glance, the IP pool of 2.5 million might seem unimpressive. But a comprehensive feature set goes a long way to justifying the service’s asking price.
However, there’s no getting around the fact that GeoSurf is one of the more expensive providers out there. If you don’t need access to a large IP pool, this is one of the best providers out there.
These are the best proxy providers on the market as we head towards 2024. The best choice for you or your business will depend on your specific use case.
Geonode
Geonode is a premier provider of unlimited residential proxies, offering a unique blend of affordability and quality. With a 7-day trial that includes 2GB of free data and unlimited residential access for just $7, Geonode ensures customers can thoroughly evaluate their services. They guarantee the lowest price in the market and provide access to up to 30 million country-targeting IPs, making them a top choice for efficient and successful web scraping. Their service supports SOCKS5/HTTPS and boasts a 99.9% success rate.
It offers flexible pricing options, including unlimited residential proxies, pay-as-you-go residential, and pay-as-you-go scraper plans. They also introduce a unique feature of pay-per-concurrent-request, allowing users to control costs and scale scraping efforts as needed. With city and ISP targeting, users can collect data from specific regions or target local businesses. Their API is developer-friendly, supporting multiple languages, and offering advanced proxy control. Despite not offering a free trial, Geonode’s 7-day trial for just $7 provides an opportunity for users to test their service and ensure it fits their needs.
Rayobyte: A Rising Star in Proxy Solutions
Rayobyte emerges as a notable contender in the proxy provider market. Known for its robust infrastructure and reliable service, Rayobyte caters to both individual and corporate clients. They offer a range of proxy types, including residential, datacenter, and mobile IPs, suitable for diverse applications such as web scraping, data mining, and online privacy.
Their commitment to security and privacy is evident in their state-of-the-art encryption and strict no-logs policy. This makes Rayobyte a trustworthy choice for users concerned about data security. Moreover, their customer service is commendable, providing prompt and helpful support to resolve any issues swiftly. Rayobyte’s competitive pricing and flexible plans, including customizable options, make it an attractive choice for users with varying needs and budgets.
Advanced Proxy Features and Trends
As we progress towards 2024, the demand for advanced features in proxy services is rising. Users now look for providers offering more than just basic IP masking. Advanced features like city-level targeting, ASN targeting, and support for various protocols like SOCKS5 are becoming standard expectations. Providers like Oxylabs and Luminati lead in this space, offering extensive features catering to sophisticated user needs.
Another trend is the increasing importance of customer support and user-friendly interfaces. Providers that offer comprehensive support and easy-to-navigate control panels are gaining favor among users. This is evident in the popularity of Smartproxy and GeoSurf, known for their award-winning customer support and user-friendly experiences.
Lastly, the market is seeing a growing interest in ethical and transparent proxy practices. Providers that operate in the ‘white zone’, maintaining legal and ethical standards, are becoming more sought after. This shift is a response to the negative connotations associated with proxies and a move towards more responsible use of these technologies.
As the proxy market evolves, these trends and features are likely to shape the choices of individual and business users alike, influencing the landscape of internet privacy and data access.