Best Website Proxies [2025 Listing]

Understanding website proxies

A proxy server acts as an intermediary between a user’s device and the internet. When users connect to a website through a proxy, the proxy server makes the request on their behalf, masking their IP address. This offers privacy, helps bypass restrictions, and can even improve browsing speed under certain conditions.

What are proxies?

Proxies serve multiple purposes depending on the type and configuration. Here’s an overview of some common types of proxies:

• HTTP : These proxy are designed for web browsing. They only handle HTTP or HTTPS requests, making them suitable for accessing websites but not for other types of internet traffic.
• SOCKS : These are versatile proxy that can handle any type of traffic, including web, email, and torrenting. SOCKS5, the latest version, is widely used for its speed and reliability.
• Residential : These proxy use IP addresses provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), making them appear as legitimate users. They are popular for tasks that require high anonymity, such a bypassing region-locked content.
• Datacenter : Datacenter proxy are hosted in datacenters (from OVH, Google, AWS, etc.) and are often faster and cheaper than residential proxies. They’re commonly used for general browsing and accessing restricted content but are easier to detect than residential IPs.
• 4G mobile : Using IP addresses from phone devices, these proxy are highly effective in avoiding detection. They are ideal for activities requiring high anonymity, such as social media management and market research. 4g proxies are undoubtedly the most anonymous, but also the most expensive.

Residential vs. Datacenter proxies

Choosing between residential and datacenter proxies depends on your specific needs, as each type has unique advantages and limitations. Here’s a breakdown of how these two types compare:

Residential

Residential proxies are IP addresses provided by actual Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and assigned to physical devices. When you use a residential proxy, your IP address appears as if it belongs to a real user, which makes it highly trustworthy and less likely to be blocked.

Advantages:

• High anonymity : Residential proxies are very difficult to detect and block since they appear as regular internet users.‍
• Better for bypassing restrictions : Due to their authenticity, residential proxies are ideal for bypassing geo-restrictions, CAPTCHA tests, and security measures on websites.‍
• Reliable for long-term use : These proxies are stable for long-term tasks like social media management, data crawler, and accessing restricted content.

Disadvantages:

• Cost : Residential proxies are generally more expensive than datacenter proxies due to their high trust level and demand.‍
• Speed : Residential proxies may be slightly slower than datacenter proxies due to the added layer of ISP involvement.

Datacenter

Datacenter proxies are IP addresses that come from datacenters rather than ISPs. They are hosted on cloud servers, making them fast, efficient, and widely available. These proxies don’t appear as typical user connections, so they’re easier for websites to identify and block.

Advantages:

• Affordability : Datacenter proxies are cheaper than residential proxies, making them a cost-effective choice for many users.‍
• Speed : Since they’re hosted in datacenters, these proxies typically offer high-speed connections and low latency.‍
• Ideal for high-volume requests: They’re perfect for tasks requiring fast processing, such as large-scale data crawler, automated testing, and SEO tracking.

Disadvantages:

• Easier to detect: Since datacenter IPs don’t come from ISPs, they’re more likely to be detected and blocked by websites with strong anti-bot measures.‍
• Lower anonymity: These proxies are less anonymous, making them unsuitable for sensitive tasks or sites with stringent security.

Residential proxies are ideal for sensitive, high-anonymity tasks and accessing restricted content, but they come at a higher price. On the other hand, datacenter proxies are faster and more affordable, making them perfect for high-volume or time-sensitive tasks where anonymity is less of a concern.

Free proxies vs paid proxies

• Free proxies: No cost, but they come with low security, slow speeds, and unreliable connections—best for casual, low-risk browsing.‍
• Paid proxies: Offer better security, speed, and stability. Ideal for tasks needing reliability and privacy, like web scraper and business use.

Choosing the Best Proxy Provider

Using proxies for web scraping

How proxies support web scraping

Proxies act as intermediaries between your scraper bot and target websites. By masking your IP address, they prevent the website from easily detecting your activities as automated. Proxies allow you to bypass IP rate limits, avoid CAPTCHA, and reduce the chances of being blocked, ensuring a smooth scraping process.

Services offered by proxy servers

Proxy servers provide a range of services :

1. IP rotation: Rotating proxies automatically change your IP address at set intervals, allowing you to make requests from different addresses and avoid detection.‍
2. Geo-targeting: Many proxies offer IPs from specific locations, which is useful for scraping region-specific data.‍
3. Session persistence: Some proxies can maintain the same IP address for a set time, enabling continuous interactions on websites requiring login or session tracking.
   

Using proxies for scraping APIs

Proxies are invaluable when scraping APIs, as many APIs have rate limits that can trigger bans on repeated requests. By using proxies, you can distribute requests across multiple IPs, ensuring that you stay within rate limits and avoid detection. This is what Piloterr's API offers with its catalog of APIs.

Benefits of scraping with proxies

Optimizing web scraping with residential proxies

• Residential proxies are especially beneficial for web scraping due to their high anonymity and low detection rate. These proxies use IPs assigned by ISPs, making them appear as real users. They’re ideal for scraping sensitive sites with strict anti-bot measures, such as e-commerce platforms or social media sites.
• Residential proxies are often more expensive than datacenter proxies, but they provide better success rates, lower chances of blocking, and are essential for scraping at scale on sensitive websites.

Best website proxies to consider

When choosing a website proxy, consider your needs and budget. Here are some of the top proxies on the market:

• Smartproxy: Known for _its affordability and versatility, Smartproxy offers high-quality residential and datacenter proxies ideal for web scraping, social media management, and accessing restricted sites. Pricing starts around $12.50/month for smaller plans, with higher-tier plans providing more bandwidth and IPs.

• Bright Data: This premium provider offers extensive proxy options, including residential, datacenter, and 4G proxy, well-suited for businesses needing large-scale data scraping or bypassing geo-blocks. Bright Data’s plans begin at about $15/month, though enterprise-grade options can cost significantly more due to added features like API access and robust IP rotation.

• Oxylabs: Catering to enterprise clients, Oxylabs specializes in highly anonymous, stable residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies. It’s a reliable choice for large organizations, but it comes at a premium, with entry-level plans typically starting around $300/month, reflecting the provider’s emphasis on high performance and customer support.

• ProxyRack: Offering IPs from various global locations, ProxyRack is a versatile service great for general browsing, data scraping, and streaming. Pricing starts at around $49/month, making it a solid mid-range choice for those needing dependable performance without the cost of enterprise-level options.

• Storm Proxies: With a focus on affordability, Storm Proxies specializes in rotating proxies suited for smaller tasks like SEO tracking, scraping, and automated testing. Monthly plans start as low as $10, making it an excellent option for users with lighter needs or smaller budgets.

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Importance of support

Good support is essential, especially for users with advanced needs, like web scraping or accessing geo-restricted content. In cases of IP blocks or performance issues, responsive assistance can quickly resolve problems and minimize disruptions.

Many proxy providers offer trials or flexible plans, allowing users to test service reliability and speed before subscribing. Paid plans typically offer better stability, faster speeds, and customer support, catering to different needs and usage levels.

Optimizing browser privacy

Modern browsers can benefit from using proxies to enhance privacy and bypass geographic restrictions. The number of proxies needed depends on the specific application. For instance, intensive activities like web scraping require multiple proxies to distribute requests and avoid blocks. With a well-designed proxy network, users can efficiently manage requests while minimizing the risk of detection. Providers play a crucial role in this setup, offering different types of proxies (residential, datacenter, mobile) to suit various needs and ensuring reliable performance for activities such as data collection, ad verification, and content access.

Utilizing mobile proxies for data collection

Mobile proxies are IP addresses associated with mobile devices, assigned by cellular carriers. They offer a high level of anonymity and resilience to blocking, making them especially effective for data collection tasks on websites with strict anti-bot systems. Here’s how mobile proxies enhance data collection efforts:

Advantages

1. High trust level: Mobile IPs are perceived as legitimate user traffic, which makes them less likely to be flagged or blocked, even by sites with advanced anti-bot measures.
2. ‍Dynamic IP rotation: Mobile proxies frequently change IPs due to network configurations like carrier-grade NAT, which makes it harder for websites to track or block specific IPs. This is especially valuable for data collection on sites with aggressive detection systems.‍
3. Bypassing geo-restrictions: Mobile proxies allow you to collect data from different regions by choosing mobile IPs from specific locations. This is useful for localized data collection.
   

Best use cases for 4G proxies in data collection

• Social media monitoring: Social platforms tend to block datacenter or residential proxies. Mobile proxies allow you to monitor, collect, and analyze social media data without interruption.‍
• Market research: Gathering data on competitor pricing, reviews, or ad placement from various regions is more efficient with mobile proxies due to their lower risk of detection and blocking.‍
• Ad verification: Mobile proxies ensure that ads are displayed accurately across different devices and locations, allowing businesses to verify ad placement and content.

Optimizing data collection with 4G proxies

When using mobile proxies, consider these tips for optimal performance:

• Use rotating 4G proxies: Rotation minimizes the risk of IP bans and makes it easier to collect large volumes of data.‍
• Monitor usage patterns: Mobile IPs are precious, so avoid excessive requests in short intervals to maintain the proxy’s credibility.‍
• Choose reliable providers: Not all mobile proxies are equal; opt for a reputable provider that offers reliable IP rotation and coverage across multiple regions.

The VPN solution ?

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service that secures and anonymizes your internet connection by creating an encrypted tunnel between your device and a remote server. Here’s how VPNs work and the types of plans you can subscribe to. It's not the best solution for web scraping.

What is a VPN?

A VPN hides your IP address by replacing it with that of the VPN server, providing several benefits:

• Anonymity: Websites see the VPN server's IP address instead of yours, masking your identity and location.
• Security: The connection between your device and the VPN server is encrypted, protecting your data from hackers, especially useful on public Wi-Fi networks.
• Access to geo-restricted content: VPNs allow you to connect to servers in other countries, helping you bypass geographic restrictions on certain content (e.g., streaming service libraries).