Want to conceal your internet activity more discreetly? To protect your privacy and allow you to visit prohibited websites, proxy services can mask your IP address.
This article reviews five of the top proxy servers currently available. The finest proxy servers may be used for both private and professional purposes.
What is a proxy server?
A proxy server is a piece of software or a network service that facilitates the sending of requests from one computer to another. The client (your computer, for instance) seeks access to a service (such as a website) and the proxy server mediates the connection between the client and the service.
The following diagram illustrates conceptually how direct data exchange and data exchange via proxy server might take place between two machines on a network:
Why do we need proxy servers?
Proxy servers are now mostly used to mask or alter an Internet Protocol address before visiting a website. Many other motivations exist for doing so.
To start, let’s think about the most prevalent ones:
Web surfing with complete anonymity
To avoid having your true Internet Protocol (IP) address revealed when engaging in activities like online browsing, file downloading, forum posting, emailing, and using instant messaging services, you may make use of a proxy server that is anonymous, elite, or distorting.
When trying to connect to a site that has a cap on the number of simultaneous connections or requests you may make in a certain period
Many file-sharing platforms restrict how many downloads may occur from a single IP address in a given time. Due to the high prevalence of dynamic IP addresses service’s download cap may have already been reached at the IP address you have been assigned.
A proxy server can be used to resolve the issue. Also, when dealing with services that have request caps, proxies might be a helpful workaround.
Verifying that users from all around the world can reach the site
Check the site’s accessibility from locations with varying Internet service providers and networks by connecting using a proxy server.
Online security being evaded
Proxy servers allow users to bypass network restrictions and gain access to otherwise inaccessible websites. For instance, if the service blocks access based on the user’s IP address or the IP addresses of an entire country.
If the user’s Internet service provider blocks the site, that’s a plus, too. In China, for instance, several widely used web apps like Gmail, Instagram, Twitter, etc. are unavailable to users. Users in China can circumvent this restriction by connecting to these sites using proxy servers in other countries.
Our Top Proxy Server picks
Bright Data
Bright Data’s Proxy Manager provides a centralized location from which to control all of your proxies. There is no cost to use Bright Data’s Proxy Manager.
Built-in scraping capabilities are included. ISP proxies, data center proxies, mobile proxies, residential proxies, the Bright Data Web Unlocker, and many more services are available from Bright Data.
Features
- Through Bright Data Proxy Manager’s features, you may direct requests to other locations, such as home servers, mobile IP networks, etc., based on predefined criteria
- Regex and customized rules are two of the tools at your disposal for managing website traffic
- Logs of requests are kept in great detail
- All requests sent over a proxy are visible for monitoring
Price
You may try Bright Data risk-free for a week. In addition to its annual plan, Bright Data also provides monthly and pay-as-you-go subscriptions.
The lowest-priced monthly membership package starts at $300. Costs begin at $270 monthly for annual subscriptions. There are a variety of Pay-As-You-Go price tiers available, including Residential ($25 per GB), Datacenter ($0.90 per IP + $0.12 per GB), Mobile ($60 per GB), and ISP ($29 per GB + $0.50 per IP).
Verdict
As an all-purpose tool, Bright Data Proxy Manager may be put to use in a wide range of situations, including data collection from the web, online shopping, stock market data collection, brand protection, and more. Bright Data may gather information from many online channels, such as online stores, social media, etc. It has round-the-clock availability and personal account managers throughout the world.
Get started with Bright Data here!
Smartproxy
Smartproxy provides its users with access to a domestic proxy network that allows them to send an infinite number of connection requests simultaneously.
As a result, your web scraper may quickly and easily gain access to a large number of websites.
A different proxy user can be created for each function. They will all have their own set of credentials to use with their proxy.
Proxies may be set up using this service in a matter of minutes. You may find detailed instructions for configuring and installing Smartproxy in its extensive documentation.
Features
- Create a system where the number of connections and threads is not restricted
- Features 195 data centers in 8 locations throughout the globe
- Allow many proxy connections at once
- Facilitates access to content that might otherwise be restricted based on a user’s location
Price
The price structure of Smartproxy is adaptable. The cost of 1GB might be as low as $12.50 for less important tasks.
The Micro Plan, which offers 8 GB of storage for $80 per month, is the cheapest option.
The Starter Plan, which offers 25 GB for $225 per month, and the Standard Plan, which offers 50 GB for $400 per month, are the other two paid tiers.
If you need more space, the Enterprise package with 100 GB of storage will set you back $700 a month.
Verdict
We advise using Smartproxy if you need a service that provides quick proxy access in your browser.
Smartproxy is backed by a massive IP database of over 40 million addresses, and its easy installation is aided by thorough instructions.
Get started with Smartproxy here!
Hide.me
Hide.me is a reliable online proxy that offers VPN security and applications for all major platforms. It has a firm policy of never keeping any kind of logs.
The paid version adds streaming capabilities, a permanent IP address, and the ability to forward ports on the fly. It’s a free add-on for Chrome and Firefox web browsers.
Features
- IKEv2, WireGuard, OpenVPN, etc., are supported on all servers
- Hide.me is easy enough for newcomers and advanced enough for techies and young enough for kids and adults alike
- The system is reliable and easy to navigate
- It’s compatible with a wide variety of platforms, including PCs, Macs, Apple TVs, mobile devices, etc.
Price
Choose from Hide.me’s 1-month ($12.95 per month), 1-year ($4.99 per month), or 6-month ($6.65 per month) VPN subscriptions.
Verdict
Hide.me has industry-leading protections against IP leaks, 256-bit AES encryption, and complete anonymity. It’s compatible with computers, laptops, cell phones, and even Apple TVs.
Get started with Hide.me here!
HMA
To protect your online anonymity, HMAÂ provides a free proxy server. It allows you to view geo-blocked content from any location, private surfing in a single tab, IP masking in a single tab, secure online banking from any device, and much more.
As a result, our use of online games and applications is unified and protected across all platforms.
Features
- HMAÂ prevents your ISP from tracking your activity on the web, ensuring that your surfing history is safe from being logged and used against you
- It offers an encrypted connection, so you may use public Wi-Fi without worrying about your data being intercepted
- Through premium subscription services, you can watch U.S. television series
- You may visit any blocked website by using HMA
Price
There is a 7-day trial period available at no cost with HMA. One plan lasts for 12 months at $4.99 per month, while the other lasts for 36 months at $2.99 per month.
Prices shown are for a maximum of 5 simultaneous connections. Multiple commercial options are available, with the cheapest starting at $12.99 a month for ten users.
Verdict
You may secure up to five devices using HMAÂ at once. It’s compatible with any electronic device, including mobile phones, tablets, computers, etc. It works on a wide variety of systems, including Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, Android, and others.
Get started with HMA here!
Whoer
Whoer is a tool that may be used to do a DNS leak test, as well as a variety of other functions, such as using a web proxy or conducting an Internet speed test online.
Its web proxy is an easy and free option for hiding one’s online identity while still gaining access to otherwise inaccessible content. Its services are accessible to people in a wide variety of nations.
Features
- Whoer can circumvent websites’ and ISPs’ monitoring and blocking mechanisms thanks to its stealthy design
- Connecting to servers in the selected countries is quick and easy using Whoer’s premium anonymizer – these links provide high speeds and minimal latency times
- Both the paid and unpaid versions do not keep any sort of log or record of user activity
- You may feel safe knowing that not even Whoer will be privy to your private data when using this service
Price
There is a 30-day refund policy available at Whoer. There are monthly, semiannual, and annual subscription options for the service for $9.90, $6.50, and $3.80, respectively.
Verdict
Whoer supports the Yandex, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera browsers. It’s compatible with everything from Windows and macOS to Linux and mobile systems like iOS and Android. It allows unrestricted online browsing.
Get started with Whoer here!
Oxylabs Proxy Server
Oxylabs provides a novel proxy service that allows for massive data collection. It provides services like those found in data centers, at homes, in the next generation of homes, and in real-time with its crawler.
In-depth metrics on proxy usage are available in Oxylabs’Â self-service dashboard. It facilitates the addition of sub-users, IP whitelisting, and similar features.
Features
- With Datacenter Proxies, you may get limitless bandwidth, domains, and a personal account manager
- With 24/7 availability, an average success rate of 99.2%, city-level targeting, and IP blocking-free scraping like a person, Residential Proxies are an excellent choice
- The captcha handling, auto-retry system, and adaptive parser are just a few of the capabilities available with Next-Generation Residential Proxies, which are AI and ML-based solutions for effective online scraping
- The real-time crawler can scrape information from shopping carts and search engine sites. Country and ASN filtering are also possible with this tool
Price
Packages for data center proxies begin at $180/month. The lowest-priced Residential Proxies package starts at $300 per month. The cost of Real-time Crawlers begins at $99 per month, while Next-Generation Residential Proxies begin at $360 per month.
Verdict
The Oxylabs self-service dashboard is where you can take care of account maintenance. Using this data collection technology has a perfect track record. Market research, trademark protection, travel fare aggregation, pricing monitoring, search engine optimization monitoring, etc. are just a few of the many possible applications for this system.
Get started with Oxylabs Proxy Server here!
Conclusion
Proxy servers can see your true IP address and the details of your unencrypted web request. Because of this, it is important to make sure the proxy server you use stores logs and records your data. Data stored on the server has to be encrypted.
Selecting a proxy server that doesn’t record your IP address is highly advised. When deciding on a server, you must research their rules on data retention and cooperation with law authorities.
Because they don’t have to pay for expensive server hardware or encryption, free proxy servers present a security risk. There is a risk that using a service because it is free will compromise the privacy and security of your data. The privacy and ease of use of paid services much surpass those of their free counterparts.
Bright Data | Smartproxy | Hide.me | HMA | Whoer | Oxylabs Proxy Server
