A proxy server is a computer system or router that functions as a relay between client and server. It helps prevent an attacker from invading a private network and is one of several tools used to build a firewall. The word proxy means “to act on behalf of another,” and a proxy server acts on behalf of the user.
A proxy server works between the user and the Internet as a gateway. It is an intermediate server that distinguishes end users from the pages they are browsing. Depending on the use case, requirements, or company policy, proxy servers offer varying functionality, privacy, and security levels.
The browser first connects to the proxy server, and the proxy forwards the traffic to the website. That’s why the proxy servers are also known as the forward proxies. A proxy can also receive a response from the website and return it to the user. In the context of network performance and data security, the latest proxy servers allow more functionality while forwarding web requests. Generally, proxy servers serve as a firewall and web filters and provide shared network links and cache data. A decent proxy server protects users and the internal network from the bad things that exist on the wild web. Lastly, proxy servers can offer excessive privacy. There are two types of proxies which are the data center and the residential proxy.
Data Center Proxy: A data center proxy is a non-public proxy that is not related to an ISP because it comes from a 2nd entity and gives private IP authentication and speedy reaction time for data requests. Data Center proxies are normally used for technical purposes, such as servers and internet hosting
Residential Proxy: A residential proxy is an intermediary that uses an IP address connected to a physical location that an Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides to a homeowner. It is a veritable IP address that can be used to mimic the actions of organic users.
How Does a Proxy Server Operate?
Every device on the Internet requires a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. We can think of this IP address, just like the address of the system or device. Just like the post office is aware of a way to deliver mail to the address, the Internet is aware of a way to deliver the proper information to the proper device through the IP address. A proxy server is a device with its unique IP address on the Internet that the device recognizes. When we submit a web request, the request goes to the proxy server first. The proxy server then collects the web server’s response based on the request and transmits the web page information to the user to see the page in the browser.
When the proxy server forwards the web requests, it will make changes to the data we provide and returns the information. A proxy server can modify the IP address because the web server does not exactly know the user’s location in the world. And depending on the IP addresses, a proxy server can block access to those web pages.
Why do we use Proxy Servers?
There are various reasons to use Proxy Servers. Some of the common reasons are as follows:
Privacy Benefits
Proxy servers are used by individuals and organizations to access the internet privately. The proxy servers can change the IP address and other identifying information in the web request. It ensures that the destination server does not know who made the initial request, keeping our personal information and browsing habits more securely.
Improved Security
Proxy servers offer security benefits over privacy benefits. We can configure the proxy server to encrypt the web requests to keep the eyes closed without reading the addresses. We may also prevent any access to known malware sites via the proxy server. Companies can also connect their proxy servers to virtual private networks (VPNs), so remote users can always access the Internet through the company’s proxies. A VPN is a virtual link that extends a private network to external or remote customers. The company may control and verify that its clients have access to those services, including email and internal data, using a VPN. Even, they also have a safe link to the consumer to protect company information.
Get access to blocked resources.
Proxy servers enable users to configure content restrictions imposed by companies. Many governments worldwide closely monitor and limit Internet access, and proxy servers provide uncensored Internet access to their citizens.
Best Proxy Servers
Let us review the servers below:
1. Bright Data (Formerly Luminati)
Bright Data – Best for making data-driven business decisions as it helps to unlock any website and to collect accurate data.
Bright Data has a Proxy Manager to manage all the proxies with one interface. The Proxy Manager is an open-source tool. It has built-in scraping features. Bright Data offers tools such as Data Center proxies, ISP Proxies, Residential Proxies, Mobile Proxies, Web Unlocker, etc.
Features:
- Bright Data Proxy Manager has capabilities that will let you route the requests according to the customs rules through residential data centers, mobile IP networks, etc.
- It offers the features of Regex and custom rules for reducing traffic.
- It provides detailed request logs.
- You can browse and monitor all the requests that are sent through a proxy.
Verdict: Bright Data Proxy Manager will help you with various use cases such as web data extraction, e-commerce, collecting stock market data, brand protection, etc. Bright Data has capabilities of data collection from eCommerce, Social Media, etc. It provides 24×7 global support and dedicated account managers.
Price: Bright Data offers a free trial of 7-days. Bright Data offers Pay-As-You-Go, monthly subscriptions, and yearly subscription plans.
Monthly subscription plans start at $300 per month. Yearly subscription plans start at $270 per month. Pay-As-You-Go pricing plans are Datacenter ($0.90/IP+$0.12/GB), Residential ($25/GB), ISP ($29/GB + $0.50/IP), and Mobile ($60/GB).
2. HMA
Best for anonymous browsing.
HMA offers a free proxy server for anonymous browsing. It gives access to blocked websites from anywhere in the world and has capabilities of private browsing in 1 tab, hiding the IP in 1 tab, safe online banking on any network, etc. We can use it on any device, hence access to online games and apps will be more secure.
Features:
- HMA has features to stop all ISP tracking that helps you with protecting the entire browsing history from getting tracked and stored by the ISP.
- It provides an encrypted connection that will let you surf safely even on unsecured public Wi-Fi.
- It can access US TV shows with paid subscription services.
- Using HMA, you can access any restricted websites.
Verdict: HMA allows protecting 5 devices at a time. It can be used on all devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. It is compatible with the platforms like Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android, etc.
Price: HMA offers a free trial of 7 days. There are two pricing plans, a 12-month plan ($4.99 per month) and a 36-month plan ($2.99 per month). These prices are for 5 connections. It has multiple business plans, starting with $12.99 per month for 10 simultaneous connections.
Website: HMA
3. Whoer
Best for quickly changing the IP address and unblocking the sites for free.
Who offers the services of the web proxy, checking Internet speed, online ping test checker, checking domain & IP, and DNS leak test. Its web proxy offers a quick and free way for changing the IP address, unblocking sites, and gaining anonymity on the web. Its services are available in multiple countries.
Features:
- Who has features to avoid tracking and blocking by websites and Internet providers?
- Who’s premium anonymizer provides a fast connection to servers in the desired countries. These connections are with low ping and excellent speed.
- It will not track the user actions and no logs will be maintained with premium and free versions.
- It has excellent security policies and no one, including Whoer will know about your online activities.
Verdict: Whoer is available for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Yandex. It can be used on all platforms and devices, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, etc. It provides access to websites without blocking.
Price: Whoer offers a 30-days money-back guarantee. The solution is available with 1-month ($9.90 per month), 6-months ($6.50 per month), and 1-year ($3.90 per month) plans.
Website: Whoer
4. Hide. me
Best for fastest VPN and privacy protection.
Hide. I am a web proxy that has apps for all devices and secure VPN protocols. It follows a strict no-logs policy. The premium version offers the features of dynamic port forwarding, fixed IP address, and streaming support. Its free browser extension is available for Chrome and Firefox browsers.
Features:
- All servers support popular protocols like IKEv2, WireGuard, OpenVPN, etc.
- Hide. It is suitable to be used by anyone, beginners, geeks, youngsters, adults, etc.
- It is a safe and simple to use platform.
- It can be used on Windows, Mac, Apple TVs, smartphones, etc.
Verdict: Hide. I provide IP leak protection, strong AES-256 encryption, and the best privacy protection. It can be used on all devices like desktops, laptops, smartphones, and Apple TVs.
Price: Hide. I have three plans for VPN, 1-month ($12.95 per month), 1-Year ($4.99 per month), and a 6-month plan ($6.65 per month).
Website: Hide. me
5. Oxylabs Proxy Server
Best for innovative proxy service that has capabilities for gathering data at scale.
Oxylabs offers an innovative proxy service for gathering the data at a scale. It offers the solutions of Datacenter proxies, Residential Proxies, Next-Gen Residential Proxies, and Real-time Crawler. Oxylabs’® self-service dashboard will give you detailed statistics of proxy usage. It helps with the creation of sub-users, whitelisting of IPs, etc.
Features:
- Datacenter Proxies provide unlimited bandwidth & domains and a dedicated account manager.
- Residential Proxies provide human-like scraping without blocking the IP with 24/7 support, avg. 99.2% success rates, and city-level targeting.
- Next-Gen Residential Proxies are AI & ML-based solutions for efficient web scraping and offer the features of the auto-retry system, captcha handling, and adapting parser.
- The real-time crawler can extract data from search engines & eCommerce websites. It has capabilities of country & ASN filtering.
Verdict: Oxylab’s self-service dashboard will help you manage your account. Its data gathering tool has a 100% success rate. The solution can be used for various use cases, such as market research, travel fare aggregation, brand protection, price monitoring, SEO monitoring, etc.
Price: Datacenter proxies pricing plans start at $180 per month. The pricing plans for Residential Proxies start at $300 per month. Next-Gen Residential Proxies price starts at $360 per month and Real-time Crawler price starts at $99 per month.
Website: Oxylabs Proxy Server
6. 4everproxy
Best for free and secure web proxy.
4everproxy has multiple VPN servers at 8 various locations. It secures all the connections through TLS. It makes use of a different IP address for every page that you visit. No one can view the URLs from your browser.
4everproxy will let you choose the location of the server. The Custom HTTP Proxy option helps you enter the custom proxy in the IP: PORT format. It tunnels all the traffic through the 4everproxy’s server and that through the proxy provided by you.
Features:
- 4everproxy deletes the proxy sessions after 2 hours of closing the browser.
- It supports the Double Proxy that will let you connect using multiple proxy servers.
- It fully encrypts all the VPN connections. It doesn’t store logs for your online activities.
Verdict: 4everproxy offers unmetered bandwidth and access to the entire VPN network with all plans. With 4everproxy, there are no file size and proxy limitations. It is a completely free tool that has functionalities for browsing the Internet securely and anonymously.
Price: 4everproxy can be used for free. Its single-user VPN will cost you $3.95 with features of unmetered bandwidth, all VPN locations, and no logs.
Website: 4everproxy
7. CroxyProxy
Best advanced online proxy. It is a perfect alternative to VPN.
CroxyProxy is a free and secure web proxy with advanced capabilities. We can use it for video hosting sites, search engines, social networks, etc. It supports anonymous surfing of video sites with full video streaming.
It is a free tool and doesn’t require downloading and configuring anything. It works as a proxy browser. CroxyProxy makes use of unique technology that helps with accessing modern websites and web applications.
Features:
- CroxyProxy has the capabilities of hiding the real IP address that lets you surf anonymously.
- All websites will be SSL encrypted.
- It provides permalink features that will help you with sharing the opened pages with friends.
- It supports cross-platforms including Android and Chrome OS.
- HTML5 videos and audio playback is supported by CroxyProxy.
Verdict: CroxyProxy offers a service that can work with all resources. It supports YouTube also. It provides better protection by encrypting all the traffic to the free proxy service. Though the destination website is not supporting a secure connection, CroxyProxy will protect the web traffic.
Price: CroxyProxy offers a basic version for free. Its ad-free premium access is available for $3.50 per month.
Website: CroxyProxy
8. ProxySite
Best for speed and security it is providing. Its gigabit network provides a fast speed for viewing web pages.
ProxySite.com is a free web proxy site with dedicated VPN servers all around the world. It doesn’t store any logs and provides the highest security and privacy. Its gigabit network will help you with the faster viewing of web pages.
Features:
- Its Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption help to surf safely.
- It provides global access.
- ProxySite.com passes everything back to you, even though the destination website is secure or not.
Verdict: ProxySite.com can protect your privacy. It is a platform for bypassing the filters and browsing anonymously. It offers services like free YouTube proxy and Facebook proxy.
Price: ProxySite’s premium service is available with Monthly ($9.99 per month) and Yearly ($5.99 per month) pricing plans.
Website: ProxySite.com
9. Tor Browser
Best browser for protection against tracking, surveillance, and censorship.
Tor is a browser for online anonymity. It protects you from getting tracked, surveillance, and censorship. It supports Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android platforms. Tor can protect the properly configured applications. Though Tor encrypts the traffic to and within the Tor network, the encryption of the traffic to the final destination website will depend on that website.
Features:
- Tor blocks the trackers, defends against surveillance, and resists fingerprinting.
- It provides multi-layered encryption.
- It has included HTTPS everywhere to ensure private encryption of websites.
- It blocks the browser plugins like RealPlayer and QuickTime, as they can reveal your IP address.
- It is made for preventing the websites from fingerprinting you from the browser’s configurations.
Verdict: Tor will let no one (including your ISP) know about your Internet activity like names, websites visited by you, etc. Even the operators of the website or service that you are accessing don’t know about your IP address. They can only see the connection with the Tor network.
Price: Tor is a free and open-source tool.
Website: Tor Browser
10. Proxify
Best for a unique proxy system that protects your online privacy and provides security.
Proxify is an anonymous proxy with features to help you surf the web privately and securely.
It has features to hide your IP address. It has proxy servers around the world. There are 1290 satellites in 219 cities in 65 countries. In the US, its satellites are in 87 cities. Proxify encrypts your communications.
Features:
- This anonymous proxy is for surfing the web privately and securely. The connection will be encrypted and hence your network traffic cannot be monitored.
- It is used by people from over 200 countries around the world.
- It supports Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms and all the major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Safari.
Verdict: SwitchProxify is a fast, highly available, and reliable service. It is easy to use. It can be used for automation by computer systems. With Proxify, you will be anonymous online.
Price: Proxify offers a free trial. Proxy Pro is available for $100 per month. Switch Proxy’s price starts at $150 per month.
Website: Proxify
Additional Proxy Servers
11. ProxySite.cloud
ProxySite is a cloud-hosted USA web proxy with features for unblocking sites and bypassing the filters. It has a dedicated network of proxy sites and provides fast speed by running the proxy sites on 1GB USA dedicated pipes. It is a lightning-fast anonymous web proxy browser and provides reliable and secure service.
Website: ProxySite.cloud
12. stocks Proxy Server
stocks offer high-quality proxies for various requirements like free proxies and private mobile proxies. The free proxy solution offers the features of constant proxy quality control, 100 regularly updated IPs, and no work restrictions. A lot of proxy packages are available with stocks that are made for different tasks. You can try this solution for free.
Website: RSocks Proxy Server
13. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a high-speed, secure, and anonymous VPN service and can be used on every device. It has high-speed servers in over 94 countries and provides best-in-class encryption. It seamlessly works everywhere and provides lightning-quick connectivity. ExpressVPN provides stronger data protection. The price of the service starts at $8.32 per month.
Website: ExpressVPN
14. Windscribe VPN
Windscribe offers the solution of VPN and Ad Block. It offers the solution as a desktop application and as a browser extension. It will let you browse privately and unblock the geo-restricted content. Your activities will be encrypted with Windscribe. The pricing plan starts at $4.08 per month.
Website: Windscribe VPN
15. Smartproxy
Smartproxy offers a residential proxy network with 40M+ IPs. It offers the solutions of data center proxies, search engine proxies, etc. Chrome proxy extension will help you with accessing the localized content. A proxy address generator provides the facility of exporting the proxy list for any software.
Smartproxy’s residential proxy plans start at $75+ VAT per month. Datacenter plans start at $50+VAT per month.
Website: Smartproxy
Proxy Servers have your IP address and information about your web request in an unencrypted form. Hence, while choosing the server, check if the proxy server logs and save the data. The server should have encryption capabilities.
It is recommended to choose the proxy server with no logging of IP address. It is important to check the data retention and law enforcement cooperation policies while choosing the server.
Free proxy servers could be risky as these services don’t invest too much in backend hardware or encryption. You might face performance issues and potential data security issues with such free services.
Paid Solutions offer more anonymity and convenience than free solutions. HMA, Whoer, Hide.me, Oxylabs, and Bright Data are the top players on our proxy server list.
We hope this article will help you with choosing the right online proxy server.
Research Process:
- Time is taken to research and write this article: 26 Hours.
- Total tools researched online: 32
- Top tools shortlisted for review: 15
FAQ
