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A few years ago, some 17,000 gas stations went dry. Panicked Americans from Texas to New York had difficulties fueling up, seeing one empty pump after another. How did this happen? This event wasn’t the result of extreme weather, but the actions of Russian hackers. And that’s not the only newsworthy attack in recent years. You’ve probably heard of companies, big and small, having to pause business operations or halt them altogether. Medical institutions and banks are the victims you read about in the news; even mom-and-pop businesses suffer.
While your company may not be at risk of an attack as disastrous as the 2021 Colonial gas pipeline attack, it’s still a target as long as it remains online. A network assault may only result in someone stealing your data or spying on your online transactions. However, that still means you’re losing something valuable.
So, how do you protect your company’s data? How do you perform complex data scraping activities anonymously? And what’s the best tool at your disposal to access region-specific information? The answer to all three questions is proxies. They sit between end-user devices and the internet, perfectly positioned to anonymize all online transactions and grant you access to a limitless World Wide Web.
Proxy providers have sprouted like mushrooms in the recent decades. That’s made finding the cream of the crop slightly more challenging. To ease your search for the top proxy suppliers, we’ve come up with this list. Every company here provides several proxy types to meet your needs. Consider each company’s offerings, pros, and cons to identify your preferred vendor.
List of Proxy Providers
1. MarsProxies
Reliable and Affordable Proxy Provider
When PCMag awarded MarsProxies the title of 2024’s best overall proxy service, we knew it was time for this company to shine. Its presence has shown the industry the possibility of pairing affordability with reliable services. MarsProxies receives high points from PCMag for its market research and online shopping capabilities. However, the company’s strengths don’t end there. It offers a complete suite of products, from residential, datacenter, and mobile IPs to ISP and sneaker proxies.
Initially, we thought that MarsProxies’ 1+ million residential IPs wouldn’t be capable of handling our everyday tasks. However, the company quickly proved us wrong. Whether we tasked the proxies to scrape the web, browse privately, or access geo-blocked data, they performed exceptionally. Furthermore, the company charges a fraction of the cost of other providers.
Regardless of your industry, you’ll find MarsProxies’ products indispensable. They’ll integrate seamlessly with your existing business applications and perform with 99.9% uptime. Enjoy global coverage and speedy connections. MarsProxies allows you to do more with less, maintaining pay-as-you-go pricing for non-expiring/unlimited traffic, which is something you may not get with other providers.
Pros
- Unbeatable prices
- Non-expiring/unlimited traffic
- Global coverage (190+ countries)
- Multi-channel 24/7 support
- Country, state and city-level targeting
Cons
- Limited proxy pool size
- Only UK and US mobile proxies
Related: Proxy vs NAT
2. IPRoyal
Full-Service Proxy Platform
IPRoyal, a relative newcomer in the proxy business, began operations in 2020. Since then, it’s quickly climbed ranks. It’s hard to believe that this four-year-old company is now rubbing shoulders with proxy providers such as Bright Data and Oxylabs. On Trustpilot and G2, you’ll notice that IPRoyal is a crowd favorite. That’s no surprise, considering the company’s commitment to providing 99.9% uptime across all its offerings.
The residential, datacenter, mobile, ISP, and enterprise-level proxies from IPRoyal provide anonymity on all fronts. They deliver speedy private connections, whether you’re browsing the web, gathering copious amounts of data, or trying to access geo-blocked content. With a pool of 34+ million IPs, all ethically sourced, and customizable rotation settings, IPRoyal manages to ease the most demanding of tasks.
Furthermore, IPRoyal’s proxies are yours at affordable pricing tiers, with notable discounts for larger orders. The company even has a pay-as-you-go system which drastically reduces the financial burdens of small-to-medium businesses. With IPRoyal, there’s no fussing about monthly commitments or expiring traffic.
Pros
- 34+ million IPs
- Coverage for 195 countries
- ISO 27001, GDPR, and CCPA compliant
- 24/7 support via live chat, email, and Discord
- No monthly commitments or expiring traffic
Cons
- Free trial limited to enterprise orders
- Limited locations for mobile proxies (US, UK, and EU)
3. Oxylabs
Data-Focused Proxy Provider
Oxylabs simplifies data gathering at a massive scale, making it the preferred proxy provider for big corporations. It has one of the largest ethically sourced proxy pools in the market, totalling over 102 million IPs from more than 195 countries. These residential, ISP, mobile, and datacenter proxies are the best tools to mask your online activities, whether you’re scouting competitor prices or monitoring SERPs.
Now, you might be wondering about pricing. If you’re feeling wary about Oxylabs’ seemingly above-market rates, it’s time to consider what you’re getting in return. Aside from fast response times, residential proxies come with a 99.8% success rate. Furthermore, Oxylabs’ products are easily integrated with third-party tools, such as Selenium and Puppeteer. Don’t forget to take advantage of the company’s pay-as-you-go packages and free trials!
Let’s say you would like to skip the whole connecting-via-a-proxy thing and want to get data directly. In that case, Oxylabs presents ready-to-use datasets. These cover a wide berth, from company and product information to job postings. And how about an AI-powered tool for quick web scraping? Yes, OxyCopilot is now available in beta, and you can test it out for free.
Pros
- Massive proxy pool size (102+ million)
- Global coverage (195 countries)
- Free trials available for verified companies
- Ready-to-use datasets
Cons
- Above-average pricing
- Unsuitable for beginners (complicated setup)
4. Bright Data
Trustworthy Proxy Provider for Data-Intensive Projects
Bright Data is in this industry for the long run, and it shows. The provider has invested heavily in a comprehensive proxy infrastructure boasting 72+ million IPs from every country in the world. It also supplies scraping automation tools and datasets. At its core, Bright Data is the company corporations flock to to source for web data.
This proxy provider has an impressive client list. Among the names you’ll notice include Epson, McDonald’s and Statista. That may stem from a flexible subscription model. Companies with multiple departments can add sub-users without extra charges. Furthermore, the company imposes non-time-limited sessions. Users can perform auto-rotations per request or session, which is mighty useful for data scraping tasks.
While Bright Data’s prices may seem higher than its competitors, you’ll soon discover that the provider’s competencies in demanding data scraping projects make those amounts worthwhile. Moreover, the company is a stickler for sharing knowledge. Its resource center contains tools and a learning hub filled with case studies, webinars, and more.
Pros
- 72 million proxies covering every country
- City, state, country, ZIP, and ASN targeting options
- Databases and insights
- Scraping automation tools
Cons
- High-end pricing
- Convoluted dashboard
5. Smartproxy
Economical and Efficient Proxy Vendor
Smartproxy is highly deserving of a mention in this list, particularly due to its ability to provide high-quality services at wallet-friendly prices. And this isn’t solely our opinion – the people at third-party review sites Trustpilot, G2, and Proxyway give this vendor high scores all around.
Expect a comprehensive suite of proxies at Smartproxy, each with remarkable uptimes and speeds. Additionally, you’ll have a set of APIs at your disposal for your social media, SERP, and e-commerce scraping needs. If that isn’t enough, a site unblocker works overtime to help you retrieve real-time data from notoriously hard-to-access websites.
As mentioned before, Smartproxy’s prices are attractive, with residential proxies going for as low as $2.20 per GB. Free trials are also available to help you make up your mind. But what makes this company praiseworthy is its rich repository hub. Here, you’ll find videos, webinars, and blogs to guide you on everything from setup to execution.
Pros
- 65 million global IPs
- Low costs for enterprise users
- Wide-ranging scraping APIs
- Free trials available
- Multi-channel support
Cons
- Limited SOCKS support for datacenter proxies
- Restricted pricing choices
6. SOAX
Largest Proxy Pool Provider
It’s hard to discount the fact that SOAX offers a massive pool of proxies. In fact, it’s one of the market’s largest. Besides datacenter and US ISP IPs, 155 million residential proxies and 30 million mobile proxies are up for grabs. The vendor promises 99.95% success rates and 0.5s response times, which are well within industry averages.
At SOAX, you’ll not just gain access to proxies. Much like Smartproxy, this provider makes web scraping a breeze. It has an AI scraper and SERP, social media, and e-commerce APIs for efficient data extraction. Plus, if you’re facing roadblocks in your web scraping journey, challenge those sophisticated anti-bot systems with SOAX’s web unblocker.
What’s interesting about SOAX is that you’re able to test out its proxies at a low cost. A three-day trial goes for $1.99. While we’d prefer something free, $1.99 is a negligible amount.
Pros
- 155 million residential proxies
- High-quality US-based ISP proxies
- Advanced AI web scraper
Cons
- No free trial or pay-as-you-go pricing
- Undisclosed pricing for web unblocker, AI scraper, and APIs
- Limited support options
7. NetNut
Professional Data Extractor and Proxy Provider
NetNut’s focus lies in data, so it’s no surprise that it holds the title of G2’s #1 web data provider. The vendor has residential proxies, mobile, and datacenter proxies in addition to SERP and LinkedIn scraper APIs. Besides that, you can get a hold of professional and company datasets.
In terms of pricing, NetNut may seem a bit more restrictive compared to other vendors. Similar to SOAX, it doesn’t give you a pay-as-you-go option. Users can opt for monthly or annual billings, with a dedicated account managed accompanying all proxy plans.
At NetNut, support is available around the clock over a multitude of channels. Aside from live chat, one can contact the team via email, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Skype. NetNut also has a comprehensive resource center with webinars, case studies, and case studies.
Pros
- 85+ million residential IPs with global coverage
- SERP and LinkedIn scraper APIs
- Company and individual professional datasets
- Free trials available
Cons
- Pricing information unavailable for certain products
- No pay-as-you-go pricing
- Only monthly and annual packages available for proxies
Conclusion
Getting ahead means safeguarding your online transactions, regardless of how insignificant they may seem. Do that with the help of proxies. The vendors in this list aren’t just capable of protecting your company and anonymizing your digital activities; they’re also impactful in your quest for meaningful web data. The right provider to meet your needs at the right price point is somewhere among these seven – take your pick.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
IPwithease is aimed at sharing knowledge across varied domains like Network, Security, Virtualization, Software, Wireless, etc.
