Top 7 Proxy Providers to Boost Your Internet Privacy

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There are many reasons why you should use proxies to improve your internet privacy. Whether you’re trying to access geo-restricted content or scrape data from websites, keeping your IP address private is crucial. You just have to find a provider that meets both your needs and budget.

To make things easier for you, we’ve done the research and compiled a list of seven great options for your proxy needs. But before diving into our short reviews, let’s remind you how proxies work and what their most common use cases are.

Proxy servers use their own IP addresses to connect you to the desired web servers. This way, they function as a middleman between your device or client and the website, app, or platform you want to visit. By keeping your real IP address hidden, they provide you with internet anonymity and privacy.

The chance to visit websites anonymously and change your IP address increases your online freedom. For example, you can bypass geo-restrictions by simply using a proxy in a location where the target website or service is available. You can also get around IP bans and continue using your favorite platform by using another IP address.

Besides unlocking geo-blocked content, bypassing IP bans, and improving your privacy, proxies also allow you to use automation tools with minimal risk of detection. Residential proxies are the best option for automation since they have the highest trust score and carry IPs that rotate after each request.

All this makes proxies a valuable tool for businesses looking to perform web scraping, ad verification, web testing, social media management, travel fare aggregation, and much more without interruptions like CAPTCHAs and bans.

Sneakerheads also take advantage of rotating proxies to use sneaker bots anonymously and grab the limited-edition kicks they want, while gamers use them to level up their gameplay by using bots and reducing lag.

Now that you know the basics of proxies, let’s look at some of the best options available today.

1. MarsProxies

Best for individuals and small to medium-sized businesses

Why We Picked It

MarsProxies is one of the most affordable proxy providers on the market, yet their proxies are of the highest quality and performance. Besides the main types of proxies, it also offers sneaker proxy servers. You can find a global IP network and flexible plans featuring the latest features.

Who It’s For

With highly customizable plans, reasonable prices, and an easy-to-use dashboard, MarsProxies is a great choice for private and small to medium-sized business users of all tech experience levels. Thanks to the global network and advanced features, clients use them for tasks like data scraping, social media management, sneaker botting, unlocking geo-restricted content, web testing, etc.

PROS

  • A rich proxy catalog (including sneaker proxies)
  • High-speed IPs in 190+ locations
  • Flexible datacenter, ISP, and mobile proxy plans with unlimited bandwidth
  • Non-expiring residential traffic

CONS

  • No free trial
  • Only UK and US mobile proxies

2. IPRoyal

Best for budget-conscious business and enterprise clients

Why We Picked It

IPRoyal is one of the leading proxy services on the market with a large, ethical IP network and flexible plans and pricing. The proxies are high-performing, easy to set up, and compatible with all popular tools, sites, and apps. You can find many useful features like a high-end pool and IP skipping that you won’t find elsewhere.

Who It’s For

Thanks to their ethical network built from scratch and compliance with the industry’s highest data protection standards, IPRoyal is a go-to choice for many businesses and enterprises worldwide. The affordable prices and great bulk discounts make the service even more appealing. Common use cases include web scraping, market research, ad verification, brand protection, etc.

PROS

  • 32M+ ethically sourced residential IPs in 195+ locations
  • High-performing proxies with a high-end pool for maximum speeds
  • Customizable plans with non-expiring residential traffic
  • Responsive customer support

CONS

  • No rotating datacenter proxies
  • No free trial

3. Shifter

Best for larger customers with traffic-intensive tasks

Why We Picked It

Shifter has a large residential proxy network that works well. Their pricing structure is pretty unique, charging by ports and not GBs. You can find residential proxies in three varieties and a free trial for companies. They support multiple payment options and provide decent customer support.

Who It’s For

The subscription plans, unique pricing model, and generous traffic allowance make Shifter ideal for clients who don’t mind paying hundreds of dollars for their proxies. These residential proxies are best for traffic-intensive tasks like web scraping, especially because the provider offers scraping APIs as well.

PROS

  • Residential proxies in multiple variations
  • Over 31M residential IPs
  • Several scraping APIs
  • Support various payment methods

CONS

  • High starting prices and no pay-as-you-go options
  • Basic features like geo-targeting come at an extra cost

4. Storm Proxies

Best for small-time users who need a simple proxy service

Why We Picked It

Storm Proxies offers multiple rotating and dedicated proxies at budget-friendly prices. You can find residential US and EU IP addresses with unlimited bandwidth in fixed plans based on the number of ports. Useful features include automatic rotation and IP replacement twice a month for datacenter users.

Who It’s For

The service may offer a small IP network and limited features, but it’s more than enough for beginners, freelancers, Instagram managers, small-time scrapers, and sneakerheads on a budget.

PROS

  • Rotating and dedicated proxies
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Affordable prices
  • Easy to use

CONS

  • Small proxy pool (700K+ IPs)
  • No SOCKS5 support and location targeting

5. Astro

Best for small businesses managing multiple accounts

Why We Picked It

Astro is a small proxy provider offering residential, rotating datacenter, and mobile proxies. While it has a limited proxy pool, it offers high flexibility in terms of features and pricing. You can order as little as 100 MB of traffic and specify the country, city, or provider of your proxies.

Who It’s For

This provider is a good choice for small-time users or small businesses looking for flexible proxy solutions for multi-accounting and data collection. The rates are pretty affordable but don’t scale very well beyond a certain point, making Astro most cost-efficient for smaller projects requiring rotating IPs.

PROS

  • Rotating datacenter IPs
  • Flexible sticky session duration
  • Global IP network (100+countries)
  • Flexible plans starting at 100MB

CONS

  • No static IPs
  • No live chat (support channels inconvenient for Westerners)

6. Dataimpulse

Best for private and business users with simple needs

Why We Picked It

Dataimpulse offers affordable residential, datacenter, and mobile proxy servers. They use ethical IP sourcing to create a unique proxy pool, which is always a plus. The plans are fixed and include the selected amount of non-expiring traffic, SOCKS5 support, and 24/7 customer support.

Who It’s For

This provider is an option only for those looking for rotating proxies, so if you’re looking for static IPs, you should look elsewhere. The rates are very competitive, but useful features like city and state-level targeting come at an additional cost. You can use these proxies for ad verification, SERP tracking, web scraping, price comparison, etc.

PROS

  • Rotating datacenter IPs
  • Ethical proxy pool
  • Affordable rates
  • Traffic that never expires

CONS

  • City and state-level targeting at an extra cost
  • Limited proxy pool size

7. MPP Group (Myprivateproxy)

Best for clients looking for datacenter proxies for small-scale projects

Why We Picked It

MPP Group or Myprivateproxy is a datacenter proxy provider offering private, dedicated, and shared IPs. You can also find plans for ticket, sneaker, and PokemonGo proxies. The proxy servers are fast, support dual authentication methods, and come with zero bandwidth limits.

Who It’s For

MPP Group’s location coverage is limited, offering IPs in only 8 locations in Europe and 16 US cities. However, considering the low rates and decent speeds, these proxies are still suitable for small-scale price scraping, sneaker copping, purchasing multiple tickets, and unlocking geo-restricted content.

PROS

  • Several datacenter proxy options
  • Multiple plans with unlimited bandwidth
  • One free IP refresh per billing cycle
  • A 3-day money-back guarantee

CONS

  • Small proxy pool and limited location coverage
  • Outdated website and dashboard with no live chat support

Final Words

Choosing a proxy provider might seem easy at first, but once you start researching the market and comparing offers, prices, and features, it can get pretty overwhelming. We hope that reviewing these seven proxy services will help you find the right option for you. Just make sure you consider your specific proxy needs and budget before making a decision.

 

Picture of Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

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