Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
October 26, 2025: With this update, our lineup of recommended proxy services remains unchanged. The existing picks have been vetted for currency and availability.
(Credit: Oxylabs)
(Credit: Oxylabs)
Best for Enterprise-Level Clients
Oxylabs
Pros & Cons
Free trial
Responsive 24/7 customer support
Straightforward privacy policy
Chrome browser extension
Easy integration with related third-party services
Less user-friendly than consumer-level services
Why We Picked It
If IP address variety is important to you, Oxylabs’ pool of more than 177 million options is one of the largest we’ve seen. The more IP addresses on offer, the stronger your likelihood of getting the level of anonymization you or your business demands from a proxy service.
Who It’s For
While not geared toward the individual customer or the self-employed, Oxylabs has a suite of products and services that are tailor-made for the business user who wants the option to scrape dozens of different data points from across the web.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
175000000
# of Residential IP Locations
195
Protocols Supported
HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
Support Types
Support website
Learn More
Oxylabs Review
(Credit: Decodo)
(Credit: Decodo)
Pros & Cons
Free trials
Browser extensions
Large residential proxy pool
Ethical proxy sourcing
Inconsistent residential proxy location targeting in testing
Why We Picked It
Decodo used to be called Smartproxy, and despite the rebrand, the company still provides stellar services. Decodo is best for people who need reliable proxies for small to medium-sized businesses. The company boasts a large residential proxy pool, and you can try out the proxies using a free trial, which is excellent.
Who It’s For
If you plan to use proxies for browser-based tasks like social profile management or market research, the Decodo browser extension will come in handy. We tested Decodo’s Chrome browser extension and the browser-based dashboard, and found them to be well-designed and easy to use. We also commend the company for ethical residential proxy sourcing.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
115000000
# of Residential IP Locations
195
Protocols Supported
HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
Support Types
Email, live chat, support website
(Credit: Soax)
(Credit: Soax)
Best Pricing Packages
Soax
Pros & Cons
Free trials and customer-friendly pricing bundles
Country, state, city, and ISP-level proxy targeting
Support for HTTP(S), SOCKS5, UDP, and QUIC protocols
Passwordless account login
No browser extension
Limited payment options
Lack of transparency on proxy sources
Why We Picked It
People who are looking for proxy services for small and medium-sized businesses will appreciate Soax’s hyper-local targeting for certain proxy types. Though we wish Soax offered its own browser extensions, the proxies were easy to access via open-source proxy management tools.
Who It’s For
Soax’s best-selling point is its consistent pricing packages. Whether you need to pay one price each month or your budget is flexible, Soax offers pricing plans that are scalable or predictable, which is incredibly helpful.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
155000000
# of Residential IP Locations
195
Protocols Supported
HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, UDP, QUIC
Support Types
AI chatbot
(Credit: Bright Data)
(Credit: Bright Data)
Pros & Cons
Large residential proxy pool
Easy-to-use dashboard and browser extension
CCPA and GDPR compliance
Security vulnerabilities program
Free trial
Pricey
Privacy policy indicates off-site customer data collection
Restrictive Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements
Why We Picked It
Bright Data offers a massive pool of datacenter, ISP, mobile, and residential proxies for enterprise-level clients. You can try out the services with a free trial, though the company’s stringent Know Your Customer approval process may slow you down. That said, we like the company’s strict policies. It’s appropriate for companies, especially those with high-paying corporate customers, to protect the network from people who use proxies for malicious or fraudulent tasks.
Who It’s For
If you’re looking for a company with transparent policies, Bright Data is a good option. In its highly transparent privacy policy, Bright Data details what kinds of customer data it collects and also explains how to delete that data, which is ideal.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
150000000
# of Residential IP Locations
195
Protocols Supported
HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
Support Types
Email, Phone, Telegram channel
Learn More
Bright Data Review
(Credit: Webshare)
(Credit: Webshare)
Pros & Cons
Free
Affordable paid options
Chrome browser extension
Inflexible pricing plans
Limited location targeting choices
No sticky sessions for residential proxies
Why We Picked It
While Webshare’s commitment to bulk pricing isn’t ideal for every customer, if you need a lot of inexpensive, US-based proxies, the service is worth a look. A Chrome browser extension makes it easy to connect to and switch between proxies, which is great.
Who It’s For
Webshare’s most unique feature is its price: Free. Webshare offers a monthly plan that includes 10 totally free shared datacenter proxies and one gigabyte of data. A free service tier is a great way to help new customers learn how to use proxies before making an expensive purchase, and I hope more proxy companies will offer similar free services, too.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
300000000
# of Residential IP Locations
195
Protocols Supported
SOCKS5, HTTP
Support Types
Email, live chat, support website
Learn More
Webshare Review
(Credit: IPRoyal)
(Credit: IPRoyal)
Pros & Cons
Large residential proxy pool
Ethical IP sourcing
Dual authentication available
Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox
No free trial
Not-so-customer-friendly refund policies
Limited browser extension capabilities
TrustPilot reviews marked as suspicious
Why We Picked It
IPRoyal is a reasonably priced, consumer-level proxy service. We like that the company obtains its residential IPs ethically and commend it for its transparency.
Who It’s For
Some services on this list don’t accept cryptocurrency at all, while others accept a few coin types. If you prefer to pay for services using cryptocurrencies, IPRoyal has you covered. The service accepts more than 25 cryptocurrencies, plus payments via Alipay, Apple Pay, credit cards, Google Pay, and PayPal.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
32000000
# of Residential IP Locations
195
Protocols Supported
HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
Support Types
Discord
Learn More
IPRoyal Review
(Credit: Storm Proxies)
(Credit: Storm Proxies)
Pros & Cons
Offers multiple proxy types for specific needs
Unlimited bandwidth for all proxy types
No free trial
Lacks a pay-as-you-go plan
Small proxy pool and limited proxy location choices
Privacy policy lacks critical information
Why We Picked It
Storm Proxies’ monthly pricing packages are inflexible but quite affordable and include unlimited bandwidth. That said, the service’s proxy pool is the smallest of the providers on this list, and its locations are limited. Also, the service lacks a true free trial, so if you want to try it, do it for just 24 hours as part of the company’s money-back guarantee.
Who It’s For
Storm Proxies is best for people who want to perform highly specific yet anonymous online tasks, like buying sneakers and purchasing hot concert tickets. When testing this service, we were impressed with the company’s quick and painless refund system and had positive interactions with the support team.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
700000
# of Residential IP Locations
Protocols Supported
HTTPS
Support Types
Email, support website
Learn More
Storm Proxies Review
(Credit: MarsProxies)
(Credit: MarsProxies)
Best Customer Support Options
MarsProxies
Pros & Cons
Diverse proxy types
Affordable, scalable pricing
Well-designed dashboard
Favorable TrustPilot reviews
No free trial
Privacy policy indicates excessive data collection
Why We Picked It
MarsProxies is an affordable and easy-to-use consumer-level proxy service. The browser extension requires no prior familiarity with proxies, making it an excellent product for beginners who are looking to dip their toes into SEO research or people who manage multiple corporate social media accounts.
Who Its For
Our interactions with the MarsProxies customer service team were polite and helpful, so if you’re looking for a service that allows you to ask questions and find out more about services without rampant upselling, MarsProxies is a good option.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
1000000
# of Residential IP Locations
190
Protocols Supported
HTTPS, SOCKS5, HTTP
Support Types
Discord
Learn More
MarsProxies Review
(Credit: NetNut)
(Credit: NetNut)
Pros & Cons
One-week free trial
Excellent customer support experience
Large residential IP pool
Positive customer reviews
No browser extension
Lacks commitment-free pricing
Why We Picked It
NetNut lacks a lot of add-ons and extra tools that you may find with proxy services aimed at larger businesses, but it makes up for that by offering very affordable proxies that are easy to access. The company’s rotating residential proxies worked as promised during the testing period, and during our interactions, NetNut’s customer support staff were polite and positive.
Who It’s For
If you’re not quite sure what type of proxy you need for your next online project, NetNut gives you a week to try out all of the proxies it offers. The free trial is more generous than the trial offers from other small business-focused proxy providers.
Specs & Configurations
# of Residential IPs
85000000
# of Residential IP Locations
200
Protocols Supported
HTTP, SOCKS5
Support Types
Email, personalized support, live chat
Get Our Best Stories!
All the Latest Tech, Tested by Our Experts
Sign up for the Lab Report to receive PCMag’s latest product reviews, buying advice, and insights.
Sign up for the Lab Report to receive PCMag’s latest product reviews, buying advice, and insights.
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
The Best Proxy Services for 2025
Compare Specs
Buying Guide: The Best Proxy Services for 2025
What Is a Proxy Service?
Think of proxies as the older, less sophisticated cousin of VPNs. The technologies function similarly, but a proxy is not as effective as a VPN when used for privacy purposes. A proxy service allows you to redirect some of your internet traffic (like your browser’s data, for example) through a global network of IP addresses. It doesn’t obfuscate your original IP address or encrypt your data by default.
In contrast, a VPN masks all of your internet traffic (though most VPNs include a split-tunneling feature) while you browse or stream media wherever you are in the world. VPNs typically offer better security protections and consumer-friendly features, such as ad and malware blocking. Many VPNs come with a browser extension that functions as a single, lightweight, encrypted proxy. A VPN browser extension like the one offered by Windscribe may be sufficient for personal use, but it won’t offer the same features and functionality that a collection of business-oriented proxies would.
Modern proxy services have found a new audience in recent years among businesses that need proxies for a variety of use cases, including advertising comparisons, competitive market analysis, search engine optimization (SEO) research, social media profile management, website comparison, or web scraping for LLM training. Regular people use proxies too, but usually for very specific situations, such as hiding their IP address while buying hard-to-get concert tickets online. Some of the proxy companies on this list offer specialized proxy servers specifically for purchasing tickets or other highly sought-after items, such as limited-edition sneakers.
How Do I Choose a Proxy Service?
Whenever we test proxy services, the first question we ask is, “Who does this serve?” Some proxy services, such as Bright Data and Oxylabs, are marketed toward enterprise-level businesses that require multiple IP addresses with high (or unlimited) data caps. Not surprisingly, these companies typically offer larger proxy packages and tools to integrate proxies with advertising or SEO research tools.
There are also companies that, in addition to selling proxy access, offer tools and pricing packages better suited for small and medium-sized businesses. The companies at this level typically offer helpful add-ons or have ultra-streamlined pricing plans that make it easy for smaller businesses to fit the services into their budgets. Decodo and Soax each fit the description of mid-tier proxy services.
Consumer-level proxy companies also serve their target audience well. These companies typically offer the most flexible payment plans, allowing individuals to scale up their proxy orders as their business needs evolve. These companies are also more likely to offer special proxy services for buying sneakers or tickets online. IPRoyal, MarsProxies, and Storm Proxies are all examples of consumer-level proxy companies.
SOCKS/SOCKS5 (socket secure) is the standard protocol that proxies use to route your data. It’s a traffic protocol, which means it can change where your traffic appears from, but cannot mask the path it takes to get there. Third parties like your internet service provider (ISP) can still see what you’re doing while connected to a proxy. Some proxies, such as those from Oxylabs, can be configured to use HTTPS to anonymize your on-site credentials from attacks. However, no proxy can offer comprehensive encryption.
When choosing a proxy service, your company’s specific use case will determine which service is best suited for your work. However, it’s always a good idea to look for companies with large proxy pools in diverse locations, so you can access as many different IPs as possible. We also recommend proxy services that include helpful add-on features or tools, such as browser extensions or integrations with other platforms.
What Kind of Proxy Does My Company Need?
Proxy companies typically market proxies by referencing their origin, which can be a datacenter, an ISP, a mobile network, or a residential customer’s IP address. When shopping for a proxy service, ensure that the proxy types offered support up-to-date security protocols, such as HTTPS and SOCKS5. The companies featured on this list offer the following proxy options:
Datacenter Proxies
These proxies are typically located in datacenters, making them easier to detect. Datacenter proxies are ideal for conducting in-depth market research, scanning public databases, or accessing websites that do not utilize bot detection or proxy blockers. The primary benefit most people see from datacenter proxies is that they’re less expensive than other proxy types.
Most companies offer dedicated and shared datacenter IPs. You can use dedicated proxies for as long as you need, making them ideal for longer-term projects, such as managing multiple social media accounts. Shared, rotating proxies are ideal for concealing your business’s IP address when accessing geo-restricted media or monitoring competing websites.
ISP Proxies
Sometimes companies refer to these proxies as “static residential proxies” in their marketing materials. ISP proxies come from legitimate service providers, like Verizon or AT&T. If you’re blocked by platforms or services when using datacenter proxies, the next step is to try ISP proxies. These proxies are typically more expensive than datacenter proxies and work best for companies that require a small number of residential IP addresses for ad testing or long-term website comparison.
Mobile Proxies
Unlock geo-restricted content and get around website blocks using a mobile proxy. These addresses are from carriers worldwide, and most companies offer 3G/4G/5G network proxies. These proxies tend to be more expensive than the other proxy types offered, but most companies offer a pay-as-you-go option, so you only pay for the data you use.
Recommended by Our Editors
Residential Proxies
Residential proxies typically comprise the largest share of a company’s proxy pool and are also the most in-demand. These proxies are ideal for tasks such as managing social profiles, gathering e-commerce data, or web scraping for AI training. When setting up your proxies, look for companies that allow you to target locations by country and city. Some services even allow you to target proxies from specific ISPs, which is ideal.
Residential proxies are usually more expensive than datacenter proxies, and that’s because the IP addresses are connected to real customers who are sharing their bandwidth with a proxy service, sometimes voluntarily. We’ll dig into the ethics of proxy sourcing and usage below.
What Makes a Proxy Service Trustworthy?
We highlight companies with transparent policy documents and stringent Know Your Customer policies. When you sign up, you’re putting a lot of trust in these companies, and we appreciate it when companies reward that trust by preventing illegal or immoral proxy usage.
Like their flashier cousins, VPNs, a proxy service could log your online activities. That’s why, in every PCMag review, we interview companies about protecting customers’ data. It’s always a good idea to know what companies do with the personal information you give them when you sign up to use a service. If there’s one section of the review you shouldn’t skip, it’s the interview.
You should also be aware of how companies obtain IP addresses. As mentioned above, some companies use less-than-ethical methods, such as using third-party botnets for their remote IPs, so if you use a residential proxy, the IP owner may not know that they’re sharing bandwidth with you. Some companies use gaming or social apps to encourage mobile and residential IP owners to share their bandwidth, which is preferable to stealing it. During the interview, we ask companies about sourcing methods and how customers grant consent for bandwidth sharing.
