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Reliable proxy servers:ranked by popularity

Published time:06/04/2025 Reading time:9 min read

When choosing a proxy server, the most important thing is to choose a reliable one. This article recommends the ten best proxy providers based on their popularity ranking. Let’s take a look.

What is a proxy server?

A proxy server is an intermediary server that sits between your device and the internet, acting as a middleman for all your online requests. It can hide your real IP address and also has a high level of anonymity and privacy.

This means that when you visit a website, your request is not sent directly to the website’s server. Instead, it first goes to the proxy server. The proxy server then gets the information you requested from the website and sends it back to you.

How do proxy servers work?

The process can be broken down into four steps – request, action, response, and delivery:

1. Request

You, the user, initiate an action by typing a website address (URL) into your browser. This request includes the URL itself and any other information needed to access the website, such as cookies or login credentials (depending on the website).

2. Action of the Proxy

The proxy server receives your request. It acts as an intermediary, understanding the type of request (e.g., to access a web page, download a file) and the intended destination (website URL). Depending on the proxy’s configuration, it may take a few actions here, including:

Translation: If the proxy is configured to handle different protocols, it may convert your request into a format that the website server understands.

Security Check: Some proxy servers can scan website addresses for potential security risks before proceeding.

Content Caching: The proxy may check its cache to see if it already has a copy of the requested website data.

3. Response

Once the proxy has processed your request, it forwards it to the actual website’s server. The website server receives the request (which may have come from the proxy’s IP address) and processes it. The website then sends its response data back to the source of the request – in this case, the proxy server.

4. Delivered to you

The proxy server receives the response data from the website and sends the website’s response data back to your browser so that you can see the requested website content on your screen.

What are the benefits of proxy servers?

1. Enhanced privacy

A proxy server can hide your real IP address. By acting as an intermediary, a proxy server can protect your actual IP address from being discovered by the websites you visit.

2. Bypassing geo-restrictions

Some websites restrict access to content based on the user’s location. Proxy servers located in different countries can help access geo-restricted content.

3. Improved security

Some proxy servers can filter out malicious content or websites, providing an extra layer of protection against malware and phishing attacks. Organizations can use them to manage Internet usage within their networks, limiting employees’ access to inappropriate websites.

4. Performance improvements (in certain cases)

Proxy servers can improve browsing performance in specific situations. They can cache frequently accessed data locally. When you revisit a website that has been cached, retrieving the information from the proxy server is much faster than getting it again from the original source.

5. Reduced website load

By handling some of the initial request traffic, proxy servers can reduce the burden on high-traffic websites, potentially improving loading times for everyone.

What factors should you consider when choosing a proxy server?

1. Proxy type: There are many types of proxies, each with advantages and disadvantages. Choose a proxy that fits your use case and budget.

2. IP rotation: IP rotation is crucial when web scraping if you want to avoid IP bans and rate limits implemented by websites. IP rotation allows you to switch to a new address with every request, making it difficult for anti-bot systems to keep up.

3. Proxy pool size: Proxy providers with larger proxy pools will be able to provide you with a greater variety of proxies, reducing the chances of detection or blocking.

4. Geographic distribution: Some websites restrict access to specific geographic locations. You need to work with a proxy provider that offers proxies from different locations, including your target location.

5. Proxy quality and reliability: The quality and reliability of your proxies are key factors. Look for a reputable proxy provider that offers high-quality proxies with low downtime. Unreliable proxies can cause frequent connection failures, slow down your scraping process, or cause inaccurate data.

6. Proxy authentication: Use proxies that support authentication methods, as some websites require users to authenticate before allowing access.

7. Speed and Performance: Web scraping can be time-consuming, especially when dealing with large amounts of data. Using fast proxies can make scraping more efficient. Check if your proxy provider guarantees good speeds, and check reviews to see if speed is an issue. Some proxy providers offer speed test features or speed information.

8. Cost: Pricing for proxies varies, of course. The price difference depends on the quality, features, type, and provider of the proxy. For scraping purposes, try to strike a balance between the cost and quality of the proxy.

9. Customer Support: Always choose a proxy provider with solid customer support so that you can easily and quickly get help and responses when there are issues with the proxy. You can ask previous customers about their experience with customer support, or read reviews for tips.

Reliable proxy servers:ranked by popularity

1.922proxy.com

922 S5 Proxy has over 200 million real residential IPs and supports multiple protocols such as SOCKS5/HTTP(S). We have always been committed to providing our customers with the highest quality residential IPs, serving over 10000 businesses worldwide. If you want to use the best residential IPs, register and use 922 S5 Proxy now!

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2.Smartproxy.com

Access global web data, bypass CAPTCHAs, geo-restrictions, IP bans, and anti-bot systems with our ethically sourced proxies.

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3.Bright Data.com

Experience seamless scraping with the industry’s fastest residential proxies. Over 72M ethical residential IPs from 195 countries.

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4.Oxylabs.io

The fastest and largest Residential Proxies network, made of 100M+ highest-quality proxies.

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Mobile Proxies:Starts from$9/GB

5.SOAX.com

Extract data without running into blocks, thanks to our flexible, AI-powered proxies. Get full access to a pool of over 191 million clean, whitelisted IPs that offer success rates above 99.5% and advanced geotargeting options in 195+ countries.

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6.NetNut.io

A High Quality Rotating Residential Proxy Server Allows You To Forget CAPTCHAs with the fastest residential IP network from 195 countries

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7.Nimbleway.com

Nimble IP’s modern residential proxies boast lightning-fast response times of just 0.25s per request, coupled with the freedom of unlimited concurrent requests to deliver insane performance on every request.Bypass blocks and georestrictions with AI-optimized, modern residential proxies that work perfectly.

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8.Dataimpulse.com

At DataImpulse, we specialize in developing custom proxy services for your business. Make requests from anywhere, collect data, and enjoy fast connections with our premium proxies.

Easy setup, pay per GB, and 24/7 support team.

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9.Rayobyte.com

Real People. Real Proxies. Real Data.Bring your great ideas to life with Rayobyte data solutions.

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10.Infatica.io

Discovery Endless Web Data —20M Proxy IPs in 195 Countries.Infatica’s residential proxies solve this issue via geo-targeting, offering a set of major cities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia – now you can scrape local data using real user IPs to create marketing strategies, perform search engine optimization, and more.

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Conclusion

The top ten reliable proxy servers have been recommended to you. These are all proxy providers with high reputation. If you have a need for a proxy server, you can rest assured to choose to try it.

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