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The 10 Best Free Proxies for Web Scraping – Scraper API
Free proxies are often seen as a dream come true but can quickly turn into a nightmare, and finding a free proxy list can feel like striking gold, only to find that the motherload has been claimed by too many other prospectors.
In other words, free proxies for web scraping are often too good to be true. New proxies might work for a while, only to be blocked by more and more sites as their usage increases. Paid proxies can also be banned, but have a lower risk because the proxy addresses are not plastered on a public proxy list like most free proxies are. And with free proxies, the provider has little control over the use of their proxy addresses, so IPs can be blacklisted for a variety of reasons.
When you use IPs from a free proxy server list, you are sharing addresses with other web scrapers and anonymous web surfers who often care little about maintaining a proxy’s viability, foregoing IP rotation, or other means of avoiding proxy bans. With free proxies, it’s not what you did to get an address blocked, it’s what someone else did to get it blocked. Even so, there is one major benefit to free proxies: the obvious one. They’re free. But what is the best free proxy to use? But not all free proxy lists are equal, which is why we have created this list of the top 10 free proxies and the best free proxy lists for web scraping.
Scraper API
Open Proxy Space
Free Proxy
ProxyScrape
Free Proxy Lists
SSL Proxy
Gather Proxy
Proxy-List
Proxy Nova
1. Scraper API
Website: Scraper API Review:
Scraper API is a paid premier proxy provider that also offers 1, 000 API requests for free. One reason this proxy scraper tool tops this list is because, unlike the other providers on our list, these free proxies are offered after a quick signup process. Why is this good? Well, free proxy lists just leave proxy addresses out in the open for anyone and everyone to grab, leading to IP misuse and bans rather quickly. With Scraper API, free users have access to quality IPs just like the paid users, but without the free-for-all mentality of most free proxy lists. The free plan offers 5 concurrent requests and IP locations across the globe. And unlike most of the other free providers, they offer 24/7 support to answer questions related to using their proxies for web scraping or any other needs.
2.
Website: Review:
is a proxy list database with IPs from 171 countries around the world, though many countries have only a handful of addresses originating from their locations. There are more than 800 proxies available from each of the top three countries on the list: Brazil, Germany, and the United States, and thousands more from any country you can imagine. The HTTP proxy list is broken down into subcategories, with sorting options like anonymous free proxies, HTTPS/SSL proxy, SOCKS proxy, HTTP, and transparent, so users can narrow down the type of free proxies they are searching for. Each address is rated for latency, speed, and uptime. As expected, most proxies have high latency and low speed, with uptime percentages averaging around 70%. Free proxies are also listed with a “check date, ” indicating when a proxy was last checked to be live. About a quarter of all proxies have been checked within the last 24 hours, another quarter checked within the last week, with the remaining half of all proxies on the list having been checked over a week ago. Some of the more obscure countries haven’t been checked in over a month, and are most likely dead.
3. Open Proxy Space
Website: Open Proxy Space Review:
Open Proxy Space presents free proxy lists in three types of batches: SOCKS4, SOCKS5, and HTTP/S. Each batch is labeled based on when it was created, with each list containing only active proxies at the time of creation. The lists are tagged with when they were created: 3 hours ago, 1 day ago, 2 days ago, etc. Users can explore lists that were created months ago, but the older the list, the more dead proxies it will contain, and newer batches are going to contain the active proxies from those past lists anyway. Once a list is selected, users can choose which country or countries to include or exclude from the list, then export the IPs in a text document. The sorting options are limited for freeloaders, with paid premium members having access to custom API scripts, ports, and more.
4. Free Proxy
Website: Free Proxy Review:
Free Proxy looks like something fresh out of Bel-Air, and the list of over 17 thousand free proxies is easy to sort and browse. Users can select from different protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, SOCKS5, and anonymity levels like elite and transparent. This provider has some interesting options that most of the others on this list don’t have. Selecting the “Proxies by category” option at the bottom opens a page with some unique lists: proxies by port, proxies by region, and proxies by city. Essentially, a user can select a free proxy from a proxy list by country and even specific cities around the world. Ideally, this would be to emulate a certain location or to test access to content based on a world region. These sub-lists are alphabetized, but unfortunately cannot be sorted in other ways.
5. ProxyScrape
Website: ProxyScrape Review:
ProxyScrape has your standard-fare list of free proxies with straightforward sorting options like country, anonymity, and SSL. Sorting by country can be a little confusing, as it uses two-character country codes rather than the full country name or even a vastly more understandable three-character country code. One stand-out feature is a “timeout” slider which permits a user to limit proxy results to those which meet or exceed a certain timeout threshold, measured in milliseconds. Like several others on this list, they offer a premium service with rotating proxies and other advanced features. However, ProxyScrape doesn’t have a free trial, so users will need to pay for those benefits, which defeats the purpose of getting free proxies to begin with. Those who are more charitably-minded might be interested to know ProxyScrape donates to several charities including Teamtrees and the Animal Welfare Institute, although how one might help to contribute by using their free proxies is uncertain.
6. Free Proxy Lists
Website: Free Proxy Lists Review:
Free Proxy Lists has one of the simplest and easiest to use layouts of all the free proxy server providers reviewed. It has HTML and HTMLS proxies exclusively, so those looking for SOCKS will need to search in another drawer. You can specify search criteria like ports, anonymity options, and country. Beyond that, the free proxy list can be sorted by region or city, but to find a specific location one must sort the list then click through up to 38 pages of proxies in order find the city or region desired. This is the only major blemish to an otherwise easy-to-use list. Each address has two color-coded bar graphs next to it depicting the response and transfer levels, but there is no numerical data indicating what each level means, so it’s only useful as a vague comparison to other proxies listed side-by-side. Luckily, uptime is measured with a percentage.
7. SSL Proxy
Website: SSL Proxy Review:
SSL Proxy has a tagline: “SSL (HTTPS) proxies that are just checked and updated every 10 minutes. ” This is not actually true, although all the proxies on the list have been checked within the last hour. The free proxies are from various countries worldwide, but with a meager 100 proxies on the list, the availability is limited. As expected, users can sort by country – this time with both the two-character country code and the whole name spelled out – and anonymous options, with nearly every proxy on the list being labeled as either anonymous or elite. There is also a field labeled “Google, ” presumably having something to do with Google’s acceptance of the proxy or possibly a proxy originating from a Google source. When we reviewed SSL Proxy, all of the addresses listed “Google” as “no, ” so we were unable to test its usage. As one might expect from the name, this list contains only HTTPS proxies, with HTTP and SOCKS proxies being offered for a price.
8. GatherProxy
Website: GatherProxy Review:
GatherProxy offers a table of free proxy IP addresses not unlike almost every other proxy source reviewed here. The means of sorting these proxies is a little different and somewhat refreshing. The homepage features a list of the 50 proxies most recently checked, complete with the time each proxy was updated, country of origin, anonymity level, uptime, and response times. There is a field for “city” data but the entries are blank. The page auto-refreshes every 30 seconds or so, although the proxies are not actually updated this frequently. Often the addresses at the top of the list will show an update time from over 5 minutes ago, though it’s unlikely most of the free proxies will cease working in such a short period of time. Instead of using an uptime percentage or bar graph, GatherProxy displays uptime date in the form of a ratio, with “L” for live and “D” for down on the left and right respectively. Yet the most powerful feature is the assortment of tabs at the top of the page, featuring: proxy by country, proxy by port, anonymous proxy, web proxy, and socks list. Selecting one of these options takes the user to a sub-page with links to filter the proxies based on criteria. There is even a count listed for each country and port, making it ideal to choose from a pool of particular proxies. Of the total 11, 000 proxies in their database, half of them have been confirmed active within the past 24 hours. They also offer free web scraping and proxy checker software, complete with videos on how to use them.
9. Proxy-List
Website: Proxy-List Review:
Proxy-List contains over 5, 000 free proxies and the list is checked every 2 hours. Standard sorting functions provided by the other free proxy providers apply to Proxy-List as well, with the main lists sorted into four options: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5. One nice feature is the ability to export the proxy lists as a text file, or the data can be copied into one’s clipboard with the press of a button. They offer API access to the proxy list, and provide a Chrome extension for web scraping, which most serious web scrapers probably already have, but still might be worth trying out.
10. Proxy Nova
Website: Proxy Nova Review:
Proxy Nova also provides a list of free proxies that sorts the freshly-checked addresses to the top. But unlike GatherProxy, visitors to this website must manually refresh the page, which we kind of like. There is nothing more frustrating than finding a great free proxy IP address, only to have it disappear because the page auto-refreshed and you have no easy way of finding it again. The proxies do stay pretty up-to-date; in our experience, proxies at the top of the list were never more than a minute old. Their speeds, uptime, and locations are all listed as well. One peculiar field on the table of proxies says simply “YouTube, ” but it was blank for all the proxies listed. Sorting options are limited to country and anonymity only, and despite the frequent updates there is no way of knowing how large the pool of free proxy IP addresses is. ”
“You get what you pay for” is a phrase most of us have heard our entire lives, but in the case of free proxies this is only mostly true. Paying nothing for proxies should result in a list of 100% dead addresses, but as you can see, there are some quality providers offering active proxies in exchange for nothing in return or at the most a little ad revenue from visiting their websites. And while top-tier proxy providers do have paid packages for access to their exclusive proxy lists, a couple of them offer either free trials or free API calls outright. The biggest caveat with any proxy gleaned from a free list is longevity. It is inevitable that free proxies will come and go, requiring web scrapers to refresh their lists of proxies on a daily basis. What’s more, even free proxies confirmed to be active could be blocked by ISPs and websites, leaving users who paid nothing for those proxies feeling ripped off.
Proxy Pricing – Know What You’re Buying | GeoSurf
01 May
Considering the fact that each new day more and more people are using proxies, it is easy to conclude why there is such high demand on the proxy market.
Proxies are extremely useful and we are sure most of you know this by now. For those who are still new to this topic, you can read our article on why you need residential proxies.
However, you need to be aware that there is no actual regulation on the quality of proxies that providers offer. That is why we want to inform you about some essential aspects of the proxy market.
In this article, we want to discuss how to choose proxies and providers, as well as what to expect when it comes to proxy prices.
What to Look for in a Proxy?
Since there is such high demand on the proxy market, it is only natural that the number of proxy providers is steadily increasing.
But beware, for not all of them have reliable proxies to offer to their clients. There are swarms of providers who just want to sell you proxies and make money without actually developing and maintaining them in a proper way.
For this reason, what you need to know first is how to choose proxies wisely. There are three main features you should look for in a proxy.
Speed
You don’t want a proxy server that can offer the same speed as your own server.
The faster the proxy, the less time you need to complete your task. That is why you should pay attention to the speed of proxies before you purchase them.
Security
If you use a proxy server, you definitely want it to be secure. This means that it will stop malicious activities directed at your server. Also, it will hide your IP and make you invisible to the server of your target website.
When you use a secure server, there is no need to worry about having your IP detected, catching a virus or getting your data stolen.
Reliability
You probably want to complete your tasks quickly, but reliability is definitely not something you should leave to chance.
A reliable server means a reliable connection. This is absolutely one of the most important features of a server.
If you get a reliable proxy, your online activities will be executed smoothly from the start to the end.
Proxy Providers
As we have already mentioned, the market is growing and developing at a fast pace, so be sure that you will run into the providers that want to sell you just about anything.
Luckily, there are reliable providers who offer high-quality proxies to their customers. To them, it is much more important to have a satisfied customer than just to make money.
Our advice is to shop around and compare prices as well as the quality of service you are getting before you definitely decide which provider you want to trust.
We strongly recommend you not to buy products from shady providers since this can cost you much more money in the long run and, more importantly, more nerves.
On the other hand, there is a number of reliable proxy providers such as Luminati, Microleaves and GeoSurf. When you get proxies from such providers, rest assured that you will enjoy first-rate service and customer support.
Proxy Price
Now we come to the real thing ‒ proxy price. It is only natural that you want to know how much money you should invest in proxies, but we had to share all the aforementioned information with you. So, thanks for being patient.
Long story short, the price depends on the proxy program you choose. Logically, a starter plan will cost you much less than an enterprise one.
But if you want to hear an actual price, plan to spend anywhere from $5 a month for basic plans (and very unreliable ones too! ) to several thousand dollars for enterprise plans.
However, the proxy plan is not the only factor that determines the price. Apart from the proxy program, the price also depends on the quality of proxies and the provider you are getting the proxies from.
GeoSurf
GeoSurf is among the best proxy providers you will find online.
We have more than 2 million residential IPs in more than 130 countries worldwide.
Our proxies are reliable, secure and fast. They will make your browsing experience smooth and enjoyable.
If you need proxies for business tasks like SEO, data mining, web crawling, ad verification, etc., we have solutions for you too.
We know how important it is to be able to rely on technology when performing complex business tasks. Therefore, we have great plans (pun intended) for all of you who need to use residential IPs at work.
We are happy to offer you various proxy plans. Have a look at them and let us know which one suits you best. We will be happy to help you get the best bang for the buck.
Dedicated IPs vs. Shared IPs – Blog | Oxylabs
The main difference between dedicated vs. shared IPs is that dedicated proxies are given exclusively to one user, whereas multiple users at the same time use shared proxies.
When it comes to hiding your identity online, using proxies is a great way to stay anonymous and hide your real IP address.
However, once you start looking into proxy solutions, you’ll probably end up trying to choose between between dedicated (a. k. a. private) vs. shared proxies.
When it comes to the question “dedicated IP vs. shared IP”, the answer is that dedicated proxies are usually better than shared ones. In this article, you’ll find out why.
But before we go into this, let’s take a minute to look a bit closer at the definitions of these two types of proxies.
Dedicated IP vs. shared IP: what is the main difference?
The most significant difference between dedicated (private) vs. shared proxies is that dedicated proxies are given exclusively to one user, whereas multiple users at the same time use shared proxies.
What is a shared proxy? A shared proxy is a proxy that is used by multiple users at the same time.
What is a dedicated proxy? A dedicated proxy is a proxy that is not shared with anyone else and assigned only to one user. Dedicated proxies can also be called private proxies.
If you want to learn more about each type of proxy, check out these articles:
What are Shared Proxies? What are Private Proxies?
Why dedicated proxies are better than shared proxies
The “dedicated IP vs. shared IP” question can be easily answered while looking at the three main reasons why dedicated proxies are better than shared ones.
1. Dedicated proxies are extremely fast
When it comes to proxies, most users are looking for speed. Dedicated proxies are usually very fast because you don’t have to share the performance with anyone else and can have all the bandwidth to yourself.
2. You have full control over how and when proxies are used
Since dedicated proxies are given only to you, nobody else has access to them, so you have full control over how and when your proxies are being used. This helps to avoid cases when an entire IP address is blocked because one of the users sharing the same proxy is doing something illegal.
3. Dedicated proxies are highly secure and reliable
Dedicated proxies are also called private because they are actually private and secure. By buying dedicated proxies from a reliable proxy provider, you can be sure that your personal information won’t be compromised. Also, since dedicated proxies are assigned only to one user, there’s almost no chance of bandwidth overload.
Before you purchase dedicated proxies
When it comes to buying dedicated proxies, there are a couple of downsides that you should be aware of.
1. Dedicated proxies are usually a bit more expensive
When it comes to the price tag of dedicated vs. shared proxies, dedicated proxies are not as cheap as shared ones. Why is that? Well, since proxy providers are selling one IP address to just one user, that user has to cover the full cost of maintaining the dedicated proxies’ servers.
However, this type of proxy comes with many other great benefits which we discussed previously, so most people choose reliability over low prices.
2. Not all providers can be trusted
If you want to enjoy all the benefits of dedicated proxies fully, choosing the right proxy provider is a task that shouldn’t be taken lightly. You might find providers that offer free dedicated proxies; however, in essence, dedicated proxies can’t be free. Don’t trust this false advertising and make sure that you’re buying only from legitimate businesses.
Conclusion
Also, don’t forget that exclusivity is something that defines the quality and, usually, the price of proxies.
Although dedicated proxies can seem like an obvious choice in most cases, we want to stress that it all depends on your needs. Sometimes you’ll be just fine with shared proxies.
If you’re not sure if dedicated proxies are the right choice for you or your business, drop us a line, and we’ll help you decide.
Gabija Fatenaite is a Product Marketing Manager at Oxylabs. Having grown up on video games and the internet, she grew to find the tech side of things more and more interesting over the years. So if you ever find yourself wanting to learn more about proxies (or video games), feel free to contact her – she’ll be more than happy to answer you.
All information on Oxylabs Blog is provided on an “as is” basis and for informational purposes only. We make no representation and disclaim all liability with respect to your use of any information contained on Oxylabs Blog or any third-party websites that may be linked therein. Before engaging in scraping activities of any kind you should consult your legal advisors and carefully read the particular website’s terms of service or receive a scraping license.
Frequently Asked Questions about buy dedicated proxies
Where can I buy proxies?
Scraper API. Website: https://www.scraperapi.com. … Spys. one. … Open Proxy Space. Website: https://openproxy.space/list. … Free Proxy. Website: http://free-proxy.cz/en. … ProxyScrape. Website: https://proxyscrape.com/free-proxy-list. … Free Proxy Lists. Website: http://www.freeproxylists.net. … SSL Proxy. … GatherProxy.More items…•Jan 6, 2020
How much does it cost to buy proxies?
Long story short, the price depends on the proxy program you choose. Logically, a starter plan will cost you much less than an enterprise one. But if you want to hear an actual price, plan to spend anywhere from $5 a month for basic plans (and very unreliable ones too!) to several thousand dollars for enterprise plans.Jun 19, 2019
What is a dedicated proxy?
A dedicated proxy is a proxy that is not shared with anyone else and assigned only to one user. Dedicated proxies can also be called private proxies.Jan 9, 2019
