Free proxies are a cost-effective solution for users on a budget. Unlike paid proxies, which require subscription fees, free proxies are readily available at no cost. This makes them an attractive option for individuals and businesses seeking to save on internet expenses.
Free proxies provide an additional layer of privacy and security by concealing your IP address. This can be beneficial for users concerned about online privacy and those who want to protect their identity while browsing the internet. Free proxies can also help mitigate the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches.
A wide range of free proxy servers are available, offering different features and functionalities. Users can choose from various proxy types, including HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5, to suit their specific needs. Additionally, free proxy servers come with different levels of anonymity, speed, and reliability, allowing users to select the most suitable option for their intended use.
Before we look in detail at the best proxy providers for web scraping, let's compare them in the following table:
| Proxy Provider | Features | Cost | Proxy Types | Country Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrape-It.Cloud | Rotating IPs, Residential proxies, API access, Captcha problem solved | has a free trial period, paid plans start at $29/month | Residential, Datacenter | Global |
| SSL | High anonymity, Automatic rotation | free plan; premium plan from $3.98 to $99.97 per month | Datacenter | US, EU |
| Open Proxy Space | Unlimited bandwidth, Flexible API, Automatic rotation | free version, Premium costs $4.99 to $7.99 per month. | Datacenter | Global |
| Proxy List | Free option available, Proxy API, No restrictions on usage | free | Datacenter | Global |
| Proxyscrape | Free option available, Timeout threshold, No restrictions on usage | Free/Paid plans available | Datacenter | Global |
| Geonode | Residential and datacenter proxies, Rotating IPs, API access | free trial period of 7 days. After that $7 a month | Residential, Datacenter | Global |
| Spys.one | Anonymous free proxy list, No paid options | Free | Datacenter | Global |
Let’s see more about 7 the best proxy providers for web scraping:
Scrape-it.Cloud
If you're going to use a proxy for web scraping, consider Scrape-it.Cloud, a leading web scraping API.
When you sign up for Scrape-It.Cloud, you'll immediately receive 1,000 free credits, and the best part is that there are no limitations during the trial period. Even if you're not tech-savvy, the trial offers a choice of proxy types and out-of-the-box no-code scrapers for popular services. For those who choose a web scraping API, features like JavaScript rendering with headless Chrome, JavaScript execution, custom headers and cookies, and extraction rules are readily available. You can even capture screenshots of the pages you're extracting from, ensuring you have a visual reference for your data.
If you're just starting with web scraping and looking for a cost-effective option, consider exploring our list of free proxies.
To show that some services provide better quality proxies, we conducted research in which we performed 1000 requests using different proxies provided by the resource. We entered all the results into tables. Let's see for Scrape-It.Cloud:
|
Website |
Errors |
Blocked |
Success |
Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 |
0 |
1000 |
1.8 |
|
Amazon |
19 |
0 |
981 |
3 |
One of the main service features is automatic proxy rotation. With a large pool of proxies, you can bypass site speed limits, hide your scrapes and reduce the chance of being blocked by a website. We offer both data center proxies and resident proxies.
Features:
- Data transmission over secure channels
- Captcha problem solved
- 5.000.000+ IPs from all over the world
- Absolutely anonymous
- Automatic proxy rotation
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Ongoing support
- Fast-acting
- Affordable pricing
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Follows full legal compliance
Price: has a free trial period. Paid plans start at $29/month.
ProxyScrape
ProxyScrape is an online proxy for anonymous network access. It has a user-friendly interface and the ability to sort the proxy list by country. This proxy supports HTTP, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 protocols. There is a premium version that displays a more comprehensive list of faster and more stable proxies.
Test results:
| Website | Errors | Blocked | Success | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 440 | 230 | 330 | 2,2 | |
| Amazon | 500 | 344 | 156 | 4,3 |
Features:
- Timeout threshold
- HTTP proxies
- SOCKS4/SOCKS5 proxies
- Sort proxies
|
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
Up to 60 000 datacenter proxies and 7 million residential proxies |
According to reviews, customer data may be leaked |
|
Low pings |
|
|
Friendly customer support |
|
|
99% uptime guarantee |
|
|
Unlimited bandwidth |
Price: free.
SSL Proxy
SSL Proxy offers a list of rotating HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 proxies and a pool of 8,000+ IP addresses. Proxies rotate IPs based on time or requests. The list is constantly updated to ensure that many users have access to the latest stable proxies.
Test results:
|
Website |
Errors |
Blocked |
Success |
Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
714 |
198 |
88 |
3,65 |
|
Amazon |
724 |
137 |
139 |
1,04 |
Features:
- HTTPS and SSL proxies
- Fast and slow rotating ports
- Google anonymity proxies
|
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
High-speed connection |
Don't support SOCKS proxies |
|
High anonymity private of proxies |
SSP types |
|
Effective refund policy |
Expensive proxy plans |
|
A large pool of proxy IPs |
|
|
Location support is available across the world |
|
|
Instant proxy delivery |
|
|
Easy to set up |
Price: free plan; premium plan from $3.98 to $99.97 per month.
Open Proxy Space
Open Proxy Space is an option for accessing the public proxy list for anonymous connections. The service provides an updated list of proxy servers with country selection. The list shows HTTP and SOCKS proxies.
Test results:
|
Website |
Errors |
Blocked |
Success |
Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
940 |
31 |
28 |
7,9 |
|
Amazon |
771 |
146 |
83 |
8,5 |
Features:
- HTTP/HTTPS proxy connections
- SOCKS 4/SOCKS5 protocols
- Ability to save proxy lists in TXT
- Cascade/Distorting proxies
- Flexible API
|
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
Fast speed |
No refunds, all sales are final |
|
Undetectable |
|
|
Good customer support |
|
|
Instant delivery |
|
|
Fast speed |
Price: free version, but it does not offer a secure or stable proxy list. It's better to sign up for the premium version to get an updated proxy list. Premium costs $4.99 to $7.99 per month.
Proxy-List
Proxy-List provides a list of proxy servers worldwide. All proxies are checked to make sure they are 100% operational. The list includes the anonymity level, city, and country where the servers are located.
Test results:
| Website | Errors | Blocked | Success | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 630 | 252 | 107 | 1,2 | |
| Amazon | 556 | 390 | 54 | 2,1 |
Features:
- Proxy API
- Proxy scraper
- HTTP, SSL, SOCKS4/5 Proxies
- More than 1 million proxy lists
|
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
Daily updated proxies |
Only 104 proxies with US geolocation |
|
Good customer support |
Price: free.
Geonode
Geonode is an online proxy access tool for secure data extraction. There is a choice of the anonymous or non-anonymous proxy, country selection, proxy listing export in CSV, JSON, TXT formats, etc.
Test results:
| Website | Errors | Blocked | Success | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 885 | 67 | 48 | 7,1 | |
| Amazon | 800 | 87 | 113 | 16,4 |
Features:
- IP whitelisting
- Up to 2 million IP addresses in over 140 different countries
- Residential IPs
- Customize API reports
|
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
Whitelisting option available |
Proxy speed and effectiveness need improvement |
|
Unlimited bandwidth |
Customer service can be slow |
|
Simple user interface |
Money transfer issues |
|
Supports rotating and static IPs |
|
|
Affordable pricing |
Price: a free trial period of 7 days. After that $7 a month.
SPYS.ONE
Spys.one is a free online proxy application for anonymous network access. The list of online proxies consists of a large number of free HTTP/HTTPS and SOCKS proxies. You can sort proxies based on cities, transparency, hostname, view the latency, speed, and uptime of each proxy.
Test results:
|
Website |
Errors |
Blocked |
Success |
Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
459 |
284 |
175 |
3,8 |
|
Amazon |
446 |
191 |
170 |
9,1 |
Features:
- Anonymous free proxy list
- Proxy list sorted by city, port, and hostname
- HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS proxy list
|
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
You can always find free SOCKS5 proxies |
The service does not have a distinct API |
|
Database with the ability to filter by the specified criteria |
Parsing of pages is prohibited (the service blocks IP-client if the specified number of automatic requests is exceeded) |
|
Ability to check for viruses, check proxy lists and specific IP addresses, Whois, ping, traceroute, etc. |
There are no guarantees either on proxies or on their quality |
|
No paid options |
The built-in proxy checker can make mistakes |
Price: Free
Why using Free Proxies is a Bad Idea
While free proxies may seem like an attractive option, they come with several significant drawbacks that make them unsuitable for critical tasks.
1. Unreliability: Free proxies often suffer from slow speeds and unstable connections, leading to poor web browsing experience and frequent disruptions. Moreover, they are often blocked, making them even more unreliable.
2. Security Risks: Many free proxies offer inadequate data protection, leaving your personal information vulnerable to theft and misuse. Your entire traffic can be intercepted and analyzed, including cookies, passwords, logins, and payment details.
3. Monetization Practices: To sustain their operations, free proxy providers may resort to intrusive practices such as traffic manipulation, ad injection, and malware distribution, posing additional security risks.
4. Limited Functionality: Free proxies often come with limitations such as bandwidth restrictions, time constraints, and restricted access to certain websites and services.
Overall, using free proxies can compromise your privacy, security, and online experience. For reliable and secure proxy services, consider using paid proxies or, for scraping purposes, dedicated web scraping APIs.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the choice of proxy is not only about finding an affordable one. It's also about choosing a proxy that fits your specific needs and offers effective security measures with excellent performance.
Whether you're a coding veteran or just starting out in web scraping, having knowledge of different types of proxies, as well as understanding what factors such as geolocation, response speed and reliability are necessary to lead web scraping project to success.
Although initially tempting, free proxy solutions are not always the best choice. Premium proxy services and web scraping APIs typically provide superior value and ensure sustained data scraping success without interruptions or bans over time.
As technology evolves so will the range and use cases for various type of proxies available - knowing this will help you make informed decisions when selecting which provider suits your project best.
