5 Best Australia Proxy Providers of 2024

If you want to access Australian data from anywhere in the world, buying an Australia proxy is your best option. A proxy network assigns you an Australian IP address and lets you browse, scrape data, and access localized content as if you were located in Australia. After extensively testing over a dozen different providers, I‘ve narrowed down the list to the top 5 Australia proxy services for 2024 based on speed, reliability, features, and price.

1. Smartproxy

Smartproxy is my top choice for Australian proxies thanks to their large pool of 40 million residential IPs. I‘ve used them extensively for web scraping and data collection projects focused on the Australian market with great success.

Pros:

• Huge pool of 40 million residential IP addresses across 195 locations
• Fast proxy speeds and 99.9% uptime
• Easy to set up with instant activation
• Affordable pricing starts at $75 per month
• Dedicated account manager

Cons:

• Monthly plans only, no pay-as-you-go option

I like that Smartproxy offers both HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols across all plans, which makes it compatible with any browser or scraping tool. The IPs come from residential broadband connections so they mimic real users and are great for avoiding blocks. The desktop browser extension lets you quickly switch locations and works seamlessly.

The pricing is very reasonable in my experience, especially compared to competitors. The starter plan gives you access to 5 IPs which is enough for most personal use cases. If you need more proxies they have packages up to 40 IPs.

For web scraping and data mining focused on Australia, Smartproxy has been my go-to and I highly recommend them.

Rating: 9.5/10

Visit Smartproxy

2. Oxylabs

Oxylabs operates one of the largest proxy networks with over 100 million residential IPs worldwide. While they are one of the pricier options, you get excellent performance and reliability.

Pros:

• Massive pool of 100 million IPs
• Accurate city-level targeting
• Blazing fast speeds with 99.9% uptime
• Wide range of customization options
• Dedicated account manager

Cons:

• Plans are more expensive than competitors

Oxylabs claims to have the largest pool of residential IPs in the industry and in my testing that seems accurate. The proxy network is well suited for Australian scraping and data mining. You can target specific cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, etc. to mimic local users.

The performance is top notch – connections are very fast and the IPs rarely get blocked in my experience. You have a wide array of customization options including white labeling and dedicated IPs.

My only gripe is the pricing. The starter plan costs $500 per month for 50 GB of traffic which is quite steep. But you certainly get what you pay for in terms of speed and reliability. For serious scraping projects, Oxylabs is worth the premium price.

Rating: 9.3/10

Visit Oxylabs

3. GeoSurf

Despite having a smaller network compared to others, GeoSurf remains a strong choice for Australian proxies thanks to their focus on location targeting.

Pros:

• Accurate targeting of Australian cities
• Reliable residential IPs with good speeds
• Rotating proxies to avoid blocks
• Easy to set up and use

Cons:

• More limited pool of IP addresses
• No pay-as-you-go pricing

GeoSurf has excellent precision when it comes to targeting specific cities and regions in Australia. You can pinpoint major metro areas like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane as well as smaller cities. This makes the IPs ideal for localized web scraping and data collection.

The residential proxy IPs I‘ve tested have good speeds and uptime. To avoid blocks, the IPs automatically rotate every 5 minutes by default. You can adjust the rotating settings to fit your needs.

The network is definitely smaller compared to giants like Oxylabs and BrightData. But the focus on precise geo-targeting makes up for that in my opinion. They offer some of the best city-level targeting for Australia that I‘ve found.

Pricing starts at $250 per month which is reasonable. I‘d like to see pay-as-you-go options but the monthly plans provide good value overall.

Rating: 9.0/10

Visit GeoSurf

4. Luminati

Luminati operates a large peer-to-peer proxy network that provides good speeds and targeting options for Australia.

Pros:

• Peer-to-peer residential IPs
• Accurate targeting of Australian regions
• Fast proxy speeds with 99.9% uptime
• Pay-as-you-go pricing available
• Free proxy manager

Cons:

• Peer-to-peer model not ideal for every use case

Luminati takes a different approach by building a peer-to-peer network of residential IPs. Instead of datacenters, their proxies come from the computers and devices of real users who opt-in to share their IP address.

The benefit is the IPs are as residential as you can get. The downside is scraping performance can vary more compared to datacenter proxies. But for general web access and scraping focused on Australia, speeds were respectable in my tests.

Targeting is precise with options for different Australian states and cities. Pricing is flexible with pay-as-you-go options – $1 gets you 1 GB. For serious scraping, monthly plans are more cost effective.

If you‘re looking for authentic residential IPs and want flexibility, Luminati is a great choice.

Rating: 8.8/10

Visit Luminati

5. BlazingSEO

BlazingSEO is a smaller provider that offers dedicated Australian subnets. The network is focused on location targeting rather than massive scale.

Pros:

• Dedicated Australian subnets
• Location targeting for major cities
• Static non-rotating IPs
• Excellent customer service

Cons:

• Smaller proxy network
• Requires long term commitments

Even though they have a smaller proxy network, BlazingSEO does provide high quality dedicated subnets for Australia. This means the IP ranges come exclusively from Australian ISPs.

For targeting major metro areas like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, the location accuracy is solid. The IPs are static and don‘t rotate – so you get persistent sessions.

Pricing is reasonable but they require an annual plan commitment. Month-to-month plans aren‘t available. Support is top notch and they quickly respond to any issues.

For projects that require dedicated Australia subnets, BlazingSEO is a hidden gem. Just be prepared for the annual commitment.

Rating: 8.5/10

Visit BlazingSEO

Other Proxy Locations You Might Be Interested in:

• Europe Proxies
• US Proxy
• UK Proxy
• Asian Proxies
• Indonesian Proxy

How I Picked the Best Australia Proxy Providers

The proxy market has exploded with tons of new providers popping up every year. To narrow down the list and find the best ones for Australia, I ran an extensive set of tests on over 15 different proxy services.

The key criteria I used for evaluating each network:

• Speed – Used multiple benchmarking tools to measure latency and download speeds from Australian IPs. Focused on providers with fast, low latency connections.

• Success rates – Checked success rates when accessing popular Australian websites and services. High success rates indicate reliable IPs that avoid blocks.

• Location targeting – Tested how accurately IPs geo-located to major Australian cities and regions. Favored services with precise targeting.

• Features – Compared features like API access, browser extensions, customer support, and more. Focused on providers with robust features.

• Pricing – Compared plans across providers to find ones that offer strong value. Favored reasonable prices for what you get.

I iteratively ran tests and narrowed down the list over several weeks until only the best performers remained. These top proxy services consistently provided fast speeds, accurate targeting, high success rates, and good value for Australian proxies.

Getting an Australia Proxy Service

The good news is that signing up for any of these providers is very straightforward. The process looks something like this:

1. Visit the provider‘s website and select the Australia proxy plan you want. Most offer monthly subscriptions without long term commitments.

2. Create a user account and enter your payment details to purchase the plan.

3. Once payment goes through, you‘ll receive credentials for accessing the Australian proxies. This usually includes a host, username, password, and ports.

4. Configure your browser, bots, or scraping tools to use the proxy credentials. Most providers also offer browser extensions to simplify setup.

The specifics may vary slightly by provider but the general process is the same across the board. From purchase to setup is usually less than 10 minutes.

Why You Should Buy Your Australian Proxies

Free proxies may seem appealing, but I strongly advise against them for any serious usage. Here are a few reasons why free Australian proxies often do more harm than good:

• No uptime guarantees – Free proxies frequently go offline without notice, disrupting your connections.

• Slow speeds – Free proxy servers are overloaded and too slow for web scraping or streaming media.

• Malware risks – Free proxies are often run by cybercriminals spreading malware or stealing data.

• No targeting – You can‘t choose your geographic location with free proxies.

• Bans – Sites quickly blacklist IPs from free proxy services.

By paying for a premium Australia proxy service, you get reliable uptime, targeting options, good speeds, and avoid getting banned from sites. The top providers also have knowledgeable support teams ready to help if issues arise.

In short, never rely on free proxies for anything you value – protecting your privacy or data is worth investing a few bucks each month.

Why You Might Need an IP Address in Australia

Here are some common use cases where having an Australian IP address is useful or necessary:

• Accessing geo-restricted content – Many Australia news sites, TV shows, and streaming services block international viewers. An AU proxy lets you bypass these restrictions.

• Scraping Australia-only websites – Some sites only allow scraping from Australian IP addresses. Proxies let you crawl them without getting blocked.

• Researching the Australian market – Access AU domains and localized data sources to research the market.

• Comparing regional pricing – Pricing for goods & services differs across regions. AUS IPs let you check local market prices.

• Running Australian ads – Google Ads and other platforms require local IPs for targeting Australian users.

• Making local transactions – Some Australia merchant sites only accept payments or transactions from AU cards and IPs.

• Improving site rankings – Search engines like Google may rank sites higher when accessed from local Australian IPs.

Whether you need access to localized data and content or want to research the AU market, getting an Australian IP proxy is the best solution. The top providers give you fast, reliable residential IPs from major cities across Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions About Australia Proxies

Can I legally use an Australia proxy?

Yes, it is perfectly legal to use an Australian proxy service to access the internet as if you were located in Australia. You are not breaking any laws by browsing from an Australian IP address or accessing geo-restricted content. Just don‘t use the proxy to do anything illegal.

Will an Australia proxy work for accessing local content?

The proxy providers I recommend are effective for accessing geo-restricted content like local news and streaming sites blocked to international viewers. By assigning you an Australian IP, the proxies mimic being in Australia. Success rates for unblocking content are generally very high.

Can I get in trouble for using Australian proxies?

In most cases, you don‘t need to worry. Browsing from an Australian IP is not illegal. However, be aware that police and courts can obtain your real IP address from your proxy provider if necessary. Never use proxies to engage in illegal activites.

Are residential proxies better than datacenter?

For scraping and accessing Australian sites, residential proxies usually work better because they mimic real home connections. Websites see them as regular users rather than a datacenter. Residential IPs are less likely to get blocked.

Do I need proxies from Australian cities or states?

It depends on your use case. Targeting specific cities like Sydney helps evade blocks since the IPs come directly from those areas. But for general access to Australian sites, a generic AU proxy is often sufficient.

The Bottom Line

Whether you need Australian proxies for scraping, research, marketing or other purposes – I highly recommend starting with the five providers above. After extensive testing, these services consistently delivered the best results in terms of speed, reliability, and targeting. They provide everything you need for seamless access to the web from Australia.

If you have any other questions about selecting the right Australian proxy provider, feel free to ask in the comments! I‘m always happy to help point you in the right direction.