Craigslist proxies allow you to change your IP address and appear as a different user when accessing Craigslist. They can help you unblock Craigslist if you‘ve been banned, post ads in multiple locations, or scrape data without getting blocked. In this post, we‘ll review the top Craigslist proxy services to use in 2024.
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Main Uses of Craigslist Proxies
Here are some of the most common uses for Craigslist proxies:
Access International Craigslist Sites
Craigslist restricts access to local sites based on your IP address. For example, if you‘re in the US, you can only post ads on US Craigslist sites. With a proxy, you can appear to be from any country and access that local Craigslist.
Post Ads in Multiple Cities
Craigslist limits you to posting one ad per category every 48 hours. Proxies let you bypass this limit by posting from different IP addresses.
Scrape Craigslist Data
Scrape Craigslist listings, seller info, images and more. Proxies prevent Craigslist from detecting and blocking scraping bots.
How to Choose the Best Craigslist Proxies
Here are some tips for selecting the right Craigslist proxy service:
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Get residential proxies – They‘re more reliable and harder to detect than datacenter IPs.
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Choose worldwide locations – Ensure the provider has IPs in the countries/cities you want to target.
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Pick rotating proxies – Rotating proxies auto-cycle to new IP addresses, ideal for posting ads.
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Consider sticky sessions – You may want IPs to "stick" when posting new ads to avoid issues.
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Avoid SOCKS proxies – They add complexity without benefits over HTTPS proxies.
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Don‘t use free proxies – Free proxies are slow, unreliable, often malicious.
The Best Paid Craigslist Proxy Providers
Based on my experience, here are the top paid Craigslist proxy services to consider:
1. Smartproxy
Smartproxy is my top pick for Craigslist proxies due to its large residential IP pool, precise location targeting, flexible rotation settings and affordable pricing.
Locations: 195 countries and cities
IP Pool: 40 million residential IPs
Rotation: Each request or sticky sessions up to 30 mins
Price: Starts from $75/month for 5GB
Smartproxy provides the best mix of features, performance and price overall. The 40 million residential IP pool covers all Craigslist sites globally. You can target proxies by country, state or city for posting local ads.
Rotation is customizable on a per-proxy basis, either rotating with each request or keeping sticky sessions up to 30 minutes, ideal for posting ads without issue.
Pricing is very reasonable compared to competitors like Oxylabs and Bright Data. Support is fast and effective via live chat or email. Smartproxy is beginner-friendly but also offers advanced features like browser extensions, an API and anti-detect browser.
Overall, Smartproxy hits the sweet spot between residential proxy quality, locations, features and pricing for seamless Craigslist automation and scraping.
2. Oxylabs
Oxylabs is the leading premium residential proxy provider, with the largest pool of 100 million residential IPs covering every country worldwide.
Locations: Global, cities, ASN, ZIP code targeting
IP Pool: 100 million residential IPs
Rotation: Each request or sticky sessions
Price: From $300/month for 10GB
Oxylabs has the biggest and highest quality residential proxy network in the industry. You get access to the full 100 million IPs with every plan, not just a portion. Location targeting is extremely granular, down to ZIP code or ASN level.
The proxies provide excellent performance and reliability. You can set custom sticky sessions up to 30 minutes for when you need consistency, like posting Craigslist ads.
On the downside, Oxylabs is one of the most expensive providers. Customer support and documentation are top-notch, but the dashboard interface can be unintuitive at first.
If your budget allows, Oxylabs offers the largest and best performing residential IP pool ideal for demanding Craigslist automation and scraping. But expect to pay a premium for access.
3. Bright Data
Bright Data provides 72 million highly customizable residential proxies along with handy tools like Proxy Manager.
Locations: Global, cities, ASNs, ZIP codes
IP Pool: 72 million residential IPs
Rotation: Each request or custom sticky sessions
Price: From $500/month for 20GB
Bright Data gives you access to 72 million residential IPs in every country and city worldwide. Location targeting goes down to ZIP code and ASN level.
The standout feature is Proxy Manager, which lets you fully customize proxy rotation. You can set granular rotation rules, whitelist URLs to keep sessions sticky, and more.
Documentation is extremely detailed if you‘re willing to dive in. Support is fast and effective via live chat or ticket.
The main downsides are the steep learning curve and high prices. Bright Data pays off most for large-scale scraping and automation needs, where the advanced customization options come in handy.
4. Infatica
Infatica provides 10 million residential IPs starting at just $96/month for 8GB of traffic.
Locations: 150+ countries and cities
IP Pool: 10 million residential IPs
Rotation: Each request or custom intervals
Price: From $96/month for 8GB
Infatica gives you access to 10 million residential IPs in over 150 locations worldwide. You can target proxies by country, city or ASN.
Rotation is customizable from each request up to intervals of 60 minutes, allowing flexibility. Support is fast and helpful via live chat, email or ticket.
While the network isn‘t as large as premium providers, Infatica focuses on quality over quantity. The residential IPs provide good performance for general Craigslist use. If you don‘t need tens of millions of IPs, Infatica is cost-effective.
5. Luminati
Luminati provides over 40 million residential IPs ideal for large-scale Craigslist automation.
Locations: 195+ countries and cities
IP Pool: 40 million+ residential IPs
Rotation: Each request or static sessions
Price: From $500/month for 20GB
Luminati operates one of the largest residential proxy networks, on par with Bright Data. You get access to 40 million+ IPs covering hundreds of locations globally.
Rotation can be set to each request or static IP sessions. Custom filtering lets you target locations precisely.
Support response times are slower compared to competitors though. The dashboard is dated and documentation is just average.
Overall, Luminati works well for heavily demanding, large-scale proxy tasks but comes at a premium price point.
6. GeoSurf
GeoSurf focuses specifically on residential proxies, with over 3 million IPs available.
Locations: 195+ countries and cities
IP Pool: 3 million residential IPs
Rotation: Each request or custom sessions
Price: From $290/month for 5GB
GeoSurf has one of the cleanest and most intuitive proxy management interfaces. You get access to millions of residential IPs in nearly every country.
Rotation can be set per proxy with granular custom session times. Support is fast and effective, a strong suit for GeoSurf.
The main limitations are the smaller 3 million IP pool compared to other premium providers, and lack of an API or browser extensions.
But for general Craigslist use cases, GeoSurf provides a polished and reliable residential proxy service.
FAQs About Craigslist Proxies
What is a Craigslist proxy?
A Craigslist proxy is an intermediary IP address you can use to access Craigslist anonymously. Proxies hide your real IP address and location.
Why use a proxy for Craigslist?
Proxies allow you to avoid blocks, post globally, automate ads, and scrape data without detection.
Are Craigslist proxies legal?
It‘s legal to use proxies as long as you follow Craigslist‘s terms of service. Don‘t spam, scam or misuse the platform.
Can I get free Craigslist proxies?
Avoid free proxies. They are slow, unreliable and often used for malicious purposes. Paid proxies like the ones we reviewed offer much better performance and features.
How many proxies do I need for Craigslist?
For occasional use, 1-2 proxies is fine. For heavy automation and scraping, you may want 10+ proxies to better distribute requests.
How much do Craigslist proxies cost?
It depends on usage, but expect to pay around $5 – $10 per GB of traffic from quality paid providers. Bulk discounts can reduce costs.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this overview gives you a better understanding of using proxies with Craigslist. Proxies open up many possibilities like increased automation, accessing global sites and scraping without worry.
I recommend Smartproxy as the best overall mix of price, features, performance and support. But every provider has their own strengths and ideal use cases. Consider which proxy features fit your specific Craigslist needs.
Try out a few services – most offer free trials or money-back guarantees. Let me know if you have any other questions!
