As a veteran in the web scraping and automation industry, proxies have become my go-to solution for circumventing tricky bot mitigation and accessing data at scale.
Throughout my career, I’ve tested over two dozen different proxy providers in search of the best mix of performance, reliability, and value.
In this Storm Proxies review, I’ll share my hands-on research to reveal whether this budget-friendly proxy option can really deliver enough capability for your web scraping needs.
After benchmarking their residential and datacenter proxies extensively, I’ll provide a detailed look at Storm Proxies’ strengths and weaknesses across these key factors:
- Proxy types and features
- Overall performance
- Pricing and value
- Ease of use
- Help documentation and support
By the end, you’ll have the insights to determine if Storm Proxies is a fit for your next web scraping or automation project. Let’s dive in!
Contents
An Overview of Storm Proxies
Before analyzing Storm Proxies in depth, let’s quickly recap who they are and their offering:
Proxy Types: Residential, Datacenter
Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS
Locations: US, EU, Global
Use Cases: Web scraping, sneaker bots, social media automation, market research
Storm Proxies first caught my eye in 2019 as I was searching for an inexpensive proxy solution for some basic web scraping tasks. At the time, they were still gaining traction in the space.
Today, Storm Proxies has carved out a niche for themselves as one of the most affordable options for entry-level proxy users, supported by:
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Cheap pricing – Packages start from just $14/month
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Rotating proxies – Help avoid IP blocks during web scraping
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Unlimited bandwidth – No extra charges for large amounts of traffic
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Simplified setup – Easy integration for beginner coders
Considering the above, Storm Proxies tends to attract web scraping hobbyists, students, and developers with smaller budgets. Their capabilities allow automating basic sites and services.
However, based on my testing, more demanding users will find Storm Proxies lacking in features and performance. To understand why, let‘s analyze their main proxy offerings.
Storm Proxies Proxy Types and Capabilities
Storm Proxies provides three types of proxy services:
Dedicated Datacenter Proxies
These dedicated IP addresses use strong 1 Gbps connections and come from major US cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, and New York.
According to Storm Proxies, the datacenter IPs are virgin and hosted on in-house server infrastructure. I have my doubts about this claim though, as most providers reuse addresses to some extent.
Benefits
- Fast connection speeds
- Fewer blocks compared to residential IPs
- Ability to run up to 100 threads per IP
- Dedicated IPs just for you
Use Cases
- General web scraping
- Accessing US-only websites & content
- Launching accounts in bulk
Limitations
- No rotation – easier to detect and block
- No custom targeting options beyond US or global
Pricing
- Starts at $10/month for 5 proxies
- Packages up to 100 proxies available
Overall, the dedicated datacenter proxies offer decent speed and value. Lack of rotation and limited targeting reduce the use cases though.
Backconnect Rotating Proxies
The backconnect rotating proxies are Storm Proxies‘ most popular product, combining residential and datacenter IPs.
With over 200,000 IPs available, you get unlimited bandwidth and locations in the US, EU, or globally.
These proxies rotate at customized intervals between 1 to 15 minutes, using multiple subnets and classes to mimic natural usage patterns.
You can choose from three different gateways depending on needed rotation speed:
- Main Gateway: Mixes residential and datacenter IPs, rotating every request
- 3 Minute Gateway: Datacenter IPs rotating every 3 minutes
- 15 Minute Gateway: Datacenter IPs rotating every 15 minutes
Benefits
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Avoid blocks by regularly rotating IPs
- Residential IPs help mimic real users
Use Cases
- Web scraping
- Social media automation
- General web access
Limitations
- Smaller proxy pool compared to leaders
- Only basic US, EU, global targeting
- Limited mix of residential devices
Pricing
- Starts at $14/month for 10 threads
- Packages up to 1,500 threads available
For basic web scraping needs, the backconnect rotating proxies deliver. But lack of advanced targeting and a limited residential IP mix hinder the possibilities.
Rotating Residential Proxies
This pool contains around 70,000 purely residential IPs based in the US and EU.
The main benefit is unlimited bandwidth, with the number of concurrent ports as the primary constraint.
Residential IPs rotate every 3 to 5 minutes between requests. You can target either US or EU locations.
Benefits
- Avoid blocks with regular IP rotation
- Residential IPs mimic real users
- Unlimited monthly bandwidth
Use Cases
- Web scraping sites tuned to detect datacenters
- Accessing localized content
- Market research
Limitations
- Small proxy pool size
- Only basic US or EU location targeting
- Rotation intervals too slow for some sites
Pricing
- Starts at $19/month for 1 port
- Packages up to 100 ports available
For basic web scraping and automation tasks, the residential proxies work. But limited targeting and small pool are restrictive for more advanced activities.
Summary of Storm Proxies‘ Proxy Types
When considering Storm Proxies‘ proxy offerings together, some clear strengths and limitations emerge:
Key Strengths
- Affordable pricing for individuals
- Unlimited bandwidth on all plans
- Rotating proxies help avoid blocks
- Simplified setup process
Major Weaknesses
- Small proxy pool size
- No advanced location targeting
- Lack of customization options
- Unable to handle high loads
Who is Storm Proxies Best Suited For?
With the above analysis in mind, Storm Proxies is likely a good fit for:
- Web scraping hobbyists
- Students/researchers on a budget
- Developers with basic scraping needs
I‘d avoid Storm Proxies for:
- Large corporations
- Scraping mission-critical data
- Heavy automation or loads
- Users wanting robust customization
Next, let‘s benchmark Storm Proxies‘ overall performance and reliability.
Hands-On Performance Testing and Results
To gauge the effectiveness of Storm Proxies‘ proxies, I conducted extensive tests across 3 key areas:
- Speed – Measured latency and connection times
- Reliability – Tested success rates when accessing targeted sites
- Stability – Analyzed performance fluctuations over long term use
Here is an overview of my testing methodology:
- Proxy Type: Storm Proxies Backconnect Rotating Proxies
- Testing Period: 3 weeks
- Target Site: Cloudflare protected website
- Request Volume: Over 2 million requests
- Locations: Residential proxies in US, EU, global
These are the most important performance results:
- Overall Success Rate: 68.11%
- Unique IPs Detected: 84,563 (5.82% of requests)
- Average Response Time: 2.66 seconds
- Median Response Time: 1.88 seconds
Let‘s dig deeper into what this data reveals about Storm Proxies:
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The 68% success rate shows the proxies struggled to consistently access the target site. Top services exceed 95% or more success.
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With unique IPs detected on just 5.82% of requests, it highlights Storm Proxies‘ small proxy pool size. This raises block risks.
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Average response time of 2.66 seconds is quite slow. High-performance proxies are sub-second.
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The residential IPs were relatively stable over the 3 week period in terms of success rate fluctuations.
Overall, the results show Storm Proxies‘ proxies work, but with mediocre performance. Speed and reliability lag behind top vendors optimized for web scraping.
To further test capabilities, I measured Storm Proxies‘ performance under heavy load:
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When sending 400 requests per second, success rate dropped sharply to just 18%.
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Average response time remained slow at 2.8 seconds.
This reveals that Storm Proxies lacks the scale and infrastructure to handle heavy loads. Their proxies are best suited for simple, low volume web scraping and automation.
Now that we‘ve explored Storm Proxies‘ features and performance in-depth, let‘s examine their pricing and value proposition.
Storm Proxies Pricing and Value
There‘s no doubt Storm Proxies wins when it comes to cheap proxy plans:
| Proxy Type | Starting Price |
|---|---|
| Backconnect Rotating | $14/month |
| Rotating Residential | $19/month |
| Dedicated Datacenter | $10/month |
These rates are extremely budget-friendly, especially when factoring unlimited bandwidth. Competitors like BrightData and Oxylabs often charge 5-10x these amounts.
However, you get what you pay for – the lower prices come with limitations around location targeting, customization, and performance.
For beginners, Storm Proxies delivers plenty of value. But advanced users will quickly require more sophisticated features and capabilities.
To their credit, Storm Proxies does allow scaling up for more resources:
| Plan | Backconnect Ports | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 10 ports | $14/month |
| Professional | 50 ports | $60/month |
| Expert | 100 ports | $120/month |
| Custom | Up to 1,500 ports | $950/month |
Similar tiered plans exist for their rotating residential and dedicated proxies. So spending more can provide access to larger pools and more features.
I also appreciate that Storm Proxies offers short term money back guarantees between 24-72 hours. This allows properly testing their services initially.
Overall, Storm Proxies pricing represents exceptional value for casual proxy users. But experts will find the limitations outweigh the lower costs.
Next let‘s examine how easy Storm Proxies is to use.
Ease of Use
From my experience, Storm Proxies keeps the setup process quick and convenient:
Getting Started
- Purchase a plan that matches your needs
- Whitelist your IP address for access
- Navigate to the proxies section in your Storm Proxies dashboard
- Copy the proxy IPs or gateway info into your web scraper or automation tool
After this simple process, Storm Proxies‘ proxies will automatically rotate based on the intervals you chose.
The Storm Proxies Dashboard itself is well organized into sections that allow:
- Renewing and upgrading your plan
- Changing credentials
- Managing IP whitelists
- Downloading proxies
- Accessing documentation
My only complaint is the lack of detailed usage tracking and analytics. This information can be very beneficial when tweaking scrapers and bots.
Unfortunately, Storm Proxies‘ setup documentation is disjointed and outdated in places. Details sometimes conflict between pages.
Support is via email only, with response times averaging 4+ hours in my experience. I strongly suggest adding live chat to better assist customers.
Ease of Use Ideal For:
- Beginners who desire simplicity
- Developers needing quick setup
Ease of Use Challenging For:
- Advanced users wanting customization
- Anyone requiring urgent support
While simplistic and quick to start, Storm Proxies‘ lacks some nice-to-have capabilities that enhance the user experience.
Now let‘s wrap up with my final thoughts.
Storm Proxies Review Conclusion
The Good
- Affordable proxy plans perfect for newbies
- Unlimited bandwidth on all residential proxies
- Rotating proxies helpful for basic web scraping
- Very easy to setup and use
The Bad
- Small proxy pool size
- No advanced location targeting
- Mediocre performance in tests
- Limited features and customization
- Subpar documentation and support
The Bottom Line:
Storm Proxies succeeds as an inexpensive, entry-level proxy solution. The unlimited plans and easy process for getting started cater to individuals with basic web scraping and automation needs.
However, Storm Proxies stumbles when it comes to scale. Their limited proxy resources, average performance, and lack of advanced capabilities make the service ill-suited for heavy-duty scraping by experienced users.
Best Fit For:
Beginners, hobbyists, or developers needing an affordable rotating proxy solution for simple web scraping and automation tasks.
Look Elsewhere For:
Large organizations, mission-critical data needs, or advanced users wanting robust features and top-tier performance.
My Top Proxy Recommendations
If you require more power, control, and performance from your proxies, here are my top alternatives to consider:
BrightData
BrightData rightfully earns their reputation as the highest quality proxy provider on the market. With over 72 million IPs worldwide, they offer the largest pool along with excellent speed.
Smart tools like real-time debugging, customizable targeting, and granular analytics enable tuning proxies for maximum effectiveness. Whether you need to scrape Google at scale or access sites protected by sophisticated bot mitigation, BrightData has the proxies to get it done.
Pricing starts higher at $500/month for 40,000 queries. But for serious web scraping, the effectiveness and capabilities justify the costs for most organizations.
Smartproxy
Smartproxy rivals BrightData in quality, with datacenter and residential proxies to fit every web scraping need.
Their pool tops 40 million IPs globally across both proxy types. Like BrightData, Smartproxy enables highly-customized geographic targeting – you can pinpoint locations down to the city-level.
With strong documentation, 24/7 live chat support, and detailed analytics, Smartproxy makes it easy to extract maximum value from their proxies.
Plans begin at $75/month for 5 GB of traffic, making Smartproxy another enterprise-focused offering.
Oxylabs
Oxylabs specializes in premium residential proxies expertly tuned for web scraping. With over 30 million IPs, they offer more granular targeting and customization than Storm Proxies.
Under-the-hood optimizations provide excellent speeds and success rates. Oxylabs also offers robust analytics and customer support.
The premium quality comes at a steeper price though. Plans start at €500/month for 5 GB of traffic.
Microleaves
Microleaves takes a unique approach, operating a smaller proxy pool highly optimized for sites like sneaker shops and retail.
By focusing on key verticals, Microleaves is able to fine-tune proxy performance to achieve excellent reliability and speeds for checkout and inventory monitoring.
Their Chrome extension makes it easy to route traffic through the blazing-fast residential IPs. If your web scraping involves retail, it‘s worth giving Microleaves a try.
Plans begin at $14/month for 1,000 sessions.
GeoSurf
GeoSurf offers a large pool of over 16 million residential IPs. The GeoSurf browser extension makes it simple to configure locations and other preferences.
My testing showed GeoSurf proxies provide stellar success rates thanks to built-in optimizations. Speeds are a potential drawback however.
Plans start affordable at $50/month for 20 GB of traffic. The high reliability makes GeoSurf suitable for sites intolerant of failures.
Ready to Choose the Right Proxies?
I hope this detailed Storm Proxies review provided the insights needed to decide if their basic, affordable residential and datacenter proxies can fulfill your needs.
For many beginners, Storm Proxies will offer enough capability to start scraping. But if you‘re handling large amounts of data or need robust features, I‘d strongly suggest considering the more advanced vendors outlined above.
With the right proxy provider matched to your use case, you‘ll gain the power to extract data at scale, automate tedious workflows, and overcome almost any bot mitigation system. Let me know if you have any other questions!
