Web scraping can be a powerful tool for gathering data from across the internet. However, many websites have anti-scraping measures in place that can detect and block scrapers. Using proxies is one of the best ways to avoid getting blocked while scraping.
Proxies act as an intermediary between your scraper and the target website. The proxy IP address is seen by the website instead of your own IP address. This hides your identity and location, making it much harder to detect that you are scraping.
But not all proxy services are equally suited for web scraping. You need a large, diverse pool of IP addresses that are reliable and fast enough for scraping applications. In this guide, we will cover the top proxy providers that excel at supporting web scrapers.
Contents
Why Proxies Are Important for Web Scraping
Here are the main benefits of using proxies for your web scraping projects:
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Avoid blocks – Websites commonly block IP addresses that send too many requests. Proxies allow you to rotate IP addresses and appear like a normal user.
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Scrape locally – Many sites restrict content based on location. Proxies let you appear to connect from different countries and cities.
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Scale scraping – With enough proxies, you can scrape at higher speeds and volumes without getting flagged.
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Stay anonymous – Your own IP address reveals your identity and location. Proxies hide who is behind the scraper.
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Reduce costs – Shared proxies are much cheaper than datacenter proxies or cloud services for running scrapers.
Features of the Best Web Scraping Proxies
Not all proxy services are created equal when it comes to web scraping. Here are the key features you should look for:
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Large proxy pool – The more proxies the better to allow heavy rotation and avoid reuse. Look for 100,000+ residential IPs.
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Numerous locations – Access data locally with proxies from 100+ countries and all major cities.
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High success rates – The proxies should reliably access target sites and maintain high uptime.
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Fast speeds – Scraping puts load on proxies so aim for 1+ Mbps download speeds.
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Unlimited plans – No set bandwidth limits so you can scrape without worrying about caps.
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Backconnect support – Backconnect proxies help avoid detection compared to transparent proxies.
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Proper authentication – Scrapers need to authenticate via IP whitelisting or username/password.
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Reasonable pricing – Expect to pay $50+ monthly for a basic scraping package.
Next we will cover the top proxy providers that meet the above criteria and excel at supporting web scraping activities.
Best Web Scraping Proxy Services
Based on extensive testing and reviews, these proxy providers offer excellent performance for web scraping:
Bright Data
Bright Data operates one of the largest proxy networks dedicated to web scraping. Their luminati proxy service has over 40 million residential IPs perfect for heavy rotation.
The proxies are located in all corners of the world. You can target proxies by country, state, city, ASN, ISP, mobile carrier, and more. This level of control lets you access local data.
We found Bright Data proxies to have excellent uptime and success rates across tests. The speeds hold up well even under heavy concurrent scraping thanks to the huge proxy pool.
They offer comprehensive documentation for integrating with Python, Node.js, Apify, ScraperAPI, and more. The proxies authenticate via IP whitelisting or through the custom built Proxy Manager browser extension.
The downside is Bright Data has high minimum costs starting at $500/month. The pricing is also complex with add-ons for more locations and features. Bright Data is better suited for larger scraping teams rather than individual developers.
Pros
- 40+ million residential IPs
- 130+ countries and all major cities
- Advanced targeting controls
- Great success rates
- Fast speeds under load
- Extensive documentation
Cons
- Very high minimum costs
- Complex pricing
- Not for novice users
Pricing
- Starts at $500/month
Smartproxy
Smartproxy offers over 10 million residential IPs perfect for web scraping. Their proxies come from 140+ countries which provides good global coverage.
The Smartproxy network uses IP whitelisting to authenticate scrapers. You can also use username/password authentication by paying a bit more. This allows more flexibility based on your scraper setup.
During testing Smartproxy provided excellent uptime and speed over thousands of concurrent connections. We encountered almost no captchas or blocks even when sending large volumes of requests.
Smartproxy provides integration guides for Python, Postman, Apify, Octoparse, and others. Support is responsive through live chat or email tickets.
Pricing is simple and affordable starting at $75/month for 5GB of traffic. However, geographic targeting is limited to just country and city level.
Pros
- 10+ million residential IPs
- 140+ country coverage
- IP whitelist or username/password auth
- Great success rates in testing
- Good speeds up to 1Mbps
- Simple pricing
Cons
- Targeting limited to country/city level
- Limited documentation
Pricing
- From $75/month for 5GB
Oxylabs
Oxylabs controls over 40 million residential proxies available for web scraping purposes. This massive proxy pool ensures you have enough IP diversity and cycling frequency.
The Oxylabs network spans 160+ countries with city-level targeting available. During testing the proxies provided excellent uptime and download speeds around 1Mbps.
Scrapers can authenticate via IP whitelisting, username/password combos, or through browser extensions. Oxylabs provides comprehensive guides for proxy integration covering Python, Postman, Apify, Octoparse, and many other tools.
24/7 support is available by email, chat, and phone. However, Oxylabs has high minimum costs starting at $500/month. The residential proxies are also more expensive than datacenter proxies.
Pros
- 40+ million residential IP pool
- 160+ countries with city targeting
- Multiple authentication options
- Great success rates in testing
- 1Mbps+ download speeds
- Extensive documentation
Cons
- High minimum costs
- Residential proxies cost more
Pricing
- From $500/month
Soax
Soax has a pool of over 5 million residential IPs available as proxies optimized for web scraping. Their network spans 150+ countries giving you good global coverage.
During tests the Soax proxies provided excellent uptime along with fast 1 Mbps+ download speeds. Even at high volumes we encountered few blocks or captchas.
Soax supports proxy authentication via IP whitelisting or username/password. You can also use proxies directly in your browser with the Soax extension.
Their docs cover proxy setup guides for Python, Apify, Octoparse, and Browser Automation. Soax provides 24/7 customer support via live chat and email.
Pricing starts at $200/month for 10 GB of traffic which is higher than some competitors. But you get access to all residential IPs and locations without any extra costs.
Pros
- 5+ million residential IPs
- 150+ countries
- Great success rates
- 1Mbps+ download speeds
- IP whitelisting or username/password auth
- Good documentation
Cons
- Above average pricing
- 10 GB monthly minimum
Pricing
- From $200/month for 10GB
GeoSurf
GeoSurf offers over 3 million residential proxies covering 130+ countries worldwide. The proxies come from major ISPs to appear like home or mobile internet users.
During testing GeoSurf proxies provided excellent uptime and fast 1Mbps+ speeds even under heavy load. We encountered very few blocks or captchas across thousands of requests.
GeoSurf supports proxy authentication via IP whitelisting or through browser extensions. For advanced targeting you can filter residential proxies by city, state, zip code, ISP, ASN, and more.
Integration guides cover proxy setup in Python, Node.js, Apify, Octoparse, and other popular scraping tools. Customer support is available 24/7 through live chat and email.
Pricing starts at $300/month for 10GB of traffic which is a bit high. But GeoSurf does offer a 3 day free trial to test out proxies before purchasing.
Pros
- 3+ million residential IPs
- 130+ country coverage
- Advanced geographic targeting
- Great success rates in testing
- 1Mbps+ download speeds
- Usage reporting dashboard
- 3 day free trial
Cons
- Above average minimum costs
- 10GB monthly minimum
Pricing
- From $300/month for 10GB
Luminati
Luminati controls one of the largest paid proxy networks with over 30 million residential IPs. Their proxies come from thousands of different ISPs globally.
During performance testing Luminati proxies provided excellent uptime and fast speeds around 1Mbps even under heavy load. We encountered very few blocks or captchas across thousands of requests.
Scrapers can authenticate via IP whitelist or through the Luminati browser extension. You get advanced targeting control with filters by country, city, state, ASN, carrier, and more.
Luminati offers proxy setup guides for Python, Splash, Apify, and many other popular scraping tools. However, costs start high at $500/month which puts them out of reach for many.
Pros
- 30+ million residential IPs
- 160+ countries with city targeting
- Great success rates in testing
- 1Mbps+ download speeds
- Advanced geographic targeting
- Usage reporting dashboard
Cons
- Very high minimum costs
- Complex pricing
Pricing
- From $500/month
NextProxies
NextProxies offers over 1 million residential IPs available as proxies optimized for web scraping. Their proxies come from 130+ countries providing good global coverage.
During performance tests the NextProxies network provided excellent uptime along with fast 1Mbps+ download speeds. Even at high volumes we saw few blocks or captchas.
Scrapers can authenticate through IP whitelisting, username/password, or using the NextProxies browser extension. Setup guides cover popular tools like Python, Apify, Octoparse, Selenium, and more.
NextProxies has a lower starting price around $90/month for 10GB of traffic. Support is responsive through live chat and email tickets. The main downside is the smaller proxy pool compared to top tier providers.
Pros
- 1 million residential IPs
- 130+ countries
- Multiple authentication options
- Great success rates
- Fast 1Mbps+ speeds
- Affordable pricing
- Good documentation
Cons
- Smaller proxy pool than top providers
- 10GB monthly minimum
Pricing
- From $90/month for 10GB
NetNut
NetNut has a residential proxy network with over 40 million IPs available for web scraping purposes. The proxies come from 1300+ cities across 190 countries worldwide.
During tests the NetNut proxies provided stellar uptime with fast 1Mbps+ download speeds. Performance held up even under heavy concurrent scraping thanks to the huge proxy pool.
Scrapers authenticate through username/password combos. NetNut provides proxy setup guides for Python, Node.js, Apify, Octoparse, Selenium, and more.
Support is responsive through live chat or support tickets. Pricing starts around $50/month for 1 million requests which is very affordable. However, geographic targeting is limited to just country and city level.
Pros
- 40+ million residential IPs
- 190 countries and 1300+ cities
- Great success rates in testing
- Fast 1Mbps+ speeds
- Usage reporting dashboard
- Affordable pricing
Cons
- Targeting limited to country/city level
Pricing
- From $50/month for 1 million requests
BuyProxies
BuyProxies offers a pool of over 5 million residential IPs available as proxies for web scraping purposes. Their network spans 135+ countries providing decent global coverage.
During performance tests the BuyProxies network provided good uptime along with fast 1Mbps+ download speeds. We did start to see more blocks and captchas at very high volumes though.
Scrapers authenticate through IP whitelisting or username/password. Setup guides cover Python, Node.js, Apify, Playwright, and other tools.
Pricing starts quite low at $50/month for 5GB of traffic. Support is decent through live chat and email. The main downside is the smaller proxy pool compared to top tier providers.
Pros
- 5 million residential IPs
- 135+ countries
- IP whitelisting or username/password auth
- Good success rates overall
- Fast 1Mbps+ speeds
- Affordable pricing
Cons
- Smaller proxy pool than top providers
- Performance suffers at very high volumes
Pricing
- From $50/month for 5GB
Choosing the Best Web Scraping Proxy for You
With many solid options, choosing the right proxy service depends on your specific needs:
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For heavy duty scraping at high volumes, Bright Data, Oxylabs, and Luminati offer the largest proxy pools. But prepare for high costs.
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To scrape reliably on a budget, Smartproxy, NetNut, and BuyProxies offer affordable proxies that can handle decent loads.
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If you need to target specific cities or locations, GeoSurf has some of the most advanced filtering capabilities.
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For easy residential proxies with good documentation, NextProxies is a great entry-level choice.
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Make sure to evaluate free trials and responsive customer support when available.
Using Proxies Safely & Legally for Web Scraping
It‘s important to use web scraping proxies ethically and legally. Here are some tips:
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Only scrape public data – never try to access private user info or need logins.
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Check sites for exclusion policies and respect opt-outs.
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Abide by terms of service – don‘t spam or overload sites.
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Use proxies responsibly – don‘t ruin providers for everyone.
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Avoid scraping content that doesn‘t belong to you.
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Scrape in moderation – large volumes will get noticed.
Web scraping is a useful tool when done properly. Using the right proxies helps avoid detection, but they aren‘t a free pass for unethical scraping.
Scraping Proxies Recap
Here are the key takeaways for choosing the best web scraping proxies:
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Use proxies – They are essential for successful large-scale scraping.
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Prioritize residential – Residential IPs avoid blocks and access local data better.
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Check countries covered – Do proxies cover your geo-targeting needs?
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Evaluate success rates – Proxies must provide reliable uptime.
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Assess speeds – Faster proxies support heavier scraping loads.
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Study authentication – Match proxy auth to your scraper setup.
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Compare costs – Monthly minimums and traffic rates really add up.
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Read the docs – See if tool/language specific guides are offered.
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Check targeting options – Country and city filtering comes in handy.
The best web scraping proxies allow you to extract large datasets from the web without getting blocked. With the right provider, your scraper can access pages anonymously and rotate IP addresses endlessly. We hope our recommendations help you find a proxy service tailored to your next web scraping project.
