Web scraping can be a powerful tool for many business operations, but without quality proxies, your efforts will be blocked and limited. Choosing the right proxy provider is crucial for successful web scraping. In this detailed review, we evaluate the best 5 web scraping proxy providers on compatibility, dedicated IP availability, IP types, performance, pricing and overall value.
We compare industry leaders like v6proxies.com, proxyscrape.com, Bright Data, Oxylabs, and smartproxy.com to help you find the best fit for your needs. Whether you’re an experienced scraper looking to optimize operations or just starting out, this guide is for you.
Table of Contents
Comparing The Best 5 Web Scraping Proxy Providers
To provide an objective comparison of the top 5 providers, we tried and evaluated each service based on several key criteria:
- Compatibility – What types of proxies are offered (residential, datacenter, etc) and which scraping tools/languages are supported?
- Pool Size – How many unique proxy IPs does the provider make available? More is better for rotation.
- Performance – Speed, uptime, and reliability of the proxies for scraping.
- Features – Notable functionalities like API access, dashboard, etc.
- Pricing – Cost structure and value offered at various payment tiers.
1. V6Proxies.com
Starting with the top pick, V6proxies.com is a leading proxy service offering IPV4 and IPV6 proxies of both the residential and datacenter types optimized for web scraping automation.
With features like unlimited bandwidth, rotating IP addresses, and support for all popular scraping tools, V6proxies provides seamless support for low and high-scale scraping operations.
Compatibility With Tools & Scraping Languages
V6proxies offers residential and DC proxies compatible with all major scraping tools and languages including Python, R, Selenium, Scrapy, etc. V6Proxies services support SOCKS5, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols with integrations available for Python and NodeJS.
IP Pool Size
Another advantage you get from V6proxies is the impressive proxy pools ranging from 3,500 IPs for basic plans up to 4 million rotated IPs for premium plans. Larger proxy pools allow more flexibility to rotate IPs and avoid blocks.
Performance And Bandwidth
With unmetered bandwidth and speedy 10/40 Gbps networks, v6proxies promises minimal latency and max efficiency for demanding scraping jobs. Advanced proxy rotation features help maintain uptime despite any high request volumes.
More Notable features
The service advantages go deeper to include unlimited bandwidth, IP whitelisting, sticky sessions settings, different authentication modes, and 24/7 live support. You will also get a dashboard to monitor and control usage.
V6proxies Pricing
The flexible affordable and various options of web scraping proxies plans are another reason why V6proxies is on top of the list. You will be able to choose from $260/month for entry-level plans up to $2200/month for the largest rotated proxy pools.
Whether you are scraping online retail sites or data-heavy websites and social platforms, V6proxies has got you covered.
2. Proxyscrape.com
ProxyScrape offers residential, datacenter, and dedicated proxies for web scraping and automation. With a focus on speed, flexibility, and ethical practices, ProxyScrape aims to provide reliable high-performance proxies.
Compatibility
Proxies are compatible with all major tools and languages. Socks4, Socks5, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols offered based on proxy plans. API available.
IP Pool Size
Their Residential proxy pool has 10M+ IPs. Datacenter pool offers 40K+ IPs. The large pools support heavy rotation and concurrent connections.
Performance
Proxyscrape guarantees fast 2 second response time and 99% uptime for residential proxies. Unmetered bandwidth and connections for datacenter proxies. Dedicated proxies have up to 1Gbps speeds.
Other Features
Other key features of ProxyScrape include unlimited connections, IP authentication, residential backconnect IPs, and API access. A dashboard is also provided for proxy management.
Pricing
ProxyScrape’s Residential proxies start at $300/month for 1M IPs. Datacenter proxies start at $90/month for 20 IPs. And dedicated proxies start at $1000/month.
3. BrightData.com
Bright Data offers a suite of proxy services, web scraping tools, and web data products. Their scraping proxies include residential, ISP, datacenter, and mobile options. Brightdata aims to provide comprehensive web data extraction capabilities and they go beyond proxies.
Compatibility
Bright Data Proxies are compatible with all major languages and tools including Python, R, Selenium, etc. Support SOCKS5, HTTP, HTTPS protocols.
IP Pool Size
They have a massive residential proxy pool with 72M+ IPs, 770K+ Datacenter IPs. 700K+ ISP IPs, and over 7M mobile proxy IPs.
Performance and Key Features
Brightdata promises reliable, high-performance proxies but doesn’t publish specific uptime guarantees. Proxies are optimized for automation and scraping. Other noteworthy features consist of backconnect rotations, session control, and advanced geotargeting.
Pricing
Residential proxies at Brightdata start at $500/month for 1M IPs. Datacenter proxies start at $300/month for 50K IPs. Custom plans are available.
4. SmartProxy.com
Smartproxy offers a full suite of residential, mobile, datacenter, and dedicated proxies for web scraping and automation. They also provide turnkey scraping APIs. Smartproxy combines proxies and APIs to deliver flexible, scalable data extraction capabilities.
Compatibility
Their proxies are compatible with all major languages and frameworks. They support SOCKS5, HTTP, HTTPS protocols. Integrations are available for Python, NodeJS, etc.
IP Pool Size
They have a large pool of 55M+ residential IPs, 10M+ mobile IPs, 100K+ datacenter IPs, and 400K+ dedicated IPs.
Performance and Other Key Features
Smartproxy guarantees residential proxies have a 99.47% success rate. Datacenter proxies promise <0.3s response time. Other important features include backconnect rotation of residential proxies, sticky sessions, session control, and geo targeting options.
Pricing
Smartproxy offers options for you to pay per IP or pay Gigabyte. Their residential proxies start at $8.5/GB. Datacenter proxies start at $11 for 100 IPs.
5. Oxylabs.io
Oxylabs offers one of the largest proxy networks with residential, datacenter, mobile, and ISP proxies for web scraping. They have a global pool of 102M+ IPs.
Compatibility
Oxylab proxies work with all major languages and tools. They support SOCKS5, HTTP, HTTPS protocols and offer integration with Python, and NodeJS.
IP Pool Size
They have a huge residential proxy pool with over 100M IPs, and 29K shared datacenter
Performance and Key Features
Oxylab guarantees 99.95% success rate and 0.6s response time for residential proxies and 99.9% uptime for datacenter proxies. Other notable features include session control, unlimited connections, rotating backconnect IPs, and geotargeting.
Pricing
Residential proxies at oxylabs start at $99/month for 10GB traffic. Datacenter proxies start at $50/month. They also offer volume discounts.
6 Factors to Consider Before Choosing
1. Compatibility with Your Web Scraping Tools
Compatibility means to make sure the proxy can work hand-in-hand with your tools, such as web scrapers or bots, without causing any functional problems or inconsistencies.
So, how can you verify tool compatibility?
- Consult the provider: Reach out to their support team or check their FAQs. Ask them directly about compatibility with your specific web scraping tools.
- Free Trials or Demo: Does the provider offer a free trial or demo version of their proxy services? If so, this is an excellent opportunity to test their compatibility with your tools. Install their proxies, run your web scraping tools, and observe the outcome.
- Reviews and Customer Testimonials: Another smart move is to dive into reviews and customer testimonials. Here, you’ll likely find insights and experiences from users with similar needs.
2. Availability of Dedicated IP Addresses
Wondering why the availability of dedicated IP addresses is critical in web scraping? Well, the answer is simple. Dedicated IP addresses, also known as static IP addresses, are essential for maintaining a stable connection and facilitating successful scraping. They are especially crucial when your task involves scraping sensitive sites that have anti-bot mechanisms.
Unlike shared IP addresses, which are used by multiple users, a dedicated IP is exclusive for your use. This reduces the risk of IP blacklisting resulting from the actions of other users. The more dedicated IPs a provider has, the better for your web scraping tasks.
3. Proxy Pool Size and Diversity
A larger proxy pool means a higher chance of successfully scraping data without being detected or blocked. Consider the sheer volume of data you’re tempted to scrape from the web. A small proxy pool might be unable to handle large requests, leading to overuse of specific proxies and thus increased risk of being banned. Your best bet is to opt for a provider with a broad and diverse proxy pool.
Pro Tip: Look for providers who not only have a vast number of proxies, but also those that cover a wide range of geographies. This diversity enables you to access geolocation-specific content with ease which would otherwise be off-limits.
4. Bandwidth Limits
Scraping large volumes of data daily requires unmetered bandwidth. Be wary of set monthly limits.
5. Pricing Model
There are many types of pricing models including subscription plans, pay-as-you-go, pay per IP, pay per traffic GB, etc. Choose the pricing aligned with your budget and needs.
6. Customer Support
Web scraping can be complex, so responsive technical support is invaluable. Prioritize providers with multiple live support options and test their support before you buy.
That’s all folks
Alright, we’ve gone through an in-depth look at the top 5 web scraping proxy providers. We hope this guide will make you choose with confidence. If you are ready to buy, head to our service page, choose your plan and order today. You can drop us a message on our live chat, telegram or Skype if you need any assistance.
