Private proxies are essential for businesses and individuals that need to access websites and data while remaining anonymous online. They allow you to bypass geographic restrictions, avoid getting blocked while web scraping, and provide enhanced security.
Choosing the right private proxy service can be challenging with so many options available. To help you find the best proxies for your needs, I have researched and reviewed the top 13 private proxy providers for 2023.
Contents
What is a Private Proxy?
A private proxy is a dedicated IP address that is assigned only to you. It is not shared with anyone else. This is different from public or shared proxies where multiple random users utilize the same IP address.
Private proxies offer several advantages:
- Enhanced security and privacy – Your browsing activity cannot be monitored or logged by others since no one else is using the IP. This prevents your personal data from being compromised.
- Improved speed – You get full bandwidth access without having to compete with other users on shared IPs. This results in much faster speeds.
- No blocks – Actions by other users cannot get your dedicated IP address blocked since you have exclusive access. This results in higher reliability.
- Consistent identity – Your sessions appear to come from the same IP address every time. This builds trust and credibility.
The main downside of private proxies is cost – they are more expensive than shared/public proxies. But for many use cases, the benefits of privacy, security and performance justify the additional cost.
Best Private Proxy Providers of 2023
Based on research of proxy services and customer reviews, here are the top 13 private proxy providers recommended for 2023:
1. Oxylabs
Oxylabs is my top choice for private proxies in 2023. With over 100 million residential IPs worldwide, they offer extensive geo-targeting capabilities.
I like that they provide both SOCKS5 and HTTPS protocol support. Their proxies are very reliable with advanced rotation and sticky session options to prevent blocks.
Oxylabs has excellent technical support and is used by many large enterprises. Pricing starts at $300/month for 5 GB of traffic. They offer a 7-day free trial to test the service.
Key features:
- 100M+ residential IPs in 195 countries
- SOCKS5 and HTTPS protocols
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Advanced rotation settings
- 7-day free trial
2. Bright Data
[Bright Data](https://brightdata.grsm.io/ lpcash) (formerly Luminati) has one of the largest pools of 72 million residential IPs globally. Their private proxies are blazing fast with only 1% fail rate.The GeoPath feature allows precise targeting of locations and sites. You can set custom rotation cycles to avoid blocks. Prices start from $500/month for 40GB of traffic. There is a 7-day free trial available.
Key features:
- 72M+ residential IPs worldwide
- 1% fail rate
- Customizable rotation cycles
- GeoPath targeting
- 7-day free trial
3. Smartproxy
Smartproxy offers high-quality private proxies with over 40 million IPs. The network has extensive global coverage across 195 countries.
Their proxies work seamlessly with web scraping and automation tools. The dashboard provides analytics and debugging capabilities. 24/7 customer support is available.
Plans start from $75/month for 5GB. A 3-day free trial is offered to test the private proxies before purchase.
Key features:
- 40M+ elite residential IPs
- Optimized for automation
- Usage analytics dashboard
- 24/7 customer support
- 3-day free trial
4. GeoSurf
GeoSurf provides private proxies with over 3 million residential IPs worldwide. The network has excellent global coverage spanning 130 countries.
They offer both randomized and sticky sessions catering to diverse use cases. The proxies work seamlessly with all major tools and scripts. Prices start at $50/month for 1 GB of traffic.
Key features:
- 3M+ elite residential IPs
- Presence in 130 countries
- Randomized and sticky sessions
- Optimized for tools and scripts
- Affordable pricing
5. Storm Proxies
Storm Proxies deliver blazing fast performance with 100% uptime. Their network has global coverage with millions of IPs.
I like how they provide 1 million concurrent connections and unlimited bandwidth. This makes them suitable for large-scale web scraping and data collection projects. Pricing starts at $75/month for 10GB.
Key features:
- Millions of residential IPs
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 1 million concurrent connections
- 100% uptime guarantee
- Optimized for web scraping
6. Proxyrack
Proxyrack offers reliable private proxies with deep analytics. Their global network spans 130+ countries with over 1 million IPs.
The proxy panel provides valuable insights like response times, success rates, blocked requests, etc. This helps debug issues quickly. Plans start at $49/month for 1GB.
Key features:
- 1M+ elite residential IPs
- Presence in 130+ countries
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Real-time monitoring
- Affordable pricing
7. ProxyBonanza
ProxyBonanza offers high-quality private proxies with great performance. I like their generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Their proxies reliably bypass tough blocking sites with 99.9% uptime. Detailed usage stats are provided to monitor activity. 24/7 customer support is available. Pricing starts at $30/month for 10 proxies.
Key features:
- Dedicated static IPs
- Bypasses high blocking sites
- 99.9% guaranteed uptime
- Detailed usage stats
- 30-day money-back guarantee
8. HighProxies
HighProxies delivers ultra-fast private proxies boasting 99.99% uptime. Their network includes both datacenter and residential IPs for flexible use cases.
Helpful features include custom whitelisting, sticky sessions, proxy testing tool, and more. Rates start from $7.50/proxy. Volume discounts available for larger purchases.
Key features:
- Datacenter and residential IPs
- 99.99% uptime
- Ultra-fast speeds up to 10Gbps
- Custom whitelisting
- Affordable pricing
9. BuyProxies
BuyProxies offers reliable, dedicated proxies for businesses and personal use. Their global network spans thousands of IPs across 150 geo locations.
All plans include unlimited bandwidth. Authentication options include IP, username/password as well as third-party integrations. Prices start from just $2.25/month per proxy.
Key features:
- Thousands of dedicated IPs
- Presence in 150+ geo locations
- Unlimited bandwidth
- IP and username/password authentication
- Affordable pricing
10. ProxyNova
ProxyNova provides quality private proxies boasting 99.9% uptime. Their global network includes both datacenter and residential IPs.
Helpful features include a proxy testing tool, IP refreshing, and fast speeds up to 10Gbps. Proxy authentication options include IP and username/password. Pricing starts from $2.50/proxy.
Key features:
- Datacenter and residential IPs
- 99.9% guaranteed uptime
- Up to 10Gbps speeds
- Proxy testing tool
- Affordable pricing
11. Proxy-Seller
Proxy-Seller offers affordable private proxies for businesses and individuals. Their network consists of 100k elite datacenter IPs spanning multiple countries.
The proxies support all major protocols including HTTPS, SOCKS5, and WebSocket. Each proxy allows up to 200 concurrent threads. Pricing starts from just $1 per proxy/month when ordering in bulk.
Key features:
- 100k+ datacenter IPs
- Global presence
- Support all major protocols
- Up to 200 concurrent threads
- Affordable bulk pricing
12. Blogcadre
Blogcadre provides fast, reliable private proxies boasting 99.9% uptime. Their global network offers a mix of datacenter and residential IPs.
Helpful features include unlimited threads, whitelisting, advanced rotation settings, and integrated API/SDKs for automation. Plans start from $7/month for 1 GB of traffic.
Key features:
- Datacenter and residential IPs
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Unlimited connection threads
- API/SDK for automation
- Affordable plans
13. Shifter
Shifter offers excellent residential proxies for web scraping and automation. Their network spans millions of mobile IPs across 195+ countries.
The proxies mimic genuine mobile user traffic patterns to avoid easy blocking. Custom whitelabeling helps build site trust. Plans start at $249/month for 50 GB of traffic.
Key features:
- Millions of residential mobile IPs
- Extensive global coverage
- Emulates real mobile users
- Custom whitelabeling
- Generous traffic plans
Can There Be Private Residential Proxies?
Yes, private residential proxies are possible. They utilize residential IP addresses from ISPs that are dedicated for your private use.
The benefit of private residential proxies is that they appear as real home users rather than datacenter IPs. This makes them very effective at mimicking organic user traffic and avoiding blocks.
Many of the top providers above offer private residential proxy options. GeoSurf, Oxylabs and Bright Data have among the largest pools of residential IPs that can be provisioned for private use.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Private Proxies
Advantages
- Enhanced Privacy – Your online activities cannot be logged, tracked or linked by others since no one else uses your dedicated IP. This prevents personal data leakage.
- Improved Security – There is no risk of malicious use that could get your IP address blocked since you have exclusive access. This results in higher reliability.
- Faster Speeds – No need to compete with other users for bandwidth on your private proxy. You get full speed which is essential for large data transfers.
- No Blocks – Other users cannot get your private proxy blocked with their usage. This guarantees reliable access to more sites.
- Consistent Identity – Your sessions always route through the same IP which builds trust with sites. This aids SEO and branding activities.
Disadvantages
- Higher Cost – Private proxies are more expensive than shared/public proxies since the IP address is exclusively yours. But for critical business use cases, the benefits outweigh the additional cost.
So in summary, private proxies provide enhanced security, speed, reliability and privacy compared to shared proxies. The trade-off is higher pricing, but for many business applications the extra investment is well worth it.
When to Use Private Proxies
Here are some of the most common use cases where private proxies are preferred over shared/public proxies:
- Web scraping and large data collection projects – Private proxies provide faster speeds and higher volumes of requests to extract data quickly without getting blocked.
- SEO link building and content posting – Maintaining a consistent IP address helps build site trust and ranking over time.
- Social media automation – Avoid getting social media accounts blocked by using clean private IPs not marked as bots.
- Competitive research – Access competitor websites without revealing your IP address or triggering blocks.
- Ad verification and brand protection – Analyze ad placements by rivals without revealing your IP.
- Unblocking geo-restricted content – Consistently access blocked content by routing your traffic through a specific country.
So in summary, any task that requires high reliability, large volumes of traffic, and maintaining a consistent identity over time benefits from private over shared proxies. The extra cost brings disproportionate advantages.
Why You Should Never Use a Free Proxy
Free public proxies are very risky to use and provide minimal benefits. Here are some of the downsides of using free proxies:
- No Privacy – Your browsing activity can be logged, stored and linked together as it passes through unknown servers. This compromises your anonymity.
- Malware Risks – Free proxies often inject ads, trackers and malware into the traffic without consent. This damages user privacy and security.
- Slower Speeds – Heavy overloading and bandwidth throttling on free proxies hampers speed. Critical tasks may fail or get blocked.
- No Uptime Guarantee – Free proxies frequently go down without warning. There is no accountability for downtime.
- Not Private – IPs are shared simultaneously by many random strangers. Actions of others can compromise privacy or get IPs blocked suddenly.
- No Support – Don‘t expect any customer service or issue resolution from free proxy services. You use them at your own risk.
For any important personal or business tasks, it is wise to avoid free proxies altogether due to privacy, security and compliance reasons. The minimal cost of paid private/shared proxies is worthwhile.
How to Choose the Best Proxy Provider
Here are some tips on choosing a reliable private/shared proxy provider:
- Clearly understand your use case – Are private proxies required or will shared ones suffice? What protocols, locations and volumes of traffic do you need?
- Check size of IP pool – More IPs especially in desired locations means better chances of avoiding blocks.
- Look for optimal connection protocols – HTTPS, SOCKS5 are standard. WebSocket and Shadowsocks are advanced.
- See if residential IPs are offered – These mimic home users better than datacenter IPs.
- Review amount of concurrent threads allowed – Important for performance during large scrapers/crawlers.
- Evaluate geo-targeting capabilities – Ability to target sites and locations precisely.
- Check if bandwidth is unlimited – Important for large downloads or video streaming.
- See if static IP options are available – This helps maintain a consistent identity for your sessions.
- Review authentication mechanisms – IP, username/password, Auth-keys, API/SDKs.
- Check for satisfication guarantees – Refund periods, free trials, money-back terms.
- Research uptime promises and technical support – Look for 99%+ uptime and 24/7 live chat or ticketing.
- Check permitted usage terms – Confirm proxies can be used for your specific application.
- Assess pricing model – Per GB vs unlimited, volume discounts, residential vs datacenter costs.
FAQs
What’s the Difference Between Private and Dedicated Proxies?
Private and dedicated proxies refer to the same concept – IP addresses that are assigned for the sole use of your account. No one else has access to them. This differs from shared/public proxies which random multiple users utilize through the same IPs.
How Much Do Private Proxies Cost?
Pricing can range quite a bit for private proxies based on factors like location, provider, residential vs datacenter IPs etc. Here are some typical costs:
- Datacenter proxies – $1 to $10 per proxy
- Residential proxies – $5 to $10 per proxy
- Mobile proxies – $10 to $30 per proxy
Most providers offer volume discounts for bulk purchases. So the more private proxies you buy, the lower the per-proxy cost.
Can I Get a Private Residential Proxy?
Yes, many of the top providers above offer private residential proxies. These leverage home IPs from ISPs dedicated just for your usage. This allows mimicking real user traffic versus datacenter IPs.
GeoSurf, Oxylabs and Bright Data have among the largest pools of residential IPs. Their private residential proxies are ideal for avoiding blocks and maximizing success rates.
Can I Get a Private SOCKS5 Proxy?
Yes, private SOCKS5 proxies are offered by most major providers. SOCKS5 is a widely supported protocol due to its low latency and compatibility with many tools and scripts. Private SOCKS5 proxies give you enhanced speed and anonymity.
Are private proxies legal?
Yes, generally private proxies are legal to use. However, they should be utilized as intended by provider terms, and not for any illegal activities like hacking or spamming which can violate laws. It‘s best to clearly check permitted usage with your provider.
Final Thoughts
Private proxies provide many advantages for businesses and power users in terms of security, speed and reliability. While costing more than shared proxies, they are worthwhile for serious use cases in SEO, web scraping, automation, research and branding.
This guide has analyzed the top 13 private proxy services recommended for 2023. Key factors like size of IP pool, geographic coverage, residential IPs, connection protocols, rotation logic, authentication methods and pricing models were compared.
I hope this detailed review has shed light on what to look for in a private proxy provider. Based on your specific application and budget, you can make an informed decision from among the top vendors benchmarked.
