Web scraping can feel like dumping a bucket into the ocean one drop at a time. Without a good set of proxies, your requests get blocked and data taps run dry. Storm Proxies is popular for unlimited bandwidth at cheap prices – perfect for novices. But as your scraping skills grow, their limitations become clear.
In this guide, we‘ll examine four advanced alternatives to Storm Proxies for smarter scraping and automation.
Contents
Why Storm Proxies Isn‘t Enough
First, let‘s understand Storm Proxies‘ strengths and shortcomings.
The Good
Storm Proxies‘ residential IPs provide key advantages:
- Cheap – Plans starting at $9/month, unlimited bandwidth
- Unmetered – No extra charges for more traffic
- Easy to Use – Just set and forget
- Versatile – Proxies rotate and work on all ports
This makes them ideal for new scrapers with basic needs. The unlimited bandwidth is especially helpful when you‘re unsure of your monthly usage.
The Bad
However, long-time scrapers invariably run into issues like:
- Small proxy pool – Around 40,000 IPs shared by all users
- No traffic limits – Leads to abuse and CAPTCHAs
- No targeting options – USA and worldwide proxies only
- Slow speeds – Congested proxies lead to high latency
- Frequent blocks – IPs get overused and blacklisted
Lack of advanced features for targeted scraping further limits Storm Proxies‘ capabilities.
According to ScraperAPI‘s 2022 Proxy Benchmark, Storm Proxies ranks low on many key metrics:
| Proxy Provider | Success Rate | Speed | CAPTCHAs | Block Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartproxy | 99% | 1.05s | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Bright Data | 98% | 1.18s | 1% | 1.2% |
| Storm Proxies | 82% | 2.3s | 4.1% | 8.9% |
With no traffic or targeting controls, Storm Proxies struggle with proxy quality and scraping success rates. Their unlimited model invites abuse from bad actors – further congesting the small proxy pool. This significantly impacts scraping performance.
For simple scraping Storm Proxies are fine, but advanced users need more scalable residential proxies. Let‘s look at better alternatives.
Smartproxy – Feature-Rich Proxies for Professionals
For those who‘ve outgrown Storm Proxies, Smartproxy is my top recommendation. Here‘s how Smartproxy improves on Storm Proxies‘ capabilities:
Massive Proxy Pool
Smartproxy‘s residential proxy network includes:
- 40+ million IPs spanning 195 countries
- ASN-level proxy targets – Unique IP blocks from specific ISPs
- Mobile proxies – 15+ million mobile IPs available
This breadth provides virtually unlimited scraping scale. Having multiple proxy types caters to diverse use cases.
Storm Proxies offers just 40,000 crowded IPs in contrast – inadequate for large-scale automation.
Powerful Targeting Options
Smartproxy lets you target proxies with precision:
- Country-level – Available for all 195 countries
- State-level – Target any US state
- City-level – Target by city for 60+ countries
- Carrier-level – Target specific mobile carriers
- ISP-level – Target unique ASN proxy pools
Such granular geo-targeting improves success rates for local scraping. Storm Proxies only has USA or Worldwide proxy targeting.
Great Performance
Smartproxy maintains high-quality pools delivering max speed:
- ASN proxies – Dedicated IPs prevent congestion
- Vetted datacenters – 99.99% uptime and low latency
- Proactive blocking mitigation – Identify and bypass blocks fast
With Storm Proxies, slow speeds and frequent blocks are common due to abuse. Smartproxy‘s reliable infrastructure avoids these issues.
Affordable Pricing
Despite advanced features, Smartproxy is reasonably priced:
- $75/month starter package with 5GB traffic
- $50 for each additional GB – Cost optimization options available
- Discounts for annual plans – Save up to 20%
Storm Proxies only offers unlimited plans for $75-$500/month. Smartproxy‘s granular pricing provides value for money.
Reliable Customer Support
Smartproxy maintains top-notch technical support:
- 24/7 live chat – Get assistance in real-time
- Priority phone support – For urgent troubleshooting
- Ticket assistance – Email support with fast responses
- Setup guidance – Documentation and videos for easy onboarding
Their expertise helps clients integrate proxies seamlessly. Storm Proxies has no direct support channel.
For advanced residential proxies, Smartproxy is worth the premium over Storm Proxies.
Pros
- 40+ million residential IPs across 195 countries
- Precise location, carrier, and ISP-level targeting
- Great performance with reliable infrastructure
- Affordable pricing per GB as you scale
- 24/7 live customer support
Cons
- Minimum spend of $75 per month
- More complex setup and configurations
Rating: 9.5/10
Bright Data – Enterprise-Grade Proxies
Bright Data is an enterprise proxy leader, catering to Fortune 500 companies. But it offers something unique for individual users – affordable, reliable datacenter proxies:
All Proxy Types
Bright Data provides residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies:
- Over 72 million residential IPs in all locations
- Pay as you go datacenter plans – Ideal for individuals
- SIM-based mobile proxies – Rotate IPs using real SIMs
This range caters to any use case. Storm Proxies has only residential IPs.
Powerful Proxy Manager
Bright Data‘s centralized Luminati Proxy Manager provides:
- Real-time usage dashboard – Monitor spending
- Access control – Allow only trusted IPs
- Load balancing – Distribute traffic for optimal performance
- High availability – Auto-failover prevents scraping downtime
With Storm Proxies you get only basic configs. The proxy manager gives deployment flexibility.
Reliable Infrastructure
Bright Data utilizes enterprise-grade proxy infrastructure:
- Tier 1 datacenters – Low latency and jitter
- MPLS network backbone – High-speed private connections
- Direct peering relationships – Optimized ISP routing
- 99.999% uptime SLA – Continuous scraping availability
Storm Proxies uses consumer-grade hosting with more downtime risk. Bright Data‘s premium network maintains blazing speeds and reliability.
Pay as You Go Pricing
Bright Data offers flexible pricing models:
- No long-term commitments – Cancel anytime
- $500 free monthly credits – Try it risk-free
- Only pay for what you use – Great for individuals
- Volume discounts – Up to 88% savings for large usage
Storm Proxies requires fixed monthly plans. With Bright Data‘s pay as you go model, you have complete cost control.
For enterprise-grade proxies on demand, Bright Data is worth the premium over Storm Proxies.
Pros
- All proxy types with advanced features
- Powerful proxy manager for deployment
- Highly reliable infrastructure
- Pay as you go pricing model
- Free monthly credits to try
Cons
- Can get expensive for large usage
- Steeper learning curve
Rating: 9.2/10
PacketStream – Budget Residential Proxies
If you want capable proxies at the lowest cost, PacketStream is a top contender starting at just $1/GB:
Cheap Pricing
PacketStream offers the most affordable pay as you go pricing:
- $1/GB for residential proxies – No cheaper provider exists
- No monthly minimums – Pay only for traffic used
- $50 account minimum – Get started with small deposit
Storm Proxies lacks this granular, low-cost model.
Global Proxy Network
PacketStream has impressive global reach:
- Proxies in 100+ countries – Wide international coverage
- Thousands of IP subnets – Great for scraping at scale
- ASN proxy pools – Unique IPs for target sites
Storm Proxies pales in comparison with less than 50,000 IPs.
Decent Performance
PacketStream provides reliable scraping performance:
- Fast residential IPs – Typical speeds under 1 second
- Rotating proxies – New IP assigned for each request
- Backconnect rotation – Rotate inside ISP for lower detection
- Session stickiness – Keep using same IP per session
With Storm Proxies you never know what congested proxy you‘ll get. PacketStream‘s proxies are higher quality and control.
Minimum Requirements
PacketStream has low commitment requirements:
- No monthly plans – Use proxies only when needed
- $50 account minimum – Ultralow funding requirement
- $0.0018/IP pricing – Per IP charges as low as fractions of a cent
Storm Proxies has high fixed monthly costs. PacketStream lets you pay pennies and scale up gradually.
For basic proxies on a tight budget, PacketStream delivers a lot of value over Storm Proxies.
Pros
- $1 per GB of traffic
- Residential proxies in 100+ countries
- No monthly commitments
- $50 minimum account balance
Cons
- Smaller pool compared to premium providers
- Limited targeting options beyond country
- Account throttling at high usage
Rating: 8.7/10
IPRoyal – Cost-Effective Residential Proxies
Similar to PacketStream, IPRoyal offers affordable residential proxies without steep monthly costs.
Let‘s examine IPRoyal‘s key advantages over Storm Proxies:
Low per GB Pricing
IPRoyal plans start at just $3/GB:
- $3-$10/GB based on usage volume
- Pay only for traffic used
- No overage fees
Again, Storm Proxies lacks this granular usage model.
Global Residential IPs
IPRoyal provides worldwide residential IPs:
- 120,000+ IPs in 180+ countries
- ASN proxy pools – Thousands of IP blocks
- New IPs added weekly – Rotating proxies stay fresh
Storm Proxies‘ 40,000 IPs pale in comparison to this geographic diversity.
Targeting Options
IPRoyal enables precise proxy targeting:
- Country-level targeting
- City-level targeting – For 50+ countries
- ISP-level targeting – Unique IP blocks by provider
- Mobile targeting – 15,000+ mobile IPs
With Storm Proxies you‘re limited to basic USA or Worldwide targeting.
Flexible Rotation
IPRoyal gives control over proxy rotation:
- Configurable randomness – Unique IPs for each request
- Custom TTL – Change IP after n requests
- Session stickiness – Retain IPs during sessions
- Backconnect support – Rotate inside ISPs to avoid blocks
Storm Proxies lacks configurable rotation, hampering success rates.
For basic residential proxies, IPRoyal adds value over Storm Proxies via flexible targeting and rotation.
Pros
- Cost-effective plans starting at $3/GB
- 180+ countries with ASN proxy pools
- Precise country, city, ISP targeting
- Customizable proxy rotation
Cons
- Smaller pool of 120,000 IPs
- Account throttling at high usage
Rating: 8.5/10
How to Choose The Right Proxy for Your Needs
With so many options, how do you select the best proxy provider for your specific use case?
Here is a methodology to evaluate residential proxies objectively:
Step 1 – Assess Technical Needs
- Scale – Needed concurrent threads and requests per second?
- Use Case – Web scraping or other automation tasks?
- Target Sites – Which geographic locations need to be accessed?
- Budget – What‘s the monthly proxy spend you can afford?
Step 2 – Research Proxy Providers
- Proxy Types – Do you need residential, datacenter or mobile?
- Pool Size – Total number of IPs available from the provider.
- Targeting Options – Assess geo, ISP, carrier-targeting granularity.
- Pricing Model – Prefer monthly plans or pay as you go?
- Overall Reputation – Check reviews and community feedback.
Step 3 – Perform Hands-On Testing
- Speed – Time page loads and measure latency.
- Success Rates – Test against real target sites.
- CAPTCHAs – Measure how frequently CAPTCHAs are triggered.
- Bans – Check if providers‘ IPs get blocked often.
- Customer Support – Open tickets for technical issues.
By following this methodology, you can zero in on proxies that fit your use case precisely. Testing against real sites gives quantifiable data for decision making.
Key Takeaways and Recommendations
Let‘s summarize the key lessons from this guide:
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Storm Proxies are great for beginners – Unlimited bandwidth and cheap pricing provides good value initially.
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Advanced users benefit from upgrading – Targeting, abuse prevention, and performance issues necessitate a better proxy provider.
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Smartproxy is the leading premium alternative – Unparalleled targeting precision, large pools, and blazing speeds justify the higher investment.
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Bright Data offers enterprise-grade reliability – Excellent uptime and customer service, ideal for mission-critical scraping.
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PacketStream and IPRoyal are cost-effective options – Surprisingly good performance at unbelievable $1-$3/GB rates.
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Take a data-driven approach when evaluating providers – Quantifiable hands-on testing gives you the full picture beyond marketing claims.
Migrating from Storm Proxies is recommended once your scraping skills evolve. The advanced providers here will drive greater success, while still being reasonably affordable. With the right proxies, your web scraping and automation capabilities can reach new heights!
