Decodo
- 125M+ global IP pool
- 195+ proxy locations
- Carrier targeting for mobile proxies
- Third-party tool integration
- Automation-friendly proxies
Webshare
- 80+ million IPs
- 195+ countries
- 99.7% success rate
- 24/7 Expert Support
- Flexible pay-as-you-go pricing
Oxylabs
- 175M+ global IP pool
- Coverage in 195+ countries
- IP authentication
- Username/password authentication
- Proxy endpoint generator
Finding a reliable proxy provider is not easy. There are dozens of options out there. Some are fast but expensive. Some are cheap but block you on important websites. And some just do not work at all.
This list cuts through the noise. We tested and researched the top proxy services in 2026. We looked at IP pool size, pricing, speed, success rate, and real user reviews. Whether you are scraping data, managing social media accounts, doing SEO research, or running e-commerce bots — this guide helps you pick the right one.
Let us get into it.
Quick Comparison Table
Provider | IP Pool | Starting Price | Best For | Free Trial |
Decodo | 115M+ | $2/GB | All-round use | 3 days / 100MB |
Webshare | 30M+ | Free (10 IPs) | Beginners / Budget | Free forever tier |
Oxylabs | 175M+ | $10/GB | Enterprise / Large scale | Yes (Scraper API) |
Bright Data | 150M+ | $8.40/GB | Enterprise / Research | Yes |
IPRoyal | 32M+ | $1.75/GB | Budget users | No |
90M+ | $1/GB | Pay-as-you-go users | No | |
SOAX | 195M+ | $3.60/GB | Mid-range teams | $1.99 trial |
Proxy-Cheap | 85M+ | $1.99/IP | Budget datacenter | $1.99 trial |
NodeMaven | 10M+ | $2.4/GB | Quality-focused users | Yes |
9 Best Proxy Providers in 2026: For Every Use Case
#1. Decodo — Best All-Round Proxy Provider in 2026
Previously known as Smartproxy, Decodo rebranded in April 2025 but kept everything that made it great. It is currently one of the highest-rated proxy providers on the market — and for good reason.
CNET called it the best proxy server for smaller businesses. Proxyway has awarded it Best Value for five years running. On G2, it won Best Usability and Highest User Adoption in 2025. That is a lot of recognition for one provider.
What makes Decodo stand out:
115 million+ ethically sourced IPs across 195+ locations
Residential proxies starting at just $2/GB on the 1TB plan
Pay-as-you-go option at $4/GB for one-off projects
99.86% success rate and 99.99% uptime
Average response time of under 0.6 seconds
Supports HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 protocols
Geo-targeting down to country, state, city, ZIP code, and ASN level
Both rotating and sticky sessions available
Datacenter proxies with 99.99% uptime and speeds under 0.3 seconds
Free trial: 3 days with 100MB included
14-day money-back guarantee
24/7 technical support
Who should use Decodo: Freelancers, small agencies, scraping teams, and businesses that want premium residential proxies without paying enterprise prices. It is the best balance of price, speed, and reliability on this list.
Pricing: Residential proxies from $2/GB (1TB plan) to $3.75/GB (3GB plan). Datacenter proxies available separately.
#2. Webshare — Best Budget Proxy for Beginners
If you are just getting started with proxies, Webshare is the easiest place to begin. It has a genuine free plan — not a trial, but free proxies that stay in your account forever. You get 10 free datacenter proxies right after signing up. No credit card. No time limit.
CNET named it the best budget proxy server. And for users who do not need high-end residential proxies, it does the job at a very low cost.
What makes Webshare stand out:
10 free datacenter proxies forever — no credit card required
Shared datacenter proxies starting at $0.03/IP for 100 IPs
Residential proxies from $1.40/GB
Static residential proxies starting at $0.30/IP
Pool of 30 million+ IPs
Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5
Simple dashboard with in-dashboard error tracking
Easy API integration
Works well for basic scraping, SEO tools, and price monitoring
Trusted by over 100,000 users worldwide
Who should use Webshare: Beginners testing proxies for the first time, developers building small scraping scripts, and budget-conscious users who want low-cost datacenter proxies. It is not the best for heavily protected sites, but for everyday use it works well.
Pricing: Free (10 IPs forever). Paid plans start from $2.99/month for datacenter proxies. Residential from $1.40/GB.
#3. Oxylabs — Best for Enterprise and Large-Scale Operations
Oxylabs is the big name in the proxy industry. It is used by Fortune 500 companies, AI research teams, and large e-commerce businesses. If you need maximum reliability, enterprise compliance, and the largest IP pool available — Oxylabs is the answer.
CNET called it the best proxy server for larger businesses. It holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, which is required by many regulated industries. The infrastructure is built for serious, large-scale data collection.
What makes Oxylabs stand out:
175 million+ ethically sourced residential IPs across 195 countries
99.95% success rate — the highest on this list
Average response time of 0.6 seconds
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified — meets enterprise compliance requirements
Products include: Residential Proxies, Datacenter Proxies, ISP Proxies, Mobile Proxies, Web Scraper API, and Web Unblocker
AI-powered Web Unblocker handles Cloudflare, Akamai, and other tough bot protection
OxyCopilot — describe what you want to scrape in plain text and the AI handles the rest
Geo-targeting down to ZIP code, city, ASN, and coordinate level
Fully GDPR compliant
Free trial available on Web Scraper API and Web Unblocker (no credit card)
24/7 dedicated support
Who should use Oxylabs: Large companies, data teams, AI research labs, and agencies running high-volume scraping operations where failure is not an option. The pricing is premium, but the reliability justifies it for serious use cases.
Pricing: Residential proxies from $10/GB (pay-as-you-go) or $99/month for starter plans. Scraper API from $49/month.
#4. Bright Data — Largest IP Pool in the World
Bright Data is one of the oldest and most powerful proxy providers. It has been in the industry for over a decade and currently holds the title of the largest proxy network in the world with 150 million+ IPs.
It is also the most feature-rich platform. Beyond proxies, Bright Data offers a complete data collection suite including datasets, scraper APIs, and browser automation tools. If Oxylabs is built for large businesses, Bright Data is built for very large businesses.
What makes Bright Data stand out:
150 million+ IPs across residential, mobile, ISP, and datacenter categories
Covers 195 countries with city-level targeting
Residential proxies from $8.40/GB
Offers pre-collected datasets for e-commerce, finance, and travel
Scraper APIs for Amazon, Google, LinkedIn, and other platforms
Browser automation and headless browser tools included
ISO certified and GDPR compliant
Trusted by companies like Samsung, Deloitte, and Shopify
Free trial available
Who should use Bright Data: Enterprise teams, market research firms, and companies that need not just proxies but structured data products and scraping infrastructure. It is expensive but has no real competitor at this scale.
Pricing: Residential proxies from $8.40/GB. Enterprise plans start at $500+/month.
#5. IPRoyal — Best Budget Residential Proxy
IPRoyal is one of the most affordable proxy services available right now. It does not have the largest pool or the highest success rate, but it is honest about what it is — a budget-friendly option with flexible plans.
You can buy proxies for as short as one day, which makes it ideal for quick one-off tasks without a long commitment.
What makes IPRoyal stand out:
32 million+ residential IPs
Residential proxies from $1.75/GB
Flexible plans: buy by the day, week, or month
Static residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies available
Ethically sourced IP addresses
Easy to set up — beginner-friendly dashboard
Works with most scraping tools
Good customer support with fast response times
No minimum spend requirement
Who should use IPRoyal: Small businesses, students, and individuals who need proxies occasionally and do not want to commit to large monthly plans. It is not the best for high-scale scraping, but perfect for light use.
Pricing: From $1.75/GB residential. Datacenter proxies from $1.39/IP.
#6. DataImpulse — Cheapest Residential Proxies Available
DataImpulse made a big splash by offering residential proxies at $1/GB — one of the lowest prices in the entire industry. It started quiet but has grown quickly among budget-conscious scrapers and developers.
The key thing to understand is that DataImpulse is pay-as-you-go only. There is no subscription. You pay for what you use, and your credits do not expire. That flexibility is rare at this price point.
What makes DataImpulse stand out:
90 million+ residential IPs
Residential proxies from just $1/GB
No subscription required — pure pay-as-you-go
Credits never expire
Covers 195+ countries
Minimum top-up of only $5
Good success rate for the price point
Supports HTTP and SOCKS5
Works for price monitoring, SEO, and basic scraping
Who should use DataImpulse: Anyone who wants to try residential proxies without spending much. Great for developers testing projects and businesses with unpredictable usage patterns. Not recommended for heavily protected targets where you need premium IP quality.
Pricing: From $1/GB. Bulk pricing drops to $0.45/GB at 1TB.
#7. SOAX — Best for Targeting Flexibility
SOAX offers one of the most flexible targeting systems available. You can filter IPs by country, city, ISP, and even specific mobile carriers — which is useful for ad verification, mobile testing, and hyperlocal data collection.
It also has a very large IP pool — 195 million+ IPs — which gives it good coverage even for unusual locations.
What makes SOAX stand out:
195 million+ IPs across residential and mobile networks
Targeting by country, city, ISP, and mobile carrier
Residential proxies from $3.60/GB
Both rotating and sticky session options
Web Unblocker solution included
Scraper API available
Affordable $1.99 trial for 3 days with 100MB
Clean and modern dashboard
Good for ad verification, mobile testing, and market research
Who should use SOAX: Mid-size teams that need precise targeting, especially for mobile and ISP-level geo-targeting. It sits between budget and enterprise pricing, making it a solid middle-ground option.
Pricing: Residential proxies from $3.60/GB. Mobile proxies from $4.00/GB.
#8. Proxy-Cheap — Best Budget Datacenter Proxy
Proxy-Cheap does exactly what the name says. It gives you access to 85 million+ IPs across residential and datacenter networks at some of the lowest prices available. It is not the most powerful option, but for simple tasks where price matters most, it works.
The provider has been growing steadily and now offers a wider product range than its name suggests — including residential, datacenter, ISP, and mobile proxies.
What makes Proxy-Cheap stand out:
85 million+ IPs across multiple proxy types
Datacenter proxies from very competitive rates
Residential proxies available
ISP and mobile proxies in the product lineup
$1.99/IP 7-day trial for dedicated plans
Simple interface — easy to get started
Works for basic scraping, account management, and geo-unblocking
No advanced features but covers the basics well
Who should use Proxy-Cheap: Budget users who need datacenter or residential proxies for light tasks. Not recommended for heavily protected sites or large enterprise operations.
Pricing: Residential from competitive per-GB rates. Datacenter proxies starting at low per-IP prices.
#9. NodeMaven — Best for IP Quality
NodeMaven takes a different approach. Instead of competing on volume or price, it focuses purely on IP quality. Its proprietary filtering algorithm screens out low-quality IPs before they ever enter the pool. That means fewer bans and better success rates even on tough websites.
It is a smaller network, but what it has is cleaner and more reliable than many larger pools.
What makes NodeMaven stand out:
Advanced IP filtering algorithm that removes low-quality addresses before use
Residential proxies with high clean IP ratio
Supports country, state, and city-level targeting
Solid performance on tough anti-bot targets
Simple setup and dashboard
Works well with automation tools and browsers
Responsive customer support
Free trial available
Who should use NodeMaven: Affiliate marketers, social media managers, and anyone who needs proxies that work consistently on tough websites. If you have had bad experiences with dirty IP pools, NodeMaven is worth trying.
Pricing: Starts from $2.40/GB for residential proxies.
How to Choose the Right Proxy Provider
Before you pick a provider, ask yourself these four questions:
1. What are you using proxies for?
Web scraping needs residential proxies. Simple geo-unblocking can use datacenter proxies. Mobile app testing needs mobile proxies. Match the product to the task.
2. How much traffic do you need?
Light users (under 10GB/month) can go with Webshare or DataImpulse. Medium users (10–100GB) should look at Decodo or SOAX. Heavy users (100GB+) should go with Oxylabs or Bright Data.
3. What is your budget?
If budget is tight: DataImpulse ($1/GB), IPRoyal ($1.75/GB), or Webshare (free tier). If you have a bigger budget and need better performance: Decodo ($2/GB) or SOAX ($3.60/GB). For enterprise scale: Oxylabs or Bright Data.
4. Do you need a free trial?
Decodo gives 3 days free with 100MB. Webshare gives 10 free proxies forever. Oxylabs offers a free trial on its Scraper API. SOAX gives a $1.99 trial.
FAQs: Best Proxy Providers in 2026
What is a proxy provider?
A proxy provider gives you access to IP addresses from different locations. Your internet traffic goes through these IPs instead of your own. This helps you scrape websites, bypass geo-blocks, and avoid getting banned.
What is the difference between residential and datacenter proxies?
Residential proxies use real IP addresses from real devices. They look like normal users to websites. Datacenter proxies come from server farms. They are faster and cheaper but easier for websites to detect and block.
Which proxy provider is best for web scraping?
Decodo and Oxylabs are the top picks for web scraping in 2026. Decodo gives the best price-to-performance ratio. Oxylabs is better for large-scale, enterprise-level scraping.
Is there a free proxy provider?
Webshare gives you 10 free datacenter proxies forever with no credit card required. It is the best genuine free option available. Decodo and Oxylabs offer limited free trials but require payment after the trial period.
Are residential proxies safe to use?
Yes, as long as you use an ethical provider. Decodo, Oxylabs, Bright Data, and others on this list source their IPs with user consent. Always choose a provider that clearly states it uses ethically sourced IPs.
How much do residential proxies cost?
Prices range from $1/GB (DataImpulse) to $10/GB (Oxylabs) depending on the provider and plan size. Buying more bandwidth upfront always lowers the per-GB cost.
Can I use proxies for social media management?
Yes. Many agencies use proxies to manage multiple social media accounts. NodeMaven and Decodo are popular choices for this use case because of their clean IP pools.
Quick Links:
Final Verdict: Best Proxy Providers in 2026
The proxy market in 2026 has a lot of solid options. Here is the quick summary:
Best all-round: Decodo — great speed, fair pricing, massive IP pool
Best budget: Webshare — free tier is genuinely useful, low-cost paid plans
Best enterprise: Oxylabs — highest success rate, ISO certified, AI scraping tools
Best cheapest residential: DataImpulse — $1/GB with no subscription
Best IP quality: NodeMaven — smaller pool but cleaner IPs
Start with a free trial where possible. Test the proxies on your actual target websites. The provider that works best for your specific use case is always the right one — regardless of what any list says.