Proxy services are bought by the gigabyte, by the IP, by the port or by the request, and the lowest list rate rarely survives a refund clause or a review step.
This guide ranks twelve providers on what the first ninety days cost, how traffic and refunds behave, how easily you can leave, and whether you can buy without a sales call.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry
says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a
vendor. How that works.
In short
What proxy services software does
A proxy service routes your web traffic through other IP addresses, residential, mobile or datacenter, so requests appear from another location; providers sell this by traffic, address, port or request.
In this order: setup effort, what it really costs, how your data comes back out, whether
you can leave, and who each proxy services tool is built for. One rule sits on top of those tests:
Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Why those five, and why there is no
score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
Pay as you go or monthly plans per GB, published; trial offered
—
Large data teams needing wide location coverage and several tools together
Small buyers who want a simple price, a single product or no coupon
Country is where the vendor is headquartered or contracts from, which is a
different question from where your data is hosted. Where the two tell different stories, the
entry says so.
Self-serve proxy shop with a permanent ten-proxy plan and public rates
Ranked #1 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingNorth America
The free plan gives ten shared proxies and 1GB a month with HTTP and SOCKS5, so a developer can wire the endpoint into code before paying.
Datacenter lists scale from 100 proxies; residential is sold either rotating per GB or static per proxy. Changing plan mid-month charges only the difference. The trade-off is the two-day refund rule, so test inside the free plan first.
What stands out
Free plan
Self-serve
Per-proxy pricing
Where it costs you
Refunds apply only within two days and below 1GB of use on datacenter or static plans, or 0.1GB on rotating residential.
Shared proxies are the cheapest tier; private and dedicated ones cost more, and unlimited bandwidth is subject to a fair usage policy.
Right for
Testers and small teams who want to try real proxies before any payment
Wrong for
Buyers who need a contract, an invoice process or a sales contact
United StatesFree plan with ten shared proxies; paid plans published per proxy or per GB
Residential traffic bought by the gigabyte that stays valid until used
Ranked #2 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingMiddle East
Residential is priced per GB with a subscription discount of 5 percent over pay as you go, and traffic does not expire. The terms are written for IPRoyal Services FZE LLC, a United Arab Emirates entity, version 10 effective 15 October 2026.
A KYC policy describes checks at registration and purchase. Buy a small volume first, because the refund clause is strict.
What stands out
Non-expiring traffic
Per GB
Identity checks
Where it costs you
Paid purchases are non-refundable beyond a 24-hour fault window, and cryptocurrency payments are never refundable.
The lowest residential rate needs 10 TB, and buyers go through identity verification before full access.
Right for
Irregular scrapers who want traffic that stays valid until it is consumed
Wrong for
Teams that need anonymous sign-up or a refund after changing plans
United Arab EmiratesPay as you go per GB or per proxy, published; bought traffic does not expire
Cypriot proxy shop renting single IPs by period or residential by GB
Ranked #3 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
The shop covers residential, IPv4, ISP, mobile, IPv6 and datacenter proxies. IPv4 orders pick a location, quantity from 1 to 500 and a period from one week to twelve months.
The operator is SSV IT Provider Online Services Ltd in Larnaca, and the site says DPA and SCC documents are available on request. Count the periods you really need before ordering.
What stands out
Rent per IP
ISO 27001
30-day packs
Where it costs you
Residential packs are valid for 30 days, so unused gigabytes lapse.
Payment obligations are non-cancelable and fees non-refundable after 72 hours, apart from cases in the return policy.
Right for
Buyers who need dedicated IPv4 addresses rented for a fixed period
Wrong for
Teams wanting rolling traffic or a long unbilled evaluation
CyprusResidential per GB with 30-day validity; IPv4 per IP and period; published
Two residential tiers, one gated by a compliance review, plus static IPs
Ranked #4 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Rayobyte offers residential in two tiers, rotating ISP and datacenter, mobile, static ISP and datacenter, semi-dedicated IPs, a Scraping API and a Web Unblocker.
The legal entity is Rayobyte, LLC in Lincoln, Nebraska. Founded in 2015, it states more than 5,000 active customers. Request the Scale review early, because the starting rate depends on its outcome.
What stands out
Own network
Compliance review
Per GB tiers
Where it costs you
The Scale tier is monthly only, has no targeting and opens after a compliance review.
Premium residential pay as you go costs several times more per GB than Scale until large volumes are reached.
Right for
Volume scrapers who can pass a review and want a lower per-GB rate
Wrong for
Buyers who need city targeting on the cheapest residential tier
United StatesPer GB on two residential tiers, per IP for static; trial on most products
Former Smartproxy: residential by the gigabyte with a 14-day refund window
Ranked #5 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Residential pricing is bandwidth-based: 3 GB to 100 GB monthly plans, enterprise from 250 GB, and a pay as you go rate.
Every plan includes country, state, city, ZIP and ASN targeting at no extra charge, plus a Chrome and a Firefox extension. The operator is UAB Data troops in Vilnius. Test inside the 14 days and read the credits clause.
What stands out
Formerly Smartproxy
Per GB plans
Money-back window
Where it costs you
Credits expire after twelve months, and refunds for wallet-paid services are returned as credits.
Monthly plans are billed on top of VAT, and pay as you go costs more per GB than any plan.
Right for
Small teams moving from Smartproxy who want per-GB plans with a refund window
Wrong for
Buyers who need a cash refund after the 14 days
LithuaniaPer GB on monthly plans or pay as you go, published; 14-day money-back
Credit-based plans with per-country price tiers and a no-fee Sandbox
Ranked #6 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
A Builder plan costs 200 a month with 200 credits, Team 500, Scale 1,500 and Enterprise 3,000, each with a falling per-GB rate in three country tiers.
Sandbox allows two proxy packages and one team member. SOAX LTD is registered in England and Wales, and the terms were issued in June 2026. Model your country mix before choosing a plan.
What stands out
Credits
Country tiers
Sandbox
Where it costs you
Trials are not offered; Sandbox is a pay-per-use option without included credits.
The rate depends on a country tier, so a mixed-country workload needs a forecast by tier.
Right for
Teams with steady monthly volume across residential and mobile traffic
Wrong for
Occasional users who cannot spend credits within sixty days
United KingdomMonthly plans with prepaid credits, published; Sandbox without subscription
Bulgarian residential and mobile seller with rolling traffic and final sales
Ranked #7 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Pay as you go starts at 1 GB, and the page states unused traffic rolls over and never expires. Plans scale from 7 GB to 1,000 GB, with custom plans from 5 TB.
The terms are issued by SWIFT SAAS LTD in Burgas, and payments may run through merchants of record. Use the 150 MB trial properly, because it is the only evaluation.
What stands out
Rolling GB
All sales final
Mobile proxies
Where it costs you
All sales are final with no money-back guarantee, and cryptocurrency payments are never refundable.
Static residential IPs have a fair-use cap of 100 GB per IP each month.
Right for
Buyers who want rolling per-GB traffic and mobile or static options
Wrong for
Anyone who needs a refund path after a failed purchase
BulgariaPer GB, per IP or per day, published; small paid trial
Port-based rotating residential and dedicated datacenter IPs with unlimited traffic
Ranked #8 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Residential plans are sold by port: 5 ports cost 50 a month and 50 ports 300, each port capped at 50 threads with unlimited bandwidth. Rotation happens every five minutes.
Dedicated datacenter IPs sit in the USA, with replacements allowed twice a month if under 20 percent are banned. Start with the smallest pack and use the refund window.
What stands out
Per port
Unlimited bandwidth
US and EU only
Where it costs you
The 24-hour refund covers only the smallest package of each proxy type.
The site gives no company name or country, and locations are limited to the USA and EU.
Right for
Small jobs needing unmetered traffic on a few residential ports
Wrong for
Buyers who need a named contracting company or global locations
Not stated by the vendorPer port or per proxy each month, published; 24-hour refund on smallest package
Irish unblocking API billed per request, usable through a proxy endpoint
Ranked #9 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Zyte API charges per 1,000 responses, from 0.13 to 1.27 for HTTP bodies and 1.01 to 16.08 for rendered pages on pay as you go. Commitments of 100, 200 and 500 a month lower those rates.
A starter credit of five dollars is offered. Zyte Group Limited is an Irish company, number 492771. Run a sample of your real targets first.
What stands out
Per request
Proxy mode
Irish company
Where it costs you
You buy requests, not IPs, so a plain pool of residential addresses is not on offer.
The cost of a site is shown only after entering its URL, which makes budgeting a guess until tested.
Right for
Developers who want the vendor to handle blocking instead of managing IPs
Wrong for
Buyers who need raw rotating IP lists billed by bandwidth
IrelandPer request by site difficulty tier, published; optional monthly commitment
Credit-based scraping API with proxy rotation, from a monthly plan
Ranked #10 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Plans run from Hobby at 49 a month with 100,000 credits and 20 threads to Advanced with 21.5 million credits, plus custom Enterprise. A seven-day trial gives 5,000 credits without a card.
The terms are written by ScraperAPI LLC and governed by Nevada law, with refunds up to seven days after first purchase. Measure credits per page on your own targets.
What stands out
API credits
Monthly plans
7-day trial
Where it costs you
Credits reset at the end of the billing period and are not refunded or rolled over.
Geotargeting is limited to the US and EU on Hobby and Startup; global arrives with Business.
Right for
Developers who want one endpoint that returns pages without proxy handling
Wrong for
Buyers who want IPs in a specific city or need non-expiring credit
Not stated by the vendorMonthly plans by API credits, published; 7-day trial
Established Vilnius vendor with monthly plans and a long list of blocked targets
Ranked #11 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
A single subscription gives access to all products, from Starter at 30 a month to Flexible at 500, with Enterprise from 2,500. Residential traffic runs from 6 per GB in small tiers to 2.5 from 1,000 GB.
Plans include three proxy users and ten whitelisted IPs. The company publishes a KYC policy and a residential sourcing page. Check the blocklist before paying.
What stands out
Monthly plans
KYC policy
Blocked targets
Where it costs you
All self-service purchases are non-refundable, with a welcome credit as the only test.
The residential network blocks banking, government, streaming, ticketing, mailing and some Google targets.
Right for
Teams with compliance needs and a target outside the blocked list
Wrong for
Buyers wanting a refundable trial or access to restricted domains
LithuaniaMonthly plans and per-GB tiers, published; welcome credit
Largest network by its own claim, with many products behind one account
Ranked #12 of 12 in Best Proxy Services in 2026.
Published pricingMiddle East
Residential offers pay as you go with no commitment, or plans of 141 GB to 798 GB at 499 to 1,999 a month. Country, state, city, ZIP and ASN targeting are free.
Bright Data Ltd is based in Netanya, Israel, with offices in San Francisco and New York. Price a real month of traffic before accepting the promotional rate.
What stands out
400M+ IPs claimed
Many products
Coupon pricing
Where it costs you
The visible rates include a 50 percent coupon, and subscription tiers start at 499 a month.
Many products share one dashboard, so the bill depends on which of them a project ends up using.
Right for
Large data teams needing wide location coverage and several tools together
Wrong for
Small buyers who want a simple price, a single product or no coupon
IsraelPay as you go or monthly plans per GB, published; trial offered
A proxy service routes your web traffic through other IP addresses, residential, mobile or datacenter, so requests appear from another location; providers sell this by traffic, address, port or request. The differences that matter are rarely in the feature list, so this is
the order we would work through them.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
11 of the 12 tools here publish what they cost; the other 1 quote per organisation. The ones you can compare without a sales call: Webshare, IPRoyal, Proxy-Seller, Decodo, SOAX, ProxyEmpire, Storm Proxies, Zyte, ScraperAPI, Oxylabs, Bright Data.
02
Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
These 12 vendors are established in 9 countries across 4 regions (Europe 6, North America 2, Middle East 2, Elsewhere 2). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
How residential proxy services charge: per GB, per IP, per port or per request
Four billing units sit behind the same keyword. Webshare sells datacenter lists per proxy and rotating residential per GB. IPRoyal and Decodo bill residential by the gigabyte. Storm Proxies sells ports with unlimited bandwidth but caps each port at 50 threads. Zyte bills per request by a five-tier difficulty rating, so a hard site costs more than an easy one.
Convert every quote to the cost of your own job before comparing, such as pages per gigabyte or requests per target. A cheap per-GB rate with heavy pages can cost more than a per-request API, and the reverse is also true. Run a sample of real targets on a small purchase, then multiply by your expected monthly volume.
Convert each quote to cost per page for your own targets
Check whether bandwidth, threads or ports are the limited resource
Ask what a hard site costs compared with an easy one
What happens to unused traffic and to your money
Expiry rules differ more than the rates do. IPRoyal says bought traffic is available until you use it. ProxyEmpire states unused pay-as-you-go traffic rolls over. Proxy-Seller residential packs are valid for 30 days, ScraperAPI credits reset each billing period without rollover, and SOAX credits roll over for 60 days.
Decodo credits lapse after twelve months. Refund terms vary just as much: Webshare refunds within two days and under 1GB, Decodo offers a 14-day money-back option, Storm Proxies covers the smallest package for 24 hours, and ProxyEmpire states all sales are final. Read these clauses before you size the first order.
Find the expiry period of purchased traffic or credits
Read the refund window and the usage limit attached to it
Check whether refunds return as cash or as wallet credits
Identity checks, blocked targets and review steps
Several vendors screen buyers or restrict targets, and the cheapest tier is not always open. IPRoyal publishes a KYC policy with checks at registration and at purchase. Rayobyte opens its Scale residential tier only after a compliance review and offers no targeting on it.
Oxylabs lists targets that its residential network blocks, among them banking, government, streaming, ticketing and some Google domains. If your work touches one of these, a low rate is irrelevant. Ask before paying whether your target and use case are allowed, and keep the answer in writing, because a refund clause may not cover a suspension.
Ask whether your target domains are on a blocked list
Check for identity or company verification before purchase
Confirm whether the cheapest tier needs an approval step
Proxy networks versus unblocking APIs
A proxy network gives you IPs and leaves browsers, retries and CAPTCHA handling to you. An API takes that work over. Zyte sells only the API, usable through a proxy-mode endpoint, and ScraperAPI charges API credits with rotation and JavaScript rendering included.
Rayobyte and Bright Data sell both proxies and scraping APIs. APIs shorten setup but you cannot pick a block of addresses, and cost depends on the target. Networks give control and need engineering time. Decide who maintains the scraper over the first ninety days, then choose the product type, not the other way round.
Decide who handles retries, browsers and CAPTCHAs
Check whether the API offers a proxy endpoint for existing code
Compare engineering hours against the extra per-request cost
What goes wrong most often when buying proxy services software
Comparing the cheapest per-GB rate on a vendor page without checking the volume, plan size or commitment it requires.
Buying a large pack before testing, then finding that the refund window is 24 hours, two days or not offered at all.
Choosing a rotating residential pool for a task that needs one stable address, where a static IP is the cheaper tool.
Ignoring the vendor identity: some sites name a company and registered address, while others state neither, which matters for invoices and disputes.
07
Frequently asked questions
6 answers
What is the best proxy services in 2026?
Webshare leads our ranking of 12. Webshare lets a buyer test before paying: the free plan keeps ten shared proxies and 1GB of monthly traffic with no time limit and no card.
Paid datacenter lists start at 100 proxies, rotating residential is sold per GB, and static residential per proxy. Refunds are narrow: two days and almost no usage. Shared proxies are the cheapest option, while private and dedicated ones cost more.
Which proxy services tools publish their pricing?
11 of the 12, with the pricing model each one publishes:
Webshare: Free plan with ten shared proxies; paid plans published per proxy or per GB.
IPRoyal: Pay as you go per GB or per proxy, published; bought traffic does not expire.
Proxy-Seller: Residential per GB with 30-day validity; IPv4 per IP and period; published.
Decodo: Per GB on monthly plans or pay as you go, published; 14-day money-back.
SOAX: Monthly plans with prepaid credits, published; Sandbox without subscription.
ProxyEmpire: Per GB, per IP or per day, published; small paid trial.
Storm Proxies: Per port or per proxy each month, published; 24-hour refund on smallest package.
Zyte: Per request by site difficulty tier, published; optional monthly commitment.
ScraperAPI: Monthly plans by API credits, published; 7-day trial.
Oxylabs: Monthly plans and per-GB tiers, published; welcome credit.
Bright Data: Pay as you go or monthly plans per GB, published; trial offered.
The other 1 quote per organisation.
Is there a free proxy services tool?
Webshare offer a free tier or a free self-hosted edition.
Where are these proxy services vendors established?
In 9 countries across 4 regions: Europe 6, North America 2, Middle East 2, Elsewhere 2.
Webshare: United States.
IPRoyal: United Arab Emirates.
Proxy-Seller: Cyprus.
Rayobyte: United States.
Decodo: Lithuania.
SOAX: United Kingdom.
ProxyEmpire: Bulgaria.
Storm Proxies: Not stated by the vendor.
Zyte: Ireland.
ScraperAPI: Not stated by the vendor.
Oxylabs: Lithuania.
Bright Data: Israel.
What should you use instead of Webshare?
IPRoyal and Proxy-Seller are the next two on this page. IPRoyal is for Irregular scrapers who want traffic that stays valid until it is consumed; Proxy-Seller is for Buyers who need dedicated IPv4 addresses rented for a fixed period.
Who should not buy Webshare?
Buyers who need a contract, an invoice process or a sales contact. Refunds apply only within two days and below 1GB of use on datacenter or static plans, or 0.1GB on rotating residential..
If your proxy services product belongs among these 12, tell us what it does and who it is for. Inclusion is an editorial call; what a listing is and is not is set out under software advice.
