10 Best Proxy Servers in 2026: A Complete Comparison Guide

Looking for the right proxy server to power your next online project? You're in the right place. Finding a solid proxy solution with high success rates, fast speeds, and unlimited bandwidth can feel overwhelming with so many options out there. Let me walk you through the best proxy servers available today and help you figure out which one actually fits your needs.

Why Choosing the Right Proxy Server Matters

The proxy market has matured significantly over the past few years. New providers pop up constantly, each claiming to be the fastest, cheapest, or most reliable option available. The problem? Many of them overpromise and underdeliver.

Most online tasks today require some type of proxy to function properly. Whether you're scraping data, managing multiple accounts, or accessing geo-restricted content, you need proxies that actually work. As someone who's tested dozens of proxy services, I've done the research so you don't have to waste time and money on subpar options.

In this guide, I'll break down the top proxy server services on the market, their best use cases, and what makes them stand out. If you're working with web scraping, automation, or need reliable proxy infrastructure, 👉 check out affordable residential and datacenter proxy options that won't break your budget to get started quickly.

1. Bright Data — Premium Web Scraping Powerhouse

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 98.38%

• Download speed: 34.74 Mbps

• Response time: 192 ms

• IP pool: Over 72 million IPs

• Coverage: 190+ countries

• Starting price: $8.4/GB per month

Bright Data stands out as one of the fastest residential proxy networks available, delivering download speeds around 34 Mbps. If you need proxies specifically for web scraping operations, this is your go-to service.

The network offers genuinely undetectable residential proxies that can access virtually any site without getting flagged. With over 72 million IPs in their pool, it's one of the largest networks available. I've personally used their proxies for data extraction projects, and the results consistently exceed expectations.

During performance testing across multiple providers, Bright Data delivered the highest unique IP count at 80%, outperforming competitors like Oxylabs and Decodo. They support global coverage across all countries and major cities. Their session control capabilities are among the best in the market, allowing you to maintain the same IP for extended periods when needed.

2. Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) — Cost-Effective Residential Proxies

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 98.97%

• Download speed: 36.84 Mbps

• Response time: 189 ms

• IP pool: Over 55 million IPs

• Coverage: 190+ countries

• Starting price: $7/GB per month

Decodo delivers premium residential proxy quality without the premium price tag. With over 55 million IP addresses and download speeds hitting 36 Mbps, they offer one of the best quality-to-cost ratios in the market.

Their location coverage spans over 195 countries, and you can use geo-targeting to pull IPs from specific regions. For US locations, you can even narrow down to specific states. The proxies rotate by default, changing IPs after each request, but they also support sticky sessions that maintain the same IP for up to 30 minutes.

Speed-wise, Decodo ranks as one of the fastest residential proxy networks with a 189 ms response time. The proxies are highly undetectable and work across a wide range of use cases.

3. Proxy-Seller — Best ISP Proxy Option

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 95.86%

• Download speed: 57 Mbps

• Response time: 215 ms

• Coverage: 15+ countries

• Bandwidth: Unlimited

• Starting price: $3 per proxy/month

Proxy-Seller has built a reputation for high-quality private proxies, but their ISP proxy offerings are where they truly shine. Test results show download speeds of 57 Mbps with a 95.86% success rate—impressive numbers for this proxy type.

ISP proxies, also called static residential proxies, combine the speed of datacenter proxies with the undetectability of residential IPs. Currently, Proxy-Seller offers solid location support with over 15 countries available for their ISP proxy service.

What sets this provider apart is flexible pricing. You're not locked into buying bulk quantities or long-term commitments. You can purchase as little as one proxy for just one week. The more you buy in terms of quantity or duration, the cheaper the per-proxy cost becomes. I've used their proxies for streaming Netflix and online gaming with excellent performance—the low ping rates make them perfect for tasks requiring fast connection speeds.

4. Soax — Residential Mobile Proxy Network

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 95.17%

• Download speed: 24.93 Mbps

• Response time: 253 ms

• IP pool: Over 155 million IPs

• Coverage: 100+ countries

• Starting price: $99 for 15GB/month

Soax has quickly established itself as a top-tier provider despite being relatively new to the market. Their rotating mobile proxy pool includes over 155 million IP addresses, making it one of the largest mobile networks available.

Performance testing shows a 95.17% success rate with speeds around 24.93 Mbps. The proxies rotate automatically, changing IPs after defined time intervals. One standout feature is their pool maintenance—Soax regularly audits their network to remove bad and inactive IPs, which reduces retry rates and connection failures.

The pricing sits on the higher end at $99 minimum to get started, but they do offer pay-as-you-go options that can make it more affordable for smaller projects.

5. Nimbleway — Enterprise-Grade Solution

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 97.18%

• Download speed: 34.36 Mbps

• Response time: 201 ms

• Coverage: 190+ countries

• Starting price: $600 for 75GB/month

Nimble residential proxies excel at web scraping tasks, whether you're extracting data from e-commerce sites like Amazon or social media platforms like Instagram. Their high-rotation residential proxies power automation bots effectively.

They achieve some of the highest scraping success rates in the industry while maintaining fast speeds. Unlike providers that advertise their IP pool size, Nimble keeps that information private. However, performance testing with over 500K requests reveals they clearly have millions of IPs available.

Location support includes all countries with state and city-level targeting available. The catch? This service targets medium to large projects exclusively, with a minimum commitment of $600 for 75GB of usage per month.

6. IPRoyal — Bandwidth That Never Expires

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 83.18%

• Download speed: 7.36 Mbps

• Response time: 212 ms

• IP pool: Over 2 million IPs

• Coverage: 190+ countries

• Starting price: $7/GB per month

IPRoyal offers a unique value proposition: purchased bandwidth never expires unless you use it. Buy 10GB and use it over several months until it runs out. Even better, it's currently one of the cheapest residential proxy options at $7 per GB, with bulk discounts bringing costs down further.

The tradeoff? Features are stripped to essentials. IPRoyal's pool contains only about 2 million IP addresses, which raises questions about effectiveness for large-scale projects where IP rotation matters. Speed performance at 7.36 Mbps also lags behind premium providers. However, the IPs remain undetectable and work for numerous tasks.

7. Proxy-Cheap — Most Affordable Residential Proxies

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 93.01%

• Download speed: 21.76 Mbps

• Response time: 273 ms

• IP pool: Over 6.9 million IPs

• Coverage: 127+ countries

• Starting price: $5/GB per month

The name says it all—Proxy-Cheap focuses squarely on affordability. At just $5 per GB, it's currently the cheapest trustworthy residential proxy network available. Bulk purchases drive the per-GB cost down to as low as $3.

Despite the budget pricing, quality remains solid. The proxies work just as effectively and undetectably as higher-priced alternatives. The main limitation is speed, with average performance around 21.76 Mbps based on testing. That's acceptable for many use cases but noticeably slower than premium providers.

The proxy pool contains over 7 million IPs with coverage across 127+ countries. When you need reliable residential proxies for scraping, automation, or geo-unblocking without spending a fortune, 👉 Proxy-Cheap delivers exceptional value with rotating and sticky proxy options that maintain sessions for up to 30 minutes.

Proxy-Cheap also allows you to generate unlimited proxy endpoints without additional fees, giving you flexibility in how you structure your connections.

8. ProxyEmpire — Bandwidth Rollover Support

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 92.47%

• Download speed: 24.29 Mbps

• Response time: 208 ms

• IP pool: Over 8 million IPs

• Coverage: 190+ countries

• Starting price: $15/GB per month

Most residential proxy providers enforce bandwidth expiration dates with no rollover. ProxyEmpire solves this problem—when your bandwidth expires, it rolls over to your next purchase period automatically.

The service offers over 8 million IPs with support for 100+ countries globally. Like most residential proxies, the IPs rotate randomly but also support sticky sessions for limited durations.

The proxies work well, but pricing feels high at rates similar to top-tier providers like Bright Data and Decodo. Testing shows a 92.47% success rate and 24.29 Mbps speeds—solid performance but not quite matching premium tier standards. The bandwidth rollover feature justifies the premium for users who need it, but those who don't may find better value elsewhere.

9. Shifter — Unlimited Bandwidth Option

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 94.87%

• Download speed: 24.91 Mbps

• Response time: 259 ms

• IP pool: Over 31 million IPs

• Coverage: 190+ countries

• Starting price: $199 for 5 special ports/month

Shifter (formerly Microleaves) has operated since 2011, making it one of the oldest proxy services around. Their unique selling point? Unlimited bandwidth—the only top-tier provider offering this model.

While other providers charge based on bandwidth limits, Shifter prices by port count. Each port gives you access to their pool of over 31 million IP addresses. Every port gets assigned a different IP that rotates every 5 minutes or at your specified interval.

Location targeting allows you to select IPs from specific regions, making it excellent for accessing geo-restricted content. The main barrier is pricing—you need at least $200 to start using this service.

10. Oxylabs — Largest Residential Proxy Pool

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 94.52%

• Download speed: 31.94 Mbps

• Response time: 267 ms

• IP pool: Over 100 million IPs

• Coverage: 190+ countries

• Starting price: $15/GB per month

Oxylabs operates the largest proxy pool in the market with over 100 million residential IPs—no other provider comes close. Test results show download speeds of 31.94 Mbps, though the success rate runs slightly lower than some competitors.

Their massive pool makes IP rotation incredibly effective and efficient. Combined with the undetectability of their residential IPs, these proxies excel at web scraping. I've used Oxylabs to scrape some of the most challenging websites—from Google to Instagram to Booking.com—with consistently strong results.

Beyond high-rotation proxies, they offer sticky ports that maintain sessions for up to 30 minutes. Pricing starts at $15/GB with pay-as-you-go options, becoming more economical as you scale up usage.

11. Netnut — Top Static Residential Proxies

Key Stats:

• Average success rate: 99.99%

• IP pool: Over 52 million IPs

• Coverage: All countries globally

• Starting price: $20 for 350GB/month

NetNut combines ISP and P2P proxy networks to deliver unmatched speed, anonymity, and performance. With one of the largest IP pools and broadest coverage in the market, NetNut helps businesses reach global markets effortlessly.

Their advanced geo-targeting mechanisms easily bypass even the smallest geo-restrictions. Notable features include seamless browser integration for automatic proxy rotation and a dynamic P2P network guaranteeing 24/7 availability with nearly 100% uptime.

Customer service remains top-notch with dedicated account managers handling technical and non-technical issues. Pricing starts at just $20 monthly for 350GB, with a 7-day free trial included—an incredible offer for such a premium service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is faster—VPN or proxy?

Proxies typically run faster than VPNs because they lack the encryption overhead. However, exceptions exist. Mobile proxy networks using P2P devices with double routing sometimes average under 50 Mbps, while top-tier VPN services exceed that mark. Still, private datacenter proxies generally outpace even the best VPNs.

Are free proxy servers worth using?

In most cases, no. Free proxy lists scraped from websites typically result from hacks or user errors. After testing numerous free proxies, I've found they pose security, privacy, and performance risks. They're usually slow, unreliable, and may monitor your activity. Instead of free proxies, invest in affordable options from reputable providers.

Will my proxies get detected?

Detection depends on the proxy type, target website, and use case. Datacenter proxies get detected easily because they use hosting IPs. Some providers have compromised networks with flagged IPs. Top websites invest in anti-spam systems that identify low-quality proxies effectively.

To avoid detection, invest in undetectable proxies—premium residential or mobile proxies from top providers work best for maintaining anonymity.

Making Your Choice

Proxy servers unlock the modern internet by bypassing restrictions and enabling automated tasks. Success depends on matching the right proxy type to your specific needs. Different tasks require different proxy configurations—using the wrong type can sabotage your entire project.

I've covered the top proxy service providers where you can purchase reliable proxy servers for your next project. Whether you need high-speed datacenter proxies, rotating residential IPs, or specialized mobile proxies, there's a solution here that fits your requirements and budget.