9 BEST Proxy Scraper for Web Scraping (2026)
Are you struggling to find a fast and reliable proxy scraper for web scraping? You might want web scraper proxies to keep an eye on your business competitors, to view your campaign’s success, to gather data for business and personal analysis, and more. In order to scrape accurate web data successfully, you must select a robust and widely trusted proxy site. That’s because if you do not do thorough research and choose an ordinary proxy web scraper API, you will face IP bans, CAPTCHA blocks, geo-restrictions, lags, slow loading, security threats, etc.
Therefore, I spent over 110 hours testing 35+ widely used web scraper proxies and shortlisted the best 7 providers. I tried each of these proxies first hand to bring you my unbiased and transparent opinion. Going through this article, where I have covered their key features, pros and cons and pricing will help you make a well informed decision. Read more…
Oxylabs Web Scraper API is one of the best proxy scraper tools for web scraping. It provides reliable access to public web data at scale, combining advanced proxy management with real-time data delivery.
Best Proxy Scraper for Web Scraping: Top Picks!
| Tool Name | Key Features | Free Trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
![]() Oxylabs |
• AI-powered scraper • No-code datasets • Advanced geotargeting |
7-days | Learn More |
![]() Decodo |
• Scraping task scheduling • Advanced anti-bot protection • Scrapes complex dynamic websites |
7-days | Learn More |
![]() Webshare |
• Can avoid all anti-scraping measures • Maintains consistent and fast speed • Offers 99.97% uptime |
10 free premium proxies | Learn More |
![]() Bright Data |
• Superior CAPTCHA-solving capability • Has AI-powered custom scrapers • Offers unlimited scalability |
7-days | Learn More |
![]() Netnut |
• Premium residential proxy network • High-speed data center proxies • Advanced IP rotation technology |
7-days | Learn More |
![]() PrivateProxy |
• Built-in scraping API for automated data collection • Helpful technical support for API usage and proxy configuration |
2-days | Learn More |
1) Oxylabs
Oxylabs is a premium proxy service that stands out as one of the best proxy web scrapers available today. It offers a vast, ethically sourced proxy network and is ideal for users who need high-quality, reliable data scraping at scale. I found Oxylabs user-friendly, and its no-code datasets were helpful in simplifying intricate web scraping processes without needing extensive programming knowledge.
The platform’s web crawler offers smart page discovery on websites, which ensures you get essential data. It also provides JavaScript rendering, which gives high-quality data extraction from innovative and interactive websites. Developers looking to automate data collection or businesses aiming to leverage big data insights can use its advanced features for scraping needs.
Massive IP pool: 100 Million+ IPs
Geolocation Targeting: access 195+ countries
Site Unblocker: bypass CAPTCHAs and blocks
Free Trial: 7-Days Free Trial
Features:
- Real-Time Tracking: It lets you track product data in real time and helps businesses implement dynamic pricing strategies. I was also able to conduct market research and monitor my company reviews to maintain my brand reputation.
- AI-Powered Scraper API: The integration of AI and machine learning in its scraper API allows more efficient and faster data extraction. It helped me to put in my own prompt and even provided ready-to-use code. However, I noticed the setup is not beginner-friendly; therefore, get a tech-savvy user or support to help you if it’s too challenging.
- CAPTCHA Bypass: This tool helped me gather accurate data without any roadblocks like CAPTCHAs or IP bans. This feature includes automatic retries, which ensure uninterrupted data retrieval.
- Advanced Geotargeting: I was able to scrape data from specific geographical locations, ensuring the proxies provided relevant and localized content. This feature helped me tremendously in location-based scraping tasks, especially in digital marketing work.
- Proxy Health Monitoring: Oxylabs offers real-time proxy health monitoring, so all the proxies I used were reliable and fast. However, the monitoring tool once flagged a proxy as unhealthy even when it was functioning perfectly. This could happen due to network hiccups or temporary connectivity issues.
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Here are the most affordable proxies offered by Oxylabs:
| DataCenter Proxies | ISP Proxies | Residential Proxies |
|---|---|---|
| $1.2/ IP | $1.6/IP | $4/GB |
Free Trial: 7-days
7-Days Free Trial
2) Decodo
Decodo, earlier known as SmartProxy, lets you gather large amounts of pre-structured data from any website. It comes with a full-stack web scraping tool that lets you make infinite requests per second and supports 195+ locations across the globe. It easily scrapes SERP, ecommerce, web, and social media.
I was really impressed with its readymade scraper templates that are available in JSON, HTML, and CSV, which I could customize as well. These pre-set parameters helped me save alot of time and access the necessary data within seconds. Users who are new to scraping can also get the support team’s assistance- they are responsive and will walk you through the process step-by-step.
Massive IP pool: 125 Million+ IPs
Geolocation Targeting: access 195+ countries
Site Unblocker: bypass region‑based content
Free Trial: 7-Days Free Trial
Features:
- Task Scheduling: You can use the Decodo web scraper to schedule your scraping tasks ahead of time. Once completed, it sends you an email notification, making your scraping convenient and straightforward.
- Unlock Anti-bot Protection: Since its scraping API can integrate with browser fingerprints, I hardly faced bot protection restrictions. This leads to seamless data collection by bypassing anti-bot measurements.
- On-Demand Results: You can choose between synchronous and asynchronous requests for the target websites. Therefore, small business owners and automation enthusiasts who want quick, real-time data can use Decodo for efficient.
- Easy Integration: This web scraper proxy lets you set it up with code examples on GitHub and Postman Collections. I also followed its official Quick Start guide, which helped me with setup tips.
- JavaScript Rendering: It can access fully loaded content, including the data that is fetched asynchronously with the help of JavaScript rendering. Hence, data analysts can use it to scrape even complex dynamic websites that are usually inaccessible.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the lowest monthly Core plans offered by Dedoco (they are billed with VAT):
| 90K Requests | 700K Requests | 2M Requests |
|---|---|---|
| $29 | $99 | $249 |
Free Trial: 7-day free trial (users who want to try it for a longer period can opt for its 14-day money-back guarantee)
7-Days Free Trial
3) Webshare
Webshare is one of the top web scraping proxies that help avoid IP bans. It lets you harvest public data, and its rotating IP addresses helped me bypass anti-scraping systems effortlessly. I noticed that it also facilitates geo-specific content which enhances data collection.
I could view all the data analytics from one place on its dashboard. However, its data center proxies weren’t as reliable as other proxy options.
Features:
- Avoid Rate Limits: It helps manage request rates and lets you avoid any anti-scraping mechanisms set by websites. Hence, I could even scrape from financial websites and content-heavy sites like directories.
- Supported Protocols: This proxy scarper for web scraping supports SOCKS5 and HTTP proxy protocols. Using the SOCKS5 proxy, I received almost bulletproof anonymity since it keeps you safe from DNS and header leaks, plus scans open ports. On the other hand, I could integrate HTTP with any app without any extra charges.
- Download Proxy List: It offers a download link instead and the complex integrations are provided via the API. Additionally, I could customize the list by choosing my own authentication method and protocol.
- Dedicated Proxy: Using the dedicated proxy, you will never have to share your resources. They are an excellent choice for handling fast traffic from worldwide. Moreover, its dedicated Gigabit line makes the connection stable.
- Fastest Proxies: Webshare offers one of the fastest web scraping proxies that are constantly monitored. Therefore, if any proxy’s speed drops below 500Mbps, it’s detected within 5 minutes. However, the download speed is anywhere between 800Mbps and 950Mbps.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are some of the most affordable monthly plans offered by Webshare:
| 100 proxies | 1000 proxies | 5000 proxies |
|---|---|---|
| $2.99 | $26.91 | $119.60 |
Free Trial: 10 free premium proxies
10 free proxies
4) Bright Data
Bright Data has dedicated endpoints that can extract fresh data from over 120 widely known domains. The scraping is entirely compliant and ethical, providing structured data in JSON or CSV. I also like that it can manage bulk requests, handling up to 5000 URLs.
Built for SEO professionals, data analysts, researchers, digital marketers, etc., its JavaScript rendering and CAPTCHA-solving capability make it a highly robust and effective tool. I also used its automatic IP rotation to avoid bans in lengthy sessions.
Massive IP pool: 150 Million+ IPs
Geolocation Targeting: Access 195 countries
Site Unblocker: Helps bypass geo-blocks and restrictions
Free Trial: 7-Day Free Trial
Features:
- Built-In Infrastructure: Its infrastructure provides maximum control and flexibility. Thus enabling it to unblock sites with superior CAPTCHAs and other restrictions. In fact, I was able to scrape from sites like Amazon, Walmart, LinkedIn, Craigslist, etc., which are known for having heavy CAPTCHAs. Hence, e-commerce sellers can also benefit from it.
- Performance and Targeting: You get 99.95% uptime, and it lets you access 150M+ IPs and covers 195 countries. It can target locations on the city level, meaning I could extract information from even the most niche regional sites for my business.
- AI-Powered Custom Scrapers: This AI-powered tool helped me create custom schedules to automate the data flow. It can analyse your request and deliver a personalized schema. Later, you can connect with the Bright Data experts and receive the exact required data.
- High Stability: You get unmatched stability while web scraping. Thus, using its production-ready APIs, I was able to leave my scraping on autopilot. However, a certain website changed their layout during autopilot session and my scraping was interrupted. I recommend using a robust error handling system for adapting with such sudden updates to eliminate this issue.
- Scalability: It offers unlimited scalability allow you to effortlessly increase the size of your scarping project as per your requirement. I was amazed at how the performance and speed weren’t affected as I scaled up the website scraping. Moreover, it ensured that my data was valid without needing me to check it manually.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the most affordable plans offered by Bright Data:
| Pay As You Go | Growth | Business |
|---|---|---|
| $1.5/1k Records | $499/Month | $999/Month |
Free Trial: 7-days
7-Day Free Trial
5) NetNut
NetNut stands out as a high-performance rotating proxy provider that delivers exceptional speed and reliability for enterprise-level data operations. I’ve found it particularly impressive for large-scale scraping projects where speed and success rates are critical. With over 85 million residential IPs spanning 195+ countries, it ensures seamless access to any website while bypassing complex anti-bot systems. What truly sets NetNut apart is its patented one-hop architecture that eliminates peer-to-peer intermediaries, resulting in ultra-fast connections and minimal failure rates.
The NetNut infrastructure leverages advanced reflection technology, especially optimized for US-based traffic, which I’ve found significantly reduces latency and improves data extraction efficiency. The platform’s hybrid network combines ISP and residential proxies to deliver maximum uptime and performance. During my testing, I noticed consistent response times and virtually no session drops, making it ideal for time-sensitive automation tasks and continuous data feeds.
Massive IP pool: 85 Million+ IPs
Geolocation Targeting: Access 195 countries
Site Unblocker: Easily bypass CAPTCHAs, reCAPTCHAs, & Bot Detection Systems
Free Trial: 7-Days Free Trial
Features:
- Global Rotating IP Network: NetNut provides access to 85M+ rotating residential IPs with precise geo-targeting across 195+ countries. You can filter by country, state, or city for localized data extraction. This extensive coverage helped me access region-specific content that was previously blocked, especially when monitoring international e-commerce pricing.
- Patented One-Hop Architecture: Unlike traditional proxy networks, NetNut’s unique infrastructure ensures direct-to-IP connections without peer device intermediaries. This results in faster response times and higher success rates. I experienced up to 40% faster data extraction compared to conventional proxy services during bulk scraping operations.
- Advanced CAPTCHA & Anti-Bot Evasion: The platform automatically bypasses CAPTCHAs, reCAPTCHAs, and sophisticated bot detection systems using intelligent IP rotation and real-time adaptation. This feature saved me countless hours by eliminating manual CAPTCHA solving during large-scale data collection projects.
- Unlimited Concurrent Sessions: NetNut supports infinite simultaneous connections with zero session limits, making it perfect for massive web scraping operations. I successfully ran over 1,000 concurrent threads without any performance degradation or connection drops.
- Flexible Session Management: Choose between rotating IPs for maximum anonymity or sticky sessions for consistent access. Session persistence can be maintained from minutes to hours based on your requirements. This flexibility proved invaluable when managing multi-step authentication processes.
- Real-Time Analytics Dashboard: Monitor proxy performance, usage statistics, and success rates through NetNut’s intuitive dashboard and comprehensive API. The real-time insights helped me optimize my scraping strategies and identify potential bottlenecks before they impacted operations.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are NetNut’s main pricing plans:
| Proxy Type | Starting Price |
|---|---|
| Rotating Residential Proxies | $1.59 |
| Static Residential Proxies | $3.82 |
| Datacenter Proxies | $0.45 |
| Mobile Proxies | $3.82 |
Free trial: 7 days
7-Days Free Trial
6) PrivateProxy
PrivateProxy delivers enterprise-grade residential proxy solutions specifically engineered for web scraping and data collection tasks requiring stable access and pristine IP reputation. Unlike bundled scraping APIs, PrivateProxy focuses exclusively on providing high-quality proxy infrastructure that integrates seamlessly with existing scraping tools and custom scripts.
The service excels in supporting users who need dependable proxy infrastructure for scraping public data, monitoring websites, and running research workflows without frequent IP bans or access interruptions. I found the platform particularly effective for long-duration scraping sessions, where maintaining consistent IP addresses proved crucial for data continuity.
Massive IP pool: 200 Million+ IPs
Geolocation Targeting: Access 195+ countries
Site Unblocker: Bypass geo-blocks/anti-bot systems
Free Trial: 2-Day Free Trial
Features:
- Multiple Proxy Types for Web Scraping: Choose between Residential and Datacenter proxies to match your scraping complexity, target website sensitivity, and required scale. I tested both options across different websites and found the flexibility invaluable for optimizing performance and cost-effectiveness. This dual approach allows you to select the most appropriate proxy type based on specific scraping requirements and budget considerations.
- Residential Proxies for High-Detection Targets: Access genuine residential IPs sourced from real internet service providers to significantly reduce blocks and CAPTCHAs when scraping websites with strict anti-bot systems. During my evaluation of protected e-commerce sites, the residential proxies maintained consistent access where datacenter IPs failed. This authentic IP sourcing ensures your scraping operations appear as legitimate user traffic to target websites.
- Datacenter Proxies for High-Volume Scraping: Leverage high-speed datacenter proxies at lower costs, making them perfect for large-scale scraping of less sensitive websites and public data sources. I successfully processed thousands of pages per hour using datacenter proxies for news aggregation and public directory scraping. The superior speed and cost-efficiency make these ideal for bulk data collection projects with tight deadlines.
- Static and Rotating Options: Utilize Static Residential (ISP) proxies for long, uninterrupted scraping sessions, while Rotating Residential proxies distribute requests across multiple IPs for broader coverage and enhanced anonymity. I found static proxies excellent for session-based scraping, while rotating options proved invaluable for large-scale data harvesting across multiple targets simultaneously.
- Protocol Compatibility: Seamlessly integrate with scraping frameworks and custom scripts through comprehensive support for SOCKS5, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols. I tested integration with popular scraping tools like Scrapy and BeautifulSoup, experiencing flawless compatibility across all protocol options. This flexibility ensures your existing scraping infrastructure works without modification or complex configuration changes.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Choose from flexible pricing plans designed for different scraping needs and usage patterns:
| Static Residential (ISP) | Rotating Residential | Rotating ISP | Static Datacenter | Rotating Datacenter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5/IP/month | $10/10GB/month | $5/10GB/month | $3/month | $59/month |
Free Trial: 2-day free trial available—test proxy performance with your scraping tools!
2-Days Free Trial
7) Shifter
Shifter offers an advanced REST API for web scraping. It can collect data from any website, scales automatically, and bypasses anti-bot systems. This proxy scraper can be activated instantly, giving you immediate access once you sign up. Additionally, I found it quite easy to configure–something web scraping enthusiasts will love.
Users who want to compare trip fares, product prices, collect financial data, analyze real estate websites, and gather customer reviews for better insights can rely on Shifter for auto-scraping. However, it is yet to provide fast rotating proxies– once they are available, you can expect more advanced scraping.
Features:
- Bypass Blocks: Built purely for scraping, this affordable API offers JavaScript rendering, auto-retries, CAPTCHA clearing, and browser fingerprinting. Hence, small business owners with a tight budget don’t need to hire developers to build custom scrapers.
- Reliable Performance: It uses a top-quality cloud and network setup to deliver the fastest results. Therefore, I faced only minimal downtime over a period of 30 days. Overall, it is reliable for handling large-scale operations, even if it is slightly slow at times.
- Session Parameter: The session parameter allows you to use the same proxy for multiple requests. I simply added the session parameter’s value as an integer and then created a new session, which allowed me to continue using the same proxy. However, the session expires within 5 minutes of the last usage.
- Forced Timeout: Using the Shifter web scraping proxy, I didn’t get stuck in long timeouts that occurred due to slow loading of some esoteric part of the DOM, third-party scripts, etc. With forced timeout, it returned all the HTML content that had been successfully loaded within a specific timeframe.
- Extraction Rules: I used its extraction rule parameters to scrape sites. You can use these extraction rules with both enabling and disabling JavaScript rendering. These rules allow you to gather more targeted data, ensure consistency, and simplify post processing.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the best monthly plans offered by Shifter’s Special Rotating Proxies for web scraping API:
| 5 Special Rotating Proxies | 10 Special Rotating Proxies | 25 Special Rotating Proxies |
|---|---|---|
| $199.99 | $299.99 | $599.99 |
Free Trial: 7-days
7-Day Free Trial
8) RayoByte
RayoByte is a web scraper API designed to simplify large volume of data scraping. It is an excellent choice for digital marketing agencies, SEO analysts and content aggregators. I could use this API to manage proxies, browsers and bypass CAPTCHAs.
Its exceptional speed helped me scrape most of the websites in 5 seconds, including sites like Amazon. Additionally, I rarely faced IP blocks, making most of my scraping successful in the first attempt.
Features:
- Dedicated and Semi-Dedicated: I received both dedicated and semi-dedicated proxies with RayoByte. Its dedicated proxies offer optimum speed and avoid almost all website bans. On the other hand, up to 3 of my colleagues could use the semi-dedicated proxies, and they support both HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols.
- Rotating Proxies: Its web scraping rotating proxies switch IP addresses every 10 minutes. I received a single IP address with multiple port numbers. However, let’s say, if you pay for 100 rotating ports, you will get up to 2000 unique IPs in your pool.
- Static Proxies: These proxies include dedicated, semi-dedicated, ISP, and semi-ISP web scraper proxies. They do not change or rotate consistently, but I found out that they have an auto-rotation option that rotates the proxies every 30 days. Such proxies are an excellent choice for consistent crawling and whitelisting.
- IPV6 Proxies: Compared to the usual IPV4, IPV6 proxies offer a larger pool of IPs. Making them great for bypassing rate limits and detection while web scraping. Hence, they helped me scrape product prices of Charles & Keith in the USA versus Singapore. However, currently, RayboByte doesn’t offer rotating IPV6 proxies.
- Easy-to-use Dashboard: RayoByte has an easy-to-use dashboard that lets you manually replace proxies, set locations, etc. Thus simplifying my proxy management, usage tracking, troubleshooting, and much more, leading to efficient web scraping.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the plans offered by RayoByte:
| Starter | Business | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Free 5000 scrapes | $0.0018/Scrape (500k Scrapes) | Contact Support (500K+ Scrapes) |
Free Trial: 7-days
7-Day Free Trial
9) ProxyJet
ProxyJet provides cost-effective proxies for web scraping, such as data centers, rotating residential, static residential, and mobile proxies. This web scraper proxy helped me scrape multiple datasets in a short span of time without CAPTCHA interruptions, plus it verifies ads.
It lets you access 75M+ IPs, provides 99.9% uptime, and has a response time of 0.3 seconds, thus allowing me to scrape with high speed. I could also integrate it easily with tools like Scrapy, Octoparse, Incogniton, Multilogin, Puppeteer, APIFY, and more.
Features:
- Data Collection: It is optimized for large-scale data collection that supports various use cases. So you can use it for price monitoring, SEO analysis, freelance, and personal use data analysis. I found its infrastructure quite robust and efficient, with minimal lag here and there.
- Proxy Routing: ProxyJet’s advanced proxy routing directs the traffic via optimal paths. This enhances its speed and reliability during heavy scraping sessions, offering consistent outcomes most of the time.
- Traffic Limits: You get generous traffic limits that can accommodate high-volume data transfer. Therefore, users who want to perform extensive web scraping can do it without worrying.
- Dashboard and Reporting: I liked its comprehensive dashboard and reporting tools that offered me detailed insights into performance metrics, usage, and key indicators. Some of the data interpretation could take time to get accustomed to. However, using it for over three days helped a beginner in our team understand it better.
- Comprehensive Security: If you are worried about safety while web scraping, you must know that it supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5. Moreover, it has multiple authentication and IP whitelisting, which provides enhanced security with layered protection.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the Regular plans offered by ProxyJet for 500GB bandwidth. (You can adjust the bandwidth yourself and pay accordingly)
| Residential Rotating | Static Residential | Mobile Residential |
|---|---|---|
| $780 | $1650 | $2500 |
Free Trial: You may get 1 GB for a free trial
Link: https://proxyjet.io/use-cases/scraping-and-data-collection/
Comparison Table
Here’s a comparison table of all of the above tools to give you a quick overall view:
| Features | Oxylabs | Decodo | Webshare | Bright Data | NetNut | PrivateProxy | Shifter Pocket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotating Residential Proxies | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Mobile Proxies | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Geotargeting (Country/City/ASN) | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| CAPTCHA & Anti-Bot Bypass | ✔️ | ✔️ | Limited | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Unlimited Bandwidth | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | Limited | Limited | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Tips to Overcome Challenges of Proxy Scrapers
Using proxy scrapers can lead to some challenges, hence I have listed the common issues and how to solve them below:
- Issue: There is a risk of getting blocked when using any type of proxy
Solution: Using rotating proxies with different IPs and user agents for each request helps maintain anonymity and disguises scraping activity. - Issue: There are times when the proxy response gets slow
Solution: You must regularly validate proxies and remove slow ones from the pool. I suggest you use faster proxies– obviously, or establish a smaller, high-quality proxy pool that will maintain the speed. - Issue: The website you want to scrape might have heavy CAPTCHA and anti-scraping mechanisms
Solution: You can integrate CAPTCHA-solving services or use advanced techniques such as browser automation to bypass them. It also helps if you regularly change IP addresses to avoid triggering these security measures. - Issue: It’s common to have IPs blacklisted and be unable to scrape
Solution: The private proxies and paid services with dedicated IPs do not get blacklisted as much as free proxies. Also, you must frequently rotate and validate proxy lists to make sure they remain new and reliable. - Issue: You have a limited proxy pool size, or you selected a proxy with less number of IPs
Solution: The obvious solution is to purchase more proxies from providers. You can also keep an eye on the proxy quality so that you don’t sacrifice performance for quantity. - Issue: The proxy anonymity level could be low, depending on what you opted for
Solution: You must always choose proxies with high anonymity (elite proxies) that also offer strong security and privacy. If you regularly audit proxies, it will also help meet your anonymity requirements. - Issue: You may face proxy failures and downtime from time to time
Solution: Use automatic proxy rotation and fallback mechanisms to minimize such downtimes. You must also get a robust system that can detect proxy failures and switch immediately to another one. - Issue: The data scraping speed might not meet your requirements
Solution: If you optimize the scraper code using non-blocking requests or threading to process multiple proxies at the same time, it will help maximize efficiency. - Issue: Geolocation restrictions are quite common while using proxies
Solution: Using proxies with specific geolocations and considering the services that allow geotargeting can help with this issue. I also suggest filtering proxies based on their geographic location before you use them. - Issue: The proxy might have a health issue that can interrupt the functionality
Solution: You must regularly monitor proxies to ensure they remain functional and fresh. Always do a proactive health check–it also reduces downtime and improves scraping performance. - Issue: Scraping frequency adjustment may lead to undesirable speed or frequency mismatches
Solution: Adjust the scraping frequency as per the target website’s response time. Sometimes, slower scraping intervals may be necessary to avoid detection and a smooth process.
Types of Proxies with Their Strengths and Weaknesses for Web Scraping
Here’s a breakdown of different types of proxies that are commonly used for web scraping- along with their strengths and weaknesses. I have created this list to help you choose the best fit for your business use case:
1. Datacenter Proxies
Strengths:
🚀 They run at an exceptionally high speed and have low latency.
💸 These proxies are one of the most cost-effective solutions.
📈 If you deal with high-volume tasks, data center proxies are the best option.
Weakness:
🚫 The issues with these proxies are that they are prone to detection and blocking.
👥 The shared IPs of datacenter proxies might have already been flagged due to easy detection.
Best Use Case:
I recommend using them to scrape non-sensitive sites such as product listings, public data, websites with low anti-robot protection, etc. They’re best for businesses that want to monitor prices and data analysts who need to collect large amounts of data.
2. Residential Proxies
Strengths:
🕵️♂️ With these proxies, you get real user IPs, making them highly anonymous.
🌍 Their geotargeting functionality is highly efficient.
🛡️ These proxies are great for bypassing blocks, bans, and even anti-bot restrictions
Weakness:
💲 They lie on the expensive end of the spectrum
🐢 If you are looking for fast speed then residential proxies might not be right for you. Since even if they are excellent for masking your identity, the speed is moderate.
Best Use Case:
They are best for scraping e-commerce sites, social media, SERP,s and travel sites. These proxies mimic real users; hence, you can also use them for digital marketing, SEO monitoring, and more.
3. Mobile Proxies
Strengths:
📱 They rotate via 4G/LTE networks, which means they have high speed.
✅ They are trusted by most websites since they provide real mobile carrier IP addresses.
🎯 Due to the real dynamic IP addresses, mobile proxies aren’t prone to blocking.
Weakness:
🏷️ The mobile proxies are effective, but they come at a high cost.
🐌 They are not ideal for users looking for quick scraping, as they can be quite slow at times.
💧 The bandwidth on mobile proxies is usually limited as they rely on mobile networks that often share resources.
Best Use Case:
It is best for sneaker sites, ad verification, app access, and CAPTCHA-heavy targets with advanced detection systems.
4. ISP (Static Residential) Proxies
Strengths:
🧍♂️ These proxies are similar to residential IPs, but they are much faster.
🛡️ The anonymity is high for a decent amount of time, so they are quite reliable for scraping on high-detection sites as well.
Weakness:
💰 The pricing is fairly high when it comes to ISPs, as they provide both anonymity and speed.
⚖️ Some users may not be fond of it as they get blocked over time since they have a limited IP pool.
Best Use Case:
If you are looking for long scraping sessions, ISP proxies are a good choice. You can also use it for login scraping and social networks.
5. Free Proxies (Public/Open)
Strengths:
💵 They are available at no cost, as their name suggests.
🌍 These proxies are often distributed globally.
Weakness:
❌ They are highly unreliable since they are free, and many proxies are already banned and may get blocked.
⚠️ They pick up malware easily and offer honeypots that lead to threats.
Best Use Case:
It’s a good option for students and one-off tasks, but it must not be used for long sessions and serious scraping.
Data Security and Ethical Considerations in Web Scraping
The data security and ethical considerations for scraping the web include respecting the terms of service and privacy policies of the websites. When you are scraping data, always avoid violating intellectual property rights, accessing sensitive information, and bypassing paywalls without permission. You must also minimize the load on servers by using rate-limiting and rotating proxies to prevent overburdening on systems. Additionally, scraped data should be used responsibly, especially if it’s personal information. Moreover, you must make sure that it complies with data protection laws like GDPR. Never scrape with malicious intent, such as for data theft, and always consider ethical boundaries in all your activities.
FAQs
Verdict
After carefully evaluating the above tools, I would like to recommend the following top three tools based on my experience:
- Oxylabs: Its high anonymity and AI-powered scraping make it one of my top picks.
- Decodo: It offers task scheduling for web scraping for convenience and has advanced unblocking capability for anti-bot protections.
- Webshare: This proxy can bypass high-level anti-scraping systems and can extract data from content-heavy websites.
Oxylabs Web Scraper API is one of the best proxy scraper tools for web scraping. It provides reliable access to public web data at scale, combining advanced proxy management with real-time data delivery.








