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Decodo is our top pick for developer teams that need a broad hosted scraping stack and approachable integrations. Bright Data and Oxylabs suit teams building larger managed data pipelines, while Webshare and IPRoyal offer lower listed starting prices for narrower workloads. These are hosted services, not self-hosted proxy servers. Before committing, verify the billing unit behind the advertised starting price, the API and protocol details your code needs, and how the provider handles location targeting, retries and production support.
Quick picksThe shortlist
DecodoDecodoBest overall · $19/mo
Bright DataBright DataBest for scale · $499/mo
OxylabsOxylabsBest for AI agents · $15/mo
RayobyteRayobyteBest for SERP tracking · $100/mo
ProxyEmpireProxyEmpireBest for proxy variety · $3.50/mo
SOAXSOAXBest for targeted routing · $200/mo
IPRoyalIPRoyalBest for proxy choice · $1.80/mo
InfaticaInfaticaBest for data catalog · $1/mo
WebshareWebshareBest for prototyping · $2.99/mo
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DecodoDecodo | 7.2 | $19/mo | Yes | — |
| Bright DataBright Data | 7.0 | $499/mo | Yes | 7 days |
| OxylabsOxylabs | 6.8 | $15/mo | Yes | — |
| RayobyteRayobyte | 7.1 | $100/mo | Yes | — |
| ProxyEmpireProxyEmpire | 7.0 | $3.50/mo | No | Yes |
| SOAXSOAX | 6.8 | $200/mo | Yes | — |
| IPRoyalIPRoyal | 6.5 | $1.80/mo | No | — |
| InfaticaInfatica | 6.2 | $1/mo | No | — |
| WebshareWebshare | 6.1 | $2.99/mo | Yes | — |
02The picks, in detail
- Best overallDecodoDecodo
Decodo ranks first for teams that need more than a pool of proxy IPs: its offering is described as a broad hosted scraping stack with approachable integrations and monthly usage caps. It fits varied scraping targets and RAG data pipelines. The listed price starts at $19, with a free plan; confirm the plan's limits and billing terms against your expected request volume.
What works
- One API covers scrape, search, map and crawl
- Python and TypeScript SDKs are available
- CLI and MCP server support
What doesn't
- Proxy and API usage have different pricing structures
- Annual billing is not listed
- Overage rates are not published
- Best for scaleBright DataBright Data
Bright Data is a fit for teams collecting public-web data at scale or building AI pipelines that consume web data. Its product is positioned as a managed web-data and proxy stack, which may reduce the infrastructure your team operates but makes usage costs important to model. The listed starting price is $0, with a free plan; check usage terms before production.
What works
- Combines scraper APIs, web-access APIs, proxies, and datasets
- Free Tier includes several API and product allowances
- Pay-as-you-go pricing supports variable request volume
What doesn't
- Per-request and per-GB charges can add up
- Language-specific SDK support needs confirmation
- Self-hosting and open-source licensing are not listed
- Best for AI agentsOxylabsOxylabs
Oxylabs suits teams building web-grounded AI agents, managed-proxy scraping projects and enterprise data collection operations. Its hosted API-and-proxy stack includes agent interfaces, so it is worth comparing with a proxy-only service when the application needs managed data access. The listed starting price is $15, with a free plan. Model expected usage and verify the relevant plan limits.
What works
- Search and structured extraction share one Web API
- Hosted remote MCP Server connects agents to Web API
- Agent Skills provide tool-use instructions
What doesn't
- SDKs and supported languages are not named in the offering
- Rate limits are not published in the reviewed details
- Production overage rates need checking against product rate cards
- Best for SERP trackingRayobyteRayobyte
Rayobyte is aimed at teams collecting web data at scale, including geo-targeted SERP and price tracking. Managed proxy retries may suit pipelines where retry behavior is part of the service rather than custom application code. The listed starting price is $100, with a free plan. Before choosing it, verify SDK coverage, limits and operating terms for your target workload.
What works
- Scraping API handles proxies, browsers and retries
- 5,000-request free plan requires no plan
- Residential targeting includes country, city, ZIP and ASN
What doesn't
- No open-source licence or self-hosted option is listed
- SDKs, languages and protocol details need confirmation
- Scraping API pricing depends on the target site
- Best for proxy varietyProxyEmpireProxyEmpire
ProxyEmpire is a flexible hosted option for public-data collection across locations, rotating residential traffic, or workflows that need static or mobile IPs. That range makes it worth evaluating when one proxy type is not enough. Its listed starting price is $3.5. Confirm API limits and production terms, and test whether its location controls match the precision your application requires.
What works
- Residential, mobile, ISP and datacenter proxy types
- Country, region, city and ISP targeting
- Unlimited concurrent sessions listed
What doesn't
- No free plan; the trial costs $1.97
- API rate limits are not published
- No self-hosting option or open-source license listed
- Best for targeted routingSOAXSOAX
SOAX targets teams that need controlled proxy routing, HTTP or SOCKS5 support, or managed data pipelines. Its global targeting makes it a candidate for collection jobs tied to specific regions. The listed starting price is $200, with a free plan. Before building around it, confirm the SDK support, applicable limits and migration options for your deployment.
What works
- HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5 over TCP and UDP
- Rotation by request, count, time or error
- Sticky sessions and configurable request rules
What doesn't
- Sandbox includes no proxy credits
- Paid self-service plans start at $200 monthly
- Homepage does not explain proxy SDK integration
- Best for proxy choiceIPRoyalIPRoyal
IPRoyal is a hosted service for teams that want configurable proxy types, geo-targeted research or monitoring, and HTTP API integration. Its listed starting price is $1.8. Location accuracy and production fit need validation against your target sites and regions; do not treat a low entry price as a forecast of total cost without checking the billing basis.
What works
- Residential, ISP, datacenter and mobile proxy options
- Web unblocker is available for automated scraping
- HTTP API examples cover seven programming languages
What doesn't
- No free plan or trial is listed
- Rate limits and API quotas are not published
- No public self-hosting option or open-source licence is listed
- Best for data catalogInfaticaInfatica
Infatica combines multiple proxy types with scraping workflows that can produce structured exports and ready-made datasets. That catalog may suit teams comparing managed data collection with building every pipeline themselves. The listed starting price is $1. Before choosing it, settle integration requirements, pricing terms and questions about how its network is sourced.
What works
- Proxy options include residential, mobile, ISP and datacenter
- Web Scraper API supports JavaScript rendering and Ajax
- Scraper exports include CSV, XLSX and JSON
What doesn't
- Public API and dataset prices are not listed
- Homepage names no SDKs, languages or CLI
- Vendor does not publish source or self-hosting details
- Best for prototypingWebshareWebshare
Webshare is suited to getting proxy workflows running quickly, small datacenter workloads and teams evaluating several proxy types. Its listed starting price is $2.99, with a free plan, which makes it a candidate for early development. For production use, validate IP quality and API fit with your real targets, request volume and operational requirements.
What works
- Permanent free plan includes 10 proxies
- Offers datacenter, ISP and rotating residential proxies
- Monthly Proxy Server plans start at $2.99
What doesn't
- API protocol and supported SDKs are not named on the homepage
- Free Proxy Server plan includes 1GB monthly bandwidth
- Unlimited bandwidth is subject to fair usage
03How we chose
We ranked these providers for developer and technical-team fit, weighing the stated API and integration options, docs and SDK questions, listed starting prices and free plans, and suitability for scraping or SERP workflows. We considered whether each option is a hosted stack or a proxy service, and whether teams should verify licensing and self-hosting before adopting it. We also treat Reddit sentiment as a secondary signal for operational risks, not a substitute for vendor terms. We did not run tests or benchmarks; the ranking reflects fit, not measured performance.
04Check integration and failure behavior
Start with the request path your application will use. Confirm whether the provider expects direct proxy connections, an HTTP API, or both, and check which languages, SDKs and authentication patterns its docs support. If your collector needs SOCKS5, verify that explicitly; SOAX is listed as supporting HTTP or SOCKS5, but do not assume every provider supports both. Next, define how your code handles timeouts, retries, blocked responses and location selection. Ask whether retries are handled by the service or belong in your client, and how usage is counted when a request fails. Test those behaviors against the sites and regions you plan to collect from. For SERP collection, validate that the selected location and response format fit your downstream parser. Make API limits, support escalation and data export part of the review before you couple a production pipeline to a provider.
05Model cost, portability and control
Treat a starting price as an entry point, not a workload estimate. Confirm the billing unit, what the free plan includes, which usage caps apply and what happens when a project exceeds them. Estimate requests, retries and expected response sizes for your own pipeline, then ask the vendor to map that workload to a plan. Check the contract and product terms for data retention, export and account termination so a provider change does not strand operational data or configuration. These providers are presented as hosted services; if your policy requires self-hosting or an open-source licence, make that a gate rather than assuming a hosted proxy service can meet it. Also ask how IP type, location targeting and rotation affect billing. Revisit the choice when traffic grows: low-cost prototyping and predictable production collection are different purchasing problems.
Questions people ask
Who are the top proxy providers?
For developer teams, we rank Decodo first, followed by Bright Data and Oxylabs. Rayobyte, ProxyEmpire, SOAX, IPRoyal, Infatica and Webshare may fit more specific requirements. The right choice depends on your target regions, integration path, traffic and production cost model.
What are the top 3 proxy servers?
Our top three providers are Decodo, Bright Data and Oxylabs. They are hosted proxy and web-data services, not proxy-server software to self-host. Choose among them by comparing the API path, plan limits, usage costs and managed features your collection system actually needs.
Which premium proxy provider is best?
Bright Data is our pick for teams that need a managed web-data stack for public-web collection at scale. Oxylabs is another option for enterprise operations and web-grounded AI agents. Compare actual usage costs, limits and integration requirements before treating either as the best fit.
What is the most popular proxy?
Popularity depends on the audience and workload, and we do not rank providers by user count. For developer fit, Decodo is our top overall pick. Check provider documentation and terms against your required proxy types, regions, API usage and budget rather than using popularity as a selection rule.