Best proxy servers for web scraping in 2025

Web scraping in 2025 is a vital tool for businesses, but anti-scraping defenses like IP bans and CAPTCHAs make proxies essential. The best proxy servers help bypass these challenges while ensuring compliance with data privacy laws. Here's a quick rundown of the top options:

• ScraperAPI: 150M+ IPs, CAPTCHA solving, dynamic content handling, starting at $0 (free tier).
• Oxylabs: 195-country coverage, OxyCopilot for automated scraping, $50-$6000/month.
• Smartproxy: 40M rotating IPs, pre-made templates, affordable plans from $12.50/GB.
• Webshare: High-speed proxies, unlimited bandwidth, starting at $7/GB.
• Shifter: Port-based pricing, unlimited traffic, starting at $99.98/month.

Quick Comparison

Provider	Key Features	Starting Price	Best For
ScraperAPI	CAPTCHA solving, dynamic content support	Free (1,000 credits)	Beginners & mid-sized users
Oxylabs	Large-scale scraping, GDPR compliance	$50/month	Enterprise-level needs
Smartproxy	Pre-made templates, global coverage	$12.50/GB	Mid-sized operations
Webshare	High-speed, unlimited bandwidth	$7/GB	Budget-conscious users
Shifter	Port-based pricing, unlimited traffic	$99.98/month	Reliable, affordable use

Choose your proxy based on project size, budget, and specific scraping needs. Dive into the article for detailed insights on each provider.

The Best Proxy Providers 2023 - How To Choose The Best Proxy Provider

1. ScraperAPI

ScraperAPI has cemented its place as a top proxy server for web scraping in 2025, boasting a network of over 150 million IPs, including 20 million residential proxies spread across 12 countries. Its infrastructure combines smart automation with advanced bypassing tools, addressing the increasing challenges posed by anti-scraping measures.

Reliability and Anonymity

The platform prioritizes reliability and privacy with features like automatic IP rotation, CAPTCHA solving, and anti-bot technology, reducing the chances of detection and failed requests. Its proxy network covers residential, data center, and mobile options, catering to various scraping needs. With JavaScript rendering capabilities, it can handle dynamic content, ensuring accurate data extraction from a wide range of websites.

Geographic Reach

ScraperAPI operates across 12 countries, offering access to residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies. This broad coverage supports region-specific scraping and enables access to geo-restricted content. Its distributed network is particularly useful for businesses that need precise, location-targeted data.

Scalability

ScraperAPI provides flexible plans, from a free tier for smaller projects to enterprise-level packages for heavy-duty scraping. The free plan includes 1,000 API credits, while professional plans go up to $999 per month, offering advanced features for large-scale operations.

The platform is built to handle multiple connections and large scraping tasks simultaneously, making it a great option for businesses gathering data from e-commerce platforms, social media sites, or forums.

With its powerful infrastructure and automation tools, ScraperAPI stands out as a leading choice for web scraping in 2025. Up next, we’ll take a closer look at Oxylabs, another strong player in this field.

2. Oxylabs

Oxylabs has positioned itself as a top proxy server for web scraping in 2025, offering businesses dependable tools for extracting data effectively.

Reliability

Oxylabs delivers steady performance thanks to its wide-ranging proxy pool and advanced tools. One standout feature, OxyCopilot, automates parser code creation, making web scraping easier and improving success rates. This reduces the need for complex technical work, streamlining data collection projects.

Anonymity

To protect user privacy, Oxylabs uses advanced features like proxy rotation and browser emulation. These tools help bypass detection systems while ensuring compliance with GDPR and CCPA regulations.

Geographic Coverage

With a network spanning 195 countries, Oxylabs allows precise targeting based on country, city, or ASN. This broad reach is especially useful for businesses needing location-specific data.

Scalability

Oxylabs offers a variety of proxy types, including residential, datacenter, ISP, and mobile proxies, with pricing starting at $0.65/GB. These options meet a range of needs, from large-scale scraping to mobile data collection, and enterprise users benefit from unlimited concurrent requests. Its Web Scraper API also provides specialized endpoints for platforms like Amazon and Google Shopping, simplifying e-commerce data extraction.

While ScraperAPI focuses on automation and handling dynamic content, Oxylabs stands out for its large-scale capabilities and global reach. With its powerful tools and extensive network, Oxylabs sets a high bar - but how does Smartproxy measure up?

3. Smartproxy

Smartproxy is a top choice for web scraping in 2025, providing access to over 40 million rotating IPs to simplify data collection.

Reliability

Smartproxy delivers dependable performance with its advanced proxy rotation system, which helps avoid CAPTCHAs and IP bans, ensuring smooth data extraction. Features like pre-made scraping templates and the Site Unblocker add to its automation capabilities, giving it an edge over competitors.

Anonymity and Coverage

To maintain privacy and compliance, Smartproxy employs sophisticated anti-detection technology that mimics real user behavior. Its network spans over 195 countries, enabling precise location-based data collection from verified IP sources - perfect for tasks like market research and competitive analysis.

Scalability

Smartproxy offers flexible pricing, starting at $12.50/GB for residential proxies and $7.50 for datacenter options. It supports unlimited simultaneous connections, integrates seamlessly with APIs (Python, PHP, Node.js), and includes advanced task scheduling with HTTP/SOCKS5 protocol compatibility.

The platform also provides pre-configured templates for tasks like social media scraping and a Site Unblocker to handle large-scale data operations efficiently. These tools, combined with its global reach, make Smartproxy a strong option for businesses focused on data extraction in 2025.

With its easy-to-use tools and extensive network, Smartproxy is a reliable solution for businesses needing consistent and efficient web scraping. Up next, we’ll take a closer look at Webshare’s features.

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4. Webshare

Webshare is a reliable proxy server for web scraping in 2025, offering a variety of proxy options, including residential, data center, and static residential IPs.

Reliability

Webshare provides high-speed performance with dedicated proxy servers reaching up to 100 Gbps and offering unlimited bandwidth. Its near-perfect uptime ensures consistent results, making it ideal for demanding data extraction tasks.

Anonymity and Geographic Coverage

Webshare prioritizes anonymity by using residential and static residential IPs sourced directly from ISPs, reducing the risk of detection. Its network spans 40 countries, including key regions such as the United States, France, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands. This allows businesses to gather region-specific data and access geo-restricted content with ease.

Proxy Type	Starting Price	Maximum Package
Datacenter	$2.99/100 proxies	$1,794/100,000 proxies
Residential	$7/GB	$4,500/1,000 GB
ISP	$6/20 proxies	$2,250/10,000 proxies

Scalability

Webshare caters to projects of all sizes with flexible pricing plans for residential, static residential, and data center proxies. It supports both HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols and features an easy-to-use dashboard. Although it doesn’t include built-in CAPTCHA-solving tools, its advanced rotation system helps reduce rate limits and avoid IP blocks.

For those just starting, Webshare offers a free tier with 10 proxies, though some may already be blacklisted. While Webshare is affordable and adaptable, competitors like Shifter may better suit enterprise-level scraping needs.

5. Shifter

Shifter is a proxy server known for its distinct port-based pricing model, making it a practical choice for web scraping in 2025.

Reliability

Shifter provides stable proxies for consistent data collection, offering unlimited traffic with optional bandwidth upgrades. Its intuitive dashboard simplifies managing IP credentials, support, and usage statistics.

Anonymity and Geographic Coverage

Shifter rotates IPs with every request, minimizing detection risks. Its global network supports precise geographic control through advanced port-based targeting capabilities.

Feature	Details
Starting Price	$99.98/month
Traffic per Port	40 GB
Cost per GB	$0.6
Port Range	5-1,000 ports
Geo-targeting	Country assignment, port range control, global coverage

Scalability

Shifter's subscription model adapts to various business needs, starting at $99.98 for 5 proxies. Each port includes 40 GB of traffic, priced at about $0.6/GB. The port-based approach focuses on cost-effectiveness rather than speed, making it a solid option for organizations prioritizing reliability in web scraping.

Although Shifter's pricing model offers flexibility, users should consider its performance and speed trade-offs, which will be explored further in the next section.

Pros and Cons

Comparing top proxy servers reveals their strengths and weaknesses, based on performance metrics and user feedback in 2025.

ScraperAPI

ScraperAPI simplifies web scraping with automated tools, a large proxy pool, and CAPTCHA-solving features. However, the lower-tier plans limit geotargeting options, which might not meet the needs of some users.

Oxylabs

Oxylabs is designed for large-scale operations, offering a wide network of residential, datacenter, mobile, and ISP proxies. It handles high-volume requests efficiently and adheres to data privacy standards. That said, some users have noted occasional issues with data accuracy. Pricing, which ranges from $50 to $6000 per month, might deter smaller businesses.

Smartproxy

Smartproxy combines global proxy coverage with pricing that’s suitable for mid-sized businesses. It excels at bypassing restrictions, making it a strong choice for handling challenging scraping tasks. However, its pricing transparency could be improved.

Provider	Strengths	Limitations	Best For
ScraperAPI	Automation, CAPTCHA solving	Limited geotargeting in basic plans	Beginners & mid-sized users
Oxylabs	Large-scale scalability, compliance	Occasional data accuracy issues	Enterprise-level needs
Smartproxy	Global coverage, restriction bypassing	Limited pricing transparency	Mid-sized operations
Shifter	Affordable port-based pricing	Slower speeds	Budget-conscious users

Performance Considerations

Each provider is tailored to meet specific scraping needs. ScraperAPI is ideal for teams looking for an easy-to-use, automated solution. Oxylabs serves enterprises requiring robust customization and scalability. Smartproxy offers a balance of reliability and functionality for mid-sized users, while Shifter provides a budget-friendly option, albeit with slower speeds.

As web scraping becomes more complex, choosing the right proxy provider is key. Weighing these pros and cons helps businesses align their proxy choice with their scraping objectives in 2025.

Conclusion

In 2025, picking the right proxy server for web scraping depends heavily on the scale of your project and its specific needs. Paid services like ScraperAPI and Oxylabs are excellent for enterprise-level tasks, while free proxies work better for smaller projects or testing due to their limitations in speed and reliability.

Each type of proxy shines in different scenarios. Residential proxies are ideal for large-scale operations thanks to their higher success rates, while data center proxies deliver faster speeds but are more prone to being blocked. Mobile proxies are the go-to choice for region-specific scraping but come with higher costs per request.

For mid-sized projects, services like Smartproxy and Webshare offer affordable pricing and sufficient IP pools, making them great options for growing operations. Additionally, many proxy providers are now adding advanced features such as CAPTCHA handling and JavaScript rendering to tackle modern web scraping challenges.

Here’s a quick breakdown of our recommendations for 2025:

• Enterprise-level projects: Oxylabs and ScraperAPI's business plans deliver reliable performance and robust features.
• Mid-sized operations: Smartproxy balances affordability with functionality.
• Beginners or testing purposes: ScraperAPI's free tier is a good starting point to explore your needs before scaling up.

As web scraping grows more sophisticated, choosing the right proxy remains essential for effective data collection. The best proxies in 2025 are those that match your project’s goals while offering dependable performance and tools to bypass anti-scraping defenses.

FAQs

What are the cheapest proxies for web scraping?

If you're looking for affordable proxies for web scraping in 2025, Webshare and Smartproxy are two solid options. They offer budget-friendly pricing without compromising on important features like IP rotation and reliable proxy pools. Here's a quick comparison:

Provider	Starting Price (Monthly)	Key Features
Webshare	$7	Residential proxies, Basic rotation
Smartproxy	$12	Residential proxies, Advanced rotation

Both Webshare and Smartproxy are great for small-scale projects, offering a good balance between cost and functionality. They include features like IP rotation and decent proxy pool sizes, making them reliable for budget-conscious users.

When choosing proxies, consider factors such as proxy type, pricing plans, and geographic coverage. While Webshare and Smartproxy work well for smaller tasks, larger operations might require premium providers like Oxylabs or ScraperAPI.

Keep in mind that the cheapest proxies aren't always the best choice for long-term use. Look for a balance between affordability, reliability, and features like IP rotation and geographic diversity to ensure your scraping needs are met effectively.