Free proxies might sometimes seem like a dream come true but can easily become a complete nightmare. So you must be careful before picking any Proxy service that is FREE. There are many fishy services available on the Internet that might look trustworthy, but you may end up losing personal data on such websites.
Free proxies can be used for purposes like website or data scraping, or some other basic use cases where the objective is to simply use random IP addresses. But many Free proxy websites are blacklisted. Paid proxies, on the other hand, are not accessible to the general public like free proxies, hence they carry fewer hazards but they, too may be blacklisted by some websites.
Free proxies are subject to their own risks, and we are not promoting the use of FREE proxy services. Some FREE proxy services expect you to exchange IP addresses with other anonymous users or data scrapers who don't worry about the sustainability of their proxies using free proxies. They don't even give a damn about IP rotation or getting around bans. And you will find many such users.
What is a Proxy?
Proxy is a way to access websites on the Internet without disclosing your identity or by faking your identity. Proxies exist between you and the website that you want to access on the Internet. When you try to open any website on the Internet while using a proxy, the request first goes to the proxy, and then it is forwarded to the website that you want to access.
You can also use proxies to get hold of multiple IPs concurrently to perform some bulk scraping on the Internet.
Proxies are also used by businesses as a secure layer, safeguarding the website from bad traffic. The proxy can filter out bot-related traffic or illegitimate sources from accessing a website by acting as a filtering layer before the website.
Then there are also proxy services like Cloudflare that provides caching service leading to performance improvement for websites.
A Proxy is different than a VPN. VPN services are more secure, use better encryption, the latest tech, and therefore they are not available for FREE. Proxies on the other hand allow individuals to use different IP addresses for FREE but it's less secure, your activity can be logged, and privacy is not a key factor for FREE proxies.
Types of Proxies
You can easily find a lot of services listing different proxies and very often you will see HTTP, SOCKS, SOCK5, etc types of proxies. In order to choose the right proxy you should know about all the different types of proxies that are available.
1. Shared: Used by multiple users. This is a little insecure because the same IP address is used by multiple users, and you don't know what other users are using the IP addresses for.
2. Semi-dedicated: This is similar to a shared proxy, but only 3 users can share the same IP address.
3. Dedicated: Single IP address for a single user.
4. HTTP: In this type, data is not encrypted, hence your data is not secured. Don't use it to access any service where you have to enter usernames and passwords or make payments.
5. HTTPS: In this your data is encrypted using SSL protocol.
6. SOCKS/SOCK5: This is the most secure way of using proxies. Secure socket or SOCKS requires user authentication, hence ensuring that only legitimate users are on the network.
You might also often hear the term Residential proxy while looking for proxy servers and Rayobyte residential proxies are a top option in the proxy service sector because of their outstanding dependability and performance.
Why use a Proxy?
You can use a proxy for a lot of different purposes, like:
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Accessing a service that is unavailable in your country.
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For scraping data
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For marketing
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For SEO research
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For downloading torrents
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For VoIP calls
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For gaming
These are just a few use cases, while there can be N number of reasons for using a proxy service.
Top 10 FREE Proxy Servers
Anyways, here is a list of 10 FREE proxy services that you may want to explore.
1. MarsProxies
MarsProxies offers one of the most affordable proxies on the market, yet they are of the highest quality. They come with all the essential features, including non-expiring traffic. The proxy servers are available in customizable plans and daily options, so you can create the most budget-friendly solution for you. They are great and almost free, so you get peace of mind without spending too much.
Features of MarsProxies:
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1+ million ethically sourced IPs globally
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Multiple proxy types
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Never-expiring residential traffic
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HTTP/HTTPS and SOCKS5 support
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Rotating and sticky sessions
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Great customer support
2. ScraperAPI
Website developers may utilize scraper API to construct codes that let them use API calls for data extraction. This online HTTP proxy service supports Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, Node, and Bash API calls. Geolocation and clever JS rendering are also supported.
Features of ScraperAPI:
3. 911Proxy
911proxy offers high-speed residential proxies with a large pool of IP addresses. The IPs available on 911proxy is from 195 countries, with industry-leading uptime. If you want to do web scraping then they offer easy integration with different programming languages like Python, NodeJS, PHP, C#, etc.
Features of 911Proxy:
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73 million+ IPs from 195 countries.
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HTTP(S) and SOCK5
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Easy integration with programming languages for using their service in your application
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Amazing dashboard to control everything
4. Geonode
You can use Geonode for free for a week. But then it is paid. It offers unlimited IPs, residential proxies, Scraper API, on a pay-as-you-go basis, which means you can buy services as per your usage.
Features of Geonode:
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Developer friendly API
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Many proxy services like Scraper, Residential, Data Center, etc.
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5 connections at once
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You get a Free proxy list tool that you can use.
5. Free Proxy List
One of the greatest and easiest businesses that provide simple, cost-free proxies online is Free Proxy Lists. For best effectiveness, they check and update their free proxies every 30 minutes.
The free proxies include anonymous, socks, new, US, and UK SSL proxies. You may choose according to your requirements. They offer HTTP(S) proxies available for use, but if you want socks, you must upgrade to a premium service.
You can access this website here: https://free-proxy-list.net/
Features of Free Proxy List:
6. Spys.one
Another trustworthy service that provides an open proxy list with IPs from more than 166 different nations is spys.one. Their free proxy list includes live proxy servers, HTTP(S) or SSL, SOCKS5, and other protocols.
You can easily export the list of IPS listed on this service. By default, you will see the listing in Russian but you can choose English language too.
Features of Spys.one:
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102 million+ IPs and servers in over 195 countries
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APIs for e-commerce and web scraping
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Proxies in data centers and homes
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Proxies for 4G mobile
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APIs that scrape SERPs
7. Free-Proxy.cz
As the name implies, Free-Proxy.cz provides free proxies on their site. The firm does not identify the source of its open proxies since they do not control the proxies.
These proxies handle all popular protocols, including HTTP, SOCKS5, and SOCKS4 (s). Even the degree of anonymity is up to you. Additionally, you may choose by using protocols and anonymity filters.
On their website, they also provide a list of open proxies that includes the IP address, port, nation, area, and even city. With an average speed and uptime, they now have around 6156 proxy servers in their database.
Features of Free-Proxy.cz:
8. ProxyScrape
An outstanding company, ProxyScrape, provides free proxies ideal for web data scraping. On their website, they list open HTTP, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 proxy servers. You may choose the kind you want and arrange results according to the nation, the degree of anonymity, and SSL.
You can find this service here: https://proxyscrape.com/
Features of ProxyScrape:
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They have about 40,000+ datacenter proxies
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HTTP/HTTPS proxies, SOCK4, and SOCK5 proxies
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Unlimited concurrent connections
9. Hidemy.name
On this website also, you can find FREE proxy lists, categorized properly and with a clean user interface. They keep the list of proxies updated and verified.
You can filter the list easily based on the type of proxy, and the level of anonymity you are looking for. You can also filter the proxy list on the basis of country.
10. FreepPoxyLists.net
FreepPoxyLists.net is a straightforward and user-friendly website. They provide HTTP(S) protocol-compatible proxies. On their website, they give a list of open proxies from which you may choose based on your requirements. Similar to other providers, you may sort the proxies by protocols, nation, and degree of anonymity.
Many nations are supported by their proxies. We like the firm since their proxies are fast and reliable, and another great quality of theirs is their quick reaction time.
Features of FreepPoxyLists.net:
11. Proxy Nova
Another website where you can get the open proxy list is Proxy Nova. They promise their customers that these proxies are trustworthy, recently verified, and fast with a typical uptime. In order to get fresh IPs, you should often reload their web page.
They have several, current, functional proxy lists online that are easily accessible to the general public. Every day, they verify over a million proxy servers, and the majority of them guarantee that they have been checked at least in the previous 15 minutes.
You also get a map view for the proxies, using which you can easily explore proxies available near your geo-location.
Features of Proxy Nova:
12. OpenProxy.space
The OpenProxy.space also provides free proxies. But this service doesn't have a proper filter system and no categorization based on countries, hence locating the proxies is difficult.
Proxy servers that handle HTTP(S), SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 are available.
Features of OpenProxy.space:
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Free anonymous proxy list
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proxy list for HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS
Conclusion
Finally, whether you want to access blocked websites, protect your privacy, or stream content from different regions, having a reliable and fast proxy server can greatly improve your online experience. This article's list of the top free HTTP and HTTPS proxy servers for 2024 provides a variety of options to choose from, each with its own set of unique features and benefits.
Before choosing a proxy server, read the terms of service and user reviews, and use caution when entering personal information while using a proxy. Overall, the best proxy server for you will be determined by your unique requirements and preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions related to HTTP and HTTPS proxies.
1. What are HTTP and HTTPS proxies, respectively?
Both HTTP and HTTPS proxies provide private internet connections. In HTTP proxies, the server certificate is not verified. However, HTTPS proxies verify the server's certificate to provide secure and anonymous connections.
2. How can I locate proxy lists?
You can use FREE services provided by ScaperAPI to see the list of Free proxies. You can also check out the list of top free Proxy server providers in the article above.
3. How can I create my own Proxy List service?
If you know NodeJS, then you can use the Proxyscan package to build your own Proxy list service. It provides a method fetchProxies() that can be used to get a list of proxies to showcase.
4. Is an HTTP proxy secure?
The answer is NO. A secure and encrypted connection is not possible using an HTTP proxy. If you are using an HTTP proxy, you shouldn't give out private information like your credit card or bank account number online. You should also not use an HTTP proxy for accessing any service where you have to enter your username or password.
