How To Find The Best Proxy: 5 Good Proxy Qualities

A simple Google search will show you that there is no shortage of available proxies. On one hand, this means that you have several options – which is a good thing. But, on the other hand, having many options can make finding the best proxy for your needs a tad difficult, especially if you don’t know what to look out for. That is why in this article, we lay it all out for you. We tell you what features every good proxy has, tell you how to avoid getting scammed or using buggy, malicious proxies, and give you tips on finding the best proxy providers. We start by discussing basic concepts in case you are a newbie to the world of proxies. But if you are already familiar with the basic concepts of what proxies are and how they work, you can use the table of contents to go straight to our tips on finding excellent proxies for various use cases.

What Are Good Proxies and Why Do You Need Them?

Before we can talk about what a good proxy is, we must first ask ourselves the question: “what is a proxy?”. In simple terms, proxies mask your IP address and give you an anonymous identity online. They serve as intermediaries between devices and the internet. By so doing, they provide improved security against malicious attacks and help to keep your data private. But apart from privacy and improved security, good proxies are fantastic for several other uses. Here are just a few of them:

1.   Accessing restricted content

There are a few experiences as annoying as wanting to watch a video online only to be presented with the words: “This video is unavailable in your country”. Thankfully, proxies provide an easy solution. Because IP addresses are linked to locations, websites can only tell where you are located by tracking your IP address. By using a proxy IP address, you can change your location, make it look like you are accessing a website from another place, and, thereby, access region-specific content.

2.   Creating multiple social media accounts

There are several reasons why you might want to manage multiple social media accounts. Maybe you are running a business with several branches and you would like to create social media pages on a particular platform for all of them. While this seems easy and straightforward, most social media platforms prohibit users from creating more than one account for security reasons. When they find an IP address linked to several accounts, they are likely to ban the accounts. Using a proxy, you can solve this issue. By assigning each account with a different IP, you can easily create multiple accounts.

3.   Scraping websites easily

When used in conjunction with a high-quality scraping tool like Scraping Robot, a collection of good proxies can pull the data you need more efficiently. That’s because web scrapers resemble malware to websites and tend to be banned. But by harnessing the power of proxies, whenever a web scraper hits a snag or a ban, it can swap to a new IP and continue the job. Web scraping is arguably the most beneficial use of proxies, especially if you run an E-commerce that requires data to innovate. It allows you to quickly collect and organize various forms of data including information on your competitors, SEO-related data, and pricing data. Find out more about how proxies can help you boost your business in this post.

What Are the Qualities of Great Proxies?

A high-quality proxy can take your web browsing experience to the next level, allowing you to browse securely, privately, and quickly. But, low-quality proxies can do the exact opposite, and then some. To make sure you are getting the best proxy, here are some features you should look out for:

1.   Fast speed

Any proxy provider worth considering will readily display their available speed. To get the most out of your proxy, you want to make sure you have access to speeds of at least 1 GBS. Also, there are several factors that make a proxy faster – e.g. server location and bandwidth – and you should also keep them in mind when looking for proxies. Proxies from servers located closer to you will work faster because they will have a shorter distance to travel. Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted over a network. High speed doesn’t mean much if your connection can hit a bandwidth limit. In general, you should look for a service that provides unlimited bandwidth.

2.   IP replacements

When you use a proxy, especially an IPv4 proxy, you are likely using one someone else has used before. There is no way for you or your host to know what previous users have done with the address. It could be the case that a previous user abused the proxy on specific websites and if they implemented an IP ban in response, that leaves you locked out for good. That is unless you can get a replacement. In light of this possibility, you should always look for the feature “free” and/or “automatic” IP replacements from a proxy provider. Different services will offer different frequencies for how often you can replace your IP at no additional cost.

3.   Affordability

The best proxy for you will often depend on your budget. While free proxies are available, it is best to steer clear of them if you would like to reap the benefits proxies have to offer. Buying a proxy is a great investment that will give you both long and short-term benefits. And the best way to make sure you are getting reasonably priced proxies is by doing your research. Once you find reputable providers, compare their prices to others to see if they are reasonable. Also, find out whether they charge extra for bandwidth. Again, it is best to go for providers that offer unlimited bandwidth. Bandwidth charges can sometimes come up to so much more than the charges for the proxies themselves.

4.   User-friendly dashboard

While proxies are an advanced piece of software, with a little bit of orientation, you should be able to use them on your own. You mustn’t be a tech genius to operate a proxy. If you cannot figure out the dashboard of a proxy provider, then they certainly do not have the best proxies for you. Access to customer care around the clock is also another feature you should look out for so that, if you ever run into difficulties, you can find solutions promptly.

5.   High up-time

You should be able to count on your proxy all of the time without worrying that it would crash or become unavailable.  Free proxies tend to shut down without a moment’s notice. And what is working today may not work tomorrow. Only paid providers can assure you of high up-times and reputable ones will clearly state a percentage indicating how often their proxies are up. But, apart from that, consider factors that influence uptime. Does the company have complete control of its hardware? Are they available to speak to you 24/7 in case your proxy crashes? Do they have several data centers spread across the globe?

Choosing the Best Proxy Type for Your Needs

In addition to the features listed above, to find the best proxy for your needs, you must consider the fact that there are several types of proxies available. And they all have distinct pros and cons:

Dedicated proxies

These kinds of proxies belong only to you for the duration that you purchase them. You get full access to all the resources that come with it so you can look forward to fast network speeds and a high level of security. They are relatively expensive but a great investment if you would like to have a long-term proxy for browsing privately or like Overwatch.

Semi-dedicated proxies

When you use this kind of proxy, you share it with a few other users. As such, you might experience slower network speeds and you have to be more conscious of your security. But, with the right provider, these risks will be close to zero and you can enjoy all the benefits of a proxy at a lower price.

Rotating proxies

These kinds of proxies get to have a change in IP address at regular intervals. As such, they make you basically untraceable and provide unmatched anonymity. If you are looking to scrape data, they are a great option because they allow the process to run seamlessly.

Residential proxies

These kinds of proxies are associated with the devices of real people and actual physical residences. They are given out by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Because they come from actual residences, they resemble real users to websites. This makes them difficult to detect and ban making them optimal for processes like web scraping and sneaker copping.

Datacenter proxies

These kinds of proxies originate from data centers and are not associated with physical residences or ISPs. They are cheaper and more readily available than residential proxies. But they are ill-suited for purposes like web scraping because they are easy to detect and ban. They are best for simple use cases like browsing more securely and gaming.

Where to Find the Best Proxies

If you want to use the best proxies with all the qualities listed above and more, look no further than Rayobyte. In addition to high 1GBS speed, unlimited bandwidth, free automatic IP replacements, super affordable prices, 99% uptime, and an extremely user-friendly dashboard, we have several IP address locations you can choose from. And we allow you to test our proxies for free to ensure that you are getting the best service possible before you pay for it. No matter what type of proxy you are looking for, we have many different options to suit your needs. We are available to answer any questions you might have 24/7 so do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Final Words on Finding a Great Proxy

Proxies are not hard to come but, because there are so many available, finding great ones can be challenging. Consider the factors stated above whenever you want to get a proxy and you are likely to find the best proxy every time. Then and only then can you be sure that your proxy will deliver desired benefits like improved security, faster network speeds, and efficient web scraping.

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