Want to jump straight to the answer? When it comes to the best SOCKS proxies, I recommend Bright Data and Proxyrack as the best options.
Need help to find the most reliable SOCKS proxy service?
You have landed at the right place as here you will get to read about my top recommendations, including the five data center providers and the best residential providers.
Although there are a variety of proxies available, the most popular ones are SOCKS and HTTPS Proxies, and the best proxy services handle both of them.
SOCKS5 is an upgraded and more secure version of the SOCK protocol, while HTTPS is the protected and better version of HTTP.
First, though, I will talk about SOCKS5 proxies in general and what are their best usecases.
Proxyrack has established a solid customer base in the residential proxy industry, with more than 3,000 users. At the present moment, Proxyrack processes around 800 million API calls every day.
Bright Data SOCKS5 proxies are a popular choice for developers and enterprise customers who require reliable, scalable, and ethical proxy solutions. Bright Data SOCKS5 proxies are sourced ethically, ensuring a stable and reliable network.
Rayobyte's private proxies allow you to bypass filters and surf the web freely. Their proxies, like many others in the datacenter, have no limits on the number of threads you can establish or the amount of data you can transfer, making them ideal if you anticipate needing to make extensive use of both resources.
What Is a SOCKS Proxy?
A SOCKS proxy is low-level and not designed for a specific protocol, unlike an HTTPS proxy which is designed for a specific protocol.
Unlike HTTPS, which is designed for TCP connections, SOCKS proxy uses both TCP and UDP. Their speed is due to the fact that they rely on UDP connections, which do not require sending data at once.
Proxygather, Socklist, and Proxyfish are free socks proxies but also come with risks. Due to the direct connection between you and the proxy’s owners, your password may be disclosed to them if they choose to do so.
Why You Shouldn’t Use a Free SOCKS5 Proxy?
Here are some of the reasons for not using a free SOCKS5 proxy:
1. Poor Performance: Free SOCKS5 proxies have fewer configuration options, slower infrastructure, and fewer support staff. All of this could result in subpar performance.
2. Lack of Security and Privacy: Free proxies don’t cost you money to run but they allow full access to your data streams, which leads to a lack of security and privacy. Due to this, it may attract hackers, and therefore free servers could be risky. Free proxies are a bad option if data privacy is a concern.
2. Easily Monitored: Your connection can be easily watched when you use unrestricted proxies.
3. High Risk, Low Reward: Free proxies are services that carry a significant risk but little reward. They frequently are hazardous, slow, and unreliable.
4. Subpar Performance: Since free proxies aren’t equipped with the essential infrastructure, they will provide subpar performance.
It’s crucial to remember that free proxies can result in serious risks and problems, even though they might help you with small-scale uses. The pros of paid proxies over free ones include their speed, dependability, transparency, and complete safety.
If you find that the free socks proxies aren’t adequate for your needs, I’d like to recommend the best-paid alternatives.
What Are The Uses of SOCKS Proxies?
Anonymous Browsing: You can use SOCKS5 proxies to browse anonymously by masking your IP address. This will help protect your privacy and prevent any sort of tracking.
Access geo-restricted content: By using a SOCKS5 proxy server located in a different country, you can bypass geographical restrictions and access content that is otherwise restricted in your region.
Enhanced security: SOCKS5 proxies provide an additional layer of security by acting as intermediaries between the user and the internet.
Torrenting and P2P sharing: These proxies are commonly used for torrenting and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing.
Bypass firewalls and censorship: If you are in a region where internet access is restricted or certain websites are blocked, SOCKS5 proxies can help you bypass firewalls and censorship.
Web scraping and data gathering: SOCKS5 proxies are useful for web scraping and data gathering tasks, allowing users to collect information from websites without being blocked or detected.
Testing and debugging: Developers and network administrators often use SOCKS5 proxies for testing and debugging applications. Proxies can simulate different network conditions and provide insights into how applications behave in various scenarios.
Gaming and online activities: SOCKS5 proxies can be used for online gaming to reduce latency, improve connection stability, and access gaming servers in different regions.
Botting and automation: Some users employ SOCKS5 proxies for automated tasks such as social media management, online advertising, and other activities that require multiple accounts or IP addresses.
Top 10 Best SOCKS5 Proxy 2023
Let’s check out an in-depth analysis of the best SOCKS5 proxy below.
1. Bright Data
IP pool size: 72+ million Residential IPs
Locations: 98
Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
Cost: Starting from $11.25 per GB
Bright Data SOCKS5 proxies are a popular choice for developers and enterprise customers who require reliable, scalable, and ethical proxy solutions.
Bright Data SOCKS5 proxies are sourced ethically, ensuring a stable and reliable network. They provide access to millions of IP addresses, allowing customers to access the content they need without compromising their privacy.
Bright Data SOCKS5 proxies are also incredibly fast, meaning customers can access the content they need in a timely manner. The network is completely safe, so you can use HTTPS to connect to super proxies on every continent.
This lets you get answers very quickly. Their peer-to-peer network gives you access to highly accurate data points that consumers can see.
These features include full error checking, high speeds with almost no latency, and full support for UDP protocols. This makes sure that your systems and activities are never open to being used by bad people.
Additionally, these features ensure that your data stays secure and that your system is running with optimal performance. Furthermore, it allows for smoother and more efficient operations, giving you a better user experience.
Bright Data’s prices are just as flexible, you can sign up for monthly plans or pay as you go, and the package can be as small or as big as you want. In any case, you’ll have to pay more than the going rate, and the monthly plans start out pretty high. You should also be aware of the strict KYC process.
On the other hand, there are plenty of other data providers out there who offer more competitive pricing structures. You may not get the same level of flexibility with them, but you’ll definitely be able to find a better deal.
2. Proxyrack
- IP Pool Size: undisclosed
- Locations: 140 countries
- Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
- Cost: Starts at $15 for a month
Proxyrack has established a solid customer base in the residential proxy industry, with more than 3,000 users. At the present moment, Proxyrack processes around 800 million API calls every day.
They have access to a big pool of IP addresses. Because of this, and the fact that they work in over 140 different countries, rotating IPs save time and money.
You can choose their sticky proxies as an alternative to rotating proxies. They offer genuine help with technical issues. Both the HTTPS and SOCKS5 protocols can be used with their proxies.
3. Rayobyte
- Locations: 9 countries
- Concurrency Allowed: Up to 100 threads
- Bandwidth Allowed: Unlimited
- Cost: Start at $6 for a month
Rayobyte’s private proxies allow you to bypass filters and surf the web freely.
Their proxies, like many others in the data center, have no limits on the number of threads you can establish or the amount of data you can transfer, making them ideal if you anticipate needing to make extensive use of both resources.
It’s crucial that their proxies work with the SOCKS5 protocol. The number nine (9) is the number of nations where they have agents working as proxies.
In addition to being lightning-quick, their proxies also use fresh IP addresses.
4. Proxy-Cheap
- IP Pool Size: Over 6+ million
- Locations: 127 countries
- Randomize/Session IPs
- Cost: Starts at $50 for 10 GB
Proxy-Cheap provides support for more than 127 countries, making it a truly global service. Over 6 million IP addresses are available for use in their residential IP pool.
It’s priced similarly to Bright Data, in that bandwidth determines the cost rather than a monthly fee.
Their brand name aside, they are a lot less expensive than residential proxies offered by competitors who charge by the amount of bandwidth used.
Their proxies are high-quality and work with both HTTPS and SOCKS5. When used for web scraping and automation, they perform admirably.
5. Infatica
- IP Pool Size: undisclosed
- Locations: over 100
- Concurrency Allowed: 500 Threads
- Cost: Starts at $399 monthly for 8000 proxies
It’s a global proxy network selling proxies for mobile devices, residents, and data centers.
Sticky proxies keep your session alive for a certain amount of time, whereas high-rotation proxies swap out their IP address with each request you make, both of which are available to you.
And the costs associated with their proxies are not cheap either. Before committing to a membership, you may try out their proxies for free to see if they work with your setup.
6. Microleaves
- IP Pool Size: Over 26 million
- Locations: 130 countries
- Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
- Cost: Starts at $125 monthly for 10 ports
Microleaves have one the largest proxy network with a pool of more than 26 million residential IP addresses.
Their domestic backconnect proxies are top-notch. Microleaves stands out from the competition in the residential proxy market by including an unlimited number of proxies with each proxy package.
The SOCKS5 protocol is supported by their proxies. Their proxies work with a wide variety of popular destinations, including social media, retail, and stock exchange sites.
7. ProxySeller
- Locations: 6 countries
- Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
- Bandwidth Allowed: Unlimited
- Cost: $1.59 per 10 proxies for a month
ProxySeller has both IPv4 and IPv6 proxies available. Their proxies serve several functions, including SEO, social media automation, gaming, and general web browsing.
Their proxies are inexpensive and may be found in a variety of places. ProxySeller provides private proxies (both SOCKS5 and HTTPS) with a guaranteed 99.9 percent uptime.
8. Proxy Bonanza
- Locations: 107 countries
- Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
- Bandwidth Allowed: Unlimited
- Cost: $59 per 10 proxies for a month
If you’re looking for a proxy service, don’t be fooled by the term “Bonanza” in the name of this one; I find their proxies to be somewhat pricey in comparison to other, similarly-performing options.
In spite of this, they have some of the best-performing proxies available. Their US proxies are the most valuable of the proxies they have in a total of 107.
If you want to get proxies from them but are on a tight budget, your best bet is to opt for their shared proxies. The SOCKS5 protocol is supported by their proxies.
They offer add-ons for the most widely used browsers.
9. YourPrivateProxy
- Locations: US and EU regions only
- Concurrency Allowed: Up to 100 threads
- Bandwidth Allowed: Unlimited
- Cost: $1.49 per proxy for a month
Both residential and datacenter proxies are available from YourPrivateProxy, however, it is their datacenter proxies that I find particularly useful.
Expertly crafted proxies, often known as “high anonymity proxies,” are what they use. They help out with a lot of different protocols on the web, like HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5.
They have data centers in the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Before committing to one of their subscription services, you may try out one of their proxies for free for a whole day.
10. Proxy6
- Locations: the US, and a few locations in Europe and Asia
- Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
- Bandwidth Allowed: Unlimited
- Cost: $0.45 per proxy for a month
Proxy6 is a widely used service that offers a special variety of proxies not offered anywhere else: IPv6 proxies.
When you make a purchase from them, you’ll be the only person who has access to their secret proxies. In addition to HTTPS, they also offer the SOCKS5 protocol.
Their IPv6 proxies are dirt cheap, and their IPv4 proxies are priced about average. They offer API and proxy servers in multiple countries.
You may buy proxies for as little as three days at a time, which is a nice perk. There are also weekly and monthly subscription options available.
Quick Links:
- Best Libgen Proxy Sites and Mirrors (Works 100%)
- [Updated] List of 110+ Best Free Proxy Servers
- How to Add Proxies to BP Proxy Switcher?
Conclusion: Best SOCKS5 Proxy 2023
In addition to the proxies mentioned above, there are many other proxy providers that provide compatible proxies.
My recommendation is not to pick anyone at random from the list.
To save yourself the hassle of having to ask for a refund, make sure the provider’s proxies will work according to your specific situation before moving through with your choice
