A SOCKS5 proxy is an extended version of the previous SOCKS protocol. It uses various authentication methods to be secure. Moreover, it supports UDP connections for faster and more efficient data transfer.
With over 5.16 billion Internet users affected by censorship, SOCKS5 proxies became necessary. It’s the best proxy type for anonymity without sacrificing efficiency.
You can find free SOCKS5 proxies, but most are unsafe and unreliable. If you want the best ones, some reliable providers can help you.
What is the Best Proxy Server?
Smartproxy
Smartproxy is a top-rated proxy provider trusted by many. Its 40 million+ proxies from 195+ locations help bypass CAPTCHAs, geo-blocks, and IP bans. It offers a free trial and has a high rating of 4.7 on Trustpilot with 89% 5-star ratings, making it one of the best in the industry.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- SOCKS5 proxies enable users to route data through another server to reach a target. This preserves user anonymity and allows requests to appear from various locations.
- Bright Data stands out as the top choice for users seeking fast bypassing of blocks and restrictions.
- Webshare offers a user-friendly dashboard and straightforward stats, making it a well-known SOCKS5 proxy provider.
- Businesses favor Oxylabs due to its premium services. Their SOCKS5 proxies are versatile and well-suited for various tasks.
- SOCKS5 proxy is a dependable tool capable of handling diverse data types, programs, protocols, and traffic.
Best SOCKS5 Proxy Providers
SOCKS5 proxies work like other proxies. They allow users to send data to a target through another server. By doing so, the user remains anonymous and can send requests as if they were from different locations.
| 👍 Helpful Article: The SOCKS5 Proxy, a common proxy type, ensures strong online anonymity and security. It excels in data encryption, supporting TCP/UDP (layer 4) and SSL (layer 7) protocols. This enables secure transfers across HTTP/HTTPS, SFTP, and P2P. For top choices, explore our article on selecting the finest paid and free proxy options for safe internet access. |
While other proxies can also do these things, they are not as flexible and secure as a SOCKS5 proxy. It supports several authentication methods. This way, it easily prevents unauthorized users from connecting.
SOCKS5 proxies can also process several protocols—including HTTP, FTP, and SMTP. Moreover, they work faster since they support UDP, which is faster than TCP.
In short, you can enjoy better features and security using SOCKS5 proxies than SOCKS4. It’s even better than typical proxies.
| ⚠️ Security Warning: Free proxies provide a convenient way to maintain online anonymity without monetary cost. Yet, using them comes with risks, like how in 2020, cyber attacks ranked 5th in risk. These free proxies are often unreliable, exposing you to malware, unsafe sites, and cookie theft. |
Using proxies from reliable providers is the best thing to do. Some providers offer cheap SOCKS5 proxies that work better than the free ones.
Here are eight proxy providers that you can consider if you are looking for the best SOCKS service:
1. Smart Proxy
Specifications:
- Proxy types available: SOCKS5, Data Center, Rotating, Dedicated DC
- Supported Locations: US regions and cities
- Customer Support: Available 24/7 via email or chat
Pricing: Starts at $7.5 for 3 IPs
| Pros | Cons |
| Ideal for social media research tasks | Basic plans have limited service |
| Bypassing IP bans and CAPTCHAs | Has no free trial |
| Suitable for managing several accounts | Can still experience geo-blocking |
Smart Proxy is among the most popular SOCKS5 proxy providers due to its free apps and web extensions. This provider sells proxies that support both SOCKS5 and HTTP.
If you pay for this provider’s plans, you can enjoy its P2P network on a stable server. It also has Firefox add-ons and Chrome extensions for easier use.
You can also benefit from reliable performance with various SOCKS proxies that protect your identity by altering your data’s IP address. The service also offers robust data infrastructure, perfect for web data scraping. However, be cautious of free proxies, as they can jeopardize your security and expose you to risks.
2. Bright Data
Specifications:
- Proxy types available: Residential, Data Center, ISP, Mobile
- Supported Locations: Over 195 countries
- Customer Support: Available 24/7 in 7 languages
Pricing: Starts at $15 per GB
| Pros | Cons |
| Offers pay-as-you-go option | Asks for above-the-market rates |
| Has plenty of customization options | Expensive monthly starter plans |
| Provides more options than other providers | Has a strict KYC policy |
Bright Data is the best option for users who want to bypass blocks and restrictions with high speed. This provider offers premium SOCKS5 proxies that are ideal for secure web scraping.
With Bright Data, you can enjoy excellent speed and reliability with a vast pool of IP addresses. You’ll also enjoy the benefits of a SOCKS5 proxy because of the provider’s proxy manager.
The customer-centric approach of Bright Data will let you enjoy SOCKS5 proxies.
3. Webshare
Specifications:
- Proxy types available: SOCKS5, SOCKS, Rotating, Static, Residential ISP, Dedicated, Private, Data Center
- Supported Locations: Over 20 countries
- Customer Support: Available 24/7 via email
Pricing: Starts at $2.99 per month
| Pros | Cons |
| Reliable and affordable services | Still needs IP and password verification |
| Uses exclusive tech for speed and efficiency | Limited proxies on the starter plan |
| Designed to prevent detection methods like DNS leaks | High-fraud scores in some proxies |
Webshare is a SOCKS5 proxy provider that’s best known for its simple dashboard and easy stats. Besides SOCKS5, this provider also offers HTTP proxies for personal use.
| 💡 Did You Know? SOCKS and HTTP proxies boost online anonymity by hiding users’ IP addresses. Yet, unlike SOCKS proxies, HTTP proxies possess a greater grasp of network traffic, adeptly interpreting and managing data through the specialized HTTP protocol for web communication. |
Here, you can find a service with more privacy since they encrypt your data and hide your details. Moreover, you’ll enjoy the provider’s accessible and straightforward dashboard. It will help you see the detailed status of your proxy usage.
4. IPRoyal
Specifications:
- Proxy types available: SOCKS5, SOCKS, Sneaker, Private, Static, Rotating, Data Center
- Supported Locations: Over 100 locations globally
- Customer Support: Available 24/7 via email
Pricing: Starts at $1.75 per GB
| Pros | Cons |
| Has flexible options for every user | Can have a lax or slow performance |
| Offers real mobile and residential IPs | No clear policy on refunds |
| Ideal for web and mobile data scraping | Unavailable in some countries |
IPRoyal is the ideal option for users who need compatibility with all device types. This provider offers static and rotating proxies supporting SOCKS and HTTP protocols.
| 👍 Helpful Article: Utilizing rotating proxies enables access to a range of proxy IP addresses, allowing you to submit numerous requests, each assigned a distinct IP. We provide a Python guide on proxy rotation for your reference. |
With this provider, you can connect to actual residential SOCKS5 proxies. As such, it’s best for retailing, data scraping, and social network research tasks.
IPRoyal offers plans designed to suit all projects, from business to personal ones.
5. Oxylabs
Specifications:
- Proxy types available: SOCKS5, Dedicated Data Center, ISP
- Supported Locations: 82 countries
- Customer Support: Available 24/7 via chat, email, or dedicated account manager
Pricing: Starts at $180 for 100 US IPs
| Pros | Cons |
| Ideal for business projects and tasks | Expensive packages and offers |
| Largest dedicated data center and ISP | No self-service packages |
| Supports extensive and scalable projects | Not ideal for personal projects |
Oxylabs is a popular option for businesses because of its premium services. With this proxy provider, you can enjoy premium SOCKS5 proxies suitable for any task.
| ✅ Pro Tip Oxylab has a well-maintained proxy pool containing over 2 million proxies. They don’t rotate by default, but they can set it to rotate for you. This proxy provider is best if you’re doing business projects that are extensive and scalable. |
6. Rayobyte
Specifications:
- Proxy types available: SOCKS5, Data Center, ISP, Residential
- Supported Locations: 150 locations and 27 data centers
- Customer Support: Available 24/7 via chat
Pricing: Starts at $10 for 5 US IPs
| Pros | Cons |
| Offers unlimited bandwidth and connection | Limited data center locations |
| Has complete control of in-house hardware | Provides only a small pool of residential IPs |
| Affordable pricing and available self-service |
Rayobyte is another excellent choice if you want several proxies that support SOCKS5. It’s also ideal for budget-conscious users who only need a few proxies for their tasks.
Amidst 8,000 global data centers, this provider offers exclusive centers in 27 countries. Users enjoy unlimited bandwidth and connections at a budget-friendly rate, ensuring effortless and widespread proxy access.
Rayobyte boasts of its in-house hardware with complete control. As such, you can expect excellent performance and reliability from its proxies.
7. PrivateProxy
Specifications:
- Proxy types available: Data center, Residential, Rotating
- Supported Locations: US regions and over 30 countries
- Customer Support: Available 24/7 via live chat
Pricing: Starts at $9 per month
| Pros | Cons |
| Offers unlimited bandwidth | Excessive package for personal use |
| Has instant activation | |
| Gives one free swap every month |
PrivateProxy is the choice if you need high-speed and dependable SOCKS5 proxies. This proxy provider offers SOCKS5 proxies designed for any purpose.
Private Proxy provides static data centers and residential SOCKS5 proxies, perfect for reliable data parsing and online scraping.
This proxy provider offers instant activation, unlimited bandwidth, and competition tracking.
8. Netnut
Specifications:
- Proxy types available: SOCKS5, Rotating Residential, Static ISP, Data Center, Mobile
- Supported Locations: Global IPs
- Customer Support: Available 24/7 via multi-channel and dedicated account manager
Pricing: Starts at $100 per month
| Pros | Cons |
| Reliable performance on legal sites | Expensive fee for starter plans |
| Offers unlimited bandwidth | Asks for personal data to avail free trial |
| Has a weekly plan option | No live support for the basic plan |
Netnut is the ideal proxy provider if you want a simple user interface for your tasks. It offers a proxy pool containing over a million static IPs. As such, you can enjoy proxies that support SOCKS5, SOCKS, and HTTP.
One notable thing about Netnut is that it doesn’t use a P2P network. As a result, you will experience fast performance and laxity with it.
A simple interface lets you see a detailed usage status and know how much time and data you consume.
Why Should You Get a SOCKS5 Proxy?
SOCKS5 proxies prove to be helpful tools in many ways. Here’s why you should get and use this specific proxy type:
- Supports more data types
SOCKS5 can work with more data types than the previous version and other proxies. As such, you can enjoy working with all sorts of data besides web pages.
For instance, SOCKS5 is suitable for dealing with web pages and emails. It’s also the best for torrenting, video streaming, and gaming tasks.
- Bypass Site or Service Restrictions
SOCKS5 proxies work by relaying your request to the target website. By doing so, you send requests using another IP address instead of your actual one.
Besides making you anonymous, it also helps you bypass blocks and restrictions. It’s a helpful tool if a particular website bans your IP address.
Moreover, if a site blocks your IP address while using a VPN, you can overcome this by employing a SOCKS5 proxy to reroute your request.
- Fast and reliable internet connection
The previous version of the SOCKS proxy only supported TCP. For this reason, it makes your connection slow and unreliable.
SOCKS5 supports both TCP and UDP. It allows users to enjoy a reliable internet connection with better performance.
Besides UDP support, SOCKS5 can also cache data to speed up the internet. You can also choose a SOCKS5 server near you for better proxy connection speed.
- Better performance due to lesser errors
One downside of typical proxies is that they rewrite data packets. By doing so, there’s a chance to misroute or mislabel the data.
Since SOCKS5 proxies don’t do so, there’s less chance for errors. As a result, the performance improves with fewer errors.
| 📝 Note: There’s a caveat: privacy and security. Since packet headers contain your data, anyone can identify you. |
- Higher efficiency on P2P platforms
Since SOCKS5 proxies support many protocols, they work faster than others. These proxies only transfer tiny data packets.
It allows users to enjoy quicker downloads. That’s also why it’s the best type of proxy if you’re dealing with peer-to-peer platforms.
Final Thoughts
A SOCKS5 proxy is a reliable tool that can handle any data type, program, protocol, or traffic. With it, you can remain anonymous on the web and bypass restrictions.
Remember that it’s always best to avoid free proxies since they have higher safety risks. Instead, you can use any of the SOCKS5 proxy providers mentioned above.
You can always enjoy the features that proxies have to offer while staying safe by choosing the best proxy type and provider.
FAQs
Is a SOCKS5 proxy better than a VPN?
Yes, in terms of speed, but not when it comes to security. Since SOCKS5 proxies do not encrypt traffic, they work faster than VPNs. On security, VPNs are better than SOCKS5 because they encrypt data.
Is SOCKS5 traceable?
Since SOCKS5 proxies don’t encrypt data, they are traceable like other proxies. The target can trace where the traffic comes from and see beyond the proxy server.
Which is faster: SOCKS5 or HTTP?
SOCKS5 is faster than HTTP since it supports more protocols. HTTP proxy servers can only process HTTP and HTTPS. SOCKS5 proxies can support HTTP, FTP, SMTP, TCP, and UDP.
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Muninder Adavelli is a core team member and Digital Growth Strategist at Techjury. With a strong background in marketing and a deep understanding of technology's role in digital marketing, he brings immense value to the TechJury team.