Datacenter proxies are vital for businesses and individuals looking to perform various online activities. From web scraping to cybersecurity and anonymous browsing, these proxies offer speed, scalability, and cost-efficiency, sacrificing some of the organic traffic resemblance offered by residential proxies.
Datacenter proxies route internet traffic through data centers – server facilities that provide high-speed connections. Unlike residential proxies originating from private devices like phones and PCs, datacenter proxies are not tied to internet service providers (ISPs). Instead, they use IP addresses provided by data centers, which, in turn, lack some authenticity.
We have already reviewed the best residential proxy providers. This time, let’s examine what’s available in the datacenter proxy field.
Datacenter proxy types
Most commonly, datacenter proxies are split into two types – shared and dedicated – with dedicated having full functionality, while shared having limits to reduce price.
Datacenter proxy type | Performance | Pricing | IP pool | Locations |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shared | Each user decreases performance | Per traffic | Usually limited, a smaller, separate pool | Traditionally limited to the most popular locales |
Dedicated (private) | High | Per IP | Full size | All available locales |
Best Datacenter Proxy Providers to Consider in 2024
1. Oxylabs
Oxylabs operates the market's largest datacenter proxy server network, featuring over 2 million IP addresses. IPs are available in 188 countries, and you can target specific cities. Their primary focus is on performance, delivering rapid average response times. As such, the risks of encountering ASN and subnet-related restrictions are greatly reduced.
Oxylabs primarily targets businesses offering a premium range of proxy solutions, including dedicated and shared datacenter proxies. While their datacenter proxies may be costly for individual or general use, they don’t really have any compromises.
Oxylabs' shared datacenter proxies comprise 22,000 IPs across 9 locations, including the U.S. and several European and Asian countries. You can rotate these proxies with each connection or establish sticky sessions for a desired duration.
Oxylabs provides a functional dashboard for self-service purchases and shared and dedicated IP monitoring. As a premium provider, Oxylabs can fine-tune the proxies based on your targets and requirements, including pay-per-IP and per-traffic options. You also receive an account manager and access to an IP replacement API. Lastly, their proxies have unlimited traffic, domains, connections, connection requests, and 24/7 live support.
2. Bright Data
Bright Data is a versatile proxy provider in the premium segment, offering extensive features and maintaining the industry's second-largest datacenter IP pool. With over 770,000 fast, reliable, and ethically sourced datacenter IPs spanning 98 countries, Bright Data supports both shared and dedicated proxy IPs. The provider serves a large customer base that includes well-known enterprises.
Catering to both businesses and individuals, Bright Data offers flexible plans, including comprehensive all-in-one packages and pay-as-you-go options. Their 24/7 support helps new users and existing clients, including during the free trial period.
You can purchase anywhere from a single IP to ten thousand IPs, restrict them to specific domains or use them universally, and acquire cooled-down addresses to minimize detection risks. For those who do not require IP exclusivity, Bright Data provides shared datacenter proxies with flexible billing options such as pay-per-IP or pay-per-usage. Using a proxy manager, you can rotate, filter, and manipulate proxies to suit your tasks.
The service supports country and city-level targeting and offers flexible rotation options: you can choose to rotate proxies with every request or maintain the same IPs for as long as they are available. Additionally, Bright Data provides an option to automatically replace any proxy server that goes offline with a new one, contributing to their impressive 99.99% uptime.
However, this level of adaptability can influence pricing through upsells; costs may increase for features like unlimited traffic or access to IPs that have not been used recently.
3. Smartproxy
Smartproxy offers shared and dedicated datacenter proxies that are easy to use and backed by great customer service. The company distinguishes itself by balancing cost and performance, making it a popular choice among developers and small businesses.
Smartproxy maintains a pool of 500,000 datacenter proxy IPs in seven other countries, with over 400,000 in the United States alone. With pricing lower than premium-oriented competitors like Oxylabs and Bright Data, Smartproxy remains competitive among the top datacenter proxy providers.
The service is available under two pricing models: pay-per-GB and pay-per-IP. The dedicated plans feature unlimited traffic and unrestricted access to all domains without extra charges or hidden fees. You face no target limits and can establish unlimited parallel connections. Proxies rotate with each connection request but can be configured for 30-minute sticky sessions.
Smartproxy's dashboard allows you to choose between sequential or non-sequential IPs and select either SOCKS5 or HTTP(S) protocols. You can refresh your entire IP list or retain the same IPs upon subscription renewal.
Smartproxy delivers good value by providing high-performance proxies at affordable prices, albeit with fewer bells and whistles than the premium segment.
4. Webshare
Known for its flexibility, Webshare provides highly customizable self-service options, allowing you to personalize proxy plans. You can select the number of proxies, set bandwidth limits, and adjust the number of threads. Additionally, you can choose the geolocation of your IPs and get IP refresh intervals ranging from five minutes to one month. The user-friendly dashboard ensures that even first-time users can easily navigate the platform.
Webshare offers three datacenter proxy types: shared (used by more than two users), private (shared with one or two users), and dedicated (exclusively allocated to you). The service supports HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols and provides IP coverage in over 50 countries worldwide.
Webshare has a free plan with 10 static IP addresses from four locations. You receive 1 GB of free data monthly and can run up to 50 concurrent threads. Your free proxy list becomes available automatically upon registration.
Aimed primarily at entry-level and mid-tier users, Webshare offers affordable pricing. For example, customer support is limited to email communication, as no live chat option is available.
5. NetNut
NetNut operates over 150,000 datacenter IPs. The proxy pool provides impressive coverage across over 200 countries, including state and city-level targeting options. While the entry price of $100 per month is suitable for businesses, it may deter individual users. However, NetNut provides a 7-day free trial for you to test its datacenter proxies firsthand.
For those requiring stable and consistent proxy performance, NetNut is a solid choice, serving as a simpler alternative to a select group of premium providers.
NetNut offers both static and rotating proxies. IPs rotate with every request, and you can opt for sticky sessions lasting up to two days, though custom rotation intervals are not available.
Proxies are accessible through a self-service, with a registration process that involves only three steps and requires no human interaction.
As a premium provider, NetNut's monthly plans start at $100 ($1 per GB). More favorable rates and additional features become available at $350 and above, including access to a dedicated account manager, live support, and reduced pricing of $0.70 per GB or less. Despite these discounts, pricing remains above the industry average.
The cheapest datacenter proxies
The pricing models and plans across providers aren’t alike and could take some time to figure out. Be especially careful when weighing and understanding pricing models per IP and per traffic. Also, the general rule is that the more you buy, the cheaper it gets per traffic or per IP.
Before making a decision, try to calculate your approximate expenditure and see which provider can offer you the best deal.
Provider | Per IP | Per traffic | Dedicated |
---|---|---|---|
Oxylabs | From $12/month | From $50/month. | From $8.25/month |
Bright Data | From $14/month | Pay-as-you-go | From $22/month |
Smartproxy | From $10/month | From $30/month | From $7.5/month |
Webshare | From $2.99/month | From $18.52/month | From $26.60/month |
NetNut | from $100/month |
Conclusion
Datacenter proxies are versatile tools for businesses seeking reliable online solutions. Choosing the right provider depends on your needs for scalability, speed, and cost-efficiency. Providers like Oxylabs and Bright Data offer premium services, while Webshare and Smartproxy provide affordable yet robust alternatives. Analyze your requirements carefully to select the best fit for your operations.
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