How to get free proxies for web scraping
“A digital middleman,” “a gateway between you and the internet,” “a secret passageway.” These are just a few of the ways proxies have been described, and they're all more or less true.
A proxy is what allows you to browse the web under an alternative IP address, masking your true location and identity. That's quite handy for everyday internet users seeking privacy or trying to access geo-restricted content. But proxies are also essential tools for data-driven tasks like web scraping.
Proxies allow scrapers to gather data without getting blocked or banned by websites, which often have mechanisms to detect and restrict scraping activities. By rotating through different proxies, scrapers can mimic the behavior of multiple users to reduce the risk of detection and enable a smoother data collection process.
But how do you get your hands on such proxies? It’s simpler than you might think. The market is flooded with free and paid proxy services with varying levels of anonymity, speed, and reliability.
Free proxies are a tempting start, but they often come with limitations in speed and security, and many of them simply don't work at all. So you could try scraping the web for public proxy lists to find free proxies that actually do work. That's what Proxy Scraper was built for.
Alternatively, you could check out the list below and give these proxies a try.
10 free or low-cost proxies for web scraping
1. Free Proxy
Free Proxy offers over 17 thousand proxies with a variety of protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS. Users can sort proxies by region, city, and category. Useful for location emulation and content testing.
2. ProxyScrape
ProxyScrape features a list of free proxies with options like country sorting and a "timeout" slider for selecting proxies based on response time. It provides a mix of HTTP, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 proxies.
3. Free Proxy List
Free Proxy List provides a simple layout with options to filter by country, ports, protocol, anonymity, and uptime. It offers HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS proxies.
4. Free Proxy World
Free Proxy World offers HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 proxies. You can filter proxies by anonymity, country, speed, and type.
5. Open Proxy Space
Open Proxy Space provides access to public proxy lists with HTTP and SOCKS proxies, including country selection.
6. Scrape-it
Scrape-it is a web scraping API that offers 1,000 free credits with no limitations during the trial period. It includes features like automatic proxy rotation and data transmission over secure channels.
As a web scraping API, it offers a trial period with free credits. While it includes features like automatic proxy rotation and secure data transmission, the performance and reliability beyond the trial period might vary.
7. Geonode
Geonode's free proxy list is a collection of publicly available proxies that users can access at no cost. This service is different from their paid proxy services, which offer more features, greater reliability, and better performance.
8. Webshare
Webshare isn't free, but it offers the cheapest datacenter IPs for large volumes, hence its place on this list.
9. Smartproxy
Smartproxy isn't free, but with the cheapest residential proxies for all volumes it deserves a place in this list.
10. Apify Proxy
Apify Proxy is not entirely free. While Apify offers a free plan that includes some usage of Apify Proxy, this is limited to use within the platform and does not extend to external clients. As for paid proxies: the lowest starting price is $40 for 5 GB.
Web scraping proxies
Apify is unique in that it provides a comprehensive platform for web scraping, including proxies, rather than just a proxy service. This makes it a versatile choice, particularly for users who are looking for an integrated solution that combines scraping tools with proxy services. However, for those who are only looking for proxy services, the free options might be limited compared to specialized proxy providers.
The Apify free plan
The free plan lets you use proxies within Apify Console. To use Apify Proxy externally, you need to subscribe to a paid plan. The free plan allows you to use most of the features of the Apify platform but with certain limits. There are charges associated with their use for more extensive usage or for different types of proxies like residential or Google SERP proxies.
Proxy server types
Apify Proxy offers several types of proxy servers, including datacenter, residential, and Google SERP proxies, each with different advantages and pricing structures. The pricing for these proxies varies based on the plan you choose and the specific proxy type you use. For more details, check out the pricing table in 8 best proxy providers for web scraping in 2025.
Super-proxy
Some features are available only to Apify Proxy users, mainly because Apify Proxy is what one would call a super-proxy. It's not a single proxy server but an API endpoint that allows connection through millions of different IP addresses.
How to use Apify Proxy
To use Apify Proxy, you need to configure your HTTP client to connect to the Apify Proxy server using your Apify Proxy password and other parameters. This setup involves specifying the proxy type, hostname, port, username, and password. The username field in the proxy connection allows you to pass various parameters like proxy groups, session ID, and country. You can also use your own proxies within Apify Console.
A parting thought: the problem with free proxies
Free proxies, in general, can be slow, unstable, and may have security risks. Paid proxy services are recommended for more reliable and secure web scraping needs. Always consider the purpose and scale of your scraping project and its specific requirements when choosing a proxy provider.
Note: This evaluation is based on our understanding of information available to us as of March 2025. Readers should conduct their own research for detailed comparisons. Product names, logos, and brands are used for identification only and remain the property of their respective owners. Their use does not imply affiliation or endorsement.
