Best Free Proxies and Lists in 2025 for Data Scraping

In data scraping, proxies are necessary for collecting data on a large scale. While professional services can be expensive, many are tempted by free options. And there's no surprise that nowadays, there are many free proxy options available – from risky public lists to temporary trials from premium providers. In this guide, we’ll try to explain the key differences between free proxy servers and paid proxy services and list some of the best providers that offer free plans or trials.

Whether you're a developer testing a script, a researcher with a tight budget, or just starting in data scraping, this article will help you choose the right web scraping tools for your needs.

Disclaimer: The analysis presented in this article relies on information current as of 2025/08/25. Before depending on any comparative data, all users are advised to confirm the most recent status of products and services. 

Free proxies use cases

While free proxy services have issues with reliability and security, they can still be useful for certain non-critical tasks where performance isn't a significant concern and no sensitive data is involved. They're ideal for small, temporary projects. Here are some common uses:

• Website & SEO testing: Check how your website appears to users in different locations. You can also look at local search engine rankings and see how your site performs with various IPs.

• Small-scale data gathering: Collect public data for research, like tracking competitor prices, monitoring social media trends, or analyzing job listings.

• Personal privacy & access: Get a basic layer of anonymity for general web browsing or access geo-restricted content (where legally permissible).

When using any proxy, respect a website's robots.txt file and its terms of service, and manage your request rates to avoid overwhelming servers.

Free vs. paid proxies – what’s the difference?

The main difference between free and paid proxies is a trade-off between cost and quality, with paid proxies typically offering top tier performance.

Free proxies are available at no cost, making them tempting for experimentation. However, they are usually slow, unreliable, and can compromise your security by monitoring or logging your traffic. They are best for education, quick tests, or small, non-critical projects where performance and security aren’t major concerns.

Paid proxies, however, are reliable services from legitimate companies. For a monthly fee, they offer high reliability (often with over 99% uptime), fast speeds, strong security, and dedicated customer support. This makes them ideal for serious or commercial use, such as large-scale web scraping, market research, SEO monitoring, ad verification, and overcoming geo-restrictions.

Here is a comparison table that shows which use cases are suitable for free proxies and recommends the specific type of paid proxy needed when performance and reliability matter:

Recognized by Proxyway as the Best Enterprise Provider in 2025, Oxylabs is one of the most reliable and trusted providers in the market and is widely known for reliability and scale. It serves mid-range to enterprise clients and provides access to 177M+ ethically sourced IPs, global dedicated proxies, and advanced management tools, ensuring legal, high-quality web scraping.

Free plan details

Oxylabs offers 5 free datacenter proxy IPs upon registration (no credit card required). These free proxy servers are located in the United States. The free proxy IPs included in the plan have a total traffic limit of 5GB per user per month. Oxylabs also offers a few free trials, including 7-day free trial proxy servers (Residential and Datacenter Proxies included) and a Web Scraper API unlimited free trial with up to 2K results (no credit card required).

Full-service features

Proxy types:

• Residential;

• Mobile;

• Datacenter;

• Dedicated Datacenter;

• ISP.

Main advantages:

• Network & performance: HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 support, extensive global IP coverage, high success rates, and reliable uptime (avg. uptime of 99.9% for Datacenter Proxies);

• Infrastructure & technology: enterprise-grade infrastructure, customizable proxy solutions, integration with third-party software, and free advanced geo-targeting;

• Usability & support: convenient and easy-to-use dashboard, extensive documentation, 24/7 customer support, and dedicated account managers;

• Ethical standards: proxy procurement, adhering to the highest ethical standards.

2. Webshare

Webshare is mostly known for reliability and affordability. With 30M+ IPs and a focus on speed and security, it enables block-free scraping and organic behavior emulation. Best suited for small businesses, Webshare offers self-service tools with limited customization and scalability.

Free plan details

Webshare offers 10 free datacenter proxies permanently. The plan is limited to 1GB/month of bandwidth.

Full-service features

Proxy types:

• Residential;

• ISP;

• Datacenter.

Main advantages:

• Performance & technology: HTTP and SOCKS5 protocol support, fast and reliable connection speeds;

• Usability & features: easy-to-use dashboard and API, fully customizable via self-service, detailed API documentation and help center;

• Value & flexibility: affordable and suitable for a range of use cases, from small-scale to advanced;

• Support: 24/7 customer support and dedicated account managers.

Best proxy providers with free trials

1. Decodo

Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) is a trusted proxy provider rated 4.6/5 on G2. With 125M+ IPs across 195+ countries, it offers unrestricted access to public data. Key advantages include a user-friendly dashboard, responsive customer support, and high-quality premium proxies with fast, reliable performance.

Free trial details

Decodo (ex. Smartproxy) offers a 3-day free trial with 100MB residential proxy traffic (no credit card required). Alternatively, you can use their 14-day money-back guarantee.

Full-service features

Proxy types:

• Residential;

• ISP;

• Datacenter;

• Mobile.

Main advantages:

• Network & targeting: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 protocol support, 65M+ residential proxy pool, and city and country-level targeting;

• Performance & reliability: high-speed connections with low latency and highly rated for customer satisfaction;

• Usability & tools: user-friendly dashboard, extensive documentation, and convenient proxy management tools (e.g., browser extension);

• Support & service: 24/7 customer support and dedicated account managers.

2. Bright Data

Bright Data is a top proxy provider known for its wide proxy selection, advanced features, and high success rates. Trusted by 20,000+ customers, it’s best suited for large-scale users, as pricing is on the higher side and depends on factors like geo-targeting.

Free trial details

Bright Data offers a free 7-day trial for businesses with up to 15 datacenter IPs and 2GB traffic. The free trial is not indefinite and requires business verification.

Full-service features

Proxy types:

• Residential;

• Datacenter;

• Mobile;

• ISP.

Main advantages:

• Network & targeting: HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocol support, one of the largest IP pools with 150M+ residential IPs, and advanced targeting and session control;

• Usability & tools: user-friendly dashboard, browser extension, and third-party software integrations;

• Security & compliance: fully compliant with data protection regulations and enterprise-level features for secure, large-scale use;

• Support & service: 24/7 customer support and dedicated account managers.

3. Nimbleway

Nimbleway is a relatively newer entrant in the premium proxy space, offering residential proxies with an AI-driven optimization engine for enhanced performance. Positioned as a cutting-edge service, it shows strong potential for future developments.

Free trial details

Nimbleway offers a free trial with usage credits. You can contact their sales team for the latest trial details, as these offers may change frequently.

Full-service features

Proxy types:

• Residential.

Main advantages:

• Performance & technology: HTTP protocol support, AI-powered proxy optimization, high web scraping success rates, CAPTCHA solving and browser fingerprinting, automatic retry and rotation features;

• Usability & tools: API access, user-friendly dashboard, and documentation;

• Support & service: 24/7 customer support and dedicated account managers;

• Innovation: focus on cutting-edge technology.

4. Rayobyte (ex. Blazing SEO)

Rayobyte (formerly Blazing SEO) is a trusted American proxy provider known for strong datacenter services and transparent business practices. They offer residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies.

Free trial details

For residential proxies, you can get a free Rayobyte trial by simply creating an account. To try Rayobyte’s datacenter or ISP proxies (or test multiple packages at once) you have to contact their team to request a free trial.

Full-service features

Proxy types:

• Residential;

• Static datacenter;

• Rotating datacenter;

• Static ISP;

• Rotating ISP;

• Mobile.

Main advantages:

• Network & performance: HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 support, high-performance proxy infrastructure, ethically sourced proxies;

• Tools & analytics: API access, data usage analytics with dashboard, and documentation;

• Support: 24/7 customer support and dedicated account managers;

• Pricing & service: USA-based company with reliable support, competitive pricing, and flexible plans.

5. NetNut

NetNut is a reliable proxy provider offering fast, stable connections and access to geo-restricted content in 200 countries. It features an easy-to-use dashboard with insightful user statistics and simple configurations. Plus, their support team is readily available across multiple channels like WhatsApp, Telegram, email, and live chat to assist you whenever needed.

Free trial details

A free trial is available only to registered companies that pass their KYC verification.

Full-service features

Proxy types:

• Rotating residential;

• ISP;

• Mobile;

• Datacenter.

Main advantages:

• Network & performance: HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocol support, stable connectivity, and fast speeds;

• Usability & tools: convenient dashboard and documentation;

• Support & service: 24/7 customer support via multiple channels, including WhatsApp, Telegram, email, and live chat.

6. ScrapingBee

ScrapingBee stands out from other providers on this list because it's primarily a web scraping API, not a direct proxy seller. Instead of providing you with a list of proxy IPs to manage yourself, ScrapingBee handles the entire scraping infrastructure – including proxies, headless browsers, and CAPTCHA solving – behind a simple API call. This model is ideal for developers who want to extract web data without dealing with the complexities of proxy rotation and ban evasion. You simply tell the API which URL to scrape, and it returns the raw HTML.

Free trial details

ScrapingBee offers a one-time free trial with 1K API calls (no credit card required).

Full-service features

ScrapingBee manages its own large, private pool of residential and datacenter proxies. These are used automatically in the background to complete your request successfully. The key difference is that users do not get direct access to this proxy infrastructure; it's an integrated part of the API service.

Main advantages:

• JavaScript rendering: can render any web page just like a real browser, including single-page applications built with libraries like React or Vue.

• Automatic proxy management: you don't need to manage or rotate proxies; the service handles IP rotation and retries automatically to avoid blocks.

• CAPTCHA solving: the API is designed to handle and solve common CAPTCHAs that would otherwise block your scraper.

• Geo-targeting: you can easily make your requests appear as if they are coming from specific countries.

Best free proxy lists

Before exploring the providers below, it's crucial to understand what a "free proxy list" is. These sites aggregate public, open proxies – servers that are accessible to anyone on the internet. While they are free to use, proxy lists come with significant trade-offs in reliability, performance, and security. 

These lists are best suited for educational purposes, learning how proxies work, or for extremely low-stakes, non-sensitive tasks. They are not recommended for business operations, web scraping at scale, or handling any personal or confidential data.

1. ProxyScrape

ProxyScrape is a Belgium-based proxy provider offering fast, affordable, and reliable proxies for a wide range of use cases. Originally known for its free proxy lists, it has grown into a trusted service now used by 10,000+ customers worldwide. With a strong focus on support, performance, and accessibility, ProxyScrape is ideal for users looking for cost-effective proxies without compromising on quality.

Free proxy list details

• HTTP, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 protocol support;

• Updated 24/7 with fresh proxies (every proxy gets checked multiple times every minute);

• Country and anonymity level filtering;

• API access for automated proxy retrieval;

• Downloadable in .txt format.

2. Free-Proxy.cz

Free-proxy.cz is a well-established proxy list with over 6,000 IPs from 100+ countries. While some locations have only a few proxies, major regions like the US offer hundreds.

Free proxy list details

• HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 protocol support;

• Daily updated proxy lists;

• Detailed proxy information, including country, speed, uptime, response, etc.;

• Multiple export formats, including .txt;

• Anonymity level indicators.

3. Spys.one

Spys.one is a free proxy service that has been online since 2008, offering one of the largest proxy lists with over 28,000 proxies across around 160 countries. The site also provides various proxy and network tools.

Free proxy list details

• HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 protocol support;

• Real-time proxy testing and validation;

• Comprehensive proxy database;

• Advanced filtering options;

• Country and port-based sorting.

4. Hidemy.name

Hidemy.name is a long-standing online privacy service offering a range of tools, including a free proxy list, VPN, and IP checker. Known for its simplicity and global reach, Hidemy.name is a solid option for users looking to browse anonymously or collect public data efficiently.

Free proxy list details

• Offers a free proxy checker;

• HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocol support;

• Speed and anonymity testing;

• Geographic location filtering;

• Regular proxy validation and updates.

5. Geonode

Geonode is a modern proxy provider focused on making data access seamless, ethical, and developer-friendly. With a strong emphasis on transparency, accountability, and innovation, it's designed to support both individual users and businesses seeking scalable, sustainable data collection solutions.

Free proxy list details

• HTTP, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 protocol support;

• Detailed proxy information, including country, speed, uptime, response, etc.;

• Proxies are updated multiple times daily;

• Clean, easy-to-use interface.

Final thoughts

The proxy market in 2025 is clear – you get what you pay for. Free solutions are always tempting, but in reality, performance, security, and reliability come at a cost. The right choice ultimately depends on your project’s specific needs. You can start with a free proxy to test your scraping logic, validate your use case, learn proxy basics, and prototype your application. But if you need reliability, performance, and security, opt in for paid proxy options.

If you're ready to scale up, consider options like Oxylabs’ cheap proxies optimized for cost-efficiency, SOCKS5 proxies for versatile use, or fast proxies designed for high-speed and reliable scraping. Need more specific targeting? Oxylabs ISP proxies or residential proxy pool offer precise geo-targeting and large IP coverage. And for mobile-specific needs, check out the mobile proxies.

If you're looking to expand your toolkit or better understand the proxy landscape in 2025, you can explore the top proxy providers in 2025 to find the right fit for your scraping or data access needs and learn about the best proxy server tools that can help you manage and optimize your proxy usage more efficiently. These guides are perfect for both beginners and advanced users looking to get the most out of their proxy setups.