Cheap proxies, free proxies, good or bad idea?

There are proxies of all types, at all prices and above all for all uses. But, cheap proxies or free proxies, what are the differences, are they really useful and efficient? In any case, a proxy will allow you to use a different IP address from that of your computer.

What is a free proxy?

One type of free proxy is the web proxy. It is in fact a website that offers the possibility of using a proxy. It is in fact a page on which you have a field to type a link to the page you wish to consult. This allows access even with restrictions: the web proxy displays the requested page.

However, this type of proxy is less powerful and less reliable than a software proxy for example. Indeed, the IPs used may have already been identified by many Internet sites and are therefore banned; this is the case for those used for web scraping or those used to bypass network restrictions (for example, those who connect to online games from computers in a college or high school!

Software proxies exist and are free, they have the advantage of being more efficient than web proxies, especially in terms of bandwidth and reactivity.

Why use a free proxy?

However, you can always try to use a free proxy for simple and mostly occasional tasks. Whether it is to bypass an IP address restriction (for example when your computer’s IP address is already banned) or a geographical restriction. This will allow you to view web pages that you want to access. However, for regular or even automated tasks

However, for regular or even automated tasks, taking out a subscription or buying a cheap proxy can be more useful and reliable.

What is a cheap proxy?

There are two types of cheap proxies. First: semi-dedicated proxies. This means that you will not be the only user of the IP addresses, so the risk of blocking is greater. But on the other hand, this type of proxy is cheaper; you have to consider how many people can use the same IP address at the same time. Then there are dedicated proxies: here you are the only user of the IP address you have bought or rented. They are more efficient but also more expensive.

Why use a cheap proxy?

Unlike a free proxy, a cheap proxy is useful for automated tasks such as web scraping, the massive recovery of data from the Internet. Moreover, in the case of this use, it is advisable to invest in a dedicated proxy (also called private proxy) to avoid the risks of blocking the IP address used. Semi-dedicated proxies are more suitable for regular use, but are mainly used to consult pages on sites that block your IP address. A cheap proxy will allow you to use a few IP addresses each month, but the more IP addresses you want, the more you will have to pay, even if bulk rates exist for those who need to collect a lot of data online: the IP address per unit is then less and less expensive.

Free and cheap proxies can be usefull for newbies for getting familiar with browsing the web throught proxy servers but as soon as you have a business to run and you absolutely need reliable tools and software, then, you will have to invest some money in high quality proxies.