Shared Proxies

If you’re looking for the right type of proxy for your needs, there are a few things you should keep in mind before making the final decision. There are several types of proxies, each with its own pros and cons. Their pricing depends on your privacy needs, intended use, and budget. Here’s what you need to know before reaching for the wallet.

Shared proxies are often free or really cheap. As their name suggests, you share them with other people on the internet, and you never know who’s on the other end. Free shared proxies are often a front for hackers and spammers who watch your traffic. If you don’t know who’s running the service, you’re risking your sensitive company data or personal information (credit cards and other sensitive data).

With private, dedicated proxies, you don’t need to worry about any of this. Each proxy is reserved just for you and uses authenticated access, so there’s no sharing. You don’t have to worry about others using the same IP as you and what they’re doing with it. More importantly, as long as you pick a reliable proxy service, you can rest assured that your private data stays private at all times.

The key feature of shared proxies is right in their name – they’re shared among multiple users. If multiple users perform bandwidth-intensive tasks on a single proxy, it often leads to frustratingly low speeds. Once the demand gets really high, a shared proxy may stop working altogether, sometimes right when you need it the most.

When you get a dedicated datacenter or residential proxy, your provider gives you your own username and password, or they use your IP address for authentication. That means you have full control over who’s using your proxy, when, and what they’re doing with it. More importantly, you don’t have to worry about your internet speeds and lack of service due to heavy load demands.

No service is really free, and this is often the rule for free shared proxies. You may not pay for it with money, but the provider may sell your personal data (like your email address) to spammers and hackers. If the service is free – you’re the product. That golden rule applies here too.

Private proxies keep your personal information protected on both ends. A premium proxy service will never compromise your data and you also make sure your IP address and traffic stay safe no matter what you’re doing online. In most cases, you will pay for this type of proxy, but it will cost you nothing more than the provider’s asking price.

Proxy pricing can vary greatly. You can get share proxy lists for free, while a good private proxy usually has a monthly or a one-time-only price. It’s safe to say that a private proxy will be more expensive in most cases. After all, you’re paying for speed, reliability, and peace of mind.

Before selecting the right service, don’t forget to check if the price covers customer support. It doesn’t matter if you’re a company looking to protect its infrastructure or an individual trying to avoid content blocks on your favorite streaming site. Knowing that you have help available 24/7 in case you have an issue you can’t deal with yourself is very important.