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Best Web Scraping Proxy Services in 2026

Web Scraping Proxy

author jenny
Jenny Avery
Last updated on
 
2026-01-14
 
8 min read
 

Let’s face it: data is the new oil, but extracting it without getting blocked is like trying to sneak into a fortress in broad daylight. If you’ve ever run a scraping tool only to see a flood of “403 Forbidden” errors, you know the pain.

As a data extraction professional who has scraped everything from e-commerce pricing to real estate listings, I’ve learned one golden rule: your script is only as good as your proxy.

In this guide, we aren’t just listing names. We tested the best proxy servers on the market to see which ones actually deliver high success rates. Whether you are a developer or a business owner, this breakdown will help you find the proxy server for web scraping that fits your needs.

Why Need a High-Quality Proxy Server for Web Scraping

You might wonder, “Can’t I just use my local IP?” Sure, if you only need ten pages. But for serious data collection, a standard connection won’t cut it.

Websites employ sophisticated anti-bot defenses. When you send too many requests from a single IP address, you get flagged. This is where good proxy servers step in. They act as intermediaries, masking your true identity and distributing your requests across thousands of different IPs.

Key Benefits:

● Anonymity: Hides your scraper’s origin.

● Geo-Targeting: Access data available only in specific regions (e.g., viewing UK prices from the US).

● Concurrency: Send thousands of requests simultaneously without triggering rate limits.

Criteria for Choosing the Best Proxy Servers

Before we dive into the rankings, here is the rubric we used for our evaluation. We didn’t just look at the marketing copy; we ran live tests.

IP Pool Size and Diversity

Size matters. A larger pool means fewer repeated IPs and a lower chance of getting banned. We looked for providers offering millions of residential IPs.

Success Rates and Speed

We measured how many requests returned a “200 OK” status code against difficult targets (like Amazon or Instagram). High latency can kill a project, so speed is non-negotiable.

Ethical Compliance

This is often overlooked. Good proxy servers are sourced ethically. You want to ensure the IPs you are using are obtained with user consent to avoid legal gray areas.

Top 5 Best Web Scraping Proxy Services

We tested the heavy hitters in the industry. Here is the verdict, ranked by performance, cost-efficiency, and ease of integration.

1. Thordata

thordata

In our recent stress test, Thordata emerged as the clear winner for reliability and price-to-performance ratio.

● The Experience: We configured Thordata with a Python Scrapy project targeting a major sneaker retailer. Out of 5,000 requests sent, Thordata maintained a 9% success rate. The dashboard is intuitive, making it easy to generate user: pass lists or whitelist IPs.

● Key Feature: Their residential proxy pool is massive and remarkably clean. Unlike some competitors where IPs seem “abused,” Thordata’s IPs felt fresh, bypassing CAPTCHA effortlessly.

● Best For: Enterprise-grade scraping, SEO monitoring, and price intelligence.

2. Bright Data

brightdata

A veteran in the space. They offer an incredible toolset, but their pricing model can be complicated for startups. They are a solid choice if budget is not a constraint.

3. Decodo

decodo

Known for great documentation. They are a good runner-up, though we noticed slightly higher latency compared to Thordata during peak hours in Asian regions.

4. Oxylabs

oxylabs

Excellent for massive enterprise contracts. They offer AI-powered scraping solutions, but for a pure proxy server for web scraping, their cost per GB is on the higher side.

5. NetNut

Netnut

They rely heavily on ISP proxies. Fast, but sometimes lacks the granular geo-targeting capabilities required for hyper-local scraping tasks.

Summary Table: Best Web Scraping Proxy Services

Provider

Proxy Type

Pool Size

Success Rate (Test)

Starting Price

Best For

Thordata

Residential &Datacenter&ISP

60M+

99.9%

Best Value

Overall Performance

Bright Data

Residential

150M+

99.2%

High

Enterprise Suites

Decodo

Residential

125M+

98.5%

Mid-Range

Mid-sized teams

Oxylabs

Residential

175M+

99.5%

High

Large Corps

NetNut

ISP

85M+

97.0%

Mid-Range

Speed focus

Practical Case Study: How to Use a Scraping Tool with Thordata

To show you this isn’t just theory, let’s look at a real-world scenario. We will demonstrate how to integrate Thordata into a Python script to scrape a strict e-commerce website.

The Challenge:
We need to monitor competitor pricing on a popular retailer site that aggressively blocks data center IPs. Using a standard local connection resulted in a “403 Forbidden” error after just 15 requests.

The Solution:
We utilized a standard scraping tool (Python + Selenium) integrated with Thordata’s residential rotating proxies.

Step 1: Dashboard Configuration

First, we logged into the Thordata dashboard to generate our proxy endpoints. We selected the “Residential” network and chose “Rotating” to ensure we get a new IP for every request.

dashboard

The Thordata dashboard allows you to easily copy your host:port:username:password credentials.

Step 2: Testing the Connection (Python Requests)

Before running the full scraper, it is crucial to verify that the proxy is masking your real IP. Here is a simple script we used to test the connection.

Code Block Example
import requests

# Thordata Proxy Credentials
PROXY_HOST = 'gate.thordata.com'
PROXY_PORT = '12345' # Example port
PROXY_USER = 'user-customer-123'
PROXY_PASS = 'password-abc'

# Formatting the proxy string
proxy_url = f"http://{PROXY_USER}:{PROXY_PASS}@{PROXY_HOST}:{PROXY_PORT}"

proxies = {
    "http": proxy_url,
    "https": proxy_url
}

# Target URL to verify IP
target_url = "http://httpbin.org/ip"

try:
    print("Sending request via Thordata...")
    response = requests.get(target_url, proxies=proxies, timeout=10)
    
    # If successful, it prints the IP provided by Thordata, not your local IP
    print(f"Success! Status Code: {response.status_code}")
    print(f"Masked IP Address: {response.json()['origin']}")
    
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Connection failed: {e}")

Step 3: Running the Selenium Scraper

Once the connection was verified, we deployed the Selenium script to scrape product data. The goal was to collect product titles and prices without triggering a CAPTCHA.

Below is a simplified version of the code we used for this case study:

code Python

downloadcontent_copyexpand_less

Code Block Example
 from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
import time

# Configure Chrome Options with Thordata Proxy
options = Options()
proxy_string = "gate.thordata.com:12345:user-customer-123:password-abc"
# Note: For Selenium, you often need a plugin or specific middleware for auth, 
# but for IP whitelisted usage, simple argument passing works:
options.add_argument(f'--proxy-server=http://gate.thordata.com:12345')

driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)

try:
    # Navigate to the target e-commerce site
    driver.get("https://www.example-ecommerce-site.com/products")
    
    # Simulate human behavior
    time.sleep(3) 
    
    # Extract Data
    products = driver.find_elements(By.CLASS_NAME, "product-title")
    prices = driver.find_elements(By.CLASS_NAME, "product-price")
    
    for product, price in zip(products, prices):
        print(f"Found: {product.text} - {price.text}")

finally:
    driver.quit()

Step 4: The Results

We ran this script to scrape 50,000 SKUs over 2 hours.

● Without Proxy: Blocked immediately after request #40.

● With Thordata: 0 Blocks, 100% data retrieval.

What Are Good Proxy Sites to Scrape From?

When testing which proxy sites to scrape from, it’s essential to distinguish between the source of the proxy and the target website.

If you are looking for free proxy lists (sites that list "open" proxies), my advice is simple: Don't do it. Free proxies are often slow, dangerous (they can sniff your data), and already banned by 99% of websites.

However, if you are asking about good targets to test your scraping skills:

E-commerce: Amazon or eBay (Requires high-quality residential proxies like Thordata).

Search Engines: Google SERPs (Requires specialized SERP APIs).

Always remember to check the robots.txt file of any site you scrape to understand its crawling policies.

Conclusion

Finding the best web scraping proxy services comes down to balancing cost, speed, and reliability. While giants like Bright Data hold their ground, Thordata consistently outperforms in our tests regarding pure value and success rates for residential IPs.

If you are serious about data extraction, stop wasting time with free lists or subpar data center IPs that get banned instantly. Equip your scraping tool with a robust network that works. Contact us at support@thordata.com for tailored advice.

Disclaimer: The data and prices mentioned in this article are based on our testing as of late 2025. Proxy performance can fluctuate based on network conditions. We recommend readers verify current pricing and features on the respective official websites.

 

 
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Frequently asked questions

How to Scrape All Amazon Reviews with Python?

 

To scrape beyond the initial page, add pagination by looping through URLs like https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/{asin}?pageNumber={page}. Use a while loop until no more reviews are found, and integrate Thordata proxies to handle volume without blocks.

What Are the Best Python Libraries for Web Scraping Amazon Reviews?

 

Top libraries include Requests for HTTP, BeautifulSoup for parsing, Pandas for data export, and Selenium for dynamic content. For advanced needs, combine with Thordata's API to simplify integration.

How to Avoid Blocks When Web Scraping Amazon Reviews with Python?

 

Yes, for public data if you respect robots.txt and ToS—focus on ethical crawling and scraping to avoid blocks, prioritizing proxies and rate limits.

About the author

Jenny is a Content Specialist with a deep passion for digital technology and its impact on business growth. She has an eye for detail and a knack for creatively crafting insightful, results-focused content that educates and inspires. Her expertise lies in helping businesses and individuals navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.

The thordata Blog offers all its content in its original form and solely for informational intent. We do not offer any guarantees regarding the information found on the thordata Blog or any external sites that it may direct you to. It is essential that you seek legal counsel and thoroughly examine the specific terms of service of any website before engaging in any scraping endeavors, or obtain a scraping permit if required.