Smartproxy Review 2024 - Read This Before Trying it!

What Is Smarproxy?

Any time you use the internet, you leave digital footprints behind. So, anything you do online is traceable back to you.  

One way to cover your tracks is by using a proxy service. It acts as a middle-man that hides your identity when browsing the web. 

There are many providers on the market, both free and paid. However, most fail to honor their promise of safeguarding your privacy.

Smartproxy Inc., however, is a top-notch proxy services vendor. Established in 2018, it’s a fast, secure, and reliable solution for privacy protection on the web.

It came about as a cheaper and easy-to-use alternative to enterprise-only vendors, GeoSerf and Bright Data (formerly Luminati).

Smartproxy has a global network of servers and a pool of over 40 million IPs. It allows you to geotarget locations from the country, state, and city levels.

The company offers affordable pricing plans, including a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) package. There’s also a limited three-day refund policy to test the service with confidence.  

Some of the proxies you can pick from include: 

• Residential 
• Datacenter
• And dedicated datacenter

 The service is super easy to use, thanks to the intuitive Smartproxy dashboard. There’s a well-documented knowledge base to guide you through as well.

In case you get stuck, support agents are on standby 24/7. However, I doubt you’ll ever need their assistance. 

The solution primarily targets professional data miners, markers, SEO experts, and others alike. But the flexible pricing starting from $12.5/GB makes it a good pick for beginners. 

Judging by the tons of positive Smartproxy reviews, it’s one of a kind. So here, I’ll examine it based on:

• Features
• Integrations
• Ease of use
• Customer support 
• Pricing

The question is: is it worth the hype?  

Keep reading to find out.

Features

First, let’s take a look at what the service has in store.

Smartproxy’s features are as follows:

Residential Proxies

Residential proxies are Smartproxy’s flagship product for accessing the internet undetected. It comprises over 40 million IPs available in 195 countries worldwide.

The mentioned pool of addresses belongs to real mobile and computer users. And you can target different countries down to the city level. 

You can launch unlimited connections with just a few clicks. Since the proxies don’t share subnetworks, you face less risk of getting banned. 

It has a 100% success rate of connecting to the internet. The average 1.3 seconds response time makes running bulk tasks a bliss.

Smartproxy’s residential proxies support rotating and sticky sessions. The first option allows automatically changing IPs for each connection.

The second one maintains the same address for a pre-configured duration. You can currently set three different timeframes – 1, 10, and 30 minutes. 

There are two authentication methods available: 

• User:Pass: It requires you to set a username and password for connecting to the proxy network.  
• Whitelisted IPs: You can whitelist trusted IP addresses to access the service without user:pass credentials.  

Sadly, residential proxies don’t support the SOCKS5 protocol, which is more secure and robust.

Datacenter Proxies

If geotargeting is not of importance, go with datacenter proxies. They’re faster and ideal for handling data mining tasks with scale.

The service has a pool of over 100,000 IPs distributed across 400 subnetworks. These are available in the US and Europe and aren’t associated with user devices.

Smartproxy’s datacenter proxies also support rotational and sticky sessions. That way, you can perform tasks without the fear of getting banned. 

User:pass is the only supported method of authentication. It’s secure and gives you total access to all Smartproxy gateway servers.     

Datacenter proxies are a shared service, which should naturally make it affordable. True to that, the basic plan starts from $30/month for 50GB of traffic. 

The downsides:

There’s no geotargeting for countries located in Europe. Similarly, you can’t narrow down to states if you opt to use proxies in the US. 

SOCKS5 protocol is lacking as well. Still, it’s fast, secure, and reliable. 

Dedicated Datacenter Proxies

Dedicated datacenter proxies are for users who need the full extent of the service. You get over 400,000 IPs that are only available in the US. 

The beauty of it is you don’t share the addresses with anyone. So you’ll have control over your browsing history and security. 

Smartproxy dedicated datacenter proxies also come with unmetered traffic on top of unlimited network requests. Moreover, you can simultaneously target as many websites as you wish.    

Unlike other plans, this service supports SOCKS5 and HTTPS protocols. Altogether, they ensure you enjoy more secure, fast, and reliable connections. 

The prices start from $40/month for up to 20 dedicated IPs and unlimited traffic. Any additional address costs $2/IP but drops to $1.60/IP on higher-tier plans.

Scrapping APIs

Smartproxy scraping APIs consist of tools for mining web data on autopilot. While they’re easy to customize, you need advanced-level developer skills to use them. 

They comprise the following: 

SERP Scraping API

SERP Scraping API is a programmable tool for gathering information from search engines. It combines the power of a proxy and web crawler to deliver real-time data. 

You can use it to: 

• Obtain results in HTML or JSON format
• Geotarget any country, state, or city
• Ensure a 100% success rate

The API uses Smartproxy’s residential proxies with full support for rotational sessions.

As for the pricing, it will set you back at least $50/month for 13,000 requests. Despite the steep cost, you get unlimited connections and unrestricted traffic usage. 

Ecommerce Scraping API

The Smartproxy API for ecommerce enables you to collect market intelligence about your competitors online. You can monitor product prices, customer data, traffic sources, etc. 

Additionally, it can: 

• Gather product data
• Geotarget any country, state, or city
• Bypass IP blocks and CAPTCHAs 

The tool supports headless scraping, a plus for accessing JavaScript websites. Smartproxy also guarantees you a 100% success rate. 

The $50/month starting price for 15,000 requests is pretty affordable. There’s room to add more volume starting from $1.50/1000 requests. 

 Web Scraping API

Smartproxy understands how difficult it can be to collect data from the internet. That’s why it offers a web scraping API to make your life easier.

It has a powerful crawler that can pull information from any website. Furthermore, it can snoop JavaScript-heavy web pages with ease.

Some of its applications include but aren’t limited to: 

• Malicious website detection
• Fast delivery of structured data
• Real-time data collection

This API is powered by Smartproxy’s residential service with 40+ million IPs. It includes proxy rotation to boost the success rate of information gathering. 

No-Code Scaper API

Also known as the smart scraper, this API is for users who lack coding skills. It only takes a few clicks to automate tasks straight from Smartproxy’s user dashboard.

There are premade templates for launching the tool without hassle. Likewise, you can easily pick one and customize it according to your preferences.

The API generates structured data in either JSON or CSV formats. The best part is that you can download or export the results to your email.

Prices start at $50/month for 13,000 requests. You can expand capacity at the cost of $3.85/1000 requests.

Tools

Smartproxy’s tools are also worth smiling about. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• X Browser: This is an application for creating different browser profiles. Each gives you unique digital footprints for managing multiple accounts online. It works well for social media, advertising platforms, ecommerce websites, etc.     
• Chrome Extensions: Smartproxy offers an extension for Chromium-based browsers. You can use it to access the proxy services without accessing your customer dashboard. There’s also a dedicated one for using the No-Code scraper API.
• Firefox Add-on: This is an alternative Smartproxy toolkit for Firefox users. 
• Address Generator: This tool is useful for fetching and generating rotating IP addresses. It can also pick proxy server locations from the country down to the city level. The app is available for Windows and macOS computers.

Integrations

Smartproxy supports various integrations that extend the solution’s usability beyond the available functions. 

They include:

• Sneaker Bots: These apps are designed to help sneakerheads purchase footwear available in limited stock. It can bypass restrictions set by retailers to limit customers from buying rare shoes.
• Social Media Tools: You can use these apps to create and use an unlimited number of social media accounts. The available ones comprise Facebook, Tinder, Instagram, and more.
• Scrapers: These are special tools for launching unlimited connections using different scripts.
• SEO Tools: You can use these integrations to perform SEO audits of your competitors on the web.
• Proxy Managers: These are specially designed to manage a company’s computer network servers. 

Usage Monitoring

Usage monitoring is another feature that’s full of praise on Smartproxy user reviews. It comes in handy for tracking your resource consumption in real-time.

You can check traffic and the total requests made to the network. Furthermore, It’s easy to filter the results based on daily, weekly, and monthly intervals.

You can also access detailed analytics by setting a custom time frame. Unfortunately, exporting the data is currently not possible.

Ease of Use and Interface

Smartproxy has a clean dashboard that’s user-friendly and makes configuring tasks simple. It’s an upgraded version with newer features and initiative tools. 

The navigation menu is accessible from the left side of your display. You can launch the tasks you need to get the job done from here.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to hide it on large-screen devices like computers. This takes away around 10% of your screen’s real estate.

But that’s not the case when using the platform on mobile devices. There, it has a navigation drawer that neatly hides all features you’re not currently using.

Moreover, the dashboard is well-organized and only takes a few minutes to get familiar with.

Spoiler alert!

There’s no doubt that the upgraded dashboard is intuitive. Somehow, though, I find the older interface to be more user-friendly.

Documentation and Support

Smartproxy has detailed online documentation with hundreds of helpful guides. There are different categories that cover the platform’s features.

There’s also a search function for filtering the content using specific keywords. You can also launch it quickly using the combination of CTRL+K on your computer keyboard.

All articles are well-written using simple language that’s easy to read and follow. The majority have screenshots and videos to better explain different instructions.

However, sometimes, things fail to work.

Should that happen, Smartproxy’s support agents are ready to help 24/7. You can reach them via both live chat and email.

They’re super friendly and fast and provide practical solutions to your problems.

Pricing

Smartproxy’s pricing plans are structured as follows:

Smartproxy has a 3-day money-back guarantee across all plans. If the service doesn’t impress, just request for refund within the given timeframe.

How To Use Smartproxy

Now, let me give you a glimpse of how Smartproxy works. As I said before, the dashboard is clean and easy to use. 

Every tool you need is accessible from the main menu on the screen’s left side. Some of the tabs include:

• Welcome Screen
• Proxies
• Scraping APIs
• Apps (Tools and Extensions)
• Help and Support

There’s a monitoring panel for tracking your usage as well. It displays stats for traffic consumption and total requests you’ve made.

Setting Up a Proxy

Smartproxy’s proxy setup is as easy as pie.

• The first thing you need to do is configure an authentication method. You can achieve it by creating a user:pass or whitelisting your device’s IP address.

• Next, generate connection nodes using the endpoint generator. You can choose to go with either user:pass or whitelisted IPs. 

• Below is a selection of proxy locations. Random gives you access to the entire network’s IP pool, while the rest are for targeting a region of choice.

• Select the session type by choosing either sticky or rotating.

• From here, pick the output format and enter the number of endpoints you need.

• Export your list either as CSV or TXT file. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the details into a secure location.  

Note: 

The above illustration is for configuring residential proxies. Some steps may differ with other products. If you get stuck, check out the company’s knowledge base or contact support.

Smartproxy Alternatives

It’s no doubt that Smartproxy’s services are among the best on the market. But there are other companies worthy of your attention. 

Here’s the comparison:   

Smartproxy vs Bright Data

Bright Data is one of the biggest names in the industry. It offers premium proxy services for data mining agencies and enterprises.

In comparison, Smartproxy targets all users with affordable plans. Regardless of pricing, it provides exceptional products without sacrificing quality. 

Both companies offer residential and datacenter proxy services. These come packed with static and rotating IPs. 

Bright Data, however, has more on the menu. It includes mobile 3G/4G and ISP proxies. 

And it doesn’t stop there. 

The company’s pool of over 70 million residential IPs is almost double that of its competitor. Moreover, Smartproxy’s 500,000 datacenter addresses are no match for Bright Data’s pool of 1.6 million.

Smartproxy provides more tools to boost your productivity than its peer. These include Chrome/Firefox extensions, an address generator, X Browser, and more.

The vendor also has dedicated integrations like sneaker bots, social media management apps, scrapers, etc. 

Both companies provide robust APIs for automating data-gathering tasks. However, Bright Data lacks prebuilt templates. 

Smartproxy’s PAYG price of $12.5/GB is $2.5 cheaper than its competitor’s. Moreover, Bright Data’s subscription starting cost of $500/month is five times higher.  

Altogether, these vendors have excellent services, but Smartproxy is obviously cheaper.

Smartproxy vs Oxylabs

Oxylabs is another great alternative that gives Smartproxy a run for its money. It offers a long list of proxies at competitive prices. 

Its stand-apart features include: 

• 4G mobile proxies
• Dedicated SOCKS5 proxies
• ISP proxies

Oxylabs has next-generation proxies powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. They use algorithms that provide human-like browsing for enhanced web scraping success rate.

In contrast, Smartproxy’s product offerings are nothing out of the ordinary. The company provides the usual residential, datacenter, and dedicated datacenter proxy services. 

Of the two vendors, Oxylabs is the one with the larger pool IP pool, with over 100 million. It sources them from premium providers to ensure they’re of high quality.

Smartproxy’s IP collection is less than half the size of its competitor. Still, it delivers outstanding results for handling tasks of any size.

The two companies provide similar APIs for accelerating your productivity, such as: 

• SERP Scraper
• Ecommerce Scraper
• Web Scraper

Apart from the above, Smartproxy has a smart API that requires zero coding skills. Additionally, it has an impressive list of integrations like sneaker bots, SEO tools, and proxy managers. 

Oxylab’s starting price of $100/month is $20 higher than its rival’s lowest subscription offering. Besides, Smartproxy’s $12.5/GB PAYG package is the real deal for cash-strapped users.

Smartproxy Review – Verdict

Smartproxy is an affordable, feature-rich proxy platform. It offers quality services backed up by round-the-clock support.

It provides a simple and intuitive dashboard that’s novice-friendly. Besides that, you can also check out its documentation-rich knowledge base for help articles. 

Advanced users can always use its API to scale data mining tasks. And beginners can take advantage of pre-configured templates.

I hope this Smartproxy review has outlined everything you need to make the right decision. 

If you’re still in doubt, I suggest you give the service a try. After all, it has a 3-day worry-free refund policy.