8 Reliable SOCKS5 Proxies That You Can Use In 2023

A SOCKS5 proxy is an extended version of the previous SOCKS protocol. It uses various authentication methods to be secure. Moreover, it supports UDP connections for faster and more efficient data transfer.

With over 5.16 billion Internet users affected by censorship, SOCKS5 proxies became necessary. It's the best proxy type for anonymity without sacrificing efficiency.

You can find free SOCKS5 proxies, but most are unsafe and unreliable. If you want the best ones, some reliable providers can help you.

Best SOCKS5 Proxy Providers

SOCKS5 proxies work like other proxies. They allow users to send data to a target through another server. By doing so, the user remains anonymous and can send requests as if they were from different locations.

While other proxies can also do these things, they are not as flexible and secure as a SOCKS5 proxy. It supports several authentication methods. This way, it easily prevents unauthorized users from connecting.

SOCKS5 proxies can also process several protocols—including HTTP, FTP, and SMTP. Moreover, they work faster since they support UDP, which is faster than TCP.

In short, you can enjoy better features and security using SOCKS5 proxies than SOCKS4. It's even better than typical proxies.

Using proxies from reliable providers is the best thing to do. Some providers offer cheap SOCKS5 proxies that work better than the free ones.

Here are eight proxy providers that you can consider if you are looking for the best SOCKS service:

1. Smart Proxy

Specifications:

• Proxy types available: SOCKS5, Data Center, Rotating, Dedicated DC
• Supported Locations: US regions and cities
• Customer Support: Available 24/7 via email or chat

Pricing: Starts at $7.5 for 3 IPs

Smart Proxy is among the most popular SOCKS5 proxy providers due to its free apps and web extensions. This provider sells proxies that support both SOCKS5 and HTTP. 

If you pay for this provider's plans, you can enjoy its P2P network on a stable server. It also has Firefox add-ons and Chrome extensions for easier use.

You can also benefit from reliable performance with various SOCKS proxies that protect your identity by altering your data's IP address. The service also offers robust data infrastructure, perfect for web data scraping. However, be cautious of free proxies, as they can jeopardize your security and expose you to risks.

2. Bright Data

Specifications:

• Proxy types available: Residential, Data Center, ISP, Mobile
• Supported Locations: Over 195 countries
• Customer Support: Available 24/7 in 7 languages

Pricing: Starts at $15 per GB

Bright Data is the best option for users who want to bypass blocks and restrictions with high speed. This provider offers premium SOCKS5 proxies that are ideal for secure web scraping.

With Bright Data, you can enjoy excellent speed and reliability with a vast pool of IP addresses. You'll also enjoy the benefits of a SOCKS5 proxy because of the provider's proxy manager.

The customer-centric approach of Bright Data will let you enjoy SOCKS5 proxies.

3. Webshare

Specifications:

• Proxy types available: SOCKS5, SOCKS, Rotating, Static, Residential ISP, Dedicated, Private, Data Center
• Supported Locations: Over 20 countries
• Customer Support: Available 24/7 via email

Pricing: Starts at $2.99 per month

Webshare is a SOCKS5 proxy provider that's best known for its simple dashboard and easy stats. Besides SOCKS5, this provider also offers HTTP proxies for personal use.

Here, you can find a service with more privacy since they encrypt your data and hide your details. Moreover, you'll enjoy the provider's accessible and straightforward dashboard. It will help you see the detailed status of your proxy usage.

4. IPRoyal

Specifications:

• Proxy types available: SOCKS5, SOCKS, Sneaker, Private, Static, Rotating, Data Center
• Supported Locations: Over 100 locations globally
• Customer Support: Available 24/7 via email

Pricing: Starts at $1.75 per GB

IPRoyal is the ideal option for users who need compatibility with all device types. This provider offers static and rotating proxies supporting SOCKS and HTTP protocols.

With this provider, you can connect to actual residential SOCKS5 proxies. As such, it's best for retailing, data scraping, and social network research tasks.

IPRoyal offers plans designed to suit all projects, from business to personal ones.

5. Oxylabs

Specifications:

• Proxy types available: SOCKS5, Dedicated Data Center, ISP
• Supported Locations: 82 countries
• Customer Support: Available 24/7 via chat, email, or dedicated account manager

Pricing: Starts at $180 for 100 US IPs

Oxylabs is a popular option for businesses because of its premium services. With this proxy provider, you can enjoy premium SOCKS5 proxies suitable for any task.

6. Rayobyte

Specifications:

• Proxy types available: SOCKS5, Data Center, ISP, Residential
• Supported Locations: 150 locations and 27 data centers
• Customer Support: Available 24/7 via chat

Pricing: Starts at $10 for 5 US IPs

Rayobyte is another excellent choice if you want several proxies that support SOCKS5. It's also ideal for budget-conscious users who only need a few proxies for their tasks.

Amidst 8,000 global data centers, this provider offers exclusive centers in 27 countries. Users enjoy unlimited bandwidth and connections at a budget-friendly rate, ensuring effortless and widespread proxy access.

Rayobyte boasts of its in-house hardware with complete control. As such, you can expect excellent performance and reliability from its proxies.

7. PrivateProxy

Specifications:

• Proxy types available: Data center, Residential, Rotating
• Supported Locations: US regions and over 30 countries
• Customer Support: Available 24/7 via live chat

Pricing: Starts at $9 per month

PrivateProxy is the choice if you need high-speed and dependable SOCKS5 proxies. This proxy provider offers SOCKS5 proxies designed for any purpose.

Private Proxy provides static data centers and residential SOCKS5 proxies, perfect for reliable data parsing and online scraping.

This proxy provider offers instant activation, unlimited bandwidth, and competition tracking.

8. Netnut

Specifications:

• Proxy types available: SOCKS5, Rotating Residential, Static ISP, Data Center, Mobile
• Supported Locations: Global IPs
• Customer Support: Available 24/7 via multi-channel and dedicated account manager

Pricing: Starts at $100 per month

Netnut is the ideal proxy provider if you want a simple user interface for your tasks. It offers a proxy pool containing over a million static IPs. As such, you can enjoy proxies that support SOCKS5, SOCKS, and HTTP.

One notable thing about Netnut is that it doesn't use a P2P network. As a result, you will experience fast performance and laxity with it.

A simple interface lets you see a detailed usage status and know how much time and data you consume.

Why Should You Get a SOCKS5 Proxy?

 

SOCKS5 proxies prove to be helpful tools in many ways. Here's why you should get and use this specific proxy type:

• Supports more data types

SOCKS5 can work with more data types than the previous version and other proxies. As such, you can enjoy working with all sorts of data besides web pages.

For instance, SOCKS5 is suitable for dealing with web pages and emails. It's also the best for torrenting, video streaming, and gaming tasks.

• Bypass Site or Service Restrictions

SOCKS5 proxies work by relaying your request to the target website. By doing so, you send requests using another IP address instead of your actual one.

Besides making you anonymous, it also helps you bypass blocks and restrictions. It's a helpful tool if a particular website bans your IP address.

Moreover, if a site blocks your IP address while using a VPN, you can overcome this by employing a SOCKS5 proxy to reroute your request.

• Fast and reliable internet connection

The previous version of the SOCKS proxy only supported TCP. For this reason, it makes your connection slow and unreliable.

SOCKS5 supports both TCP and UDP. It allows users to enjoy a reliable internet connection with better performance.

Besides UDP support, SOCKS5 can also cache data to speed up the internet. You can also choose a SOCKS5 server near you for better proxy connection speed.

• Better performance due to lesser errors

One downside of typical proxies is that they rewrite data packets. By doing so, there's a chance to misroute or mislabel the data.

Since SOCKS5 proxies don't do so, there's less chance for errors. As a result, the performance improves with fewer errors.

• Higher efficiency on P2P platforms

Since SOCKS5 proxies support many protocols, they work faster than others. These proxies only transfer tiny data packets.

It allows users to enjoy quicker downloads. That’s also why it's the best type of proxy if you're dealing with peer-to-peer platforms.

Final Thoughts

A SOCKS5 proxy is a reliable tool that can handle any data type, program, protocol, or traffic. With it, you can remain anonymous on the web and bypass restrictions. 

Remember that it's always best to avoid free proxies since they have higher safety risks. Instead, you can use any of the SOCKS5 proxy providers mentioned above.

You can always enjoy the features that proxies have to offer while staying safe by choosing the best proxy type and provider.