Best SOCKS5 Proxy Providers of 2025: Definitive Comparison

In this guide to the best SOCKS5 proxies, you will see:

• What a SOCKS5 proxy provider is.
• What SOCKS5 proxies are and when to use them.
• Key factors to consider when comparing providers.
• A curated list of the top SOCKS5 proxies of the year.

Let’s dive in!

SOCKS5 Proxies: Definition and Use Cases

A SOCKS5 proxy, also known as a SOCKS proxy, is a proxy server that operates at a lower level than traditional HTTP proxies. It routes traffic over the SOCKS5 protocol, which means it can handle various traffic types, including TCP, UDP, HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP. This broad compatibility makes it ideal for gaming, P2P file sharing, torrenting, web scraping, and more.

Unlike HTTP proxies, which are limited to web traffic, SOCKS5 proxies can manage any transport-layer protocol. That guarantees more flexibility and control. Learn more in our guide on SOCKS vs HTTP proxies.

Since SOCKS5 is just a protocol, it can be used with all major proxy IP types, including residential, datacenter, ISP, and mobile.

Best Overall SOCKS Proxy Provider: Bright Data

Bright Data stands out as a leading SOCKS5 proxy provider, thanks to a unique global network of over 150 million proxy IPs across residential, datacenter, ISP, and mobile types.

With powerful features like CAPTCHA solving, advanced scraping capabilities, and high scalability, it is a top choice for businesses of all sizes.

Bright Data’s flexible pricing, commitment to ethical data use, and 24/7 customer support make it one of the most reliable and comprehensive solutions for SOCKS5 proxy needs.

Elements to Consider When Evaluating SOCKS Proxy Providers

To choose and compare the best SOCKS5 proxy providers on the market, you need to focus on these aspects:

• Features: The tools and capabilities offered to enhance the developer experience.
• SOCKS5 proxy types: The range of SOCKS5 proxy types supported, such as residential, mobile, ISP, and datacenter.
• Proxy network: The size of the IP pool and the geographic distribution of available IPs.
• Concurrency: The number of simultaneous sessions or requests allowed through the proxy network.
• Uptime: The reliability of the service, measured by the provider’s guaranteed proxy availability.
• Success rate: The average percentage of successful requests routed through the proxy network.
• Customer support: The quality of support, available contact channels, and support hours.
• Free option: The presence of a free trial or plan to test the proxies before committing to a paid plan.
• Pay-as-you-go option: Whether the provider offers a pay-as-you-go plan for SOCKS5 proxies.
• Pricing: The cost of SOCKS5 proxies and the pricing plans available.

Top 8 SOCKS5 Proxy Providers of the Year

Explore the top 8 SOCKS5 proxy services, carefully selected and ranked based on the criteria outlined earlier.

1. Bright Data

Bright Data stands out as the leading SOCKS5 proxy provider in the industry. Active since 2014, it operates a vast and reliable network of over 150 million ethically sourced proxy IPs across 195 countries. This includes one of the most extensive proxy networks available, with servers accessible via the SOCKS5 protocol.

Its powerful proxy infrastructure supports a wide range of use cases, from ad verification and data monitoring to web scraping, where Bright Data especially excels.

Bright Data offers flexible pay-as-you-go pricing for SOCKS5 proxies, making them accessible to both businesses and individual users. The company emphasizes transparency through a strict KYC policy and ethical usage via the Bright Initiative. Additionally, all proxy traffic complies with GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2, SOC 3, and ISO 27001 standards.

With 24/7 expert support, Bright Data ensures a smooth experience for both new users and paying customers—even during the free trial. Altogether, these features make Bright Data the top choice for anyone looking for the best SOCKS5 proxies on the market.

• Features: Online dashboard for proxy management with real-time stats, proxy manager desktop application, proxy management browser extensions, sub-user management, geo-targeting (country, city, ZIP, carrier, ASN), free proxies, downloadable datasets, Browser API, Web Scraper APIs, SERP API, Web Unlocker, multiple AI products, and much more
• SOCKS5 proxy types: Residential, datacenter, ISP, mobile
• Proxy network:
  • Residential: 150M+ proxy IPs in 195 countries
  • Datacenter: 1.6M+ proxy IPs in 98 countries
  • ISP: 700K+ proxy IPs in 35 countries
  • Mobile: 7M+ proxy IPs from 195 countries
• Concurrency: Unlimited
• Uptime: 99.99%
• Success rate: 99.95%
• Customer support: 24/7 live chat, ticketing, email support, dedicated account manager for enterprises, dedicated customer success manager for enterprises, sales inquiries to support current users and visitors, media inquiries to answer public questions
• Free option: Yes, via a free trial
• Pay-as-you-go option: Yes, on all types of proxies
• Pricing:
  • Residential proxies: Starts at $2.94/GB
  • Datacenter proxies: Starts at 1.30/GB
  • ISP proxies: Starts at $0.90/GB

2. Decodo

Decodo, formerly known as Smartproxy, manages a network of SOCKS5 proxy servers covering all major proxy types. SOCSK5 datacenter proxies are usually the cheaper option, but you can also opt for residential, ISP, and mobile proxies

Bandwidth can be purchased in packages starting from a few gigabytes, but this is not a true pay-as-you-go model. Although the success rate is not disclosed, the network uptime is reported at 99.99%.

• Features: Global coverage, unlimited connections, CAPTCHA bypass, scraping tools, and 24/7 expert support
• SOCKS5 proxy types: Residential, datacenter, ISP, and mobile
• Proxy network: 125M+ proxy IPs in 195+ locations worldwide
• Concurrency: Unlimited
• Uptime: 99.99%
• Success rate: Undisclosed
• Customer support: 24/7 tech support
• Free option: Yes, 3-day free trial
• Pay-as-you-go option: No
• Pricing:
  • RESIDENTIAL PROXIES: $6 (2 GB $3/GB)
  • DATACENTER PROXIES: $30 (50 GB, $0.60/GB)
  • ISP PROXIES: $6.5 (1 GB, $6.50/GB)
  • MOBILE PROXIES: $15 (2 GB, $7.50/GB)

3. SOAX

SOAX delivers SOCKS5 proxies with support for residential, mobile, ISP, and datacenter IPs. Note that SOCKS5 ISP proxies are only available in the United States. With a network of over 155 million ethically sourced IPs in 195+ countries, SOAX is a top 3 SOCK5 proxy provider.

The proxy provider supports automatic rotation, sticky sessions, and city-level targeting, with flexible plans and a free trial. SOAX is backed by 24/7 multi-channel support.

• Features: Ethically sourced proxies, automatic IP rotation, sticky sessions, customizable IP refresh rate, API access, user-friendly dashboard, 0.55s response time, global proxy network with city-level and ISP targeting
• SOCKS5 proxy types: Residential, mobile, ISP (only in the US), datacenter
• Proxy network: 155M+ proxy IPs across 195+ countries
• Concurrency: Unlimited
• Uptime: 99.9% network uptime
• Success rate: 99.55% proxy success rate
• Customer support: 24/7 multi-channel support
• Free option: Yes, via a free trial
• Pay-as-you-go option: Yes, starting at $4.00/GB
• Pricing: Residential SOCKS5 proxies:
  • Starter: $90/mo (25 GB, $3.60/GB)
  • Advanced: $170/mo (50 GB, $3.40/GB)
  • Professional: $740/mo (300 GB included, $2.46/GB)
  • Business: $1,600/mo (800 GB included, $2.00/GB)
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

4. Oxylabs

Oxylabs comes with SOCKS5 proxies with TCP/UDP support, ideal for enterprise use cases like web scraping and data collection. In detail, it only supports dedicated residential and datacenter proxies. When considering traditional HTTP/HTTPS connections, the provider also supports ISP proxies.

Taking into account its premium pricing and the business-focused free, Oxylabs is clearly geared toward professionals and large companies.

• Features: Advanced geo-targeting (ZIP, city, state, ASN), TCP/UDP support, usage dashboard, easy integration, patented scraping tech
• SOCKS5 proxy types: Residential, datacenter (dedicated)
• Proxy network: 177M+ total (175M residential, 2M datacenter) across 188 countries
• Concurrency: Unlimited
• Uptime: 99.9%
• Success rate: Undisclosed
• Customer support: 24/7 support, dedicated account managers
• Free option: Yes, via a free trial
• Pay-as-you-go option: Yes (only for SOCKS5 residential proxies)
• Pricing:
  • Residential Proxies: From $8/GB
  • Dedicated Datacenter Proxies: From $6.75/mo

5. Infatica

Infatica controls a SOCKS5 proxy network that includes residential, mobile, static ISP, and datacenter IPs. It provides broad geo-coverage throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The service is built for developer use, featuring API access and support for Python and Node.js scripts.

Pay-as-you-go plans start at $4.00/GB, with a free trial available to test the service. Keep in mind that Infatica is especially known as one of the top USA proxy providers.

• Features: High bandwidth and thread count, customizable session time, API access, traffic monitoring dashboard, global geo-targeting (country, city, ZIP), rotation time control, developer-friendly documentation, support for major programming languages (Python, Node.js, Java, etc.)
• SOCKS5 proxy types: Residential, mobile, static ISP, datacenter (shared and dedicated)
• Proxy network: Millions of IPs across Americas, Europe, and Asia
• Concurrency: Undisclosed
• Uptime: 99.9%
• Success rate: Undisclosed
• Customer support: 24/7 support, dedicated account managers for enterprise users
• Free option: Yes, via a free trial
• Pay-as-you-go option: Yes, starting at $4/GB
• Pricing:
  • Pay as you go: $4.00/GB
  • 25 GB: $96 ($3.84/GB)
  • 100 GB: $360 ($3.60/GB)
  • 241 GB: $700 ($2.90/GB)
  • 500 GB: $1,350 ($2.70/GB)
  • 1000 GB: $2,600 ($2.60/GB)

6. IPRoyal

IPRoyal provides reliable SOCKS5 residential proxies with support for TCP/UDP, sticky sessions, and precise geo-targeting. No other types of SOCKS5 proxies are available.

The unique pricing model supports both pay-as-you-go and subscriptions, though it lacks a true free trial. Its 32M+ IP network spans 195+ countries, and bandwidth never expires. These aspects make IPRoyal also appear in the list of the best residential proxy providers.

• Features: Sticky sessions, country/state/city targeting, auto-rotation, TCP/UDP support, API access, intuitive dashboard, no expiration on bandwidth
• SOCKS5 proxy types: Residential
• Proxy network: 32M+ IPs in 195+ locations worldwide
• Concurrency: Undisclosed
• Uptime: Undisclosed
• Success rate: 99.97%
• Customer support: 24/7 support
• Free option: No
• Pay-as-you-go option: Yes
• Pricing:
  • 1 GB: $3.68/GB (pay-as-you-go), $3.50/GB (subscription)
  • 2 GB: $3.12/GB (pay-as-you-go), $2.98/GB (subscription)
  • 10 GB: $2.76/GB (pay-as-you-go), $2.63/GB (subscription)
  • 50 GB: $2.57/GB (pay-as-you-go), $2.45/GB (subscription)

7. Webshare

Webshare sells SOCKS5 residential and datacenter proxies, but does not support ISP or mobile proxies. These proxy servers can be managed through a user-friendly dashboard with detailed usage statistics to help control costs.

It supports both static and rotating IPs with SOCKS5/HTTP dual-protocols and offers virtually unlimited bandwidth. Note that plans allow between 500 and 3,000 concurrent threads, depending on the package.

• Features: Easy-to-use dashboard, usage statistics to avoid overspending, support for static and rotating IPs, SOCKS5/HTTP dual-protocol support, up to unlimited bandwidth
• SOCKS5 proxy types: Residential and datacenter
• Proxy network: Undisclosed global number of proxy IPs in 150+ countries
• Concurrency: 500 to 3,000 threads, depending on the plan
• Uptime: Undisclosed
• Success rate: Undisclosed
• Customer support: Intuitive and self-managed
• Free option: Yes, with 10 proxies for free
• Pay-as-you-go option: No
• Pricing:
  • 100 proxies: $2.99/mo
  • 250 proxies: $7.47/mo
  • 500 proxies: $14.20/mo
  • 1,000 proxies: $26.91/mo
  • 2,500 proxies: $63.54/mo
  • 5,000 proxies: $119.60/mo
  • 10,000 proxies: $224.25/mo
  • 15,000 proxies: $313.95/mo
  • 25,000 proxies: $523.25/mo
  • 40,000 proxies: $777.40/mo
  • 60,000 proxies: $1,076.40/mo
  • 100,000 proxies: $1,794.00/mo

8. PrivateProxy

PrivateProxy offers a unique take on SOCKS5 proxies by providing only dedicated static servers. That means full control, unmetered bandwidth, and unlimited connections. In other terms, each SOCKS5 proxy is KYC-verified and exclusively assigned.

On the other hand, the network primarily covers the USA, UK, and Germany. Also, you only get one free IP swap per month. This means it is only ideal if you need reliable, long-term proxy access.

• Features: TCP/UDP support, residential and datacenter options, unmetered bandwidth, unlimited connections, 1 free swap/month, instant activation, geo-targeting, proprietary dashboard, API access
• SOCKS5 proxy types: Residential (static, dedicated), Datacenter (static, dedicated)
• Proxy network: Not disclosed, but includes wide coverage in USA, UK, Germany
• Concurrency: Unlimited
• Uptime: Undisclosed
• Success rate: Undisclosed
• Customer support: 24/7 technical support, dedicated account managers
• Free option: Yes, via a free trial
• Pay-as-you-go option: No
• Pricing:
  • Datacenter Static: From $3/mo
  • Residential Static: From $5/mo

Best SOCKS5 Proxies: Summary Table

Compare the best SOCKS5 proxy providers analyzed in this article in the summary table below:

Conclusion

In this comparison, you explored what a SOCKS5 proxy provider is and how it functions. You also learned what to consider when evaluating proxy services and used those criteria to identify the top SOCKS5 proxy providers available. Among them, Bright Data emerged as the most comprehensive SOCKS5 solution on the market.

Bright Data operates the best proxy network in the world, trusted by Fortune 500 companies and over 20,000 users globally. Its worldwide SOCKS proxy network includes:

• Residential proxies – Over 150M residential IPs in more than 195 countries
• Datacenter proxies – Over 770,000 datacenter IPs
• ISP proxies – Over 700,000 ISP IPs
• Mobile proxies – Over 7M mobile IPs

Altogether, that is one of the largest, fastest, and most reliable proxy infrastructures tailored for developer and enterprise use.

Create a Bright Data account for free and start testing our proxy solutions today!