13 Best Proxy Sites for Anonymous Browsing in 2024

A free web proxy service is perfect for protecting your online identity and browsing the web anonymously without investing in a paid tool like a VPN. They enable users to browse the web anonymously without facing any restrictions. But since most proxy services log your activities and sell your data to advertisers thus, you should look for the best proxy sites.

The following article covers the best proxy services, which we hand-picked based on the extra features they offer to bypass internet restrictions, security, and privacy.

How do proxy websites work?

When using a browser to access a website, you send a direct request to the web server via their IP address. The web server then responds with the website data back to your browser.

On the other hand, a proxy server operates as an intermediary between you and the website you want to visit by facilitating web requests and responses. When you send a web request, it initially goes to the proxy server. It then makes the web request on your behalf, gathers the response from the web browser, and sends the web page information to your browser.

Proxy servers can alter the data you submit while forwarding your web requests and still receive the information you want. Moreover, a proxy server conceals your IP address and encrypts your data, enhancing online privacy.

13 Best proxy sites – Free and paid

Let’s examine the proxy services listed below so you can better understand their functionality and benefits and decide a suitable one for yourself.

1. ExtremeVPN Proxy

ExtremeVPN’s free web proxy is the most reliable and fastest proxy service we have experienced. It masks your IP address and ensures your security and anonymity online.

• Canada
• Singapore
• Netherlands

The proxy works in 3 countries (Canada, Singapore, and the Netherlands), but you can customize it manually with many options.

The service promises top-notch and dependable privacy and security online. Plus, it works extremely well with Google Autocomplete searches.

ExtremeVPN proxy helps you bypass firewalls and access any website. You can customize your privacy by encrypting URLs, blocking pages, and disallowing cookies.

2. Hide.me

• Website URL: hide.me/en/

Hide.me has been famous till now for offering VPN service, but it also provides a free proxy service that helps maintain your internet privacy when you don’t want to invest in a VPN. The proxy is free to use and offers three server locations:

• Netherland
• Germany
• Finland

It is a great free proxy service because the proxy servers don’t store activity logs or your IP address, ensuring maximum anonymity on the web. It also maintains your online security as the servers support secure WireGuard, SoftEther, IKEv2, and OpenVPN tunneling protocol.

With Hide.me proxy, you can bypass firewalls and access any site. The proxy allows users to customize their internet privacy, meaning you can encrypt your URL and pages, disable cookies, remove objects and scripts, and stop leaving any tracebacks.

The website claims to have more than 25 million users globally, and this popularity is because of its multi-platform functionality. You can download the proxy on your Windows, Android, and Apple devices without hassle. The downloading process is simple and the same as any other proxy service. All BitTorrent clients support it and even offer the SOCKS5 feature to hide your IP address and speed up your connection while torrenting. Moreover, it also provides a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox and further boosts your privacy.

Since it has servers in three countries, the ping time is longer than usual, resulting in slow connections. Also, watching streaming content on Netflix and Amazon Prime becomes challenging because of the limited server network.

3. HideMyAss

• Website URL: hidemyass.com

HideMyAss is another free proxy service you can consider using to hide your online identity and access blocked websites. Though the server network is limited to five countries, some prominent countries still help access regional and international sites. Its servers are present in:

• Czech Republic
• Germany
• Netherlands
• UK
• US

This proxy is an excellent option for accessing Facebook or YouTube at work or school. You can even stream the US, UK, and German Netflix libraries. However, since the server network is not as vast as a VPN, it might affect your streaming experience.

It has a similar user interface as Hide.me; to access any blocked site, you need to enter the URL in the search bar. It is a reliable free proxy service that encrypts URL pages and removes cookies and scripts if you want. Besides a free proxy, HMA allows you to test whether your DNS and WebRTC leak your IP address.

Other impressive features that HMA offers are unlimited bandwidth and an ad-free browsing experience. Throughout your browsing experience, you won’t be interrupted by pop-up ads, which users like the most.

However, like other proxy services, it lacks the SOCKS5 feature.

4. Hidester Proxy

• Website URL: hidester.com

Hidester is an excellent proxy service that is simple and easy to use. It offers a similar user interface and experience to Hide.me and HMA. To use Hidester proxy, open your browser and enter the website, and you get connected automatically.

Hidester is a safe proxy because it instantly encrypts your connections using 128-bit encryption and maintains higher levels of online security. It doesn’t store cookies and removes unwanted scripts, making you more private on the web. It also neither logs nor shares your logs with any third party.

Moreover, it uses impressive SSL technology to protect against malicious scripts and hackers trying to steal your sensitive data. It even protects public Wi-Fi connections, making it the best free proxy to use today.

With Hidester proxy, you can bypass government, ISP, and employer restrictions and access any website you choose.

Unlike other proxy services, the Hidester server network is limited to only Europe and the US. For this reason, using it from other locations might result in slow internet speed, which could ruin your browsing experience.

5. Whoer

• Website URL: whoer.net

Whoer is another premium VPN provider that offers a free web proxy service. It allows you to circumvent internet restrictions and access blocked sites. It changes your IP address and ensures maximum anonymity over the web. However, the server network is not very extensive but covers major countries like:

• Netherlands
• Moscow
• London
• Paris
• Saint Petersburg

You can retain greater online anonymity with Whoer proxy because it protects from WebRTC leaks that can, in turn, expose your actual IP address. The free proxy service is only available as a Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Yandex browser extension. To use Whoer, you must install the browser and the extension and click the start button to access the blocked sites.

Moreover, it uses SSL encryption to hide your data and activities from privacy invaders. However, the proxy does come with some significant drawbacks.

Unlike other proxy services, Whoer offers limited bandwidth that can impact the speed. In addition, the server network is not extensive, so selecting a proxy other than the assigned countries is impossible.

6. ProxySite

• Website URL: proxysite.com

Another reliable proxy service that allows you to surf the web freely and anonymously is ProxySite. Like other proxy services, it also has a premium VPN with added benefits and features to ensure robust online protection and security on the web.

With ProxySite, you can easily unblock Facebook and YouTube at your alma mater and workplace and have some entertainment breaks without anyone knowing. It uses an SSL connection for encryption and helps bypass the firewalls efficiently and without hassle.

The best thing about this free proxy service is its gigabyte network, which helps load web pages faster and ensures fast browsing speed. Moreover, when this is combined with SOCKS5, it provides ultra-fast internet speeds.

Another feature of ProxySite is its server network. It offers over 20 UK and US servers and helps cover your digital footsteps.

7. VPNBook

• Website URL: vpnbook.com

VPNBook is a great option for unblocking any website or service. It is a popular proxy site that doesn’t block ports and allows you to play regional-blocked games. It is the best service for unblocking Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube anywhere.

The proxy service offers multiple servers at four locations, including:

• Canada
• France
• UK
• US

The speeds offered are pretty decent and help get around the internet restrictions. It is a secure proxy service because it doesn’t track and record your IP address and other connection logs. Moreover, it increases your online security using 256-bit SSL encryption and safeguards your data from all snooping eyes.

Like HMA, VPNbook is also a browser-based proxy service that doesn’t require additional software for downloading.

It is an excellent service to access blocked sites while hiding your identity. But on the downside, it is not free and would ruin your browsing experience with pop-up ads.

8. MegaProxy

• Website URL: megaproxy.com

Megaproxy is another free proxy service that hides your browser and operating system and boosts your online anonymity, besides masking your IP address. It offers servers in the following countries, namely:

• Canada
• France
• Holland
• Italy
• Germany
• USA

By choosing a country of your choice, you’ll get the country’s specific IP address and begin surfing the web anonymously. It offers fast browsing speed and enables users to unblock Facebook, YouTube, and other related sites in a quick time. Moreover, you can even unblock geo-blocked content and websites by using Megaproxy.

Another great thing about this proxy service is that it filters out the content and web pages and ensures a smooth browsing experience. However, unlike other proxy websites, it doesn’t offer browser extensions or any other added features that might compel users to stop using it.

9. Anonymouse

• Website URL: anonymouse.org

Anonymouse is the oldest, most accessible, easy-to-use web proxy that ensures an ad-free browsing experience. It offers unlimited bandwidth and encrypted connections that help maintain higher levels of online security.

The interface is pretty outdated; however, the same usage process. It provides no information about the server locations and lacks browser extensions and other notable features, such as removing scripts and blocking cookies on its main page. You need to enter the website URL to unblock any particular site.

10. Kproxy

• Website URL: kproxy.com

If you’re looking for the best free proxy service, you should try Kproxy. It is one of the oldest proxy services, operating since 2005, helping more than 1.5 million people maintain higher levels of internet privacy. Since it is free to use, it doesn’t come with a registration process, and you can download it on your device and enjoy an ad-free browsing experience.

It offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. These extensions are safe because they encrypt the connection between your browser and the target server, making it impossible for any prying eye to steal your valuable data. Moreover, you can easily switch between the servers located in:

• Canada
• France
• US

With Kproxy, you can bypass online blocks and restrictions and easily access the blocked content and websites without anyone knowing. Besides this, the proxy provides various other impressive functionalities; by default, it protects from IP leaks and even offers a WebRTC protocol that helps access the blocked sites.

You can even upgrade to Kproxy Pro and enjoy unlimited downloads, no overloaded server issues, and unlimited usage of Kproxy extensions. However, you can avail of the 30-day trial period if you are unsatisfied with the service.

11. IPRoyal 

• Website URL: iproyal.com

IPRoyal is another best proxy site that holds more than two million IP addresses. It offers four different proxies to users: residential, data center, sneakers, and static residential proxies. Whether you’re looking for a proxy service for individual or business use, IPRoyal caters to your needs. Using these proxies protects your sensitive data from snooping eyes.

It is the most preferred choice of the users because of its extensive global server network that’s spread in all popular locations like:

• Australia
• Canada
• China
• France
• Russia
• The United States of America

Another reason for IPRoyal’s popularity is that it uses a SOCKS5 proxy that boosts your security by using various authentication methods to process the data. Also, it uses partial HTTPS encryption to establish a secure connection between your device and the internet.

The proxy ensures anonymous browsing by adding a security layer and minimizes the risks of data breaches and cyber-attacks. It is a common myth that proxies slow down the internet speed, but if you use IPRoyal, it saves bandwidth and provides a faster internet connection. IPRoyal proxies reduce the server loads on corporate networks and improve overall efficiency.

The only thing people dislike about IPRoyal is its limited free version. But since the prices are pretty low, starting with $3 per GB, you can consider investing in them.

12. GeoSurf

• Website URL: geosurf.com

GeoSurf is a premium proxy service that pools over 2.5 million residential and static IP addresses. It is reliable and undetectable, thus allowing you to surf the internet freely without getting blocked.

The proxy service holds an extensive server network spread in almost every country and more than 1700 cities worldwide. Some of the prime server locations include:

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• India
• Netherlands
• Russia
• UAE
• UK 
• US

It offers blazing-fast speed and helps bypass every filter and access the desired website anywhere. The proxy’s fast speed is not just because of its vast server network. Still, it also uses its proprietary automatic bandwidth optimization technology that guarantees the fastest connection from each gateway on your premium proxy network.

Another critical feature of GeoSurf proxy is its mobile and desktop VPN. It allows you to enjoy more privacy and anonymity by hiding behind the proxy while browsing the web.

GeoSurf is a reliable and easy-to-use proxy that improves user experience by not displaying pop-up ads while using the web. However, as it is not accessible, this might not impress many users.

13. SmartProxy

Website URL: smartproxy.com

SmartProxy is known for providing residential and data center proxies. The IP address is assigned to devices like computers, laptops, and smartphones every day. In this way, the ISP and network administrators won’t be able to detect who you are and reduce the chances of getting blocked. Also, SmartProxy offers data center proxies that allow unlimited connections.

The proxy service offers more than 40 million IP addresses globally. It consists of an extensive server network that’s spread over 195 locations, including:

• Canada
• India
• Germany 
• Japan
• UK
• US

SmartProxy is a freemium proxy service that uses a rotating proxy network, enabling you to switch to a new proxy without much effort. The residential back-connect proxy efficiently rotates to a new IP address and allows you to use unlimited sticky IP sessions. Moreover, data center proxies ensure fast speed.

Another impressive aspect of SmartProxy is its responsive customer support. If you face any issues, you can contact the technical staff 24/7 via email or initiate a live chat to resolve your issue quickly.

What users don’t like about SmartProxy is that it isn’t free. It offers a paid plan, but since it comes with a three-day free trial, you can use it to test the proxy service and its features.

How to visit a blocked site using a free proxy site

You can use a free proxy site to unblock a restricted site by following the steps below.

1. Find a reliable, accessible web-based proxy server. A decent proxy site, like ExtremeVPN proxy, uses proxy servers to access the blocked sites for your device. It also boosts your anonymity by ensuring your location and IP address are not tracked.
2. Enter the URL of the blocked site you want to visit in the address bar. While browsing, the menu bar will show the proxy server’s name, implying that you use a proxy address to surf.
3. Tap the ‘Enter’ or ‘Go’ tab. The web data will be routed via the proxy server and then back to your browser, where you will see it. Although browsing may be slowed, you can unblock your favorite websites.

Are there any risks of free proxy services

A free proxy service is tempting and lures users to anonymously browse the internet without investing a single penny. But using it is more of a risk. Here are some of the risks associated with a free proxy provider:

• No security: The free proxy services don’t guarantee utter security and anonymity on the web. Because of the lack of encryption, it is easy to track your activities. Also, IP leaks happen and expose your real identity.
• Slow speed: Most free proxy services have a minimal server network spread in two or more countries. This results in server overload and slow and unreliable connection speeds. 
• Malware: At times, it isn’t easy to verify the security of a free proxy service. Not all of them ensure an ad-free experience, and the displayed ads can have malware embedded with them that can risk their digital privacy.
• No HTTPS: A study found that 79% of the free proxy services don’t use HTTPS encryption and allow other people to view your activities.

The free version of proxies sometimes lacks necessary security features and is risky to use. But if you want to use them for short-term use, you can use them.

What’s Better: a VPN or a Proxy?

A proxy and a VPN are privacy-enhancing tools with the same purpose but perform differently. While a proxy hides your IP address, a VPN encrypts it from both ends, making it impossible for anyone to view what you’re doing on the web. Using a VPN over a proxy is a better choice for reliability and security. 

Besides this, there are other areas where VPN wins over a free proxy like:

• A VPN offers a vast server network with less ping time and establishes a quick connection. 
• You can unblock sites and stream content from anywhere. 
• A VPN provides better security, customization, and reliability. 
• They have a strict no-log policy and even don’t serve you with ads.

Therefore, a legitimate VPN provider like NordVPN is recommended if you’re more privacy-conscious and want anonymity for long-term use.

Best VPN alternatives to proxy sites

1. NordVPN

• 6,100 servers spread in over 111 countries
• Tor over VPN
•  A robust AES 256-bit encryption
• Double VPN
• A kill switch
• SOCKS5 proxy
• A strict no-logs policy
• Allows up to 10 simultaneous connections
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Visit NordVPN: www.NordVPN.com

A reputable VPN service with advanced security and privacy features like Tor over VPN and a no-logs policy. It also provides fast and reliable speed, making it an excellent proxy alternative.

NordVPN boasts a vast global network of 6,100+ servers in 111+ countries. It also offers blazing-fast speeds suitable for torrenting, streaming, and browsing, with a minimum drop-down compared to proxies. You can enhance the speeds by switching the servers and your protocol to the next-gen NordLynx protocol.

This VPN service offers many advanced features that boost security and privacy to ensure the best user experience. These features include a double VPN that encrypts your data twice, split tunneling, a SOCKS5 proxy, Onion over VPN, dedicated IP addresses, an automatic kill switch, a threat protection feature, Meshnet, and a dark web monitoring tool.

NordVPN offers user-friendly apps for popular operating systems, including Windows, Linux, iOS, macOS, and Android. Furthermore, it has knowledgeable customer support with a live chat tool and a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to sample the service for free and then request a refund before the 30 days are over.

2. ExpressVPN

• Over 3,000 servers spread across 105+ countries
• Military-grade AES-256 encryption
• A strict no-logs policy
• Private DNS
• Split tunneling
• Support P2P connections
• Threat manager
• Allows up to 8 simultaneous connections
• A 30-day money-back guarantee

Visit ExpressVPN: www.ExpressVPN.com

A top-tier VPN service with blazing speeds and advanced security and privacy features like robust AES 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy.

ExpressVPN boasts a vast global network of over 3,000 servers in 105+ countries. This VPN provider offers lightning-fast speeds, ideal for unblocking geo-restricted content from popular platforms like Netflix without lagging or buffering.

Unlike most proxies, this service guarantees users’ privacy because it has an audited zero-logs policy. Unlike proxies, it also includes advanced security features, such as military-grade AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, split tunneling, onion over VPN, and private DNS.

Moreover, the VPN service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee allowing you to use it for a free trial and claim a refund if unsatisfied with its services. This lets you test how a VPN secures your online activity and data compared to a free proxy. Also, it supports up to 8 simultaneous connections on popular devices such as Windows, Android, Linux, macOS, routers, iOS, and more.

3. Private Internet Access (PIA)

• 35,000+ servers in over 90 countries.
• A customizable AES 128-bit and 256-bit robust encryption
• An automatic Kill switch
• Dedicated IP address
• Split tunneling
• Port forwarding
• A strict no-logs policy
• Allows unlimited simultaneous connection from a single account
• Offers a 30-day refund policy

Visit PIA: www.PrivateInternetAccess.com

A decent network with an extensive server network that provides consistent and fast speeds. It also has additional privacy and security features, making it a good alternative for proxies.

Private Internet Access (PIA) has an extensive network of over 35,000 servers in 90+ countries. It offers stable and decent connection speeds, adequate for downloading, browsing, and streaming major platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

PIA offers outstanding features that optimize your online security and privacy, making it a superb alternative to proxies. These features include an active kill switch that protects your IP addresses from leaking if the VPN connection drops, a no-logs policy, advanced split tunneling, an efficient ad-blocker, dedicated IP addresses, and an antivirus protection feature. In addition, PIA safeguards you against VPN leaks like WebRTC, DNS, and IP.

Moreover, you may try PIA for free for 30 days by taking advantage of the money-back guarantee. It allows unlimited simultaneous connections from a single account. Also, it is compatible with popular operating systems such as Smart TVs, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and others.

Are proxy sites safe?

Proxy sites offer a standard level of security. Most proxies do not include advanced encryption features, and those that only safeguard the browser and not the whole network. This implies that proxies will not protect other programs on your gadget.

Unfortunately, many free proxies cap your data and have a limited number of IP addresses that streaming platforms constantly block once they are discovered. Some may even steal your bandwidth and log your traffic. We recommend solely using proxies when browsing the internet. To enhance your security and privacy, a VPN provider like NordVPN is the best option.

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About the Author

Zehra Ali

Zehra Ali is a Tech Reporter and Journalist. She has done her Masters in Mass Communication. Topics related to cybersecurity, IoT, AI, Big Data and other privacy matters are extensively covered by her on various platforms. You can follow her on twitter.

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