iPhones are secure devices. There’s an argument to be made that no smartphone is as secure. The reason for the safety that customers enjoy on these devices comes from their app review policies and data privacy policies. Then, there is the fact that they use a closed-source iOS code that stumps the ability of criminal elements to find flaws. 

Unfortunately, the security provided by the above characteristics does not extend to internet connectivity.Thus the security afforded by a proxy server still has a role to play. However, not all proxy servers are compatible with the iPhone. Read on to learn why you should use a proxy server on your iPhone and the best proxy servers for iPhones you should consider.

Why Use a Proxy Server on an iPhone?

A proxy server is an intermediary for online connectivity that reroutes your traffic on its way to destination servers, changes your IP, and potentially optimizes your connection. The innate function of proxies thus confers certain advantages and benefits to user activity. Some of them are:

1. Privacy and anonymity. Another advantage of proxy server use in iPhones is that your activity on the new IP is separate from that of your previous online activity. As such, proxy-protected online activity doesn’t contribute to whatever profile a tracker is compiling on you. Similarly, your activity is anonymous because it is under a new online identity. As a result, it is more difficult for entities to determine your true identity, location, or interests for targeted advertising.
2. Access control. For example, you can use proxies to restrict access to certain platforms and services via your phone network. Such strategies can improve your productivity during work hours. You may also use the medium to effect parental control measures on the internet activity for any child who picks up your iPhone.
3. Security. Because of their ability to filter out unwanted content and block access to particular sites, proxies can provide added security from malicious content and websites. Also, a change of user IP can prevent cyberattacks and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
4. Performance Optimization. Proxies cache frequently accessed web pages. Therefore, they reduce bandwidth usage and loading times on subsequent visits to that page. Such functions reduce network congestion, increase the speed of connections, and reduce the strain on your phone.

Best Proxy Server for iPhone

The benefits of proxy servers aside, there are many proxies iPhone users can choose from. Below are some of the best types of proxy on the market for iPhones. 

Residential Proxies

A residential proxy makes use of IP addresses assigned to homeowners and residential locations. Therefore, they reroute users traffic through these locations, causing them to appear autphentic. 

There are two broad ways that proxy servers ethically obtain residential IP addresses for these proxies: by approaching Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or by approaching the owners of the IP address to help build their network. 

• Price. Because of their authentic-seeming traffic, residential proxies are expensive than most other proxy types. Ethical sourcing might require the proxy provider to pay the address owners and/or ISPs and this reflects in the pricing.
• Security. Thanks to the quality of anonymity afforded by the IP addresses, they are secure for use in accessing geo-based content. Users of residential proxies can access websites without triggering suspicion like datacenter proxies would. In addition users can choose to purchase rotating residential proxies. This type of proxies would make web tracking, and user profiling/fingerprinting even more difficult because they improve on the anonymity of static residential proxies.
• Speed. Residential proxies are not the fastest options around. They are sourced for and not set up with efficiency in mind. As such, the suitability of a residential proxy for a location or use will depend on the quality of service, and proximity to the destination and origin servers. So, there is very high potential for variability in the speed of connection when you change from one IP address to another even in the same location or region.
• Server Networks. The geographical diversity or reach afforded by a proxy server depends on the reach of the proxy provider. At Proxy Cheap, our users have access to neary 7M active proxies. We source for these proxies with speed and efficiency in mind to mitigate the effect of the expected variability on your online activities.
• Use Cases. Residential proxies are perfect for scraping content, streaming, etc.

Datacenter Proxies

Where residential proxies obtain IP addresses belonging to users, datacenter proxies employ IP addresses associated with server farms or virtual servers.

• Price. These proxies run on a more efficient set-up. The efficiency shows in their pricing, as datacenter proxies are much cheaper than other proxy types.
• Security. The association of their IP addresses with data centres means that they are easier to identify. As such, they don’t provide the same degree of anonymity as residential proxies. Consequently, they are more vulnerable to IP bans when employed for certain activities, like web scraping.
• Speed. Thanks to their set-up, speed and efficiency are rarely issues for datacenter proxies. They usually have infrastructure in place to guarantee faster loading and connection speeds, reduced latency, and uninterrupted connectivity.
• Server Networks. Proxy Cheap datacenter proxies provide users with access to nearly 1M IP addresses in several locations. 
• Use Cases. Datacenter proxies are suitable for tasks and activities that require less anonymity. Some of these activities include video and audio streaming, sneaker botting, SEO research, etc.

ISP Proxies

ISP proxies are similar to residential proxies. However, where residential proxies obtained from residents require permissions, ISP proxies are allocated to proxy providers by ISPs. Some providers differentiate between ISP proxies and residential proxies, while others lump them up together.

• Price.  ISP proxies have similar prices to residential proxies. Most providers supply them at a cheaper rate than residential prices. However, specific costs would vary according to the reputations of the proxy provider and ISP.
• Security. The security provided by an ISP proxy ultimately depends on the security infrastructure and policies of the ISP. That said, users of such proxies still enjoy the quality anonymity of residential proxies. There is also the security risk that ISPs may track the activity conducted over the provided IP addresses because they know of their use as proxies.
• Speed. ISP proxies suffer from the same variability in network efficiency that residential proxies suffer from. However, reputable vendors obtain IP addresses from the best performing locations of ISPs. Thus, the major factor affecting the proxy performance of such providers is the proximity of the origin and destination servers.
• Server Networks. The server networks available depend on the reach of the ISPs and the proxy providers. The more reputable the proxy provider, the larger their pool of ISP addresses. 
• Use Cases. ISP proxies are suitable for the same purposes as residential proxies. As such, they are useful for web scraping, ad verification,  monitoring, etc. 

Mobile Proxies

Mobile proxies use IP addresses assigned to mobile devices and users by carriers and cellular networks. 

• Price. Mobile proxies are the most expensive type of proxy on the market. The specific cost of a mobile proxy would, however, depend on the proxy provider, and the cellular network providing the addresses.
• Security. Traffic rerouted by mobile proxies appears to originate from many of the multitude of mobile devices within the location. As such, they provide the best anonymity for online activity because destination servers cannot differentiate the traffic from local mobile devices.
• Speed. The speed of mobile proxies depends on the cellular network providing the IP addresses. Network congestion and the chosen location can affect the speed of a mobile proxy by extension. 
• Server Networks. There are mobile devices everywhere. As such, there are many potential IP addresses to choose from. Proxy Cheap provides more than three million IP addresses within the United States alone.
• Use Cases. Mobile proxies are useful for any tasks that require anonymity. However, they are particularly suitable for tasks that normally originate from social devices. These may include social media management, streaming, ad verification, sneaker-botting, etc. 

Conclusion

Our review of the best proxy servers for iPhones shows that there are many quality options available on the market. You can conduct further research on the above options and compare them before making a choice. Or, you can take our word for it and thank us later for a quality, time-saving recommendation.