SOCKS (Socket Secure) proxies are just like traditional proxies in that they reroute traffic on behalf of a user’s device and receive responses for the device. However, they are specially classified as SOCKS because of their versatility with different types of traffic. Read on to learn what this versatility means, how to select the right proxy, and why Proxy Cheap is the best provider of SOCKS proxies on the market. 

What is a SOCKS Proxy and how does it work?

A SOCKS (Socket Secure) proxy is a protocol-agnostic proxy server that operates at the transport layer of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model. It’s versatile and can handle any type of internet traffic, including HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, and FTP. This way, it differs from HTTP proxies that only handle web-based traffic.  

SOCKS proxies work like any other traditional proxy. They serve as an intermediary, routing traffic through their servers on behalf of the user device. As a result, they can alter the user traffic according to their configuration and confer other benefits on user activities.

With that in mind, there are different types of SOCKS proxies with different features, which can affect their suitability for certain tasks. The first and older type of SOCKS proxy is the SOCKS4. These SOCKS proxies support TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) but do not provide authentication support or facilitate UDP ( User Datagram Protocol) traffic.

The other type of SOCKS proxy, SOCKS5, supports UDP and TCP traffic. It also provides authentication support, hence granting it more versatility than the preceding SOCKS4 proxies. As a result, SOCKS5 proxies are okay for secure file transfers over the web, gaming, and data scraping.  However, the listed features and advantages come at an additional cost compared to traditional proxies.

How to select the Right Socks Proxy 

There are different factors to consider when choosing the right SOCKS proxies. Some of them are:

1. Purpose. The purpose should directly affect the level of investment you’re willing to put forth for a proxy. It should also be a major determinant of the features you are looking for. For instance,  a SOCKS proxy for anonymous browsing or accessing content should have diverse locations and mask IP addresses effectively. Similarly, one intended for gaming or streaming should have low latency, and a data scraping SOCKS proxy should ideally provide IP rotation.
2. Performance. There are many facets to proxy performance. Some of them are speed, reliability, consistency, and latency. All are important, but some may take priority in different scenarios. For example, data scraping SOCKS proxies should be fast and provide high bandwidth. On the flip side, a proxy for sneaker bots may prioritise limited downtimes and interruptions than bandwidth. 
3. Security. Security should be considered on an internal and external level. Internal security should factor in the protocols employed by the proxies, logging policies, data privacy policies, etc. External security considerations, however, deal with the associated risks of using the proxy with other users. Consequently, the number of users of the proxy is important to note.
4. Compatibility. Compatibility is important on a device and software level. The chosen SOCKS proxy should work smoothly with your devices. It may be better to select one that is compatible with all major operating systems for use across multiple devices. On the other hand, the proxy should be compatible with other software you are using, such as browsers.
5. Geographical Diversity. If access to content from many locations is important to your operation, a SOCKS proxy with diverse locations should be a priority. The proxy should offer a large IP address pool with servers spanning many regions.
6. Authentication. Not all SOCKS proxies provide the same level of authentication support. Some may support IP whitelisting, while others may be more versatile in the authentication methods they facilitate. In fact, authentication support is one of the major differences between SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 proxies.
7. Customer support. Proxies are technical tools simplified for use by their developers. As such, these developers may provide customisation options for advanced users to tweak their products. However, customer support should be available if you are a beginner at proxies, dabbling with customization, or struggling with the proxy.  The best SOCKS proxy providers have responsive customer support structures to help inexperienced users. The support should also be available all day (because of timezone differences) and across many platforms and media.
8. User reviews. Many proxy providers are in the market, and users need a metric to sort them into good or bad options. User reviews can help do that. Prospective buyers should check out the reviews of the proxy on a neutral platform and trusted review providers. It might also be helpful to source feedback from forums where proxy use is common.
9. Cost. The effect of cost on the choice of a SOCKS proxy is down to the fatness of a user’s purse and their concept of fair value. Users can choose from a multitude of free or paid proxies. These proxies may also employ flexible pricing plans, discounts, and promotions to sweeten their offerings. However, everything comes down to how much they are willing to spend and whether they consider a price fair for the value of the proxy.
10. Trial periods. If you are unsure of the usefulness of a SOCKS proxy for your operation, consider one with a trial period first. The same goes for scenarios where you need to choose between multiple proxy vendors. Users can use the trials to test proxies before financially committing to them.

Best Socks Proxy for 2024

Proxy Cheap

Features

• High-speed connections, up to 100mbps
• Millions of IP addresses in many countries globally
• No logs policy and no sale of user data
• Support of multiple protocols
• Friendly interface and proxy dashboard for management
• Proxy manager extension for Chrome

Use Cases

• Private browsing 
• Online gaming
• Video and audio streaming
• Data Scraping
• Facilitating access to content 
• support ing sneaker bots
• Enabling the creation and management of multiple social media accounts
• Transfer fare aggregation
• Ad verification 
• Brand monitoring

Proxy Types

• SOCKS5 proxies
• HTTP/HTTPS proxies
• Residential proxies
• Datacenter proxies (IPv4 and IPv6)
• Mobile proxies 

Coverage

• Over 10 million IPs spanning 100+ countries

Drawbacks

• Relatively limited pool of IP addresses compared to some rivals
• No free trials

Support

• The brand offers 24/7 customer support across multiple channels, including live chat and email.

Pricing

• They have affordable and flexible pricing plans. They also offer bulk purchase deals. Residential proxies start at $1.99 per proxy per month, datacenter proxies start at $0.30 per proxy per month, and mobile proxies start at $30 per proxy per month.

NordVPN

Features

• Robust security features expected of a VPN
• No-logs policy
• Friendly interface

Use Cases

• Secure browsing and transmission of sensitive data
• Streaming
• Gaming 
• Brand monitoring

Proxy Types

• VPN services

Coverage

• It has servers in over 60 countries 

Drawbacks

• Higher cost compared to regular proxies
• It can only support limited simultaneous connections
• Significantly smaller IP address pool compared to the better providers on this list 

Support

• 24/7 customer support, available via live chat and email 

Pricing

• Monthly and annual subscription plans, starting from $3.39 per month

Private Internet Access (PIA)

Features

• Strong encryption
• No-logs policy
• User-friendly interface
• Unlimited device protection

Use Cases

• Secure browsing
• Gaming
• Streaming

Proxy Types

• VPN services

Coverage

• IP addresses from over 70 countries

Drawbacks

• Slightly higher latency

Support

• 24/7 customer support

Pricing

• Monthly, yearly, and multi-year plans
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Smartproxy

Features

• High-rotating proxies
• User-friendly dashboard
• No-logs policy
• Specialized scraping tools

Use Cases

• Web scraping
• Multi-accounting
• Price aggregation 
• SEO marketing

Proxy Types

• SOCKS5
• Residential proxies
• Datacenter proxies

Coverage

• Provides over 65 million IPs from over 195 locations worldwide

Drawbacks

• Inactive proxies within its pools
• It allows limited simultaneous connections

Support

• 24/7 customer support

Pricing

• Residential proxies start at $2 per IP address, while datacenter proxies start at $0.9 per IP

Bright Data

Features

• Extensive proxy network
• Robust security
• No-logs policy
• Chrome extension

Use Cases

• Data Scraping
• Secure browsing
• Brand monitoring
• SEO research

Proxy Types

• SOCKS5
• Residential proxies
• Data center proxies

Coverage

• Servers in about 195 countries and more than 72 million IP addresses are available

Drawbacks

• Expensive pricing
• Complex setup for beginners

Support

• 24/7 customer support across live chat and email

Pricing

• Free trials 
• Pay-as-you-go and subscription options
• For the pay-as-you-go plans, residential IPs are priced at $15 per GB, mobile IPs are $40, and datacenter proxies start at $0.80/IP or $0.110/GB.
• Custom plan design is available

Shadowsocks

Features

• Lightweight and fast
• Open-source
• Strong encryption
• High customisation

Use Cases

• Bypassing censorship 
• Secure browsing
• Streaming
• Gaming

Proxy Types

• SOCKS5

Coverage

• Server setup based on user preferences

Drawbacks

• Requires technical knowledge for setup
• No official customer support

Support

• Community-based support
• Extensive documentation

Pricing

• Free (open-source)
• Costs associated with server hosting

SOCKS Proxy Pro

Features

• High-speed connections
• Easy to set up
• User-friendly interface

Use Cases

• Gaming
• Streaming
• Social media management

Proxy Types

• SOCKS5

Coverage

• Servers in various countries

Drawbacks

• Limited server locations compared to larger providers
• No free trial

Support

• 24/7 customer support

Pricing

• Affordable pricing plans
• Monthly and yearly subscriptions

Choosing the right Proxy

As stated numerous times, there are many types of proxies besides SOCKS. Thus, before reaching any conclusions, it’s necessary to build familiarity with some or all of the proxy types. Here are the most common for you to know:

1. HTTP proxies. As stated earlier, these types of proxies deal primarily with web-based traffic. They are the traditional type of proxies. These proxies are easy to configure and set up but are limited to web traffic and unsuitable for other applications and uses.
2. HTTPS proxies. HTTPS proxies are a relatively secure version of the HTTP proxy. HTTPS employs encryption that HTTP doesn’t. As a result, they are useful for secure browsing and transmitting sensitive data online. Unfortunately, they are also limited to web traffic and may be slower than HTTP proxies because of the encryption overhead.
3. SOCKS proxies. As stated already, they are versatile and capable of handling any rule of traffic. That said, they are relatively more complex to set up.
4. Residential proxies. Residential proxies are classified as such based on the nature of their IP address rather than the protocols they support. These proxies use IPs assigned by ISPs to residential addresses. Consequently, they are harder to detect and provide more legitimate anonymity. However, they are expensive.
5. Datacenter proxies. Unlike residential proxies, these utilise IPs from datacenters. They are less legitimate, easier to detect, and cheaper than residential proxies. In their defence, though, the efficient setup of the datacenters makes them faster, more reliable, and less susceptible to interruptions.

Different types of proxies will perform better for various tasks. In the table below, we identify the most common types of proxies for popular online activities and why they are preferred.

 

Use Case	Recommended Proxy Type	Reason
Browsing the web	HTTP/HTTPS proxies	Simple, easy to set up, fast, secure (in the case of HTTPS)
Web scraping	Residential proxies (for high anonymity), datacenter proxies (for heavy tasks)	Residential proxies are less susceptible to blocking, datacenter proxies are fast and offer more bandwidth
Gaming	SOCKS proxies	Versatile use with any traffic type, low-latency
Streaming	Residential proxies, SOCKS proxies	Residential proxies for wider access, SOCKS proxies for flexibility with traffic types
Social media management	Residential proxies, mobile proxies	Residential proxies for wider access, mobile proxies for elite anonymity

Luckily, Proxy Cheap provides all of the above proxy types, including SOCKS proxies, among its offerings. Additionally, our proxies are suitable for even more use cases than is present in the above table. We have one of the best SOCKS proxies on the market, and this is so for the following reasons:

1. 1. Geo-diversity. Our proxies span multiple countries and locations. Within these locations, We supply enough IP addresses within these locations to guarantee IP rotation where needed. In all, we facilitate access in over 100 countries and with over 10 million IP addresses.
   2. Best in-class proxies. In addition to supporting access to content in many countries, we employ only ethically sourced, active proxies. We regularly update our SOCKS proxies to ensure our customers get only the best. 
   3. Affordable pricing. Despite our sterling reputation, as represented in these reviews, we are considerate in our pricing. You can get bulk purchase discounts and flexible price plans that cater to your needs.
   4. High anonymity. With our proxies, you stay invisible to trackers and off the radar of entities looking to breach your privacy.
   5. Fast and reliable. We wouldn’t be the best if we were slow and unreliable. When using our SOCKS proxies, users can enjoy download speeds of up to 100mbps, while experiencing limited interruptions and downtimes.

• Customer support. We have an excellent, easy-to-understand interface. However, in case you encounter issues in configuring or using our products, our support team is available to provide assistance 24/7.