Best Proxy Extensions for Chrome

Proxies are an interesting tool for accessing web resources and facilitating online anonymity, privacy, and security. They reroute user traffic through proxy servers in other locations, thus changing their IP addresses, apparent locations, and other details of their connections. Most of these proxies, however, come as software that needs to be downloaded, installed, and configured.

Then, there are proxy extensions. They allow you to access the functionality of proxies without the standalone software baggage. As Chrome is the most popular browser in the world, its proxy extensions are sought after. In this article, you’ll learn what Chrome proxy extensions you should consider, and the benefits you stand to gain from using extensions. 

What is a Chrome Proxy Extension?

Chrome proxy extensions are browser add-ons that users can install in their Google Chrome browser to enable proxy activity. However, unlike traditional proxy software, not all proxy extensions provide proxy servers for rerouting activity. Some Chrome proxy extensions are just proxy managers and other types of helpful proxy tools.

One thing is sure, though, a Chrome proxy extension will allow users to use proxy servers located in different geographical locations. Just like normal proxy software downloads, these extensions allow users to hide their IP address and change their virtual location. 

Most importantly, these proxy extensions are much easier to use and configure than the traditional software. When chosen and used correctly, a Chrome proxy extension can allow a user to:

• Quickly install and use free or paid proxy servers
• Manage and automatically switch between proxies
• Centrally manage proxies from multiple providers
• Enhance privacy and maintain anonymity when surfing the web

How to Select the Right Proxy Extension

There are many proxy providers and many proxy extensions to choose from on Chrome. Thus, it is useful to assess extensions objectively to make the right decision for your needs. Here are some factors a prospective use of proxy extensions should consider:

1. Purpose. It’s the first thing to consider before choosing any proxy software or extension. What you need the proxy for should determine the type of proxy and the provider you choose. If you need a proxy for web scraping, look for those with residential and rotating IP addresses. For SEO monitoring, a proxy extension with extensive coverage in the region or location you need is the right choice.
2. Type of proxy. Obviously, the above factor leads directly to the type of proxy. When your purpose points you at a certain proxy type, research the extensions and pick the one with the best reputation for your needs. When considering proxy types, you might come across different names like datacenter proxies, residential proxies, and rotating proxies, among others. You might also come across different names referring to the same proxy type like premium proxies, private proxies, and dedicated proxies. Read up. 
3. IP address pool and diversity. If the plan is to use the proxy extension to access multiple locations and regions, a diverse and large pool of IP addresses should be your target.
4. Speed and reliability. The type and source of addresses play a part in the speed and reliability of a proxy-mediated connection. For instance, an IP address of a poorly performing local Internet Service Provider (ISP) is unlikely to provide top-level speed and reliability for users that need it (like streamers and online gamers). 
5. Cost. The proxy provider and extension you choose should fit within your budget requirements if you want to enjoy sustainable service. This might clash with some of the features you require, hence the need to find a reasonable balance. Also, you can opt for proxy extensions with free proxies (at your own risk) or flexible plans and discounts.
6. Reputation. Thanks to the Chrome web store, you can get ratings on every extension in the store. Additionally, you can also see the actual reviews and the number of feedbacks contributing to the average review. Factor the review, average rating, and the number of feedback into your decision-making when choosing a proxy extension. Also, ensure the provider offers effective customer support to assist with any issues. 
7. Session control. Depending on the tasks you wish to perform with the proxy extension, you might require more sessions. This might be in the form of increasing or reducing the duration of sessions, the provided bandwidth, or enabling sticky sessions. Check out the degree of control (if any) the extension allows over browsing sessions. 
8. Ethical acquisition of proxies. The acquisition of proxies and IP addresses is a tricky subject that most users don’t want to bother themselves with. If you are a user who wishes to associate with legal and ethical proxy providers, this is a consideration to make before selecting a proxy extension. 

Best Proxy Extensions for 2024

Proxy Cheap

The Proxy Cheap Proxy Manager Chrome extension is a powerful tool designed for seamless proxy management on the browser. It allows users to easily integrate their proxies with the browser, regardless of their provider or source. It also allows users to switch between multiple proxies effortlessly, without risking accidental exposure of their IP address.

Key features

• It supports proxies employing multiple protocols including, HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 proxies 
• It has a WebRTC protection feature to ensure that there is limited risk of unintended exposure of a user’s IP address while using their proxies
• It allows the importation and management of proxies from any provider or source
• It facilitates instant profile switching, minimizing the need for manual configurations by allowing users to choose from preset proxy profiles. 

Hola Free VPN Proxy Unblocker

Hola VPN Proxy Unblocker offers a free or premium tool to help its users access websites without hassle. It is also completely standalone and doesn’t require any additional installations, or downloads, beyond the browser extension. 

Key features

• It offers a free version with time limits on sessions
• Uses split tunneling technology to handle web requests
• Can be used to discriminate between specific sites, and browser tabs requiring proxy activity
• Admits to collecting personal information and sharing it with certain third parties to improve the effectiveness of their product. 

Browsec VPN

Browsec VPN allows users to protect their online activity and browse anonymously for free. So, far, the Chrome store reports the extension as having over 5 million users and an average rating of 4.5 stars. Not bad. 

Key features

• It is completely free for all users to enjoy
• It encrypts traffic as is expected of a VPN
• Claims to not log, collect, or deal with personal information of users
• Access to a reasonably large IP pool in many major locations

Windscribe 

Windscribe has both a desktop application and this browser extension to help users mask their IPs and obscure their online activity. The extension offers both free and premium access.

Key features

• It provides a free plan with 10 GB of data per month but requires the creation and confirmation of an account 
• The premium plan provides unlimited data and full access to nearly 70 countries. 
• Possesses other privacy tools including ad-blockers, malware blockers, anti-tracking, IP whitelisting, WebRTC blocking, notification blocking, user agent spoofing, timezone and language spoofing, etc. 

ZenMate Free VPN

ZenMate Free VPN is a free VPN extension that grants users unlimited bandwidths and WebRTC leak prevention. It currently has over 4 million users and an average rating of 4.1 stars.   

Key features

• It is free and provides its users with unlimited bandwidth
• Its 2000+ servers guarantee access to over 70 locations
• WebRTC protection to avoid any leaks of user IP address
• Provides dedicated streaming servers
• Offers a paid VPN service compatible with Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android

Hotspot Shield VPN

Despite boasting just over a million users, this proxy extension has nearly 70 thousand reviews and an average rating of 4.4 stars. As the name implies, the extension is marketed towards users looking to protect and anonymize their activity on public wi-fi networks.

Key features

• It provides a free trial that offers access to more than 80 locations 
• Its paid extension provides access to 115+ locations 
• 24/7 chat customer support
• Doesn’t log user activity

Urban VPN Proxy

Urban VPN proxy has over 3 million users and an average rating of 4.7 stars. However, the developers of this extension admit to collecting user data and providing it to affiliated companies for commercial benefit.

Key features

• It provides users access to nearly 80 locations 
• Security features include anti-tracking, ad-blocking, anti-malware

SetupVPN-Lifetime Free VPN

SetupVPN allows users to unblock any geo-restricted site and is completely free for everyone. The extension also provides military-grade encryption to guarantee the online security of user data and activity. 

Key features

• It is completely free
• It provides unlimited bandwidth to users
• Possesses over 100 servers globally

Proxy SwitchyOmega

As the name implies, this proxy extension is popular for its ability to facilitate quick and convenient switches between multiple proxies. It doesn’t come with proxy servers to reroute traffic: it is simply a proxy configuration tool.

Key features

• It possesses an auto-switching feature to automatically select the best proxies for a website
• It can manage, configure, and switch between proxies from any provider
• It allows users to develop rule lists, conditions for switching proxies, etc.

CyberGhost VPN Free Proxy

While the CyberGhost VPN is a popular solution for millions of users worldwide, its extension isn’t nearly as popular. However, it makes our list a useful and free one-click Chrome proxy extension.

Key features

• It is free
• The CyberGhost Proxy Plugin was built on the Ethereum blockchain to guarantee data privacy and efficient running of the app 
• It blocks malicious content

Benefits of Chrome Proxy Extensions

A Chrome proxy extension is a category of browser add-ons, available on the Google Chrome browser, that allows users to configure proxy settings and use proxies in their browser. These tools simplify the process of using and managing proxies. Here are some of the potential benefits of using Chrome proxy extensions:

1. Privacy and Anonymity. Just like with regular proxy software, the proxy extension will reroute user traffic on the Chrome browser through a proxy server. Hence, it provides the same privacy and anonymity benefits. 
2. Ease of Use. As stated earlier, the major advantage of proxy extensions on Chrome is that they simplify the setting up, usage, and management of proxies. Compared to traditional proxy software, they require less technical know-how and manipulation of settings. In addition, they are designed to integrate seamlessly with the browser interface. As such users can easily access them from the browser toolbar to enable or disable the proxy, or to change the settings. In traditional proxy software, attempting to change settings will necessitate opening settings and following a procedure that is tedious in comparison.
3. Browser-Specific Configuration. The nature of extensions means that a proxy extension only affects the browser in its default configuration. As such, when using these tools, only traffic and internet activity on the Chrome browser are routed through the proxy server. Other applications and browsers will remain unaffected. This differs from a traditional proxy software that requires configuration of settings on a system level and would affect all browsers and applications.
4. Better System-wide Performance. Traditional proxy software puts the system in a more resource-intensive state because it encompasses all internet activity. This can potentially affect the overall performance of the system, compared to proxy extensions that are lightweight and only affect specific applications and activities.
5. Automatic Updates and Maintenance. Chrome extensions receive and install automatic updates from the Chrome web store, ensuring that users always have the latest version of their proxy extensions. It’s more convenient than traditional proxy software which may require users to regularly check for and manually facilitate updates. 
6. Flexible Customization. Proxy extensions and traditional proxy software often offer users the ability to customize their proxies. However, while traditional proxy software requires technical know-how to achieve some minor changes, proxy extensions are more flexible and convenient with the customization options on offer.

Looking for a Proxy?

There are many proxy providers on the market. However, none matches Proxy Cheap premium proxies for value. We offer best-in-class proxies at affordable rates and with pricing flexibility for prospective customers wanting more. The proxies we currently offer are:

• Proxy Cheap Static Residential Proxies, which offer elite anonymity to users.
• Proxy Cheap Rotating Residential Proxies, which offer automatic IP rotation and are perfect for scraping because of their improved anonymity on residential proxies.
• Proxy Cheap Datacenter IPv4 Proxies, which offer unrivaled performance using addresses from the Internet Protocol version 4 communication protocol.
• Proxy Cheap Datacenter IPv6 Proxies, which utilizes addresses obtained from the Internet Protocol version 6.
• Proxy Cheap Mobile Proxies, which offers similar anonymity to residential proxies using IP addresses associated with mobile device use in the location of your choice.

When using any of the above Proxy Cheap proxies, users can rest assured that they will enjoy:

1. Responsive Customer Support. We offer experience-specific onboarding to help prospective buyers facilitate purchases and 24/7 support to help users get the best out of our proxies.
2. Cost-Effective Proxy Solutions. Proxy Cheap offers quality IP addresses, free from damaging histories, and constantly updated to ensure activity and expanding coverage. Best of all, though, is the affordability of these proxies and the possibility of bulk purchase deals to sweeten things for users. Put simply, with Proxy Cheap, you get market-leading proxies at a reasonable price for the present and long term.
3. Broad Geographical Coverage. Proxy Cheap proxies provide access to 10M+ IP addresses in over 125 locations. We allow our customers to connect to websites and platforms from almost any country. 
4. User-Friendly Interface. Our friendly interface allows users to purchase, customize, and manage their proxies easily. This interface includes a proxy dashboard through which users can top up their accounts and view their purchased proxies, among other things.