Have you ever tried looking for something online but found yourself blocked or needing to see it from another place? 🌍 That’s where Smartproxy comes in!
It’s like a magic tool that lets your computer pretend it’s in a different city or country. I gave it a try because I needed to check out a website that wasn’t available in my area.
Using Smartproxy was like having a secret key to the internet. It was super easy to set up, and suddenly, I could see websites from all over the world as if I were right there!
In this Smartproxy review, I’ll share my experience, talking about how it helped me and why it might be just what you’re looking for.
Whether you’re a student, a business person, or just curious, stick around to find out how Smartproxy can open up a whole new world for you online! 🚀🖥️
Quick Overview About SmartProxy
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Overall Verdict | Smartproxy is a public data access platform offering over 65 million residential, mobile, shared, and dedicated datacenter proxies across 195 countries. It scores 8.5 out of 10. |
| Pricing | Various services start from $8.50 for residential proxies to $50 for scraping APIs. Specific pricing depends on the type of service and usage. |
| User Experience | User-friendly dashboard, easy navigation, and straightforward setup process. |
| Use Cases | Web scraping, social media marketing, bypassing geo-restrictions, market research, data collection, ad verification, sneaker shopping, and managing social media. |
| Support | 24/7 support through live chat and email, with a reputation for friendly, fast, and effective assistance. |
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial with 500 MB of traffic available. |
| Protocols | Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols. |
| Location Coverage | Over 65 million IP addresses in 195 countries. |
| Geo-Targeting | Advanced geo-targeting options, including country-level, state-level, and city-level targeting. |
| Links | Try SmartProxy Now! |
Smartproxy Review 2024: What Is Smartproxy?
Whenever you use the internet, you’re essentially leaving behind traces of your online activities that can be traced back to you.
One effective method is using a proxy service to maintain online privacy. This service acts as an intermediary between you and the websites you visit, concealing your true identity.
Smartproxy is a top-notch option among the many proxy service providers available. Founded in 2018, it offers a fast, secure, dependable solution to protect online privacy.
Smartproxy was created to provide an affordable and user-friendly alternative to enterprise-level vendors like GeoSerf and Bright Data (formerly known as Luminati).
Smartproxy is a proxy provider that offers various proxy services, including residential proxies, datacenter proxies, and mobile proxies.
Smartproxy has a pool of over 40 million residential proxies and 10 million datacenter proxies, making it one of the largest proxy providers in the world.
This extensive network allows you to target specific country, state, and city locations. The company offers reasonably priced plans, including a pay-as-you-go option, and provides a three-day refund policy for added confidence when trying out their service.
How do we score?
In evaluating this proxy service, we conducted a comprehensive analysis involving extensive research, which allowed us to uncover the service’s strengths and weaknesses.
Our team of experts considered valuable insights from customers and thoroughly examined the various features and capabilities offered by the service. Furthermore, we put the service to the test through practical testing to provide a well-rounded and informed assessment.
How to use Smartproxy: Dashboard review
Smartproxy provides a user-friendly dashboard designed with simplicity, making it easy for users to manage their proxy-related tasks.
The dashboard features a clear and organized navigation menu, starting with the “Welcome” tab, followed by tabs dedicated to four proxy types: residential proxies, data center proxies, search engine proxies, and dedicated data center proxies.
Within these tabs, users can access all the necessary information related to their proxy subscription, including details about pricing, authentication methods, endpoint generation, traffic usage, and subscription management.
Additionally, at the bottom of the dashboard, users will find tabs for “Apps,” “Help,” and “Support.” These sections provide convenient access to features such as email or live chat support, helpful documentation, and the ability to submit support requests.
This user-focused design aims to enhance the overall experience of using Smartproxy’s services by offering easy navigation and access to essential resources.
Dashboard features include:
- Plan purchasing, renewal, upgrade, and downgrade
- Setting up a private proxy server
- Proxy access authorization
- The creation of sub-users
- Monitoring traffic usage
- Getting in touch with customer service
Download their residential proxies for more information on navigating the dashboard.
Smartproxy’s dashboard stands out for its clean, modern, and stylish design, setting it apart from many other proxy providers.
This well-crafted dashboard is user-friendly and caters to individuals of varying skill levels, ensuring easy navigation and accessibility.
One notable aspect of the dashboard is the simplicity of setting up proxies. The process is straightforward and user-friendly, making it accessible even for those who may not have advanced technical skills. This ease of use provides a seamless experience for users looking to configure and manage their proxies efficiently.
Step 1: Registration
Visit the Smartproxy website and click the “Create an Account” button. You’ll be asked to specify your intended use for the proxies during registration. This could range from marketing research, data collection, ad verification, and sneaker shopping to managing social media.
Step 2: Email Confirmation
After entering your email and password, your account will be created. You’ll receive a confirmation email, so verify your new account by following the provided link. Once confirmed, you’ll gain access to the Smartproxy dashboard.
Step 3: Authentication Method
Inside the dashboard, you’ll need to choose an authentication method. You can either create a username and password or, if you’re opting for residential proxies, you can whitelist specific IP addresses.
Step 4: Generate Proxy Endpoints
If you use residential or datacenter proxies, proceed to the endpoint generator. Here, you can select the authentication method you’ve set up, your preferred country, rotation settings, and output format for your proxy list.
This will generate a list of proxy endpoints, not the actual IP addresses but gateways that access IPs from Smartproxy’s pool.
Step 5: Integration and Configuration
Now, you can integrate or configure these proxies with any tool or browser you intend to use. Smartproxy offers X Browser, Smart Scraper, Firefox, and Chrome extensions. These extensions allow you to choose between residential and datacenter proxies while browsing the internet.
You can select your desired country using the extension and choose whether you want sticky (persistent) or rotating proxies. To authorize these proxies, you can use either the username and password you created earlier or other authentication mechanisms.
Following these steps, you’ll be all set to use Smartproxy for various online activities while benefiting from their extensive proxy network.
Smartproxy’s features are as follows:
1. Residential Proxies
Smartproxy’s residential proxies are their primary product for staying anonymous online. They have a massive pool of over 40 million IP addresses across 195 countries.
These IPs belong to real people who use computers and mobile devices. You can even choose proxies from specific countries and cities.
One great thing is that you can create lots of connections easily. Since these proxies don’t share the same subnetworks, you’re less likely to get banned.
They have a 100% success rate in connecting to the internet, and they’re pretty fast, with an average response time of 1.3 seconds, which is great for running multiple tasks.
Smartproxy’s residential proxies offer two types of sessions: rotating and sticky. Rotating means your IP changes automatically with each connection, while sticky keeps the same IP for a set time, like 1, 10, or 30 minutes.
To access these proxies, you can use two methods: User: Pass, where you set a username and password, or Whitelisted IPs, where you specify trusted IP addresses to use the service without needing a username and password.
Even better, Smartproxy now offers both HTTPS and SOCKS5 protocols for their residential and mobile proxies, which are known for their excellent performance and versatility. So, you have more options to choose from to meet your needs.
2. Datacenter Proxies
If you’re not concerned about geotargeting and need fast proxies for data mining at scale, datacenter proxies are the way to go. I’ve been using Smartproxy’s datacenter proxies, and they’ve stepped up their game.
They offer a shared datacenter pool with over 100,000 IPs in the US and Europe. These proxies have a solid guarantee of 99.99% uptime, advanced rotation with 30-minute sticky sessions, and no connection or IP limits to worry about.
It’s like having a reliable and robust proxy solution at your fingertips. But if you’re not into sharing and want complete control over your private US IPs, they’ve covered you with a dedicated datacenter proxy pool of 400,000 IPs.
This means you have complete ownership of your private IPs’ browsing history, trustworthiness, and health.
Smartproxy’s datacenter proxies support rotational and sticky sessions, so you can carry out your tasks without worrying about getting banned.
For authentication, they offer the user: pass method, which is secure and grants access to all Smartproxy gateway servers.
As someone who uses these proxies, I’ve found them to be reliable and versatile. Whether scraping data, conducting market research, or any other online task that requires anonymity, Smartproxy’s datacenter proxies are a cost-effective solution.
For example, the basic plan starts at just $30 monthly, which gets you 50GB of traffic. It’s an excellent choice for various online activities, and their performance has been impressive in my experience.
3. Dedicated Datacenter Proxies
Dedicated datacenter proxies are perfect for users who need the utmost service. With Smartproxy, you can access a whopping pool of over 400,000 IPs, all exclusively available in the US.
What’s fantastic about dedicated datacenter proxies is that you have these IP addresses all to yourself. That means you have complete control over your browsing history and online security, offering you heightened privacy.
The perks don’t stop there. Smartproxy’s dedicated datacenter proxies also provide unmetered traffic, allowing you to simultaneously make unlimited network requests across as many websites as you need.
What sets this service apart is its support for both SOCKS5 and HTTPS protocols. This dual protocol support enhances online security, connection speed, and reliability.
In terms of pricing, it starts at just $40 per month, giving you up to 20 dedicated IPs and unlimited traffic. If you need more IP addresses, you can add them at $2 per IP, with discounts available for higher-tier plans, dropping the cost to $1.60 per IP.
It’s a fantastic solution for those who require exclusive and top-notch proxy services.
4. ISP Proxies
ISP proxies, or static residential proxies, are valuable tools with various applications. Imagine you’re conducting market research and want to gather data from various websites without being detected.
You can access these sites regularly by using ISP proxies, preventing websites from blocking your access.
Additionally, in the world of e-commerce, where websites often implement anti-scraping measures, ISP proxies can be used to gather pricing information from competitors to help you adjust your prices strategically.
Another scenario is social media management, where you must manage multiple accounts without getting banned. ISP proxies enable you to seamlessly switch between accounts and locations, ensuring your online activities go unnoticed.
These proxies are also invaluable for sneaker enthusiasts who use automated bots to cop limited-edition sneakers from websites. ISP proxies provide anonymity and stability to increase your chances of success.
Scrapping APIs
Smartproxy offers a range of scraping APIs designed for automatically mining web data. These APIs provide a powerful way to collect data from various sources, but it’s important to note that they require advanced developer skills to use effectively.
One of these APIs is the SERP Scraping API, which is tailored for extracting information from search engines. It utilizes proxy technology and web crawling to provide real-time data.
With this API, you can retrieve results in either HTML or JSON format, target specific countries, states, or cities, and enjoy a 100% success rate in your data extraction efforts.
Smartproxy’s residential proxies power the SERP Scraping API and offer support for rotational sessions, ensuring that data collection remains efficient and reliable.
However, it’s worth mentioning that this service comes at a cost, starting at $50 per month for 13,000 requests. You benefit from unlimited connections and unrestricted traffic usage despite the pricing, making it a valuable tool for serious web data scraping projects.
Ecommerce Scraping API
Smartproxy’s API, designed for ecommerce purposes, offers an invaluable solution for businesses looking to gather market intelligence and stay competitive in the online landscape.
With this API, you can effectively track and analyze your competitors’ online activities, including product prices, customer data, and traffic sources.
Furthermore, the ecommerce API provides the following capabilities:
Gathering Product Data: Easily collect data related to products, allowing you to stay informed about market trends and competitor offerings.
Geotargeting: Tailor your data collection efforts by specifying countries, states, or cities to focus on specific geographic areas.
IP Blocks and CAPTCHA Bypass: Overcome common online obstacles such as IP blocks and CAPTCHAs, ensuring uninterrupted data gathering.
This tool supports headless scraping, making it suitable for accessing websites built with JavaScript. Smartproxy’s ecommerce API also boasts a 100% success rate, guaranteeing the reliability of your data extraction efforts.
In terms of pricing, the ecommerce API offers affordability, starting at just $50 per month for 15,000 requests.
If your data needs grow, you can increase by adding more volume, with additional requests available starting at $1.50 per 1000 requests. This cost-effective solution empowers businesses with the insights they need to thrive in e-commerce.
Web Scraping API
Smartproxy recognizes the challenges of collecting data from the internet, and to simplify this task, it provides a web scraping API designed to streamline the process.
This API comes equipped with a robust web crawler capable of extracting information from various websites, including those heavy with JavaScript elements.
Key applications of Smartproxy’s web scraping API include:
Malicious Website Detection: The API can identify and gather information from potentially harmful websites.
Fast Delivery of Structured Data: It facilitates the rapid retrieval of structured data, allowing users to access valuable information efficiently.
Real-Time Data Collection: With this API, users can collect data in real-time, ensuring they stay up-to-date with the latest information.
Powered by Smartproxy’s extensive residential service boasting over 40 million IPs, the web scraping API offers proxy rotation to enhance the success rate of data extraction.
Users can rely on this tool for seamless and effective web data collection, making their data-driven tasks significantly more accessible and more efficient.
No-Code Scaper API
The “Smart Scraper,” commonly known, is an API designed to cater to users who may not possess advanced coding skills. Its user-friendly nature sets this API apart, allowing individuals to automate tasks with just a few simple clicks directly from Smartproxy’s user dashboard.
To make things even more accessible, the API offers ready-made templates that enable users to initiate the tool effortlessly. These templates can be selected and easily customized to align with individual preferences.
The Smart Scraper API excels in generating structured data, which can be obtained in either JSON or CSV formats. Notably, users have the convenience of downloading or exporting the results directly to their email.
As for pricing, the Smart Scraper API starts at $50 per month for 13,000 requests, making it a reasonably affordable option.
For those requiring additional capacity, the option to expand is available at $3.85 per 1000 requests, allowing users to tailor their usage to their specific needs.
Tools
In addition to Smartproxy’s tools, there is much to smile about. The breakdown is as follows:
1. X Browser:
This application serves as a tool for generating distinct browser profiles, each providing you with unique digital footprints.
These profiles are useful for efficiently managing multiple online accounts across various platforms, such as social media, advertising platforms, and e-commerce websites. It allows you to maintain a separate online identity for each account, enhancing your online presence and privacy.
2. Chrome Extensions:
Smartproxy provides an extension specifically designed for Chromium-based web browsers. This extension enables you to utilize their proxy services directly within your browser, eliminating the need to access your customer dashboard separately.
Additionally, a dedicated extension is available for seamless integration with the No-Code scraper API, simplifying the process of using this feature for web scraping tasks. These extensions enhance user convenience and streamline the proxy service experience.
3. Firefox Add-on:
Smartproxy offers a toolkit designed for Firefox users, providing an alternative to their services. One of the tools included in this kit is the “Address Generator.”
This tool retrieves and creates rotating IP addresses, allowing users to select proxy server locations with precision, ranging from country-level to city-level targeting.
The application is compatible with both Windows and macOS operating systems, making it accessible to a wide range of users and platforms.
Integrations
With Smartproxy, you can integrate other features that extend the solution’s functionality. They include:
1. Sneaker Bots:
These applications are specifically crafted to assist sneaker enthusiasts in acquiring limited-stock footwear.
They can circumvent the restrictions retailers impose, typically put in place to prevent customers from purchasing scarce or highly sought-after shoes. Essentially, these apps provide sneakerheads with a strategic advantage in obtaining coveted sneakers.
2. Social Media Tools:
With these applications, you can generate and utilize unlimited social media accounts. The selection of platforms includes popular ones such as Facebook, Tinder, Instagram, and several others.
This functionality allows users to manage multiple social media profiles seamlessly, which can be helpful for various purposes, from marketing to personal organization.
3. Scrapers:
These are specialized tools for establishing connections using various scripts, making them valuable for various online tasks. They also offer SEO tools, which allow users to conduct SEO audits of their competitors’ websites on the internet.
These features benefit users who want to gather data, analyze websites, or perform SEO-related tasks efficiently and effectively.
4. Proxy Managers:
These tools are created to oversee and control a company’s computer network servers. Essentially, they provide software or applications that enable businesses to monitor, manage, and maintain their server infrastructure effectively.
This is crucial for ensuring that the servers run smoothly, securely, and efficiently, which is essential for the overall performance and reliability of a company’s IT infrastructure.
5. Usage Monitoring
Usage monitoring is a highly regarded feature according to user reviews of Smartproxy. It is valuable for keeping a close eye on how you use the service’s resources in real-time.
This monitoring tool allows you to monitor your data traffic and the total number of requests made to the network. It offers convenient filtering options to view results daily, weekly, or monthly.
You can set a custom time frame for a more in-depth analysis to access detailed analytics. However, it’s worth noting that, at the moment, there is no option to export this data for further use or analysis.
SmartProxy Pricing: How Much Does It Cost?
Smartproxy offers various proxy services and scraping APIs to cater to various needs. Here’s a breakdown of the pricing for each category:
Proxies:
Residential Proxies: Starting at $8.5, these proxies provide a static (ISP) residential connection.
Mobile Proxies: Starting at $28 per month, these proxies are designed for mobile connections.
Datacenter Proxies: Beginning at $21, these proxies are suitable for datacenter connections.
Dedicated DC Proxies: Starting at $10 per month, these are dedicated datacenter proxies.
Site Unblocker: Starting at $28 per month, this service helps unblock websites.
Scrapers:
Social Media Scraping API: Priced at $50 per month, this API gathers data from social media platforms.
eCommerce Scraping API: Also priced at $50 per month, this API is ideal for collecting market intelligence.
No-Code Scraper: At $50 per month, this tool simplifies web scraping for users without coding skills.
SERP Scraping API: Priced at $50 per month, this API is designed for gathering real-time data from search engines.
Web Scraping API: Also priced at $50 per month, this API is a powerful tool for web data extraction.
These are the starting prices for each service, and they may vary based on your specific requirements and usage.
It’s vital to check Smartproxy’s official website for the most up-to-date pricing and details.
Documentation and Support
Smartproxy offers comprehensive online documentation with a vast library of helpful guides neatly organized into categories covering the platform’s various features.
To make your search for specific information even more accessible, a handy search function allows you to filter content using specific keywords. You can also quickly access this feature by pressing CTRL+K on your computer keyboard.
The documentation is designed to be user-friendly. Articles are written in clear and straightforward language, making them easy to read and follow. Many of these articles also include screenshots and videos to provide visual clarity for different instructions.
If you encounter issues or things don’t work as expected, Smartproxy’s support team is available 24/7. You can reach out to them through both live chat and email. Users often praise the support agents for their friendliness, speed, and practical problem-solving abilities.
Quick Links:
Conclusion: Is Smartproxy the right proxy provider for you?
If you’re looking for a reliable proxy provider with a large pool of proxies, frequent IP rotation, and a variety of proxy types, then Smartproxy is a good choice.
Smartproxy is especially well-suited for web scraping, but it can also be used for other purposes, such as social media marketing and bypassing geo-restrictions.
If you’re still unsure whether Smartproxy is the right proxy provider for you, I recommend trying their free trial. Smartproxy offers a 7-day free trial with 500 MB of traffic.
This is a great way to try out Smartproxy’s service and see if it’s right for you before you commit to a paid plan.
I hope this review has helped you decide if Smartproxy is the right proxy provider for you. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
