The Complete Web Scraping Proxy Solutions Comparison for 2026

Which proxy should you use for web scraping?

There's no one-size-fits-all answer here.

Different business scenarios, different site types, different budgets—each calls for a different proxy setup.

Let's break it down:

• Which proxies fit which business scenarios

• Residential vs data center proxies—how to pick

• How to evaluate proxy providers

1. Common Business Scenarios

Before choosing a proxy, figure out which category your business falls into.

High-Security Sites

These sites have strict anti-bot defenses:

• E-commerce: Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Walmart

• Search engines: Google, Bing

• Social media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

• Travel sites: Booking, Airbnb, Expedia

Medium-Security Sites

These sites have basic anti-bot measures, but nothing extreme:

• News sites: Major news portals

• Real estate: Zillow, Realtor

• Job boards: LinkedIn, Indeed

• Finance sites: Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch

Low-Security Sites

These sites have weak or no anti-bot protections:

• Government databases: Public data repositories

• Academic research: Journals, paper databases

• Public statistics: Census, government open data

• Basic content sites: Regular business websites, blogs

Large-Scale Data Collection

Need heavy IP rotation and cost-conscious:

• Competitor price monitoring

• Market research data collection

• Social media sentiment tracking

• SEO data analysis

2. Proxy Recommendations by Scenario

Scenario 1: E-Commerce Data Collection

Target sites: Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Walmart

Challenges:

• Strict anti-bot systems

• Fast IP bans

• Need high stealth

Recommended: Residential proxy

Why:

• Real home network IPs are harder to flag

• Strong stealth, higher success rates

• Geolocation targeting for regional pricing data

Scenario 2: Search Engine Data Collection

Target sites: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo

Challenges:

• Advanced anti-bot technology

• Strict rate limits

• Need regional search results

Recommended: Residential proxy + rotation strategy

Why:

• High stealth keeps Google from flagging you

• Geolocation targeting for accurate regional results

• Rotation strategy spreads the load to avoid bans

Scenario 3: Social Media Data Collection

Target sites: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter

Challenges:

• Login verification requirements

• Complex anti-bot systems

• High account security needs

Recommended: Residential proxy + static IP

Why:

• Static IP keeps accounts stable and logged in

• High stealth protects against account bans

• Residential proxies mimic real user behavior better

Scenario 4: Travel Site Data Collection

Target sites: Booking, Airbnb, Expedia, Kayak

Challenges:

• Prices shift by region and time

• Need regional price comparisons

• Medium-level anti-bot measures

Recommended: Residential proxy (rotating mode)

Why:

• Geolocation targeting for regional pricing

• Stealth level is sufficient for medium defenses

• Cost-effective for this use case

Scenario 5: Real Estate Site Data Collection

Target sites: Zillow, Realtor, Trulia

Challenges:

• Large data volumes, ongoing collection

• Medium anti-bot defenses

• Need data from different regions

Recommended: Data center proxy (small scale) / Residential proxy (large scale)

Why:

• Small-scale collection can use data center proxies to cut costs

• Large-scale collection needs residential proxies for higher success rates

• When budget allows, residential proxies are more reliable

Scenario 6: Competitor Price Monitoring

Use cases: E-commerce competitor monitoring, travel price tracking

Challenges:

• Frequent collection of large data volumes

• Prices change fast, need real-time monitoring

• Cost-sensitive

Recommended: Residential proxy (rotating mode)

Why:

• Rotating mode fits large-scale collection

• Cost-effective, pay-as-you-go

• Sufficient stealth for price data collection success

Scenario 7: Market Research Data Collection

Use cases: Industry data, consumer research, trend analysis

Challenges:

• Diverse data sources

• Large volumes but lower frequency

• Cost-sensitive

Recommended: Data center proxy or residential proxy (depending on budget)

Why:

• Data center proxies work when budget is tight

• Residential proxies when budget allows

• Success rate and data completeness are what matter most

Scenario 8: SEO Data Analysis

Use cases: Keyword ranking tracking, competitor SEO analysis, SERP analysis

Challenges:

• Need to simulate different regions

• Large volumes, moderate frequency

• High data precision requirements

Recommended: Residential proxy

Why:

• Geolocation targeting for accurate regional search results

• High stealth avoids search engine throttling

• Rotation strategy handles large-scale SERP collection

Scenario 9: Academic Research Data Collection

Use cases: Academic papers, patent data, government open data

Challenges:

• Large data volumes, but low collection frequency

• Weak anti-bot measures

• High data quality requirements

Recommended: Data center proxy

Why:

• Weak anti-bot—data center proxies are sufficient

• Low cost fits academic research budgets

• Fast speed, efficient collection

Scenario 10: Financial Data Collection

Use cases: Stock data, cryptocurrency data, financial news

Challenges:

• High real-time data requirements

• Need stable data sources

• Medium anti-bot measures

Recommended: Residential proxy + static IP

Why:

• Static IP ensures collection stability

• High stealth avoids financial site restrictions

• Geolocation targeting for different market data

3. Residential vs Data Center Proxies: How to Choose?

Core Differences

When to Pick Each

Go residential when:

• Targeting high-security sites (Amazon, Google, Facebook)

• You need high success rates

• You need geolocation targeting

• Account security is a priority

Go data center when:

• Targeting low-security sites (government sites, academic databases)

• Budget is tight

• You need high speed

• Collection volume is massive

Use both when:

• Core operations use residential proxies for reliability

• Supporting collection uses data center proxies for cost savings

• Testing environments use data center proxies to conserve budget

4. Proxy Provider Comparison

When evaluating proxy providers, focus on these 5 dimensions:

Dimension 1: IP Pool Size and Quality

• Pool size: Bigger is better—more rotation options

• IP quality: Higher residential proxy ratio is better

• IP cleanliness: IPs that have been overused can cause problems

Good standard: 5M+ IPs, 80%+ residential ratio

Dimension 2: Geographic Coverage

• Country count: More is better

• City coverage: Major cities have more options

• ASN diversity: IPs from different carriers add variety

Good standard: 195+ countries, 1000+ cities

Dimension 3: Success Rate and Stability

• API success rate: Should be 95%+

• Connection stability: No drops, no timeouts

• IP availability: 90%+ of purchased IPs should work

Good standard: 95%+ API success rate, 90%+ IP availability

Dimension 4: Price and Value

• Billing model: Per GB vs per IP

• Minimum spend: Any minimum purchase requirements?

• Plan flexibility: Pay-as-you-go available?

Good standard: No minimum, pay-as-you-go, flexible billing

Dimension 5: Tech Support and API

• API docs: Complete and clear?

• Code examples: Common languages covered?

• Support response: 24/7 availability?

• Technical help: Dedicated team available?

Good standard: Complete docs, multi-language examples, 24/7 support

5. Quick Reference by Scenario