If changing the product’s name means it will sell better, you can be sure marketers will do it. Such is the situation with premium proxies – every provider offers them nowadays, but each has a slightly different proxy under this name. Unfortunately, untangling this mess isn’t so easy for consumers.
The proxy market constantly fluctuates as different tasks and technological advances make some proxy types more valuable than others. Still, it is possible to grasp what is best for most general purposes, and that’s what this article is all about.
What are premium proxies?
Proxies are intermediary devices that route the network requests of other devices. In simple terms, instead of connecting to the web directly, you ask a proxy to do it for you with its own IP address. So, what can be called “premium” about a proxy server?
Most providers will tell you that they use only premium devices with high-speed internet connection, but this is not true. The reason is that device type and connection speed are not necessarily the most important things for efficiency.
A high-speed datacenter proxy that works on a powerful server with a commercial internet connection might run into constant IP blocks. Popular websites with advanced anti-bot measures are doing this constantly, and that’s why you need to look for something that is highly legitimate and would withstand constant surveillance by even the most suspicious web servers.
I have my own personal pick – private static residential UK proxies. I will argue that they are objectively the best example of what might be called a premium proxy. Some providers might name different things as premium proxies, but that’s a marketing gimmick more often than not.
If you don’t believe me, just go to any provider and try to order private static residential proxies from the UK. You’ll quickly notice that they are the most expensive proxy type. Of course, the price isn’t enough for a premium product. So, let’s decode each component of this name to understand why exactly it’s a premium type.
Access type: Private
Private proxies are those that provide exclusive access to one user. If you own a private proxy, the device running it is working just for you 24/7, no matter whether you are using it or not. This provides two main benefits.
- Performance: No one is using internet bandwidth or device resources except you.
- IP legitimacy: You have complete control over what web servers the IP address connects to and what actions are performed there.
It’s easiest to understand the importance of these benefits when we compare them with the opposite type – shared proxies. These proxies allow multiple users to connect to the proxy device concurrently. Many proxies are, by default, shared to lower the operational cost, but this does worsen the performance and IP legitimacy.
You cannot be sure what other people are using the proxy for and how much performance they take away from you. If you want the best performance, the only option is to use the proxy alone. The same goes for IP legitimacy – you never know where the proxy IP might get banned unless you use a private proxy.
IP rotation: Static
Static proxies are ones that always keep the same IP address. Many proxies are rotating as it’s beneficial for increasing their performance and avoiding detection. But this is often needed because proxies are shared, the IP address isn’t new, and so you cannot be sure that it will perform. As a precaution, the provider rotates the IP addresses.
However, if you acquire a highly legitimate proxy IP address that has never been used for proxy services before, there is little to no chance that it will be blocked. If the provider is good, he will also ensure that the performance is good.
In such a case, there is no reason to choose rotation, as you will get better overall performance from a static proxy. There is one exception, though – a private pool of static proxies. You can get multiple private proxies that are otherwise static but rotated by you with special software.
This is a highly advanced use case requiring lots of money and know-how. Technically, your proxies then become rotating, but you still purchase private static IPs from the proxy provider.
IP address source: Residential
IP address source is the most important part for premium proxies, and there’s no doubt about it – you must choose residential proxies. These proxies are based in ordinary households with internet connections verified by ISPs. Furthermore, there is a physical device, a PC for example, that runs for each IP address.
If the provider sets everything up properly, web servers will have little to no chance of unmasking you as a proxy user. Sure, residential proxies can be a bit slower than types originating from servers, but the margin isn’t that big if you choose good locations. That’s why it’s essential to choose the correct region.
Location: United Kingdom
Location choice often depends on what geo-restrictions you face. If the websites you want to scrape are located in Canada, you will want residential proxies as close as possible. It will increase your legitimacy and boost your performance.
However, proxy users rarely have only one target. If you need to access multiple web servers with proxies while scraping, automating online tasks, or simply browsing anonymously, you’ll need a location that is least restricted.
English is the dominant language on the internet, so it makes sense to choose the United Kingdom. The country has one of the fastest internet speeds, has the least data restrictions, and is geographically close to important international servers.
Final verdict
All in all, premium proxies are worth their price if the combination of types is actually the best-performing one. Unfortunately, some providers name every proxy they offer as a premium one. Beware of such shady practices, and if you need premium performance, look for private static residential proxies from high-quality locations such as the UK.
