Are you confused regarding which proxies to buy? Do free proxies attract you because you can actually afford them? Well, this post is about the paid proxies and the free ones, and we’ll be going to discuss both of them in comparison with each other.

The question is, which one is better among the two? Since you're going to buy the proxies, you must know that proxies act as middlemen, and whether they are paid or free ones, they function the same way. The main difference between the two types of proxies is the speed and security level.

What are free proxies?

Free proxies are also called public proxies because of the reason that anyone can access them. Multiple users access these proxies at a time. The main good thing about these proxies is that they are free, and anyone can use them in spite of budget constraints. Another good thing about these proxies is that they are easy to use because there is no particular authorization or installation procedure required. You have to connect to the proxy, and you're good to go. Following are the main points that describe free proxies:

• Multiple users access them at one time.
• They are available free of cost.
• Since many people are using the proxies, they are very slow.
• Free proxies are very insecure because there is no authorization for their access.
• There is a risk of viruses or other malware entering your system.
• There may be hackers using the same proxy, and they can steal your information.
• These proxies are easy to use.
• Some free proxies allow the use of socks proxies and VPN which is suitable for security purposes.
• They can bypass geological restrictions and censorship.

What are paid proxies?

Paid proxies are available at a cost, and they are more secure than free ones. These proxies use advanced technologies to protect their users' information, and they also offer excellent speeds. Since proxies act as intermediaries, there is always a slight speed drop with the paid proxies too, but that's not noticeable.

This speed drop is noticeable with the free proxies because others are using them too and the slight speed drop increases into a huge one. Paid proxies are always a good option as they provide ample security and good speed to the user. These proxies have many other advantages which make them a good choice as compared to the free proxies. Following are some important points regarding the paid proxies:

• They are secure because they don’t allow the data to be leaked.
• These proxies are mostly dedicated to a single person or sometimes shared by a few people, and thus there is a lesser risk of illegal activities such as stealing of information.
• Some of these proxies are affordable, and some are expensive.
• Since there are not many users using the proxies, they are very speedy. This allows the user to perform their web activities in a smooth manner without worrying about other users accessing the proxies.
• They allow you to use various useful tools such as SEO and Scrapebox.
• They allow you to create multiple social media accounts.
• You can surf the web without revealing your identity. Being anonymous while surfing is one significant benefit that these proxies offer. Though free proxies provide anonymity too, web servers and other tools can easily detect and find out your real identity.

Difference between the Free and Paid Proxies:

Looking at the table above, it is evident that the paid proxies are far better than the free ones in almost every aspect. The only thing that can make the free proxies an option is that they are free and are easy to use, and readily available.

When should free proxies be used?

Free proxies should be used only when you have some primary internet activities to do. For example, if you want to surf the web to get some information. We don't even recommend using free proxies for using social media accounts because this way your private information might be stolen.

Free proxies can't be used for playing games or using particular apps because they are too slow for this. Unless you have a very tight budget, we don’t recommend using free proxies. At peak times, you won't be even able to use a free proxy because of many users using it at the same time. However, if you want you can try using the free proxies in the early morning because at that time you'll get good speed for performing various tasks.

When should paid proxies be used?

Paid proxies are of different types such as shared and dedicated/private ones. The shared proxies are shared by only a few people, and thus they offer excellent speed and security both. However, since others are sharing the same proxy, there is a chance of some mishaps too. For example, if any of the people sharing the same proxy performed an illegal activity on the web, the IP will be shut down.

The shared proxies are overall secure, and they are speedy too, only a slight speed drop can be observed. You can use these proxies for using your social media accounts and performing other activities on the web such as geo-spoofing.

However, if you have some highly confidential tasks to do, you must go for the elite private proxies or the dedicated proxies. These proxies are the most costly, but they offer the best value for money too. You can use these proxies for online shopping, entering your bank credit info, or for doing transactions on the internet. The dedicated proxies will be dedicated to you only, and thus you'll be able to utilize full bandwidth and get total security too. But since you are the only one paying for the proxy, this is a bit expensive option.