What Are the Best SOCKS5 Proxies? A Guide to 8 Brands for Different Use Cases

Many first-time buyers assume SOCKS5 is a kind of proxy, in the same way residential or mobile is. It isn't. SOCKS5 is a protocol, a set of rules for passing traffic, while residential, mobile, ISP and datacenter describe where the IP address comes from. Mixing the two up leads people to buy the right protocol on the wrong network, or the right network without the protocol their software needs. Both mistakes are easy to avoid once you know what to check.

This guide untangles both choices. It explains the features worth checking, how to pick a provider for your use case and how to get good results once you've bought, then walks through eight brands that state SOCKS5 support, each with a quick facts table and plain-language notes.

Quick picks

Features Worth Checking First

Where SOCKS5 is supported. A provider may support SOCKS5 on some products and not others. Look for a clear statement covering the network you plan to buy, whether that's residential, mobile, ISP or datacenter.

UDP support. SOCKS5 can carry two kinds of traffic: TCP, used by websites and most apps, and UDP, used by some streaming, gaming and real-time tools. If your software uses UDP, choose a provider that says it supports it.

Session options. A rotating session gives you a new IP for each request, which suits collecting many pages. A sticky session keeps the same IP for a while, which suits logging in or filling out forms.

Targeting. Targeting lets you choose where your IP appears to be. Country is standard; city, ZIP code, ASN (the network ID of an internet provider) and mobile carrier are more precise, and some providers charge extra for them.

What happens to unused traffic. Some providers let unused gigabytes roll over; others expire them. If your usage changes from month to month, rollover saves money.

ProxyEmpire: Best for SOCKS5 Across Residential and Mobile

Fact

Detail

Protocols

SOCKS5, HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2

Mobile pool

4M+ IPs, per the company

Residential pool

30M+ IPs in 170+ countries, per the company

Trial

$1.97 for residential and mobile

If you need SOCKS5 on mobile IPs as well as residential ones, ProxyEmpire is the most complete option here. The company reports more than 4 million mobile IPs alongside 30 million residential IPs, and both networks work over SOCKS5, so you can move a task from one to the other without changing how your software connects.

Mobile IPs are the addresses phones receive from carriers. Some websites treat them more leniently because many real people share them, and ProxyEmpire lets you choose the carrier and city at no extra cost. Residential IPs can be targeted down to ZIP code, ISP and ASN, also free.

Pricing is simple to follow. Rotating residential costs $3.50 per GB and rotating mobile $4.50 per GB when you pay as you go, and any gigabytes you don't use stay in your account for later. Beyond SOCKS5, the network supports HTTP, HTTPS and HTTP/2, and the company says HTTP/3, QUIC and UDP are supported too.

There's one important rule: ProxyEmpire doesn't offer refunds, so try the $1.97 trial first. It includes 100 MB of residential and 50 MB of mobile traffic and doesn't turn into a subscription. Live chat and email support are available 24/7 if you get stuck during setup, and integration guides cover popular antidetect browsers such as GoLogin and Kameleo.

Decodo: Best for Trying SOCKS5 Free

Fact

Detail

Protocols

HTTP(S), SOCKS5

Trial

Free, 3 days, 100 MB residential

Residential pool

115M+ IPs

Targeting

Free, down to ZIP and ASN

Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) is a good first stop if you want to try SOCKS5 without paying. Its free trial gives you 100 MB of residential traffic for 3 days.

Every plan uses the full pool of 115M+ residential IPs, and targeting down to ZIP and ASN is included. Monthly plans start at 3 GB for $11.25.

Just remember that the trial becomes a paid plan unless you cancel. Mobile proxies are available separately, from $2.25 per GB.

Decodo also offers browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, a proxy checker and setup guides for more than 50 tools, which makes the first connection easier if you're new to proxies. Live chat support runs 24/7.

Oxylabs: Best for Pairing SOCKS5 with Scraping Tools

Fact

Detail

Protocols

HTTP(S), HTTP3, SOCKS5

Subscription

From $30 a month

Mobile

140+ countries

Credit

$5 for new users

Oxylabs suits you if you want proxies and ready-made scraping tools together. One subscription covers proxies, a Web API, an unblocker and an agent browser.

Residential traffic costs $6 per GB on the smallest tier and gets cheaper as you buy more. Geo targeting is free, and residential plans allow unlimited concurrent sessions.

The $5 welcome credit lets you try any product before choosing a plan.

Mobile IPs come from real devices in more than 140 countries, and a mobile session can keep the same IP for 24 hours. Residential plans allow 3 proxy users, which is fine for small teams but may be tight for larger ones.

SOAX: Best for SOCKS5 over UDP

Fact

Detail

Protocols

HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 over TCP and UDP

Billing

Monthly credits, 1 credit = $1

Networks

Residential and mobile, one price

Free account

Sandbox, no card needed

SOAX is a good choice if your tools send UDP traffic, because it states SOCKS5 support over both TCP and UDP. Residential and mobile cost the same, so you don't have to guess which you'll need.

Its standout feature for teams is guardrails. You can set limits on traffic, protocols and allowed websites for each package, which stops one project from spending everyone's budget.

Prices depend on the country you target. As an example, US traffic on a 100 GB plan comes to $3.00 per GB. The free Sandbox account lets you explore, but you'll need credits before traffic flows.

You can also choose how IPs change: with every request, after a set number of requests, on a timer or when a request fails. Reports show how much of your traffic was delivered and how much was blocked, which helps you decide whether to switch networks.

NodeMaven: Best for Clean IPs on ISP Proxies

Fact

Detail

SOCKS5

Confirmed on ISP proxies

UDP

Supported on ISP proxies

IP filtering

Fraud score, blacklist and reputation checks

Trial

$3.50 for 750 MB

NodeMaven checks each IP before giving it to you, looking at fraud scores and blacklists. That helps if you manage accounts where a flagged IP could cause problems.

SOCKS5 is confirmed on its ISP proxies, which are fixed addresses registered to internet providers. They come with unlimited traffic and start from $2.33 per IP for 30 days. For residential and mobile, NodeMaven doesn't state protocols, so ask before buying.

Unused bandwidth rolls over on its residential and mobile plans.

Monthly plans start at $8.50 for 2 GB and can earn up to 10% cashback on the traffic you use. Sticky sessions last up to 24 hours, and a free Scraping Browser is included if you automate data collection.

IPRoyal: Best for Long Sticky Sessions

Fact

Detail

Protocols

HTTP(S), SOCKS5

Sticky sessions

Up to 7 days

Residential traffic

Never expires

Entry price

$7/GB

IPRoyal lets one IP stay with you for up to 7 days. That's useful for social media management or any task where a sudden IP change could log you out or trigger a security check.

Your residential traffic never expires, and there's no monthly minimum, so you can buy once and use it slowly. Country, state and city targeting are free.

The catch is price at small sizes: 1 GB costs $7 on subscription. The rate drops a lot at larger volumes, reaching $1.75 per GB only at 10 TB.

If you prefer automatic changes, IPRoyal can rotate your IP every 1, 10 or 30 minutes instead. You can sign up without a credit card, and the support team, available 24/7, answers in 58 seconds on average according to its docs.

DataImpulse: Best for SOCKS5 on a Budget

Fact

Detail

Protocols

HTTP(S), SOCKS5

Price

$1/GB on 50 GB

Expiry

Never

Refunds

7-day policy

DataImpulse is the budget pick. You pay $50 for 50 GB with no subscription, and the traffic never expires.

The trade-off is targeting. Choosing a country is free, but narrowing to a state, city, ZIP code or ASN costs extra.

New customers can start with a one-time 5 GB pack for $5.

The company says its 90M+ residential IPs are first party, meaning they aren't resold from another network. Support runs 24/7 by chat or email, and a 7-day refund policy gives you a window if it doesn't work out.

Proxy-Seller: Best for Many Proxy Formats

Fact

Detail

Protocols

HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5

Formats

Residential, IPv4, IPv6, ISP, mobile, datacenter

Residential validity

30 days

Refund window

24 hours

Proxy-Seller sells almost every proxy format in one place, from residential traffic to IPv6 addresses. Residential supports SOCKS5, with unlimited concurrent sessions.

Volume residential plans start from $1.45 per GB, but you need to use the traffic within 30 days. Mobile proxies are sold per proxy from $10 and include carrier targeting.

Refunds or replacements must be requested within 24 hours, so test quickly after buying.

Proxy-Seller has operated since 2014 and offers free tools such as a proxy checker and port scanner. Enterprise customers get a dedicated account manager and can request a free proof of concept.

Getting Good Results with SOCKS5

Start by testing one connection. Set up a single SOCKS5 proxy in your software, confirm it works and check the IP location it reports before scaling up.

Choose rotating or sticky sessions on purpose. Use rotating for collecting lots of pages and sticky for anything that involves logging in.

Use the cheapest network that works. Try residential first and move to mobile only for sites that block it, since mobile often costs more.

Keep your login details safe. Store proxy usernames and passwords in your tool's settings or a password manager, not in shared documents.

Check your usage regularly so you know when to top up, and whether unused traffic will roll over or expire.

How to Choose the Right Tool

Begin with your use case. For scraping websites at scale, focus on price per GB and rotating sessions. For account management, focus on long sticky sessions and clean IPs. For ad checks or local research, focus on targeting, especially city and carrier.

Next, decide which networks you need. If you might need mobile as well as residential, choose a provider that offers both and lets you test both.

Then look at billing. If your usage varies, favor providers whose traffic doesn't expire. If refunds are limited, make sure there's a trial.

Finally, confirm SOCKS5 support on the exact product you'll buy. A quick message to support, or a test during a trial, settles the question before you spend real money.

Comparison Table

Provider

Protocols listed

UDP

Entry price

Unused traffic

ProxyEmpire

SOCKS5, HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2

Yes, per the company

$3.50/GB

Rolls over

SOAX

SOCKS5, HTTP, HTTPS

Yes

Varies by tier

Not stated

IPRoyal

SOCKS5, HTTP(S)

Not stated

$7/GB

Never expires

Decodo

SOCKS5, HTTP(S)

Not stated

$3.75/GB

Not stated

Oxylabs

SOCKS5, HTTP3, HTTP(S)

Not stated

$6/GB

Not stated

NodeMaven

SOCKS5 or HTTP on ISP proxies

Yes, on ISP

$2.20/GB monthly

Rolls over

DataImpulse

SOCKS5, HTTP(S)

Not stated

$1/GB

Never expires

Proxy-Seller

SOCKS5, HTTP, HTTPS

Not stated

$1.45/GB

Valid 30 days

Which Provider Should You Choose?

Choose ProxyEmpire if you want SOCKS5 on both residential and mobile IPs, with free carrier targeting and traffic that never expires.

Choose SOAX if your tools need SOCKS5 over UDP.

Choose IPRoyal if you need one IP for days at a time.

Choose Decodo if you'd like to try SOCKS5 free first.

Choose DataImpulse if price per GB matters most.