The Best Mobile Proxy Providers of 2024
If datacenter proxies and even residential proxies aren‘t cutting it, you may need to turn to mobile proxies to access the most secure websites and platforms. Mobile proxy IPs originate from real mobile devices and carrier networks, giving them the highest trust level and making them extremely difficult to detect and block.
In this in-depth guide, we‘ll explain what mobile proxies are, how they work, and the top use cases. Most importantly, we‘ll reveal the best mobile proxy providers on the market in 2024 based on our testing and research.
Here is our ranking of the top mobile proxy services:
- Bright Data – The most advanced and complete provider
- IPRoyal – Extensive global coverage at affordable prices
- Proxy-Seller – Reliable mobile IPs for high success rates
- SOAX – Granular proxy filtering and customization options
- Smartproxy – Cost-efficient proxies for small to medium projects
- Proxy-Cheap – Budget provider offering mobile IPs by the GB
- HydraProxy – High-quality 4G mobile proxies for US locations
We‘ll dive into the details of each provider, including their proxy pool size, performance metrics, features, and pricing. But first, let‘s make sure you understand the fundamentals of mobile proxies.
What Are Mobile Proxies and How Do They Work?
A mobile proxy routes your web requests through an intermediary device that is connected to a cellular network, such as a smartphone on a 4G/5G connection. The remote website or platform sees the IP address and details of the mobile device rather than your own.
This has a few key advantages compared to using your real IP address directly:
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Anonymity – The destination server can‘t see your own IP address and location. This allows you to browse anonymously.
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Location Changing – By using a mobile proxy in a different city, state, or country from your own, you can access location-restricted content.
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Higher Trust – Mobile IPs are less suspicious than datacenter IPs because they originate from consumer ISP networks. Many sites block datacenter proxy traffic.
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Lower Block Rates – It‘s much harder for websites to identify and block mobile proxy users vs datacenter or even residential proxies. Mobile IP addresses are very trusted.
Technically, mobile proxies work very similarly to residential proxies. Both take advantage of existing IP addresses attached to real physical devices, as opposed to datacenter proxies that come from cloud servers.
With residential proxies, the intermediary devices are desktop computers, laptops, and any other device that connects to a home or corporate wifi network.
Mobile proxies exclusively use mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, that connect to the internet via 3G, 4G, or 5G cellular networks from telecoms like Verizon or T-Mobile.
This makes the IP addresses of mobile proxies even more trusted than residential IPs. While suspicious traffic from a residential proxy may get blocked, it‘s very uncommon for mobile proxy traffic to get blocked.
Why? Because dozens or hundreds of real mobile users share the same IP address. Blocking that IP would mean blocking access to all of those real users, which most websites and apps are very hesitant to do.
As a result, mobile proxies are able to maintain the highest success rates even for heavily secured sites like Instagram, Twitter, and so on. They are the go-to proxy type for social media marketing and other use cases that require accounts to look like they belong to real human users.
When Should You Use a Mobile Proxy?
Mobile proxies are ideal for any use case that requires the highest possible success rates and the most human-like traffic. Here are some of the most common applications:
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Social Media Management – Mobile IPs are the least likely to trigger suspicious activity alerts when creating and using multiple social media accounts on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.
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Sneaker Copping – When every millisecond counts, mobile proxies offer the fastest speeds and lowest block rates for buying limited-edition sneakers and other high-demand products.
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Ad Verification – By perfectly mimicking real user traffic from various locations, mobile proxies allow you to monitor how your digital ads appear "in the wild" to your target audience.
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Web Scraping – For large-scale scraping of difficult targets that block other proxy types, mobile IPs will yield the highest success rates. However, they are usually cost-prohibitive for this use case.
In general, any time you need your web traffic to be indistinguishable from a real human user on a mobile device, mobile proxies are your best bet. No other proxy type is as trustworthy and hard to block.
Of course, this premium performance comes at a cost. Mobile proxy IPs are the most expensive type on a per-GB basis, usually at least 4-5x pricier than residential proxies.
For this reason, mobile proxies are typically only used when absolutely necessary. If residential IPs can get the job done, it doesn‘t make sense to pay extra for mobile ones. It all depends on your specific use case and target sites.
Now that you understand the basics of mobile proxies, let‘s compare the top providers for 2024 and see how they stack up.
The Top 7 Mobile Proxy Services
Based on our in-house performance testing, independent research, and aggregated customer reviews, these are the best mobile proxy providers currently on the market:
- Bright Data
Bright Data has dominated the proxy market for many years, and their mobile proxy offering is top-notch. With a pool of over 10 million 3G/4G IPs worldwide, they have extensive coverage.
Features include:
- 100+ countries with city and carrier targeting
- Unlimited concurrent connections
- Rotating or sticky IPs with customizable rotation interval
- Highest performance with 99.9% success rate
The main downside is the price. Bright Data mobile proxies are expensive, with pay-as-you-go rates starting at $8/GB ($500/month minimum). But you get what you pay for with rock-solid infrastructure and premium features.
- IPRoyal
IPRoyal has quickly become a major player in the mobile proxy space thanks to its huge global network and affordable pricing.
They offer over 6 million 3G/4G IPs across 190+ countries, with city-level targeting in many popular markets. Other key features:
- Unlimited threads with rotating or static IPs
- Automatic proxy replacements to maintain 99% uptime
- API access and 20+ reseller partners
IPRoyal‘s mobile plans start at $40 for 1 GB with rates as low as $4/GB for high-volume customers. You can also pay with crypto for an extra 10% discount. Overall it‘s an excellent value for reliable mobile IPs.
- Proxy-Seller
Proxy-Seller is a lesser-known provider that surprised us with its high-quality mobile proxies during our latest round of testing. They source 4G IPs directly from multiple major mobile carriers.
While the proxy pool is relatively small at around 100,000 IPs, it covers most high-demand countries in North America and Europe. Proxy-Seller‘s standout features:
- Strict vetting of IP suppliers for 99.5% success rate
- Advanced rotation and session control options
- Flexible packages with affordable no-contract plans
Pricing starts at $90 for 5 GB, with the lowest rate being $7/GB for bulk purchases. Considering the excellent performance, Proxy-Seller offers some of the best value mobile proxies right now.
- SOAX
SOAX provides highly customizable mobile proxies with over 40 mobile network operators globally. Their key differentiator is advanced filtering options to target by country, city, region, or ISP.
You also get powerful rotation settings, such as customizable rotation intervals from 1-300 seconds and maintaining the same IP for a set duration (sticky sessions).
While SOAX doesn‘t publicly disclose their total proxy pool size, we found performance to be very strong across all the locations we tested, with a 98% average success rate.
Pricing is a bit complex, with different costs for proxy access (ports) and bandwidth. The entry-level mobile plan includes 300 ports and 15 GB for $99/month, with significant volume discounts available.
- Smartproxy
Smartproxy is a popular provider known for its user-friendly interface and excellent customer support. They offer over 20 million rotating mobile IPs from real users.
All proxies are ethically sourced and vetted to ensure maximum performance and monetization consent. Key features:
- Rotating and sticky sessions up to 30 mins
- Unlimited connections (scale as needed)
- API access, browser extension, and app integrations
Smartproxy‘s mobile proxy plans start at $35 for 2 GB, with bulk prices as low as $8/GB. You can also get a small free trial to test the IPs for your specific use case.
While the provider doesn‘t have some advanced options like city targeting, its large IP pool and high success rates make it a smart choice for most mobile proxy needs.
- Proxy-Cheap
As the name suggests, Proxy-Cheap aims to provide the lowest possible prices by sourcing mobile IPs from a network of global suppliers and telecoms.
While the provider is less established than some of the bigger players, it has proven its capability to deliver reliable mobile proxies across dozens of countries at much lower costs.
Some of Proxy-Cheap‘s notable features:
- 1+ million 3G/4G mobile IPs
- Rotating every request or sticky up to 120 mins
- In-house control panel and API for easy management
You can get started with just $5 for 100 MB of mobile data, making this an ideal choice for small one-off projects and testing. The rates get as cheap as $3.5/GB if you prepay for 10+ GB.
Obviously, you can‘t expect the same level of infrastructure and support as the premium providers. But if your main priority is to get mobile IPs at the lowest price, Proxy-Cheap is worth considering.
- HydraProxy
HydraProxy focuses exclusively on 4G/LTE Android traffic from real mobile devices in the US. So while its global coverage is limited, the provider excels at delivering top-quality proxies for American locations.
Some highlights of the service:
- 100% real IP addresses (no VPNs)
- Advanced city and mobile carrier targeting
- Dedicated 24/7 customer support
Plans start at $97 for 10 GB ($9.7/GB) with a 3-day money-back guarantee. You can scale up to 1,000 GB per month for high-volume projects.
HydraProxy is a solid choice if your mobile proxy use case is focused on the US market and you want the most pristine, high-quality IPs for the best success rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are free mobile proxies available?
Unfortunately, no. There is no such thing as free mobile proxies, at least not from legitimate and safe sources.
Maintaining the infrastructure to source and provide mobile IP addresses is very resource-intensive, so providers must charge for access. Be very wary of any "free mobile proxy" offers, as they are likely scams or honeypots. Always stick with reputable paid providers.
How much do mobile proxies cost?
Mobile proxies are the most expensive type, due to the limited supply of real peer IPs from mobile networks. Prices typically range from $5-$10 per GB for small plans and around $3-$5 per GB for bulk purchases (50+ GB per month).
Some providers also charge an additional fee per port (simultaneous connection), which can add to the total cost. Be sure to compare pricing models and calculate the total monthly expense to get the best deal.
Can I use mobile proxies for web scraping?
Yes, mobile proxies work very well for scraping difficult, highly secure websites that block other proxy types. Many large-scale scraping operations use mobile IPs for a small portion of their requests to maintain access to tough targets.
That said, mobile proxies are usually cost-prohibitive to use for all scraping traffic. Most professionals use a combination of datacenter IPs for the bulk of requests, with residential and mobile addresses mixed in as needed. The key is finding the right balance to maximize success rates while minimizing costs.
Wrapping It Up
Mobile proxies are the ultimate tool for the most demanding jobs requiring the highest success rates and lowest possible chance of blocks or bans. While pricey, they are an essential part of the toolkit for serious marketers and web data professionals.
The seven vetted providers on our list are the current leaders in the mobile proxy space. Each one has its own unique strengths and features, but they all deliver reliable, high-quality mobile IP addresses.
To choose the best one for your needs, consider the following criteria:
- Proxy pool size and location coverage
- Success rate and performance
- Rotation settings and sticky session options
- Targeting features (city, carrier, etc.)
- Bandwidth costs and pricing structure
- Customer support and documentation
Most providers offer some kind of free trial or money-back guarantee, so don‘t be afraid to test a few different ones to see which works best for your specific use case. With a bit of experimentation and fine-tuning, mobile proxies can take your operation to the next level.
