Proxies are essential tools for web scraping and accessing restricted online content. However, finding reliable and fast proxies can be difficult. This is where proxy scrapers come in.
Proxy scrapers automatically search and scrape free public proxy lists from various sites. They help you easily compile a large list of proxies to use in your web scraping and automation projects.
In this guide, we review the top 13 proxy scraping tools available in 2023.
Proxy scrapers search and scrape public websites and forums that contain free proxy lists. They extract the proxy IP, port, country, and other details into a list.
Some key features of proxy scrapers:
Here are the top 13 proxy scraping tools recommended for 2023:
Oxylabs offers a robust Web Scraper API for both proxy scraping and general web scraping.
It scrapes at lightning fast speed and can extract data from any site. With in-built proxy rotation and CAPTCHA solving, it avoids getting blocked while scraping aggressively.
Oxylabs provides over 100 million residential and datacenter proxies to power the scraper. So you get access to a massive pool of proxies without having to scrape anything yourself.
The API has excellent documentation and 24/7 support. Integrates seamlessly with Python, PHP, Java, and other languages.
They offer a free 7-day trial with 5,000 scraping requests. Paid plans start from $90 per month.
ScraperAPI is another robust proxy and web scraping API. It comes with 1,000 free requests per month.
ScraperAPI checks and updates their proxies every minute to maintain a pool of active ones. This ensures high success rates when scraping sites.
Some key features:
They have excellent documentation, 24/7 live chat, and an active community forum for support.
Paid plans start at $49 per month for additional requests.
Apify is a popular web scraping platform that includes a proxy scraper tool.
You can schedule periodic proxy scraping jobs to maintain a list of active proxies. It scrapes from a curated list of quality proxy sites.
Scraped proxies can be exported in CSV or JSON format. You can also analyze proxy statistics like response times and pass rates.
Apify provides various tools for web scraping, automation, and crawling in addition to proxies. It uses headless Chrome browsers and proxy rotation for reliable scraping.
Their free plan includes 60,000 free monthly requests. Paid plans start at $30 for 5GB of proxy storage.
Bright Data (formerly Luminati) offers one of the largest paid proxy networks, with over 95 million IPs.
Their proxy scraper tool lets you easily scrape free proxy lists from various sites. Proxies can be filtered by location, speed, anonymity type, etc.
Scraped proxies seamlessly integrate into the Bright Data ecosystem. So you can analyze proxy metrics, use them for testing, and more.
Some key features:
They offer a 7-day free trial for the proxy scraper. Paid plans start at $500 per month.
GSA Proxy Scraper is a Windows-based application focused solely on proxy scraping.
It crawls hundreds of free proxy sites and forums to build a list of working proxies. The built-in port scanner discovers non-public and hidden proxies as well.
Proxies can be checked against target sites to identify ones that work specifically for that site. Batch testing helps validate proxies efficiently.
GSA Proxy Scraper exports proxies to various formats like text, CSV, Excel, etc. You can also get proxies emailed to you automatically.
It costs 149 EUR for a lifetime license. Free updates included.
Free Proxies Scraper & Checker is an easy-to-use tool for quick proxy scraping.
It crawls multiple proxy sites and checks harvested proxies asynchronously with a built-in checker. This picks out the quickest and most anonymous ones.
The tool detects proxy types like HTTP, SOCKS4, SOCKS5 automatically. Scraped proxies can be exported in CSV and text formats.
As a bonus, it comes bundled with a carefully curated list of pre-checked free proxies as well.
Free Proxies Scraper & Checker is currently available for free with lifetime updates. The unlimited commercial license costs $39.95.
ProxyScrape has a large database of free proxies it compiles from multiple sources. You can download the proxy list or access it via API.
In addition to the free proxy list, it also lets you buy premium residential and datacenter proxies starting at $4 per month.
The key features of the free proxy list include:
Do note that the free proxies are not checked, so expect some dead ones in the list.
Somiibo offers free proxy lists and a proxy scraper tool.
The free proxy list is updated hourly with dead proxies removed. You can filter proxies by port, protocol, country, and anonymity. Access is available via API as well.
For proxy scraping, Somiibo crawls multiple forums to find public proxies. The scraper checks proxies asynchronously to filter working ones.
Scraped proxies can be exported as a spreadsheet to Google Sheets. Regular updates help maintain a fresh proxy pool.
The proxy scraper has a free plan allowing 100 proxies scraped per run. Paid plans start at $12 per month.
IP Proxy Scraper is an open source tool for Linux and Windows.
It visits predefined websites to extract proxies. Or you can provide any proxy site URL to scrape.
The lightweight scraper extracts proxies quickly and shows results in a preview window. You can then copy proxies or export them as a text file.
As an open source free tool, it lacks premium features like proxy checking and API access. But it‘s handy for basic proxy scraping.
ProxyDB lets you scrape proxies right within your web browser.
Just enter any proxy site URL, and it will visit the site and extract proxies from it.
Filters are available to narrow down proxies based on level of anonymity, country, ports, etc.
You can then copy proxies individually or export the full list as a text file.
It maintains a database of recently updated free proxies as well. But they aren‘t pre-checked for reliability.
This Chrome extension lets you scrape proxies from any site while browsing.
When you visit sites like free-proxy-list.net, hidester.com/proxylist etc., it will automatically detect and extract proxies from the sites.
You can then export proxies or copy them to the clipboard. Proxy checker sites are also supported.
Lacks some advanced features, but it conveniently extracts proxies while browsing proxy sites.
If you want to integrate proxy scraping in your Python apps, this Proxy Scraper library is handy.
It scrapes multiple proxy sites and checks harvested proxies asynchronously. HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 proxies are supported.
The library caches proxies locally in a SQLite database. It handles proxy rotation, exports to multiple formats, and more.
Install it via PyPI:
pip install proxy-scraperThis PHP Proxy Scraper extracts proxies from various sites.
It validates scraped proxies by performing test requests. HTTP and SOCKS proxy types are detected automatically.
The library caches proxies in Redis to avoid scraping repeatedly. It also provides statistics like average response time per proxy.
To install:
composer require athlon1600/php-proxy-scraperSo those are some top proxy scraping tools available for automating the proxy harvesting process. They provide an easy way to build a large list of proxies for web scraping and other purposes.
Here are some tips to use proxy scrapers safely:
Proxy scraping tools help automate the tedious process of compiling lists of free proxies. They provide an easy way for non-technical users to generate proxies.
Oxylabs, ScraperAPI and Apify offer the most robust solutions with advanced proxy management and powerful scraping capabilities. For just procuring free proxies, tools like GSA Proxy Scraper and Free Proxy Scraper & Checker strike a good balance.
Remember to thoroughly test scraped proxies before using them in production. Avoid accessing sensitive accounts and data with free proxies.
Hope this guide helps you find a good proxy scraper to cover your web scraping and automation needs!