How Does Ad Verification Work?
Digital ads often get misplaced, either deliberately or accidentally. Where do they end up? After scammers tamper with them, the ads are placed on lewd, untrustworthy websites, where they’re seen mostly by bots.
Ad verification is a process that aims to correct both accidentally and intentionally misplaced ads. During this process, the ad verification specialists check if the ad is displayed according to the advertiser’s criteria, such as location preference. They also make sure that the ad is placed on the right website and is seen by real people.
Proxies are closely tied to this process. Let’s see how.
How Proxies Assist with Ad Verification
Scammers often are familiar with ad verification companies and blacklist their IP addresses. They also have strict anti-botting measures on their websites to filter out all the scrapers. That’s where proxies come in. They allow changing the IP address and looking like a regular user to let the script do its job.
Ad verification specialists use proxies to check ad redirection paths. Scammers frequently steal clicks from legitimate ads by redirecting the user to their websites. Fraudsters do this to lure unsuspecting users to their products or services. Sometimes they even try to install malware on the user’s device.
The third use case is checking how an ad appears in a localized context. This is particularly important for global ad verification companies that need to confirm how ads appear in hundreds of markets simultaneously.
If you place geographic restrictions on an ad, such as targeting users near your physical store, you need to make sure that fraudsters aren’t taking advantage of it. They can find ways to feed advertisers fake location data to get higher prices for their ad impressions. Imagine how much money you’d waste if your ad appeared to users somewhere in Asia instead of the US? Proxies allow you to connect from various locations to see how people worldwide can view the ad.
How to Choose Proxies for Ad Verification
It’s hard to imagine a successful ad verification process without proxies. That’s why you need to make sure you have suitable proxies for the job. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a provider:
- First of all, make sure you’re using residential proxies. Any other kind of proxies may get you banned before you get any job done. Meanwhile, residential proxies provide anonymity and make you look like a regular internet user. That way, owners of fraudulent sites won’t be able to know that you’re using proxies and won’t prevent you from running an ad verification script.
- The second criteria is a wide range of IP locations because you might need to check ads from a wide variety of locales. Also, make sure you can actually target those locations.
- Proxy pool quality is secondary, however still worth considering. The quality is best measured by looking at the composition of a proxy pool. A good quality residential proxy IP network should contain landline, mobile, or mixed IP addresses.
- Depending on your budget, the price may also be an important aspect to think about. When it comes to proxies, you get what you pay for. Premium providers offer both well-performing proxies and plenty of additional tools to go with them. Meanwhile, mid-range and cheap providers have to cut corners to keep prices low, but they usually deliver satisfactory performance.
Where You Can Buy Proxies for Ad Verification
There’s a wide variety of proxy providers, and it can be resource-intensive to test them on your own. That’s why we used our expertise in the market to do the hard work for you. We tested and analyzed the most prominent providers and composed all the data into our annual Proxy Market Research.
However, you won’t find free proxies in our recommendations. Not only do they lack performance, free proxies can also compromise your security. You can read more about them in our article here. If you’re not willing to take any chances, continue reading for the best ad verification proxy provider we recommend.
The Best Proxy Providers for Ad Verification
1. Decodo (formerly Smartproxy)
Quality proxies for less.
Try 100 MB for free.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 115M IPs
- Countries: 195+ with state, city, ASN, ZIP targeting
- Rotation: Every request, customizable sessions up to 24 hrs
- Starts from: $4 for 1 GB. Pay as you go available
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, QUIC over UDP
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Sub-users, management API, browser extension, proxy checker
- Support: 24/7 via live chat, Discord, or email
- Trial: 100 MB for residential mobile proxies. 14-day refund available
Decodo combines something that seems hardly attainable – affordable prices and quality proxies. The provider has one of the cleanest proxy networks, and you’ll get access to the full proxy pool with any of the plans. The service comprises 55 million IPs and has granular filtering; you can target addresses from any country, state, city, or ZIP code.
Decodo emphasizes making its products easy to use. That’s why you should expect a friendly user experience and extensive documentation. On top of that, Decodo’s customer service representatives are always ready to help – immediately.
For more information and performance tests, read our Decodo review.
2. Oxylabs
The best premium provider.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 175M IPs
- Countries: 195+ with state, city, ASN, ZIP, coordinate targeting
- Rotation: Every request, customizable sessions up to 24 hrs
- Other features: OS, IP protocol selection
- Starts from: $30 for 5 GB ($6/GB)
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, QUIC over UDP
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Sub-users, management API, browser extension, Android app
- Support: 24/7 via live chat
- Trial: For companies, refund available
When it comes to proxy providers, Oxylabs is almost always at the top of our lists, and it’s not hard to see why. Being a premium company, it lives up to its mark. Oxylabs has one of the largest – 100 million – IP pools and offers a wide range of location targeting options: every country in the world and thousands of cities, ASN, ZIP code, and coordinatesWhen it comes to performance, there’s hardly anything to complain about. Oxylabs’s proxies are fast and have a nearly perfect success rate.
In terms of pricing, Oxylabs isn’t very cheap, but over the years, it managed to make its prices for a broader range of users.
Read the Oxylabs review for more information and performance tests.
3. Webshare
Quality proxies for less.
Get 40% off your first purchase.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 80M IPs
- Countries: 195+ with state & city targeting
- Rotation: Every request, customizable sessions
- Starts from: $3.5 for 1 GB
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, SOCKS5
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Sub-users, management API, browser extension
- Support: 6AM-6PM PST via live chat & email
- Trial: Refund available
Webshare is the proxy provider of choice for any entry-level user – and even mid-range outfits will find something for them. For one thing, at 80 million IPs, the proxy network is large and offers global coverage. Plus, the infrastructure success rate is among the best in the industry. Only the response time and limited targeting options (nothing below the country level) leave something to be desired.
For ease of use, Webshare proxies can be integrated via an API. The company also offers a browser extension if you need to check a cheeky ad right at your work laptop. And if something goes amiss, support is provided via email and chat.
Read the Webshare review for more information and performance tests.
4. Byteful
Granular targeting and strong observability tools.
Get 40% off your first purchase.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 35M IPs
- Countries: 150+ with state, city, ASN/ISP, ZIP targeting
- Rotation: Every request, sessions up to seven days
- Other features: Pool size & speed filters, Smartpath engine
- Starts from: $3.25 for 1 GB. Scaling pay as you go
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, SOCKS5
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Sub-users, management API, browser extension
- Support: 6AM-6PM PST via live chat & email
- Trial: Refund available
Byteful offers a mid-sized pool of residential IPs covering 195+ countries. All the targeting settings are in place, making it suitable for checking how ads appear in specific markets. The proxies rotate with every request or remain sticky, while unlimited concurrent sessions support large-scale verification.
Performance is another strength: Byteful’s residential proxies achieved an impeccable success rate and fast response time in our 2026 research. For monitoring ad verification tasks, the dashboard provides detailed request logs showing the target, status code, duration, and traffic use.
Plans start at $3.25/GB, traffic doesn’t expire, and a 1 GB trial is available. However, the pool is smaller than those of leading providers.
For more information and performance tests, read our Byteful review.
5. Bright Data
The biggest array of features.
Use the code PROXYWAY60 to get 60% off all proxy plans and Browser API. New users only.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 400M IPs
- Countries: 195+ with state, city, ASN/ISP, ZIP, coordinate targeting
- Rotation: Every request, sticky sessions (customizable with extra app)
- Other features: IP protocol, OS selection, dedicated IPs
- Starts from: $4 for 1 GB. Pay as you go available
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, QUIC over UDP
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Management API, sub-users, browser extension, Proxy Manager app
- Support: 24/7 via live chat, tickets, dedicated account manager
- Trial: No-card free trial available
Bright Data is the largest proxy provider. It dominates the market with an outlandish proxy pool, which is just a little smaller than Oxylabs’ and consists of 400 million IPs. As a premium service, it gives all you need – global locations and targeting up to ZIP code level. The performance is also one of the best we’ve seen. The company is well known for its wide range of tools; however, setting everything up can be challenging for inexperienced users.
If you’re interested in all of the benefits this company has to offer, don’t expect it to come cheap. It’s one of the more expensive providers, especially if you need features like city or ASN targeting.
Read the Bright Data review for more information and performance tests.
6. SOAX
Proxies with flexible targeting options.
Use the code PROXYWAY35% to get 35% off.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 155M IPs
- Countries: 195+ with state, city, ASN targeting, ISP, ZIP code filters
- Rotation: Every request, sessions up to 7 days or X requests, strict sessions
- Other features: Look-a-like rotation, use together with mobile IPs
- Starts from: $25 for 5-12.5 GB ($2-$5/GB), depending on IP location
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, QUIC over UDP
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Reporting API
- Support: 7 AM to 7 PM UK time via live chat, tickets, or email
- Trial: Paid ($1.99)
SOAX offers quality service – its residential proxies are fast and stable. The pool of 155 million addresses provides IPs in over 150 locations. One of SOAX’s most distinguishing features is location targeting. SOAX lets you specify a country, city, and even ASN free of charge.
SOAX’s pricing is among the cheaper of the bunch. But, some technical choices like obligatory IP whitelisting, might trigger some users.
Read the SOAX review for more information and performance tests.
7. Dataimpulse
Cheap residential proxies with basic features.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 90M IPs
- Countries: 150+ with state, city, ASN, ZIP targeting
- Rotation: Every request, sessions up to 120 min
- Other features: Exclude location, ASN, denylist domains
- Starts from: $50 for 50 GB ($1/GB). Pay as you go
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, UDP (upon request)
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Reseller API
- Support: 24/7 live chat, email
- Trial: Not available
Dataimpulse offers affordable residential proxies, starting at just $1 per GB of traffic when you purchase a minimum of 50 GB. However, the price doubles with extra features, like city, ASN, and ZIP code targeting. The provider has a proxy pool of 5 million addresses and allows you to target any of the 150 countries.
But don’t expect much more; the service doesn’t include proxy management tools, and its peer-to-peer addresses are slower than the top options on this list. But usage graphs reflect expenditure, which will help track your expenses.
For more information and performance tests, read our Dataimpulse review.
8. Rayobyte
Residential proxies with a competent set of features.
Use the code proxyway to get 5% off.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 40M IPs
- Countries: 100+ with state & city targeting
- Rotation: Every request, up to 60 min, strict sessions
- Starts from: $4 for 1 GB. Scaling pay as you go
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist (excl. rotating DC)
- Extras: Reseller API, browser extension, proxy checker
- Support: 24/7 via email, ticketing system, or live chat
- Trial: 2-day refund
Rayobyte doesn’t disclose the size of its IP pool, but according to our tests, it controls one of the bigger proxy pools in the US, not that many IPs in Europe or Australia. You can target any of 150 countries, thousands of cities, and ASN. In terms of price, Rayobyte is especially competitive between 50 GB and 250 GB of traffic.
There are some drawbacks, too. Rayobyte’s residential proxies are slow, and you can only keep the same IP for as long as it remains online – no custom intervals.
For more information and performance tests, read our Rayobyte review.
9. Infatica
Reasonably priced proxies with granular targeting.
Use the code proxyway2024 to get 20% off your first purchase.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 35M IPs
- Countries: 195+ with city, ISP, ZIP targeting
- Rotation: Every request, 5-60 min sessions
- Starts from: $4 for 1 GB. Pay as you go available
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Proxy checker, reporting API
- Support: 24/7 via live chat, tickets
- Trial: Available, paid
Infatica controls a pool of 10 million peer-to-peer IPs, and the service has all the necessary features for ad verification. You get access to any of the 150 countries and target individual IPs by state, city, or ASN. Infatica even allows you to select multiple countries at once.
Unfortunately, our tests showed that Infatica’s residential proxies are quite slow.
For more information and performance tests, read our Infatica review.
10. IPRoyal
Affordable residential proxies with non-expiring traffic.
Use coupon PROXYWAY30 to get a 30% discount.
Residential proxies
- Advertised pool: 64M IPs
- Countries: 150+ with state, city & coordinate targeting
- Rotation: Every request, 1s-24hr, manual
- Other features: High-end pool, exclude ISP proxies, exclude IP ranges, denylist domains
- Starts from: $7 for 1 GB. Scaling pay as you go available
General info
- Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, UDP (DC & ISP only)
- Authorization: Credentials, IP whitelist
- Extras: Proxy tester, browser extension
- Support: 24/7 via live chat or email
- Trial: Not available
IPRoyal offers affordable pricing for its services. It owns 32 million IPs and allows you to specify over 150 locations by country, state, and city. IPRoyal uses pay as you go-based pricing, and the traffic stays until you use it. The pricing is slightly more expensive at fewer GBs, but it scales well at one terabyte of data.
Although this provider does offer a decent service, it can’t compete with the market giants. We’ve encountered more errors when running tests, and the proxies were slow.
For more information and performance tests, read our IPRoyal review.