TheBest SOCKS5 Proxies: 6 Top Providers for 2020

Advantages and Drawbacks of SOCKS5 Proxies

Advantages

• You can use them with all kinds of data, not only webpages.
• They ensure a high level of anonymity. When you route information through such a proxy server, it assigns a new IP for you. Instead of accessing the website on your behalf, the server connects to it directly. This way, you disclose no information about your original IP address.
• They work great for traffic-intensive tasks.

Drawbacks

• Data goes through them unencrypted. So, you shouldn’t use them for online payments or anything involving personal information.
• They are not supported by some applications.
• They are usually more expensive compared to HTTP(S) IPs.

Main Uses of SOCKS5 Proxies

• Hide your IP address – the classic use case. SOCKS5 proxies are actually very good at it because of the way they work.
• Chat and make video calls – for example, you can use these proxies with Skype, Telegram, or similar apps.
• Use streaming websites – the first example that comes to mind is Twitch, but it applies to any streaming site.
• Download torrents – they are compatible with qBitorrent, uTorrent, and similar peer-to-peer communication software.
• Play games – we haven’t tried it personally, but we’ve often heard about using with popular online games.
• Access forbidden content – a common use case is going around firewalls or entering places where TCP connection is prohibited. Or simply avoiding geographical restrictions.
• Perform illegal activities – people also use SOCKS5 proxies for carding, to hide their IP address and emulate the card holder’s location. Note that this activity is highly illegal, and we do not condone it.

The Difference Between SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 Proxies

SOCKS5 is a newer version of the protocol. It introduced several important features, such as more authentication options, support for IPv6 IP addresses, remote DNS queries, and compatibility with the UDP protocol, not only TCP.

Are these features relevant for you? The UDP protocol is used in many video streaming services and video games – where you need to transfer data in real-time. So if that’s what you’re going to be doing, choose SOCKS5 proxies. They also allow the regular user:pass authentication, making the setup process much simpler.

Why You Shouldn’t Get a Free SOCKS5 Proxy List

The idea of free SOCKS5 proxies sounds tempting – especially if your needs are small or you just want to try the proxies out. It’s a better option than free HTTP proxies (I’d never use those due to all the security risks), but still not something I’d ever recommend.

You’ll always have to share free SOCKS5 proxies with dozens of other people. This will make the proxies slow and unreliable. Also, the provider likely won’t be interested in maintaining the service, so on top of that, you can expect a lot of downtime and general instability. Not ideal, is it?

Instead, why not have a look at one of the proxy providers in our list? I’m sure you’ll be able to find both premium and cheap SOCKS5 proxies there. Many of the services offer a free trial to give you a taste of what using good proxies feels like. Believe me: it’ll cost you nothing and will be a much better experience than struggling with IP addresses that barely work.