Are you looking for the best proxy client to use on your computer in other to make proxy management easy for you? Then you are on the right page as we would be discussing some of the best proxy clients in this article.
The importance of using proxies cannot be overemphasized as they help us bypass all IP-based restrictions and allow us to access localized content on the Internet. While their relevance is not in doubt, managing them is not quite easy when you compare them with VPN. For most configurations, you will be required to either log into your dashboard or use an API.
And that is not even the problem. Unlike in the case of VPNs, proxy settings are done at the application level as many applications bypass the default proxy settings.
This is different from VPN software that works at the system level. If you want to make use of proxies at the system level, then proxy client software is the solution.
When it comes to the number of proxy client programs – there are a good number of them in the market that you can make use of. However, if you are not careful, you would end up with an inefficient proxy client that does not do its work the way it should.
That is why we have written this guide to provide you recommendations on some of the best proxy clients in the market that you can use to give proxies a VPN-like feel. Before going to the recommendation section, let take a look at what proxy client programs are and why you need them as proxy users.
What is a Proxy Client?
A proxy client is software that has been designed to give your more control over packets leaving your device by forcing every request to go out of your device via a proxy server.
This is because proxies work at the application level, and as such, setting a proxy for Bot A does not mean your browser will automatically use such. But with the help of a proxy client application, you are able to force all of your web traffic via a proxy server.
A feature that comes default for VPN server which works at the system level and makes sure no web requests go out of the system without going through the VPN server. If you have always envied this feature in VPN and wised proxies have the same, then a proxy client is the app to get that done.
Why Use a Proxy Client Programs?
Many of the proxy client applications are not free. Unfortunately, these applications do not even provide you proxies – all they do is offer you the software, and the proxy you end up using is up to you. So why use a proxy client in the first place. The most obvious answer is to force all of your web requests via a proxy server.
Without using a proxy manager client, then you can only use proxies for applications that support them. Unfortunately, only a few applications come with proxy configuration support. Aside from web browsers and bots, most client applications, especially the ones developed by web services that do not support proxy usage, won’t offer you the ability to use proxies.
For these applications that do not come with default proxy configuration support, they bypass your default proxy configuration and leak your real IP address to the web services. If you do not want your IP address to be leaked by an application that disregards your proxy configuration, the only way to force them to make use of proxies is by using proxy client applications which have been developed to capture your web requests and send them through proxy servers you specify.
Best Proxy Clients in the Market
As stated earlier, there are many proxy clients in the market that you can use. While some are free, others are paid. One thing you need to know is that if you do not want to get your IP address leaked, then you should only use tested and trusted solutions.
We know what works and have compiled a list of the best proxy clients in the market for you to use. Below are the top 10 proxy clients in the market that you can use.
Proxifier
- Platform support: Windows and Mac
- Pricing: Starts at $39.95 per license
- Trial Version: 30-days free trial
The Proxifier proxy client is arguable the best proxy client application and also the most popular in the market. According to Proxifier, you can use its client application to proxy everything. And for those that have used it, they can tell how effective the application is at forcing all web traffic, including browser, emails, games, and even database, via proxy servers of your choice.
The Proxifier software is a lightweight and more flexible solution to using a VPN server. The Proxifer client software is a paid tool that is available on both Windows and Mac. As a new user, you can use it for 30 days with a limitation as a free trial option.
Proxycap
- Platform support: Windows and Mac
- Pricing:Starts at $39.61 per license
- Trial Version: 30-days free trial
The Proxycap application is one of the applications you can use to route your computer network traffic via proxy servers. With this application, you can decide which application should connect to the proxy server and under what circumstance.
This application has got support for a good number of advanced features, including flexible routing rules, proxy chains, built-in SSH tunneling, proxy checker, and IPv6 support, among other features.
ProxyCap is available only for Windows and Mac. The tool is also a paid tool and charges a one-time purchase. A license will offer you up to 3 years of updates. This service works quite well and has an intuitive interface.
Postern
- Platform support: Android only
- Pricing: Freeware
- Trial Version: Free, so no need for the trial version
Proxies are more popular for the PC platform, and as such, most proxy clients focus on that. However, there are some proxy users on mobile, and as such, there is a need, and the Postern application is the tool for the job. The Postern application is an Android application that has been developed to help force mobile traffic from your Android device.
Mobile apps are quite stubborn, but with Postern, you can setup proxies and force them to send requests via them. The Postern application is quite easy to use and even tends to behave like a VPN server. It has support for rules under which proxies can be used. The tool also comes with a sniffer.
Redsocks
- Platform support: Linux
- Pricing: Freeware
- Trial Version: Free, so no need for a trial version
The Redsocks proxy client application has been developed for Linux users. You can download the packages for Ubuntu, Debian, Gentoo, and Archlinux AUR. This tool is a free tool, and yeah – it is for the geeks. This tool will allow you to route any TCP connection to a proxy server – whether HTTP or SOCKS proxies.
It does this via your firewall, making it work at the system level, making it quite effective at forcing all of your requests via the application. Aside from using this for proxies, it is quite helpful if you are the type that makes use of Tor but do not want any of your connections leaked.
SocksCap64
- Platform support: Windows only
- Pricing: Freeware
- Trial Version: Free, so no need for a trial version
This is another lightweight solution if you have an application that does not come with support for proxies and wouldn’t want to use the default proxy settings on your computer. The SocksCap64 software is one of the top proxy clients, and it is available only for the Windows platforms.
The tool has support for both the TCP and the UDP networks. You get to see the programs the tool tunnel their requests through the proxy server you configured. As stated, you will be the one to add proxies. You have the option to choose the application and except some applications from being forced to use any proxy service.
OpenText Socks Client
- Platform support: Windows only
- Pricing:Custom pricing
- Trial Version: Available upon request
The OpenText Socks Client application is proxy client software that would help redirect your computer traffic via proxy servers regardless of the application support for proxies. The tool has been designed for the Windows platform, and it is a paid tool but allows new users to try out the service and see if it works before making a monetary commitment.
In terms of protocol support, the tool has support for SOCKS and HTTP, as well as their variants. It also has support for both IPv4 and IPv6 proxies. It has support for load balancing, enforces security policies, and isolates corporate networks from external attacks.
WinDivert
- Platform support: Windows only
- Pricing: Freeware
- Trial Version: Free, so no need for a trial version
From the name, you can tell that something is being diverted – and in this case, your web traffic – to a proxy server of your choice. The WinDivert tool is one of the top proxy clients in the market that you can use to force all of your programs to use proxies.
It is a Windows-based tool that has the capability to capture network packets, filter and drop network packets, and even modify network packets. It offers a simple but powerful API and a high-level filtering language, and even filtering priorities. The tool is free to use under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). You can check out its repository on GitHub here.
FreeCap
- Platform support: Windows only
- Pricing: Freeware
- Trial Version: Free, so no need for a trial version
FreeCap is one of the best free proxy clients you should use if you want to force an application to tunnel its web traffic via a proxy server. This service has got support for both HTTP and SOCKS proxies. It offers a transparent redirection of connections and runs with Windows starts up.
The application has been developed only for the Windows platform, and it is freeware – free to use – but accepts donations from those that do not mind. The tool has an intuitive interface that even a new user will not find difficult to use. You can download this from the FreeCap download page.
Proximac
- Platform support: Mac only
- Pricing: Freeware
- Trial Version: Free, so no need for a trial version
From the name of this proxy client, you can tell that it has been developed for Mac. The tool has been designed as a free alternative to the Proxifier application, which is the most popular proxy client which requires you to buy a license to use. This service has been developed to help redirect any mac app traffic to a SOCKS proxy server.
This means that you can get to hide your real IP address even for stubborn apps that do not support proxies and wouldn’t want to use your default setting. This proxy client is quite simple and available as a command-line application. It is lightweight and has support for global traffic forwarding, otherwise known as the VPN mode.
CCProxy
- Platform support: Windows only
- Pricing:Starts from $4 per PC
- Trial Version: Free trial available
The CCProxy is a Windows proxy server software that you can use to build your own proxy server and share Internet connection within the LAN efficiently and in an easy way.
Yes, this is used mostly when you have more than one computer, and you want all of the computers to connect to the Internet via a proxy server. One thing you will come to like about this software is that it has been around for over 20 years as its first version was developed in 2000 for modem sharing within LAN. However, it has grown into becoming one of the top proxy server software to route your proxy traffic.
Best Proxies for Proxy Client Programs
When it comes to the proxies to use together with proxy client programs, it is important you know that proxy clients do not make that choice for you.
You can make use of any proxy server you want to use. However, if you use the wrong proxy server, your target servers would detect and block you. The proxies you use are determined by your target website and your project requirement.
While residential proxies are the best, there are some tasks that datacenter proxies are the best.
If your task requests,
- For residential proxies, we recommend you use either Bright Data, Smartproxy, or Shifter.
- For datacenter proxies, our recommended providers include MyPrivateProxy, Highproxies, and Proxy-seller.
It is important I stress here that on no account should you use free proxies. While there are a good number of them in the market, most of them are low-quality, easily detected, blacklisted, and slow. It might also interest you to know that free proxy servers pose security and privacy risks.
Conclusion
From the above, you can see how proxy clients can be used to force all applications to use proxy servers regardless of whether they support proxies or not.
One thing you need to know is that proxy clients do not provide you the proxies, and as such, do not think just installing a proxy client program would do the magic.
You will need to add proxies yourself, and we have provided for you with recommendations on the best proxies to use together with the top 10 proxy clients in the market.