What Are Proxies? A Starting Point for Beginners
In plain English: a proxy is a computer that runs errands on the internet for you. Your browser or app hands it a request, the proxy fetches the page and passes the answer back. The website only deals with the proxy, so it sees the proxy's IP address (the number that identifies an internet connection) and its location instead of yours.
That small swap turns out to be useful in everyday ways. You can see the version of a website that people in another country get, compare prices between regions, check your own site or shop from abroad, or collect public information for a project without every request coming from your home connection.
Your first proxy in three steps:
- Pick a type. If you're unsure, our guide on how to choose a proxy keeps it simple.
- Copy the host, port and login from your dashboard into your browser or app.
- Open our free IP checker and make sure it now shows the proxy's address.
Is this allowed? In most places, yes, for legitimate uses. Each website's terms of service, and the law where you live, apply just the same with a proxy as without one.
Written and kept up to date by the people who run Budget Proxies. If a step no longer matches what you see on your screen, let us know through the contact page.
What this guide walks you through
- What happens when a request goes through a proxy
- The kinds of proxy, and how websites see each one
- Two settings you'll meet straight away
- Everyday reasons people use a proxy
- What a proxy can't do for you
What happens when a request goes through a proxy
Normally your device talks straight to a website. With a proxy in the middle, the journey gets one extra stop:
- Your browser, app or script connects to the proxy's gateway, which is simply the server address you were given. It proves it's you with a username and password, or because your own IP is on a whitelist (an approved list).
- The proxy opens its own connection to the website and hands your request over.
- Whatever the website sends back goes to the proxy, which passes it straight on to you.
From the website's side, the visit came from the proxy's IP address and the part of the world it sits in. That gives you two practical things: you can appear to be somewhere else, and you can spread a lot of activity over many addresses instead of one. The second matters for bigger jobs such as collecting public data, because a single address soon runs into rate limits, the caps a site puts on how many requests it accepts from one visitor.
The kinds of proxy, and how websites see each one
Proxies are grouped by where their IP addresses come from. That origin is what a website notices, and it decides a lot about how warmly your visit is received:
- Datacenter proxies use addresses owned by cloud and server companies. They're quick, they cost the least, and they do well on big jobs against sites that don't care which network a visitor is on. More on datacenter proxies.
- Residential proxies use addresses from real home internet connections. Sites trust them more, so they're the usual pick for protected sites and for results that must match a real place. More on residential proxies.
- Mobile (4G/5G) proxies use addresses from phone networks. Many sites trust these even more than home addresses, because one phone-network IP is often shared by lots of real people, and they suit apps made mainly for phones. More on mobile proxies.
- ISP / static residential proxies use home-registered addresses hosted on fast servers, so one fixed IP gives you trust and speed together. ISP isn't sold here as a plan of its own, but you can read how it works on ISP proxies.
Our own plans are datacenter, residential, mobile and residential premium (a selected residential pool for difficult sites). The table puts all four side by side.
| Proxy type | IP source | Trust | Speed | Typical price/GB | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Datacenter | Servers run by cloud and hosting companies | Lower | Very fast | from $2.49 | Sites without bot protection, big batches of public pages, automation and SEO tools |
| Residential | Home broadband lines from everyday ISPs | High | Medium | from $3.98 | Protected sites, ad checks, market research and seeing what one place really sees |
| Mobile (4G/5G) | Phone networks run by mobile carriers | Very high | Medium | from $4.98 | Apps and platforms built for phones, plus testing your own mobile app |
| Residential Premium | A selected pool of real-user IPs | Very high | High | from $6.99 | Well-guarded sites, where a better success rate is worth the higher price |
Two settings you'll meet straight away
The first is the protocol, the "language" your app uses to talk to the proxy. HTTP/HTTPS is made for websites, while SOCKS5 can carry almost any TCP or UDP traffic, games and email apps included. Every Budget Proxies plan comes with all three, so you can change your mind later.
The second is rotation, which decides whether your address changes. A rotating proxy gives you a new IP on every request or on a timer, which suits reading lots of public pages. A static proxy keeps one IP, which suits anything where you sign in or click through several pages. Wondering how all this differs from the VPN app you may already have? Read proxy vs VPN.
Everyday reasons people use a proxy
These are the common, above-board jobs, described the way a beginner would meet them:
- Seeing a site as locals do: checking prices, stock or search results in another country or city, which is handy for small online sellers and anyone researching a market.
- Testing your own work: making sure a website, shop or app shows the right language, currency and content in each region, often called QA testing.
- Collecting public data: gathering publicly available information for a project (web scraping), including SEO checks on where pages rank.
- Checking adverts: confirming that an ad really appears where it was paid to appear, known as ad verification.
- Keeping watch: tracking prices and stock over time, spotting fake copies of a brand's products (brand protection), and running a few business accounts from steady addresses where the platform allows it.
Whatever the job, stick to information anyone could see, and stay within each website's terms of service and the law that applies to you.
What a proxy can't do for you
Knowing the limits up front saves a lot of frustration:
- It doesn't make you anonymous. Sign in to an account and the website knows it's you, whatever address you arrive from.
- It doesn't encrypt everything on your device the way a VPN does. It only carries traffic for the apps you set it up in.
- It can't promise that every website will accept your visit, and it never changes a site's rules.
If those limits are fine for what you have in mind, a proxy is a low-cost tool that does one job well: it lets your traffic arrive from somewhere else.
Questions beginners ask
Not sure what to buy? Start at step 1
Here are our four types, from the lowest price per GB upwards. Try a small amount of the first one that could work for your project, and only move up a step if a quick test lets you down.
Sites without bot protection, big batches of public pages, automation and SEO tools
Protected sites, ad checks, market research and seeing what one place really sees
Apps and platforms built for phones, plus testing your own mobile app
Well-guarded sites, where a better success rate is worth the higher price
Small first order? Datacenter from $2.49/GB · billed on the data you actually move · ready straight away · 30 days to use it · no traffic logs.
What to read next
What Are Datacenter Proxies? The Low-Cost Place to Start
Datacenter proxies use addresses from server companies, so they're quick and low-cost. How they work, where t…
Read the guide →What Are Residential Proxies? Home Addresses, Explained
A residential proxy sends your requests through a real home connection, so sites see a local visitor. How it …
Read the guide →Datacenter vs Residential Proxies: Which Should a Beginner Buy?
Datacenter is quick and low-cost; residential is trusted more. A plain comparison of speed, price and success…
Read the guide →Mobile vs Residential Proxies: Do You Really Need Mobile?
Mobile proxies use phone-network IPs; residential ones use home broadband. How trust, cost and uses differ, a…
Read the guide →Proxy or VPN? The Difference, and Which One You Need
Already have a VPN app? How a proxy differs, what each one is good for, and why a proxy suits jobs like check…
Read the guide →SOCKS5 or HTTPS? Choosing a Proxy Protocol Without the Jargon
Your app asks for a proxy protocol and you're not sure which. HTTPS and SOCKS5 in everyday words, when each o…
Read the guide →Got a particular job in mind?
Ready to try your first proxy?
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