Lists of free proxies are easy to find online: hundreds of addresses, ready to use. But running a proxy server costs money, and if you aren't paying for it, you are paying with something else — most often your data. Here is why free proxies are risky and how to protect yourself.

Where free proxies come from

  • Accidentally open servers. Someone misconfigured a server or router, and anyone can route traffic through it. The owner doesn't know about you and can shut access at any moment.
  • Hacked devices. Some proxies on public lists are infected computers and routers. Using them, you unwittingly become part of someone else's botnet.
  • Services that make money from their users. Free access in exchange for ads, data collection or your own traffic.
  • Traps. Proxies set up on purpose to intercept other people's data.

Why they are dangerous

The owner sees your traffic

All your traffic passes through someone else's server. If a website is opened without encryption (its address starts with http://), the proxy's owner sees everything: which pages you open, what you type into forms, which logins and passwords you send.

Tampered pages

On unencrypted pages a proxy can not only read but also change the content: inject ads, malicious scripts or fake "download" buttons.

Stolen sessions and data

Even on HTTPS websites a free proxy sees which sites you visit and when. And if you click through a browser warning about an "insecure certificate", an attacker can read your encrypted traffic too.

Your IP is on blacklists

Free addresses are used by everyone, spammers and fraudsters included. Such IPs are usually long blocked on popular websites, and an account you sign in to through them risks falling under suspicion.

Instability

Free proxies are slow, drop out often and vanish without warning. You can't build any real work on them.

How to spot a suspicious proxy

  • The browser warns about a website's certificate — especially on sites where that never happened before.
  • Familiar websites show ads they didn't have before.
  • Websites constantly show CAPTCHAs or block sign-in.
  • The service doesn't say who it is, where its addresses come from or how it handles data.

If you do use a free proxy

  • Open only HTTPS websites — with a padlock in the address bar.
  • Never click through browser certificate warnings.
  • Don't sign in to important accounts: email, banking, social networks, work services.
  • Don't enter payment details.
  • Don't download files or programs through such a proxy.

Why a paid proxy is better

It isn't only about speed. A paid provider has a clear business model: you pay for the service, not with your data. The address is issued to you rather than to anyone who wants it, and the service has rules, support and replacement terms. How to choose a reliable provider is covered in "How to Choose a Proxy Provider".

If you want even the connection to the proxy encrypted, choose the HTTPS protocol: your login, password and the websites you visit then can't be seen on the network between you and the proxy. More in "HTTP, HTTPS or SOCKS5".

FAQ

Is a free VPN the same thing?

The risks are similar: a free VPN also has to make money somehow, and it sees all your traffic. Proxies and VPNs are compared in "Proxy vs VPN vs Tor".

If the website uses HTTPS, is a free proxy safe?

Safer, but not entirely: the proxy still sees where you go, and its address may be blacklisted. For important accounts, it isn't worth the risk.

Can I test my task on free proxies before buying?

You can check whether the idea works in general, but the results will be worse than with paid proxies: free addresses are slow and often blocked. It is more reliable to buy a few paid proxies for the test.

IPv6 proxies issued to you alone are in our configurator.