In our latest analysis, we ran benchmarks on different proxy server types, such as residential, datacenter, mobile, and ISP proxies, and tested antidetect browsers to determine their effectiveness.
| Provider | Best for | |
|---|---|---|
1. | Advanced features & large IP pool | |
2. | Large residential IP pool with anti-detect browser support | |
3. | Generous free plan | |
4. | Cost-effective mobile proxies in large quantities | |
5. | General usage (A general-purpose AP, not offer dedicated templates for Instagram) | |
6. | ||
7. | ||
8. | ||
9. | ||
10. | ||
Click the relevant link based on your use case:
- Scraping Instagram data
- Multiple account management
- Top proxy providers for Instagram:
The best Instagram proxy providers
| Proxy providers | Rating | Unblocker | SOCKS5 | Starts from/GB/mo | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Data | 4.8 out of 265 | ✅ | ✅ | $6.3 | 7-day |
| Smartproxy | 4.6 out of 189 | ✅ | ✅ | $6 | 3-day |
| Webshare | 4.8 out of 2 | ❌ | ✅ | $7 | ❌ |
| NetNut | 4.9 out of 146 | ✅ | ✅ | $15 | 7-day |
| Nimbleway | 5.0 out of 11 | ✅ | ✅ | $8 | 7-day |
| PrivateProxy | 3.9 out of 11 | ❌ | ✅ | $5 | 7-day datacenter 2-day residential |
| IPRoyal | 4.6 out of 109 | ❌ | ✅ | $7 | N/A |
| Infatica | 4.8 out of 32 | ✅ | ✅ | $9.6 | 3-day trial for $1.99 |
| IPBurger | 5.0 out of 3 | ❌ | ❌ | $69 for 5GB | N/A |
| ProxyEmpire | 5.0 out of 4 | ❌ | ❌ | $15 | Trial for $1.97 |
Sorting: Ascending order based on the lowest price level, with the exception of sponsors with links to their websites.
* Refers to the minimum cost of a residential proxy service.
Recommendations based on our benchmark
Collecting instagram data
- Low volume collection: Use datacenter proxy servers as they are the most cost-effective option. Scraping 10 pages without issues is feasible with datacenter proxies, but for larger-scale usage, these proxies may get blocked.
- Collecting Instagram data at scale:
Approach 1: Using Proxies
- Initial Phase:
- Start with datacenter proxies to minimize costs.
- Monitor for any blocks or issues.
- Transition Phase:
- For initial low-rate web scraping, datacenter proxy solutions are sufficient. When datacenter proxies start failing, you can switch to residential proxies.
- Even with residential proxies, Instagram may flag your activity after interacting with around 20 pages that may require manual intervention.
- Handling CAPTCHA and Fingerprinting:
- Use web unblocker solutions to overcome CAPTCHA and browser fingerprinting challenges.
- These solutions help users automate the process and avoid manual intervention.
Approach 2: Using Instagram Scrapers
- Scraper Providers:
- Leverage Instagram scraper providers that collect data in advance.
- Scrapers can handle the challenges of scaling and provide data efficiently.
- Cost Considerations:
- While scrapers can be more expensive than proxies, they offer a more scalable solution.
Managing multiple Instagram accounts
Instagram flags rapid or automated acts as spam, including making several accounts in a short amount of time (Figure 1).
Instagram let us fill out all the required information and provided us a verification number when we tried to register a second account even though we already had a primary account.
But once we entered the code, the platform said that we were breaking their terms of service and refused to create an account. There are two possible approaches to dealing with this problem:
- Using a Proxy Server: Proxies automate basic activities on social media platforms for users like creating multiple accounts. They conceal your real IP address to avoid the platform’s limitations. The platform detects users through additional unique information, including browser settings, cookies, and JavaScript-related data.
- Antidetect Browsers: Antidetect browsers have the ability to change the fingerprint settings. Our problem was not solved by this technique, either, as the IP address was reported for questionable activities. You can use proxy servers in conjunction with antidetect browsers:
- Integrate Your Own Proxy Service: Ensure the antidetect browser allows external proxy integration.
- Built-in Proxy Services: Choose an antidetect browser that offers built-in proxy services. Most antidetect browser providers don’t offer high-performance proxy solutions. For instance, datacenter proxies may not be suitable for Instagram’s anti-bot detection systems.
Figure 1: Encountering a CAPTCHA on Instagram due to unusual activity from a single IP address (antidetect browser is used with residential proxy server)
10 best Instagram proxies
Bright Data
Bright Data is a web data collection platform that provides businesses with access to a variety of proxy services, including datacenter, residential and mobile proxies for social media marketing.
Features:
- IP rotation: Managing multiple social media accounts or web scraping may require making a large number of requests in a short period of time, which makes Instagram bots easily detectable and blacklisted by the target server. IP rotation mitigates the risk of being blocked by websites by changing the IP address for each request or after a set of requests.
- Multiple proxy types: Offers multiple proxy types; datacenter, ISP, mobile and residential proxies.
- City-level targeting: Allows users to specify the city they want to target.
- API access: Bright Data’s API enables users to automate and interact with the proxy service’s features, such as IP address changing.
- Proxy dashboard: Allows users to manage and monitor the use of the proxy server. Users can add or remove IP addresses from their proxy pool, track the amount of data used and the number of requests made.
Pricing:
- Starting at (monthly): $6.3/GB (residential proxies)
- Free trial: 7 day trial
Smartproxy
Smartproxy’s Instagram proxies include residential IPs in 195 locations and dedicated datacenter proxies that are located in the US.
Features:
- Rotating IPs: Distributes the requests over a large number of IP addresses to reduce the likelihood of the target server recognizing the connection request as originating from a single source.
- Sticky sessions up to 30 min: Allows users to maintain the same IP address for up to 3o minutes. The IP address is substituted after the interval of time specified.
- Username/password authentication: Verifies a user’s identity before granting access to the proxy server. If the provided username and password match the system’s database, the user request is allowed to access the proxy pool.
- City-level targeting
Pricing:
- Starting at (monthly): $6/GB (residential proxies)
- Free trial: Get 100MB free trial credits to explore Smartproxy’s residential proxies
Webshare
Webshare provides a vast selection of 30 million static and rotating residential proxies. These rotating proxies are shared among several users and are routinely updated.
Webshare provides both private and dedicated residential proxies. The private proxies are shared with a maximum of two users, while a dedicated proxy is solely assigned to an individual user.
Features:
- Auto-Refresh: This function ensures your proxies are updated frequently. If your plan includes two on-demand refresh options, you can renew your entire set of proxies twice every month. It also offers the ability to individually refresh proxies. With a limit of 500 proxy replacements available, you can change up to 500 proxies each month.
- Rotating and Fixed IPs: The frequency at which rotating residential proxies are replaced depends on the plan you choose. Depending on the plan, you could access between 5,000 and 20,000 IPs each month.
- IPv4 Addressing: Webshare’s proxies all support the IPv4 addressing system. IPv4, or Internet Protocol version 4, is the technology used for network addressing by Webshare’s proxies.
Pricing:
- Starting at (monthly): $7 /GB rotating residential proxies
- Free trial: N/A
NetNut
NetNut offers residential, datacenter and mobile proxies for data collection projects. They provide rotating and static residential IPs for various use cases including social media management, social media scraping and brand protection.
Features:
- Static IPs: Also known as fixed IPs. Unlike dynamic proxies, static proxies maintain the same IP address during the session.
- Dedicated proxies: Offers IP addresses that are used by a exclusively by one user at a time.
- Rotating residential IPs: You can change your IP address for each connection request or specified time period.
Pricing:
- Starting at (monthly): $15/GB residential Instagram proxies
- Free trial: 7-day
Nimbleway
Nimble offers residential proxies with an automatic IP rotation feature by default. For those needing a stable IP for longer periods, the option to start a sticky session is available, where IP rotation occurs only after 10 minutes of inactivity. Nimble’s residential proxies include a web scraping API and an unblocker proxy feature. These proxies are compatible for use with your own in-house scraping tools.
Features:
- Geo-targeting: Enables proxy users to direct internet traffic via proxy servers located in designated countries, states, or cities.
- Rotating and Sticky IPs: Provides IP rotation for each request and the ability to keep the same IP address for extended periods or throughout a session.
- Auto-scaling Infrastructure: Adjusts dynamically to manage any level of workload. The residential proxy pool expands or contracts the number of active proxies in response to the demands of the ongoing project.
- Supported protocols: HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols.
Pricing:
- Starting at: $150/mo
- Free trial: 7-day
PrivateProxy.
PrivateProxy offers an Instagram Script that is powered by residential proxies to help users with web scraping and data parsing tasks.
Features:
- Instagram script: Automates tasks on Instagram, such as data scraping from Instagram. The script features residential proxies.
- Parse data with Instagram accounts: Once data has been extracted from the target website, the script enables users to parse the data into a structured format.
Pricing:
- Starting at (monthly): $5 (residential static), $150 (residential rotating)
- Free trial: Available
IPRoyal
IPRoyal is a proxy provider that offers custom-tailored proxy services for various use cases. Their proxy networks include; private proxies, rotating/static residential proxies, and datacenter proxies.
Features:
- Instant IP change: Allows users to change their IP addresses via the proxy dashboard via an API call.
- Auto-Rotate: Replaces users’ IP addresses for each connection request or at the set intervals, preventing users’ activities from appearing suspicious to Instagram servers.
- Sticky proxy session: Allows users to maintain the same IP address for the duration of a session or specified period.
- Unlimited concurrent sessions: Users can make as many simultaneous connections to the target server as they need. The proxy server forwards each request with a different IP address.
Pricing:
- Starting at (monthly): $7 /GB residential Instagram proxies
- Free trial: N/A
Infatica
Infatica is a proxy seller that offers a wide range of proxy services for web scraping tasks. They provide Instagram proxies that consist of residential IPs.
Features:
- Proxy management dashboard: Helps users manage and monitor their proxy usage. For instance, they can select the type of Instagram proxy they want to use and track the number of requests they made.
- IP and Login:Pass authentication: With IP authentication method, the user’s IP address is added to a whitelist and the proxy server accepts requests coming from the whitelisted IP addresses. Login:Pass method requires users to enter a valid username and password to connect to the proxy server.
- Proxy rotation
Pricing:
- Starting at (monthly): $9.6/GB
- Free trial: 3 day trial
IPBurger
IPBurger provides 5+ million rotating residential proxies for Instagram automation and management.
Features:
- Browser extension: Allows users to install proxies on their web browsers to manage and customize their proxy settings for Instagram.
- Compatible with Instagram automation software: Instagram automation software helps users manage and automate various tasks, such as posting and liking. However, using it with multiple Instagram accounts without getting identified as suspicious activity is difficult. Instagram proxies allow users to reduce the risk of triggering Instagram’s security measures by rotating their IP addresses for each request.
- Session control: Provides sticky residential IPs for up to 30 minute
- ASN (Autonomous System Number): Enable users to filter and target proxies based on their associated ASNs.
Pricing:
- Starting at: $69/5GB/mo
- Free trial: N/A
ProxyEmpire
ProxyEmpire is a web scraping service that provides access to different proxy networks, including residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies. Their Instagram proxy service includes rotating/static residential and 4G rotating mobile IPs.
Features:
- Residential proxies for Instagram bots: rotating and static IPs
- Mobile proxies for Instagram bots: rotating and dedicated IPs
Pricing:
- Starting at (monthly): $15/GB (residential plans), $30/GB (mobile plans)
- Free trial: Available
What is an Instagram proxy?
An Instagram proxy is a type of proxy server that is used to manage multiple Instagram accounts. Instagram proxies perform the same as other regular proxy servers. They act as an intermediary between the client’s machine and Instagram servers to hide their real IP addresses.
How does an Instagram proxy work?
Here is a step-by-step breakdown of how Instagram proxies work in conjunction with Instagram bots:
- Connection request: The user’s device sends a request to Instagram’s server to interact with the platform. The connection request includes several pieces of information about the user’s device, such as IP address, user agent, and HTTP header.
- Instagram proxy: The user’s device forwards the request to the proxy server instead of sending it directly to Instagram.
- IP rotation: The Instagram proxy server changes the user’s real IP address by assigning a new IP address from its IP pool. The proxy server then transmits the request with the assigned IP address to the destination site.
- Interaction with the target site: Instagram’s servers receive the connection request and process it to understand if the user has permission to access the requested information. If the Instagram server approves the user’s request, it provides the requested information.
- Server response: The Instagram proxy receives the server’s response and forwards it back to the user.
Why do you need to use proxies for Instagram?
Instagram restricts the number of accounts that can be managed from a single IP address to prevent automated bots and spam activities. If you try to manage 5 accounts from the same IP address and post too frequently, Instagram might flag this as suspicious activity and ban your IP address.
However, legitimate users who need to manage multiple accounts for professional purposes, such as Instagram marketing, may face challenges due to Instagram’s spam filters.
Instagram proxies can be especially useful for businesses, influencers, or social media managers that need to manage multiple client accounts. They enable users to manage multiple Instagram accounts without violating Instagram’s terms of service or triggering spam filters by masking their real IP addresses.
How to use Instagram proxies for legal and ethical web scraping
Businesses may benefit from scraping Instagram data for a variety of reasons, including brand monitoring, influencer marketing, and customer engagement analysis.
It is important to note that any data scraping activities must be carried out in accordance with Instagram’s terms of service and web scraping ethics. Here is a list of best practices for using Instagram proxies for ethical and responsible Instagram scraping:
- Use legally outsourced IPs: Some proxy providers may offer proxies that are illegally sourced. Make sure to choose a reputable Instagram proxy provider.
- Adhere to Instagram’s Terms of Service: If you intend to gather data from Instagram, regardless of whether you use Instagram proxies or not, you must follow Instagram’s Terms of Service. Violations of Instagram’s Terms of Service may result in penalties, including suspension from the platform.
- Secure the scraped data: Scrape only the data you need. Once you have collected data from Instagram, it is important to encrypt the data in transit and at rest. This will decrease the likelihood that your Instagram bot will be blocked by the target website.
- Review Instagram’s robots.txt file: Append “robots.txt” to the end of the base URL to examine Instagram’s robots.txt file.A robots.txt file is a text file that tells web pages.
Figure 2: Instagram’s robots.txt file
- Rotate your Instagram proxies: Rotating proxies reduce the likelihood of a single proxy server getting blocked. For example, rotating residential proxies enable users to change their IP addresses at specific times or intervals.
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