Top 5 SOAX Alternatives & Competitors in 2024

In the competitive field of proxy services, SOAX has emerged as  a go-to choice for many seeking efficient web scraping solutions. SOAX is a web data collection platform that offers various types of proxy servers and scraper APIs for scraping activities.  While SOAX remains robust and useful, numerous alternative solutions offer advanced functionalities, diverse proxy options, and a vast IP pool.

This article dives deep into an in-depth review of SOAX, lists the shortcomings of its solution, and explores its top five competitors along with their features and pricing details. 

SOAX alternatives’ comparison

The following table displays the total number of B2B reviews obtained from review platforms such as Gartner, G2, TrustRadius, and Capterra, as well as the average customer rating. Except for the products of the article’s sponsor, Bright Data and Smartproxy, a number of B2B reviews are arranged in descending order.

Alternatives to SOAX

1. Bright Data

Bright Data is one of the leading providers of data collection solutions and proxy services in the market. The provider offers various proxy solutions, including residential, datacenter, mobile and ISP proxies with a vast number of IP addresses. 

Bright Data offers individuals and businesses scraping solutions such as Scraping Browser, Web Scraper IDE, and SERP API. Web Scraper IDE provides ready-made JavaScript functions and web scraper templates. Scraping Browser API enables users to collect data from the target site using browser-like capabilities. It is compatible with Puppeteer, Selenium, and Playwright, allowing users to interact with the HTML code to scrape relevant data.

The provider offers both subscription (monthly & annually) and pay as you go pricing options for all proxies and web scraping services. You are charged based on the actual usage of the service without a long-term commitment. Here are some of the key features of Bright Data proxy network: 

• Allows users to select proxies from specific countries, regions, or cities
• Offers rotating proxies where users can get a fresh IP address every time they send a connection request to the target site
• Maintains a connection with the same IP for extended periods
• Supports SOCKS5 protocol with Proxy Manager
• Provides dedicated IPs that are assigned to a single user. 

Bright Data proxy network pricing details

Reviews: 

• G2: 4.6/5.0 based on 156 reviews 
• Capterra: 4.8//5.0 based on 63 reviews 
• Trustradius:  4.8//5.0 based on 1 review 

2. Smartproxy

Smartproxy is a data gathering platform that provides premium proxy servers and scraping APIs to collect data from search engines, e-commerce sites, and social media platforms. Smartproxy is a comprehensive solution for businesses and individuals needing proxies and data scraping tools. The provider offers all types of proxy servers including residential, datacenter(shared and dedicated), mobile and ISP proxies (US-level targeting).  Proxies support HTTP(s) and SOCKS5 protocols. You can select IPs based on country, city, or mobile carrier. 

Smartproxy’s services cater to both small businesses and individuals. Bright Data and Oxylabs have the largest and most advanced proxy networks in the market, but their pricing can be on the higher side.  

Web scraping APIs allow users to send synchronous and asynchronous requests to the target site. In synchronous web scraping, the scraper waits for the response, then makes the next request. Asynchronous web scraping allows users to make multiple requests at the same time. 

Smartproxy proxy network pricing details

Pricing details: 

• Offers subscription and pay as you go options
• 14-day money-back option for all proxy types
• 3K free requests for a month for web scraping APIs

Reviews: 

• G2:  4.3/5.0 based on 35 reviews
• Capterra:  N/A
• Trustradius: N/A

3. Oxylabs

Oxylabs is a premium proxy provider that offers web scraping solutions and proxy servers for companies. The proxy service provider offers all types of proxies including datacenter, residential, ISP and mobile proxy servers. Oxylabs proxies allow users to rotate their IPs at specified intervals or maintain the same IP address for up to 5 hours.

Residential and datacenter proxies support SOCKS5 protocol. Based on users’ specific needs and budget, Oxylabs offers dedicated and shared datacenter proxies. 

The provider offers various data collection APIs such as SERP, eCommerce, and real estate scraper APIs with built-in proxy rotator capability. Scraping services allow users to render the target web page and execute JavaScript code to generate the fully-loaded page.

Pricing details: 

• 7-day free trial for companies, 3-day money-back guarantee for individuals
• Offers pay as you go option and subscription plans 

Reviews: 

• G2: 4.5/5.0 based on 55 reviews
• Capterra: N/A
• Trustradius: N/A

4. Nimble

Nimble offers residential proxies with an automatic IP rotation system as a standard feature. For tasks requiring a stable IP for longer periods, users can opt for sticky sessions, which maintain the same IP and only rotate after 10 minutes of inactivity. Moreover, these residential proxies are compatible with both HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols, ensuring versatility in network communications. Nimble’s residential proxy network also encompasses a web scraping API and unlocker proxy technology.

Pricing details: 

• Minimum package price: $600/month includes residential proxies and scraping API
• 7-day free trial

5.IPRoyal

IPRoyal is one of the most affordable proxy service providers among various competitors in the market, ensuring that small-scale users find a package that suits their needs and budget. The proxy service provider offers a range of proxy solutions, including residential proxies, datacenter proxies, and mobile proxies.  While affordability is  important, some potential users might prioritize certain features over cost. 

IPRoyal has a smaller IP pool (8M) compared to Bright Data and Oxylabs known for their vast IP pools. A smaller IP pool could result in reduced rotation frequencies, and limited availability during high-demand situations. Depending on your specific use case, a smaller IP pool might suffice. 

IPRoyal’s proxy network includes residential, datacenter, sneaker, mobile and static residential proxies. However, the proxy provider does not offer web scraping services such as scrapers or scraping APIs. 

IPRoyal allows users to rotate IP addresses at different intervals or after each request. You can also maintain the same IP address for 24 hours. According to the proxy provider, the residential IP may no longer be consistent for extended periods, as actual users may disconnect. 

IPRoyal proxy network pricing details

Pricing details: 

• Offers free trial for companies. For individuals the provider offers one-day plans (static residential, sneaker, and mobile proxies) to test the proxy network. 

Reviews: 

• G2: 4.5/5.0 based on 55 reviews
• Capterra: N/A
• Trustradius: N/A

6. NetNut

NetNut offers proxies and scraper APIs with a range of features that cater to both individual users and businesses. Its proxy network includes datacenter, mobile and static & rotating residential proxies. For data extraction activities, the proxy provider offers SERP and social media scraper API. The provider has a dedicated IP pool where the IPs are used by a single client or entity. NetNut’s proxy network supports both HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols but does not support the UDP protocolNetNut also  provides web scraping APIs to extract real and on-demand data from search engines and social media platforms. 

NetNut proxy network pricing details

Pricing details: 

• 7-days trial for proxy network 
• Offers monthly and yearly subscription plans 

Reviews: 

• G2: 4.7/5.0 based on 6 reviews
• Capterra: N/A
• Trustradius: N/A

Transparency statement:

AIMultiple serves numerous emerging tech companies, including Bright Data, and Smartproxy.

More on proxies

• Top 10 Proxy Service Providers for Web Scraping
• The Ultimate Guide to Proxy Server Types
• Top 10 Residential Proxy Providers

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