When it comes to SOCKS5 support across various proxy types, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Some proxies support SOCKS5 natively, while others may require additional setup or have limitations based on the use case (e.g., port settings).
We compared the response times and costs of trusted SOCKS5 proxies, including Bright Data, Decodo, and IPRoyal, across datacenter, mobile, and residential proxy types.
SOCKS5 proxy pricing compared
Compare the best SOCKS5 proxy services, including their IP sources, pricing, and trial options:
* Residential SOCKS5 proxies monthly plan at its minimum package.
SOCKS5 proxy benchmark results
Benchmark notes:
- The response time ranges shown represent 95% confidence intervals.
- The proxy providers evaluated include Bright Data, Oxylabs, Netnut, IPRoyal, and Decodo, all of which offer residential proxies.
- All proxies in this benchmark were tested without specifying a geographic region and used the standard username:password@host: port format.
Price comparison for top SOCKS5 proxies
Compare the cost efficiency (GB per $) of SOCKS5 proxies across different proxy server types based on monthly bandwidth usage:
SOCKS5 limitations and port rules
- Bright Data does not support non-standard ports.
- Both Bright Data and IPRoyal returned a UDP 0x07 error, indicating that unsupported commands or protocol issues were encountered.
- Netnut, Decodo, and Oxylabs experienced UDP proxy errors due to unexpected connection closures.
- NetNut showed a TCP timeout error, while Oxylabs clarified that their proxies support application-layer protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5) and do not handle lower-layer (Layer 3/4) TCP/UDP connections directly.
The best SOCKS5 proxy providers in 2026
Bright Data SOCKS5 proxy connections are available across all proxy networks. You must configure your queries to use the SOCKS5 protocol using the proxy address. For example, the following code sends the request to the provided URL via the SOCKS5 proxy.
- You can only use SOCKS5 proxies with domain names, not IP addresses.
- Bright Data Residential Proxies support the SOCKS5 protocol but only for HTTPS targets.
- Datacenter and ISP proxies support the SOCKS5 protocol for ports higher than 1024.
- Supported ports for SOCKS5 with mobile proxies: `8080`, `8443`, `5678`, `1962`, `2000`, `4443`, `4433`, `4430`, `4444`, and `1969.
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Visit WebsiteOxylabs ISP and dedicated datacenter IPs support the SOCKS5 protocol. There are no additional charges for using Oxylabs’ SOCKS5 proxies. These proxies can be used for various web traffic, including HTTP, HTTPS, and UDP.
There are port restrictions when using Oxylabs’ proxy solutions, including SOCKS5. While ports 80 and 443 are accessible by default, all other ports are restricted. You can access to additional ports after a KYC procedure and approval from the proxy provider.
For example, with ISP Proxies, you can use SOCKS5 with the following query:
Webshare provides different connection types, all of which support the HTTP and SOCKS5 proxy protocols: Direct (static, unchanging IPs), rotating (automatic IP rotation), and backbone (stable proxies with dynamic IP changes). You can use SOCKS5 with residential, datacenter, and other proxy plans. There are no additional charges for using SOCKS5 proxies.
- SOCKS5 and HTTP proxy protocols can be used on the same port.
- SOCKS5 proxies can rotate automatically or manually.
- There are some port restrictions using 25, 110, 465, and 587 to prevent email SPAM.
Decodo allows customers to set up SOCKS5 proxies with all of their proxy plans, though the configuration may vary based on the proxy type. For example, with ISP and datacenter proxies, you can use the same proxy endpoint and port for SOCKS5 and HTTP(S) connections, whereas residential and mobile proxies require a backconnect proxy. There are no additional expenses for utilizing SOCKS5 proxies.
Decodo has restricted specific ports on our end using proxies, regardless of protocol. By default, residential and mobile proxies allow access to ports 80 and 443. In addition to the previously stated ports, ISP and datacenter proxies will support ports 563, 8443, and 43.
DataImpulse offers rotating SOCKS5 proxies. Users can configure IP rotation to occur on every request or maintain persistent sessions for up to 120 minutes.
One standout feature is the ability to filter IPs down to the ZIP code level, enabling highly localized targeting. Additionally, UDP traffic is supported, although this feature must be manually enabled by contacting support.
IPRoyal supports SOCKS5 with all proxy types, allowing access only to HTTP and HTTPS websites. IPRoyal restricts access to certain domains, such as login.yahoo.com or linkedin.com, when using residential proxies with both SOCKS5 and HTTP protocols. However, these restrictions can be removed by confirming your identity in the dashboard.
Rayobyte offers private SOCKS5 proxies, semi-dedicated proxies, and ISP proxies that also support SOCKS protocols via username/password authentication.
There is a limitation: these proxies do not support inbound UDP traffic. While you can send traffic (outbound) over the SOCKS proxy for protocols like HTTP and HTTPS, any application that requires inbound UDP traffic will not work with these proxies.
How to buy the right SOCKS5 proxy
- Determine your proxy type:
- SOCKS5 proxies can come from different IP source types, including datacenter, mobile, residential, and static residential proxies.
- Choose a provider that supports SOCKS5: Before you buy SOCKS5 proxies, ensure they provide the specific IP locations and performance metrics you need. Filter providers that offer SOCKS5 for that specific type. For example, some providers may offer it only for datacenter proxies.
- Check SOCKS5 Limitations: UDP and Port
- Review the list of restricted ports for your chosen proxy type. Most of the proxy providers included in this article support TCP connections through SOCKS5. However, many providers block certain ports and connections. For instance, Rayobyte doesn’t support inbound UDP traffic.
How to get free socks5 proxies
Free SOCKS5 proxies:
Free SOCKS5 proxies are publicly available IP: port combinations that anyone can use. These are publicly accessible SOCKS5 servers shared openly on proxy-list websites.
However, operators may log your IP addresses, browsing activity, and API keys. Additionally, because they are widely shared, free SOCKS5 proxies often suffer from slow speeds and frequent downtime.
Free SOCKS5 alternatives:
If you need cheap SOCKS5 proxies without the risks of free proxies, low-cost vendors like Proxy-Seller, IPRoyal, or Webshare offer IPs starting around $1–$4 per month.
If you need large numbers of IP addresses, rotating IPs, or geo-targeting, open-source solutions are not suitable. Below are widely used open-source SOCKS5 solutions:
- Dante SOCKS5 Server: It supports SOCKS5 and SOCKS4 with port-level rules. You can use it on Linux and BSD systems.
- Shadowsocks: It is a secure tunneling protocol, but its clients expose a local SOCKS5 endpoint. Support multi-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS).
- Micronet SOCKS5 Server: Micronet provides a lightweight SOCKS5 server implementation for most standard proxy use cases.
How to use SOCKS5 proxies
SOCKS5 proxies can be used with browsers, command-line tools, programming languages, and automation frameworks. For example, for using SOCKS5 proxies in Python with the Requests Library:
The requests library can use SOCKS5 proxies when PySocks is installed:
Then you can use the following command for the authenticated SOCKS5 protocol:
You can also use SOCKS5 proxies on your browser:
Firefox (native SOCKS5 support):
Firefox provides built-in SOCKS5 configuration.
- Go to Settings → Network Settings → Manual proxy configuration
- Enable SOCKS Host
- Enter the SOCKS5 proxy IP and port
- Select SOCKS v5
- (Recommended) Enable Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5
- Save
Chrome:
Chrome can use SOCKS5, but NOT via Chrome’s internal settings, unlike Firefox. Extensions like FoxyProxy allow profile-based SOCKS5 configuration. Also, Chrome automatically inherits your system’s proxy settings, so if you configure SOCKS5 at the OS level, Chrome will use it as well.
Example (macOS):
- System Settings → Network
- Select your network → Proxies
- Enable SOCKS Proxy
- Enter your SOCKS5 host and port
- Save
What is a SOCKS5 proxy?
SOCKS (Socket Secure) is an Internet protocol designed to route data packets between a client and a target server through a proxy server.
SOCKS5 (an updated version of SOCKS4) supports multiple authentication methods and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) connections, features not available in SOCKS4. It enables flexible data transfer by supporting both TCP and UDP protocols.
How does a SOCKS5 proxy work?
A SOCKS5 proxy routes network traffic through itself via a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection. The proxy server then transmits data packets between the user and the server while masking the user’s real IP address. Here is an overview of how a SOCKS5 proxy works:
- Connection request: The user sends a SOCKS5 proxy request to the SOCKS5 proxy server, specifying the destination server’s IP address and port number.
- Authentication: If required, the SOCKS5 proxy server verifies the specified credentials (e.g., a username and password).
- Connection establishment: After the authentication is successful, the SOCKS5 proxy server establishes a TCP connection with the target server on behalf of the user.
- Data exchange: Once the connection is established, the user and the server exchange data packets through the proxy server. The target server sees the SOCKS5 proxy’s IP address, not the user’s.
SOCKS4 vs SOCKS5 proxy protocols
Authentication support:
- SOCKS5 supports multiple authentication methods, including none, username/password, and GSS-API. This makes SOCKS5 proxies suitable for a wide range of web scraping and networking tasks.
- SOCKS4 only allows connections without any authentication.
Protocol support:
- SOCKS5 supports both UDP and TCP protocols.
- SOCKS4 supports TCP only.
IPv6 Compatibility:
- SOCKS5 handles both IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) and IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6).
- SOCKS4 IPv4-Only, cannot connect to IPv6-only resources.
DNS (Domain Name System) Resolution:
- SOCKS5: Remote DNS resolution is supported, suitable for when bypassing internet censorship or region-blocked content.
- SOCKS4: DNS is resolved locally. The client is responsible for DNS resolution.
FAQs about SOCKS5 proxies
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