9 Best Apify Proxies in 2026: Integrate Custom Proxies With Apify Scrapers

Apify's built-in proxy service works for basic scraping — but it gets expensive fast at scale, and the IP pool is shared across all Apify users, which means flagged IPs affect everyone on the platform. Bringing your own external proxy gives you a dedicated pool, better cost control, and higher success rates on protected targets.

Apify supports custom proxy configuration at both the Actor code level and the Apify Console level. Any standard HTTP/HTTPS or SOCKS5 proxy works — and the Actor SDK's ProxyConfiguration handles session management, rotation, and error handling cleanly once you've connected your provider.

I've compared 9 proxy providers on what matters specifically for Apify: API format compatibility, success rates on common Apify targets (Amazon, Google, LinkedIn), cost per GB at scale, and documentation quality for integration.

Apify Proxies — Quick Comparison

How to Configure Custom Proxies in Apify

Before reviewing providers, here's how external proxies plug into Apify. In your Actor code:

import { Actor } from 'apify';

await Actor.init();

const proxyConfiguration = await Actor.createProxyConfiguration({
  proxyUrls: [
    'http://username:password@proxy-host:port',
    'http://username:password@proxy-host:port',
  ],
});

const browser = await launchPuppeteer({
  proxyUrl: await proxyConfiguration.newUrl(),
});

For Crawlee-based Actors:

const proxyConfiguration = await Actor.createProxyConfiguration({
  proxyUrls: ['http://user:pass@host:port'],
});

const crawler = new PlaywrightCrawler({
  proxyConfiguration,
});

The proxyUrls array accepts standard http://user:pass@host:port format. SOCKS5 proxies use socks5://user:pass@host:port. Apify's SDK handles rotation across the provided URLs automatically.

9 Best Apify Proxies in 2026

1. Bright Data — Official Apify Integration

Bright Data has an official integration with Apify — a dedicated connector that makes it the simplest external proxy to configure in the Apify Console without touching Actor code. For teams running Apify at scale on protected targets like Amazon, Google, and LinkedIn, Bright Data's Web Unlocker handles CAPTCHA challenges and TLS fingerprinting automatically — reducing the actor logic needed to deal with bot detection.

The network has 400M+ IPs across residential, ISP, datacenter, and mobile types. For Apify tasks that crawl different target types (lightly protected news sites, heavily protected e-commerce), having all proxy types under one Bright Data account reduces the number of integrations to maintain.

Committed monthly plans start at $3.50/GB (141 GB/month) and scale to $2.50/GB at 798 GB/month. The 7-day business trial with $500 deposit match lets you validate Apify integration before committing.

Pricing

Pros

• Official Apify integration — configurable directly in Apify Console
• Web Unlocker handles CAPTCHAs and bot detection automatically
• All proxy types (residential, ISP, DC, mobile) under one account

Cons

• PAYG at $8/GB is expensive for cost-sensitive Apify projects
• Integration complexity higher than simpler providers

Visit Bright Data

2. NodeMaven — ISP-Verified Residential for Mid-Scale Apify

NodeMaven's ISP-verified residential IPs make it the strongest mid-scale alternative to Bright Data for Apify actors targeting e-commerce sites, social platforms, and search engines. ISP-verified IPs carry higher trust scores on quality-gated targets than standard peer-sourced residential — which translates to fewer CAPTCHA challenges and better success rates without needing the Web Unlocker overhead.

The HTTP/HTTPS endpoint format (http://user:pass@gate.nodemaven.com:8080) is standard and drops directly into Apify's proxyUrls array. City-level targeting (1,400+ cities) and 24-hour sticky sessions are useful for Apify actors that need geographic consistency across a multi-page crawl. Traffic rollover means unused bandwidth from one month doesn't expire.

Pricing starts at $2/GB — significantly cheaper than Bright Data at equivalent scale.

Pricing

Pros

• ISP-verified IPs improve success rates on quality-gated targets
• Standard HTTP format — compatible with Apify proxyUrls directly
• $2/GB with rollover — better cost/performance ratio than Bright Data for mid-scale

Cons

• 30M IP pool is smaller than Bright Data — more IP reuse at very high concurrency
• No official Apify integration — manual configuration required

Visit NodeMaven

3. Geonode — Budget Residential for Public Data Actors

Geonode is the lowest-cost residential option at $0.79/GB with rollover — practical for Apify actors crawling targets that don't require premium IP quality. Public data sites, news aggregators, job boards, and basic e-commerce without bot detection are all good fits for Geonode's residential proxies.

The standard HTTP endpoint format is compatible with Apify. Bandwidth rollover is particularly useful for Apify schedules where actors run daily or weekly — unused bandwidth from low-activity days carries forward rather than expiring.

At scale (1 TB/month), pricing drops to $0.50/GB — competitive for high-volume, low-protection Apify crawling.

Pricing

Pros

• Lowest entry rate at $0.79/GB with rollover
• Bandwidth rollover suits Apify's scheduled actor patterns
• Scales to $0.50/GB at 1 TB for high-volume public data crawling

Cons

• Limited geo-targeting granularity at entry tier
• Not suited for heavily protected targets

Visit Geonode

4. SOAX — Rotation Control for Session-Aware Apify Actors

SOAX's configurable rotation interval (90–600 seconds) is useful for Apify actors that need to balance IP diversity against session continuity. Multi-step crawls — login, navigate, extract, logout — need the same IP throughout. Single-request-per-page crawls benefit from more frequent rotation.

The 155M IP pool across 150+ countries includes city and ASN targeting. SOCKS5 is supported alongside HTTP, so socks5://user:pass@host:port format works in Apify actors that prefer it. The $1.99 trial for 100 MB is enough to confirm connectivity and format compatibility before running production actors.

Pricing

Pros

• Configurable rotation interval for session-aware vs. per-request actors
• SOCKS5 + HTTP — full Apify proxy format compatibility
• 155M pool with city + ASN targeting

Cons

• $4/GB starting rate is mid-range for Apify projects
• 150+ countries is narrower than top providers

Visit SOAX

5. Decodo — Multi-Type for Mixed Apify Workloads

Decodo provides residential, ISP, and datacenter proxies under one account — useful for Apify teams running actors against different target types. Route actors targeting protected sites to residential IPs, actors hitting unprotected public data to datacenter IPs (much cheaper), and speed-sensitive actors to ISP proxies — all managed under one Decodo dashboard.

The residential pool has 115M+ IPs across 195+ countries. Volume pricing drops to $2/GB at 1 TB/month. The 3-day free trial with 100 MB lets you test all proxy types and confirm Apify compatibility before committing.

Pricing

Pros

• All proxy types under one account — route actors by target type
• 115M+ residential IPs with 24h sticky for session-aware actors
• Volume pricing to $2/GB at 1 TB

Cons

• $4/GB residential starting rate is mid-range
• Separate pricing plans for different proxy types

Visit Decodo

6. IPRoyal — Non-Expiring for Periodic Apify Runs

IPRoyal's non-expiring bandwidth is the practical choice for Apify actors that run on a schedule rather than continuously — weekly price monitors, monthly competitive audits, quarterly research pulls. You buy bandwidth, run your actors when scheduled, and the remainder carries forward indefinitely.

The pool covers 32M+ residential IPs across 195+ countries. Rotation is configurable from 1 second to 24 hours — compatible with both per-request and session-based Apify actor patterns. SOCKS5 is supported.

Pricing

Pros

• Non-expiring traffic — ideal for Apify actors running on weekly or monthly schedules
• 1s–24h rotation configurable for any actor session pattern
• SOCKS5 support

Cons

• $7/GB entry rate is the highest on this list
• 32M pool has more reuse risk at high concurrency

Visit IPRoyal

7. DataImpulse — Cheapest Residential at Scale

DataImpulse delivers 90M residential IPs at a flat $1/GB (non-expiring) — the most cost-efficient residential option for high-volume Apify crawling where cost-per-page is the primary constraint. The $50 minimum (50 GB) means you can run a significant volume of actor tasks without exceeding budget.

SOCKS5 and UDP are both supported alongside HTTP, which means DataImpulse works with any Apify proxy format. Targeting is available at city, state, ASN, and ZIP levels. The endpoint is standard HTTP format, compatible with Apify's proxyUrls directly.

Pricing

Pros

• $1/GB flat, never-expiring — lowest cost residential for high-volume Apify
• SOCKS5 + UDP protocol support
• City + ZIP + ASN targeting at $1/GB

Cons

• $50 minimum purchase (50 GB) — no small test plan
• Sticky sessions limited to 120 minutes

Visit DataImpulse

8. Rayobyte — ISP and Datacenter for Budget Apify Tasks

Rayobyte's ISP and datacenter proxies are well-suited for Apify actors that crawl unprotected targets at high volume. For public data extraction — job listings, real estate data, public pricing without anti-bot — datacenter proxies from Rayobyte deliver the speed and bulk economics that residential networks can't match.

ISP proxies (datacenter-hosted, ISP ASN-registered) handle targets that block obvious datacenter ranges. Both proxy types integrate via standard HTTP format into Apify proxyUrls. Rayobyte also offers residential proxies if your actor mix includes protected targets.

Pricing

Pros

• ISP and datacenter options for cost-efficient Apify scraping
• High-volume bulk economics for unprotected targets
• Standard HTTP format — drops into Apify directly

Cons

• No public self-serve pricing — must contact for rates
• Better suited to technical teams than quick-start users

Visit Rayobyte

9. Infatica — GDPR-Compliant Residential for Regulated Data Pipelines

Infatica's GDPR-compliant residential network across 195+ countries is relevant for Apify workflows operating in regulated data contexts — market research firms, analytics vendors, or enterprises where proxy provider compliance needs to be documented for legal or audit purposes. The network is optimized for high-concurrency data collection with stable session management.

HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 protocols are all supported, covering any Apify proxy format. Custom enterprise pricing is available. For EU-based Apify deployments where GDPR applies to the data collection infrastructure, Infatica's documented compliance reduces legal risk.

Pricing

Pros

• GDPR-compliant with documented sourcing — critical for regulated pipelines
• Optimized for high-concurrency Apify-style data collection
• 195+ countries with SOCKS5 support

Cons

• No public self-serve pricing — contact required
• Not suited for quick-start or individual developers

Visit Infatica

What to Look for in Apify Proxies

Proxy Format Compatibility

Apify accepts standard HTTP/HTTPS proxies in http://user:pass@host:port format and SOCKS5 in socks5://user:pass@host:port. All providers on this list support at least one of these. Verify the exact endpoint format your provider uses before configuring — some providers use specific hostnames or ports that differ from the generic format.

When to Use Residential vs. Datacenter in Apify

Datacenter proxies cost 10–50x less than residential and are fast. For Apify actors that crawl unprotected targets (public APIs, lightly protected news sites, government data), datacenter proxies are the right choice economically. For actors targeting Amazon, Google, LinkedIn, or any site with Cloudflare or bot detection, residential or ISP proxies are required — datacenter IPs get blocked immediately on these targets.

Session Management in Apify SDK

Apify's ProxyConfiguration.newUrl(sessionId) method returns a proxy URL that routes all requests with the same sessionId through the same IP. This is how you implement sticky sessions — pass the account ID or page URL as sessionId to ensure session-level IP consistency. NodeMaven's 24-hour sticky, SOAX's 90–600s configurable rotation, and Decodo's 24-hour sticky all work within this model.

Cost Per 1,000 Pages on Common Targets

FAQs

Can I use my own proxies with Apify?

Yes. Apify's Actor SDK supports custom proxy configuration via Actor.createProxyConfiguration({ proxyUrls: [...] }). You can pass any standard HTTP or SOCKS5 proxy URL in your credentials. Custom proxies are also configurable in Apify Console without code changes.

Why use external proxies instead of Apify's built-in proxy?

Apify's built-in proxy shares a pool across all Apify users. When one user runs aggressive scraping and gets IPs flagged, those IPs affect your actors too. An external dedicated proxy pool gives you exclusive IP access, potentially better success rates, and usually lower cost at volume.

What proxy type works best with Apify?

Residential proxies for protected targets, datacenter for unprotected. ISP proxies (Rayobyte, Decodo) offer a middle ground — faster than residential with cleaner reputation than standard datacenter. For most Apify use cases, residential from NodeMaven ($2/GB) or DataImpulse ($1/GB) covers the requirements without enterprise pricing.

How do I rotate proxies in Apify automatically?

Apify's SDK handles rotation automatically when you pass multiple URLs to proxyUrls. For single-endpoint providers that handle rotation server-side (NodeMaven, Geonode, SOAX), one URL is sufficient — the provider rotates the IP on each request or at your configured interval.

Does Apify work with SOCKS5 proxies?

Yes. Use socks5://user:pass@host:port format in the proxyUrls array. SOAX, IPRoyal, DataImpulse, and Infatica all support SOCKS5. For most Apify actors, HTTP proxies are sufficient — SOCKS5 is needed only if your specific actor implementation requires it.

Best Apify Proxy in 2026: Choose by Use Case