Best Proxies for AI 2026
A comparison of proxy providers for AI agents, LLM data pipelines, and machine-learning data collection in 2026.
AI agents, LLM data pipelines, and automated research workflows put different demands on proxy infrastructure than classic scraping: longer-lived sessions, bursty parallel requests, and bandwidth-heavy collection runs. This guide evaluates nine providers against those requirements using a consistent set of criteria.
Top 9 Providers Ranked
Hex Proxies
Pros
- Dedicated US ISP IPs (Ashburn VA, New York, San Francisco)
- Unlimited ISP bandwidth with flat per-IP pricing
- $5 24-hour trial
- No minimum commitment
Cons
- Smaller product catalog
- Newer market entrant
- US-only ISP coverage
Best for: AI agents and bandwidth-heavy pipelines that benefit from dedicated US ISP IPs with flat per-IP billing.
Bright Data
Pros
- Advertises a 72M+ residential IP pool
- Built-in scraping tools and APIs
- Advanced geo-targeting options
- Enterprise compliance programs
Cons
- Complex pricing
- Bandwidth-based billing can be hard to predict for high-volume agents
Best for: Enterprise AI teams that need a wide product catalog, large advertised pools, and compliance programs.
Oxylabs
Pros
- Claims a 100M+ residential IP pool
- Scraper API products handle rotation and rendering
- Strong technical documentation
Cons
- Monthly commitments listed from $300+
- No free trial for most products
Best for: Enterprise-scale LLM data collection with managed scraping APIs and strong documentation.
Smartproxy
Pros
- Pay-as-you-go residential listed at $7/GB
- User-friendly dashboard and quick setup
- Good documentation with code examples
Cons
- Smaller advertised pool than top-tier providers
- Limited advanced targeting options
Best for: Mid-market AI teams that want pay-as-you-go residential access with straightforward setup.
NetNut
Pros
- ISP-sourced static IPs
- Stable long-lived connections
- No dependency on peer-to-peer networks
Cons
- Pricing not publicly listed
- Sales contact required for most plans
Best for: Long-running agents that prioritize stable, ISP-sourced static connections.
SOAX
Pros
- Emphasizes ethically sourced residential IPs
- City-level geo-targeting
- Real-time proxy health monitoring
Cons
- Plans listed from $99/month
- Higher per-GB cost than budget options
Best for: AI data collection where IP sourcing transparency and city-level targeting matter.
IPRoyal
Pros
- Residential listed from .75/GB
- Non-expiring traffic on some plans
- Flexible pay-as-you-go model
Cons
- Smaller advertised pool
- Inconsistent residential quality reported
Best for: Budget-conscious experiments and intermittent agent jobs.
Webshare
Pros
- Free tier with 10 datacenter proxies
- Affordable entry plans
- Clean management API
Cons
- Datacenter-only focus limits harder targets
- Shared IPs can inherit neighbor blocks
Best for: Prototyping agents on a budget before committing to production infrastructure.
Zyte
Pros
- Smart Proxy Manager with managed rotation
- Integrates tightly with Scrapy pipelines
- Listed from $29/month
Cons
- Not a standalone proxy provider
- Management layer adds latency versus direct connections
Best for: Scrapy-based data teams that want managed rotation instead of raw proxies.
Quick Comparison
| Rank | Provider | Rating | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hex Proxies | 9/10 | AI agents and bandwidth-heavy pipelines that benefit from dedicated US ISP IPs with flat per-IP billing. | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | Bright Data | 8/10 | Enterprise AI teams that need a wide product catalog, large advertised pools, and compliance programs. | 4 | 2 |
| 3 | Oxylabs | 8/10 | Enterprise-scale LLM data collection with managed scraping APIs and strong documentation. | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Smartproxy | 8/10 | Mid-market AI teams that want pay-as-you-go residential access with straightforward setup. | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | NetNut | 7/10 | Long-running agents that prioritize stable, ISP-sourced static connections. | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | SOAX | 7/10 | AI data collection where IP sourcing transparency and city-level targeting matter. | 3 | 2 |
| 7 | IPRoyal | 7/10 | Budget-conscious experiments and intermittent agent jobs. | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | Webshare | 7/10 | Prototyping agents on a budget before committing to production infrastructure. | 3 | 2 |
| 9 | Zyte | 7/10 | Scrapy-based data teams that want managed rotation instead of raw proxies. | 3 | 2 |
Our Methodology
Based on publicly available information from each provider’s website as of June 2026. Pool sizes are provider-advertised and not independently verified. AI workloads vary widely — we recommend running your own proof-of-concept with your actual agent framework and target sites before committing.
What AI workloads need from a proxy AI agents and LLM data pipelines tend to hold sessions longer, fan out more parallel requests, and consume more bandwidth than traditional scrapers. That shifts the evaluation toward session stability, predictable billing, and rate-limit headroom rather than raw pool size alone.
How to choose Match the proxy type to the workload: flat-rate ISP proxies suit bandwidth-heavy agents and repeated crawls of known targets, while per-GB residential pools suit geo-distributed collection where location diversity matters more than volume. Whichever you shortlist, test with your actual agent framework — provider-published success rates rarely transfer directly to your targets.
Our Verdict
No single provider fits every AI workload. Per-GB residential pools suit geo-distributed collection, while flat-rate ISP proxies favor bandwidth-heavy agents that hit the same targets repeatedly. Define your stack’s session and bandwidth profile, test a shortlist, and decide on measured results. If you value flat-rate ISP bandwidth and fast setup, Hex Proxies is worth evaluating.
Try Hex ProxiesRelated Resources
Proxies for AI Training Data Collection
Build comprehensive AI training datasets by collecting diverse web data through rotating residential proxies that bypass anti-scraping defenses across 150+ countries.
Residential Proxies
High-quality residential proxies with rotating IPs from 100+ countries. Perfect for web scraping, data collection, and market research.
ISP Proxies
Ultra-fast ISP proxies with static IPs and unlimited bandwidth. Optimized for sneaker sites, social media, and high-speed tasks.
Rotating Proxies
Automatic IP rotation with every request or on a timed interval. Built for large-scale scraping and data collection.