Real Performance Numbers, Not Marketing Claims
Most proxy providers quote speed numbers without methodology, making comparison impossible. Hex Proxies publishes transparent benchmarks with clear methodology so you can evaluate our performance against real-world requirements.
Latency Benchmarks
We measure latency as the round-trip time from your request entering our gateway to the response being delivered back to you. This includes gateway processing, routing, egress through the proxy IP, target server response, and return path.
For domestic US requests (US gateway to US target), our median latency is under 150 milliseconds across all proxy types. ISP proxies are the fastest, averaging 60 to 80 milliseconds for domestic requests because they route through carrier infrastructure with direct peering to major content delivery networks and cloud providers.
Cross-continental requests (US to Europe, US to Asia) add network transit time. Median latency for US-to-Europe requests is 180 to 250 milliseconds. US-to-Asia requests typically run 250 to 350 milliseconds. These numbers are competitive with direct connections because our network uses optimized routing that avoids congested transit paths.
Throughput Performance
Single-connection throughput depends on the proxy type. ISP proxies support the highest throughput at 100+ Mbps sustained, because they run on dedicated infrastructure with high-bandwidth uplinks. Residential proxies typically deliver 10 to 50 Mbps per connection, as throughput depends on the underlying consumer connection speed. Datacenter proxies match ISP performance at 100+ Mbps.
For multi-connection workloads, aggregate throughput scales linearly with connection count. A customer running 100 concurrent connections through ISP proxies can achieve aggregate throughput exceeding 1 Gbps.
Connection Time
Connection time measures how quickly a new proxy session is established. This includes TCP handshake, TLS negotiation (for HTTPS), and proxy authentication. Our median connection time is under 200 milliseconds for all proxy types. For customers using HTTP with IP whitelist authentication, connection time drops to under 100 milliseconds because TLS negotiation and credential parsing are eliminated.
DNS Resolution
Our gateways handle DNS resolution for proxied requests. We operate our own recursive DNS resolvers with aggressive caching and prefetching. Median DNS resolution time is under 50 milliseconds for popular domains and under 100 milliseconds for cold lookups. This is significantly faster than relying on the egress node's local DNS, which is how most proxy providers operate.
How We Measure
All benchmarks are generated from synthetic monitoring probes that run continuously from multiple geographic locations. We use a standardized test suite that measures latency to 50 popular websites, throughput to file download endpoints, and connection establishment time to our gateways. Results are aggregated as P50 (median), P90, and P99 percentiles.
We publish updated benchmarks monthly and make raw data available to enterprise customers upon request. Our methodology document is available on the dashboard for customers who want to reproduce our measurements independently.
Performance Optimization Tips
To get the best performance from Hex Proxies, use the gateway closest to your application server (not closest to your target). Enable keep-alive connections to avoid repeated TCP and TLS handshakes. Use HTTP/2 when your target supports it for multiplexed requests. For latency-sensitive workloads, prefer ISP proxies over residential proxies.
Comparison Methodology
When comparing proxy providers, ensure you are measuring the same thing. Some providers quote gateway-to-target latency (excluding the customer-to-gateway leg). Others quote best-case numbers from a single test rather than median performance. Our numbers always represent end-to-end latency at the P50 level, which is the most honest representation of typical performance.