Search the internet for proxy service providers. You will find Bright Data in almost every Top 10 list, as it serves as one of the most trusted choices when it comes to proxies that have solid performance in terms of uptime, download speeds, and brand recognition.
But is Bright Data really an obvious choice?
We’ll break down the benefits and drawbacks of Bright Proxy in this post, highlighting how they may influence your decision. The evaluation encompasses comprehensive information, as well as detailed performance expectations derived from weeks of testing. Let’s get going!
About Bright Data Proxies
Bright Data is a leading proxy service provider, offering a diverse selection of proxy servers, data-collecting APIs, no-code web scrapers, and pre-collected datasets. Bright Data is a premium option for companies and large-scale operations because of its stringent policy, high-performance proxies, and useful tooling.
Bright Data was established in 2014 as Luminati Networks, and it was sold independently in 2017 as a subsidiary to the well-known VPN service provider Hola. The company was rebranded to its current name in 2021 to better represent its emphasis on assisting consumers with data scraping through its proxy services.
The platform offers a vast network of proxy IPs with extensive global coverage across 195 countries. Bright Data’s Residential, Datacenter, and mobile proxies are used by more than 20,000 businesses to get around geo-restrictions and scrape important data.
Types of Proxies
Bright Data offers various types of Proxy servers to choose from, ranging from Residential, Datacenter, ISP, and Mobile Proxies. Let’s dig into the details of each of these types.
Residential Proxies
Bright Data offers residential proxy IP addresses for physical devices globally. In exchange for a benefit, such as a VPN subscription, people agree to connect their devices to the network. Users of Bright Data can then select one of the IP addresses to scrape data and bypass geo-restrictions.
Bright Data controls a network of 72 million home IP addresses every month, making it one of the most popular options and formerly the largest proxy pool available. The supplier gets these IPs and their mobile phone proxies from Bright VPN, EarnApp, a bandwidth-sharing software, and developers who integrate the Bright SDK into their apps.
Bright Data provides users with extensive control over the proxies from specific cities, states, and countries that are available for selection. It is simpler to bypass geo-restrictions thanks to the robust IP network, particularly in North America and Europe. Bright Data switches between IP addresses until an IP address is able to get beyond the restriction.
ISP Proxies
Because ISP proxies are not frequently updated, they are more dependable than regular residential proxies. Long-term use of a single IP address enables anonymous browsing and helps circumvent IP and geographic website restrictions.
After using a static IP to get around a website’s restriction, you can keep using that IP to visit the site. Rotating proxies, on the other hand, allow you to circumvent a site’s restriction today, but may prove difficult to bypass tomorrow using a different IP address.
Bright Data’s proxy servers are located in developed countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Italy, France, and many more, spanning a network of over 700,000 static IP addresses. All other nations have fewer than 10,000 static IP addresses, whereas the United States has the most at 144,000.
Given the greater expenses and challenges of acquiring IP addresses directly from ISPs, this lower figure is to be expected.
Datacenter Proxies
Instead of ISPs, secondary firms are the source of Datacenter Proxies. Your device and the website you wish to visit are connected by a server (in a datacenter) with a distinct IP address. A dedicated IP is more reliable in bypassing site blockades, although you can also request a shared or dedicated datacenter IP.
Bright Data provides Datacenter Proxies in 98 countries. You have the option to choose your datacenter proxy by nation or city. In contrast to residential proxies, which may bounce around multiple devices before reaching the target website, these proxies are quick since your browser request is transmitted straight from the proxy server to the target website.
Mobile Proxies
There are more than 7 million Mobile Proxy IPs in Bright Data’s pool. These residential IPs originate from mobile devices worldwide; the countries with the largest shares in Bright Data’s pool are the United States, India, Japan, and Italy.
By using these IPs, you can browse the web like actual mobile users would. IPs from 3G, 4G, or 5G networks are available for selection. Instead of being USB dongle farms, these are peer-to-peer proxies that are stolen from real consumers’ mobile devices.
Bright Data’s Residential Proxies have the same functionality as its mobile version. Custom sticky sessions can be created, servers can be switched with every request, and IPs can be fine-tuned for filtering. Request caching and dedicated addresses are two of Bright Data’s unique features. It also doesn’t limit the number of concurrent queries. Additionally, it supports SOCKS5.
Bright Data offers mobile proxies that can be used with a one-time payment or without a subscription. The rate is lowered by up to 35% when opting for the one-time payment plan or 45% when subscribing to the annual plan.
Dataset Marketplace
The Bright Data Dataset Marketplace is a compilation of high-quality, verified datasets harvested from a wide variety of reliable public internet sources. A diverse assortment of topics is included in the datasets. The collection, cleaning, and organization of these datasets are carried out with great care to provide valuable insights for commercial purposes.
Your company’s growth can be accelerated by gaining access to well-organised, updated datasets that come with a wide range of filtering options and affordable subscription plans. It is possible to access billions of documents to your advantage.
Find up-to-date datasets that have been gathered from websites that are frequently visited. You can finally say goodbye to the laborious scraper maintenance and block circumventing jobs. We would like to introduce you to data that has been validated and formatted to meet the specific requirements of your organisation.
Refreshed datasets from more than 120 fields, all of which are ready for use. Accurate and checked for accuracy; free of any mistakes or duplicates. On a monthly basis, datasets are updated, and records are updated daily. Collecting information from the internet in a manner that is lawful and ethical
What about the cost?
Prices of Bright Data Proxies vary depending on the type of proxy and the level of website traffic. Prepaid and pay-as-you-go pricing options are both available.
Prepaid plans are available in four distinct varieties: Starter ($500, $ 12.50 per GB), Advanced ($ 1,000, $11.25 per GB), Advanced+ ($ 2,000, $ 10.50 per GB), and Enterprise (custom price). Pay-as-you-go plans start at $15 per GB. Clients can select the plan that best suits their requirements and financial constraints.
Bright Data solely takes traffic usage into account, like most comparable services. Until enterprise-level scale, it is among the priciest solutions. However, in recent years, the disparities have been narrowing as major providers have significantly lowered their prices.
5 Reasons Why I Love Bright Data Proxies!
Bright Data Proxies are equipped with numerous functions, and the company ensures you have the necessary tools to maximize their potential. Very few providers can match one another on price.
1) Ease of Use
You’ll probably find Bright Data’s user interface to be enjoyable. The main dashboard is located on the right side, while the left menu contains all the necessary functionality. To make them easier to locate, many elements are grouped neatly throughout the dashboard. Bright Data is a visually appealing interface with a white background and a few contrasting colors.
The interface, in general, may seem a bit intrusive and confusing to new users at first. However, the ease of navigation throughout the portal allows even new users to adapt to it easily. All in all, Bright Data’s user-friendliness is unmatched by most rivals.
2) Massive IP Pool
With over 72 million IP addresses, Bright Data is one of the largest proxy networks on the market. Their IP pool comprises over 700,000 actual residential IPs for long-term use, 770,000+ shared datacenter IPs from any geography, 7 million+ 3G/4G mobile IPs, and residential proxies rotated from real-peer devices in 195 countries.
3) Loaded with Features
Access to various proxy types, data-collecting APIs, online scraping tools, and pre-collected datasets is just a few of Bright Data’s capabilities. It is regarded as a technical powerhouse with a vast IP pool and a well-designed proxy management architecture. Its home proxies are quick and dependable.
4) Global Coverage
With 195 countries covered by its proxy network of IP addresses, Bright Data guarantees excellent availability and dependability. Customers can expect a seamless experience from anywhere in the world, thanks to the network’s 99.99% uptime.
5) Customer Support
Bright Data’s excellent customer service is a key advantage. Its support staff is available around the clock, and you can expect a response in less than half an hour. It offers support through live chat and email. The only downside is that there is no telephone support. Hopefully, that will also be added in the near future.
Bright Data also offers comprehensive documentation and user guides to help users resolve their issues. The website’s Docs section provides comprehensive instructions for every feature, as well as an API reference, to assist users in creating efficient data scraping commands.
Reasons Why I Don’t Like Bright Data Proxies!
1) Slightly expensive
From a broader perspective, Bright Data’s traffic-based data center proxies are affordable. The basic version of the IP-based product is affordable, but the configuration with the most domains and traffic incurs higher costs than the others.
Unlike many of its competitors, Bright Data charges for its IP-based service based on both traffic consumption and the number of proxies used. Although it costs significantly more, unlimited traffic is an available option. Similarly, setting up a proxy.
2) Slightly complicated for new users
New users may initially find the UI to be somewhat confusing and intrusive. While some may find the portal’s compliance requirements obtrusive, others may be put off by its technological complexity.
Conclusion
The market for proxy software is highly competitive. However, among the most reputable and favored proxy service providers is Bright Data Proxies. You can trust Bright Data as your one-stop proxy provider. Along with other capabilities, such as pre-built databases and site scraping APIs, it provides a wide variety of IP addresses.
The cost of Bright Data Proxies may be prohibitive for those on a tight budget. Still, the proxies will be an effective solution for medium- and large-sized enterprises seeking the most reliable proxy server connections for their operations. There is a cost to the advantage.
Other than that, this platform provides all you need to bypass website restrictions and scrape the needed data.
So, if pricing isn’t a concern for you, Bright Data is perhaps one of the better proxy service providers in the market right now!
Additionally, I have highlighted the top VPN and proxy services.