The majority of internet users have no idea what IP addresses are and the purposes they serve. Even if you sat down and began explaining what they are and how they work, they likely won’t be bothered as it will not affect how they use the internet.
However, for a specific set of internet users, IP addresses cause significant issues that warrant the use of proxies. Take, for instance, a situation where a user cannot access content due to government restrictions.
In such situations, the IP address is used to determine the user’s location and enforce such regulations. This is where proxies come in, as they can replace your IP address with a new one in a region with unrestricted access.
With that said, this review will dive into the nuts and bolts of one of the popular proxy service providers in the current market: The Proxy Store. It will seek to answer several questions regarding this company: Is it reliable? Is it affordable? Are its proxies better than the competition? Have a read below.
The Proxy Store Introduction
The Proxy Store is a proxy service specializing in backconnect residential proxies. The company has a pretty intuitive website that looks modern at first glance. It claims to offer residential proxies from all over the world.
The Proxy Store has eight different residential proxy packages you can choose from. We were not particularly impressed with the catalog as it comprises only one type of proxy. On the flip side, all these proxy servers come with unlimited bandwidth, which is a big plus.
But does The Proxy Store have what it takes to match up to other premium proxy service providers? We will answer that question at the end of this review.
The Proxy Store Features
When it comes to features, The Proxy Store is quite shady in providing details about the features the proxies offer. For one thing, the website does not mention the exact locations of its proxy servers. It only states they’re available in “over 100 locations,” which is quite odd given that most other high-caliber companies in this space mention the individual locations.
On the flip side, the proxies have a massive IP pool of over 30 million IPs. This is pretty good, given few companies can reach this threshold. However, it is hard to believe that The Proxy Store sourced all these proxies individually. Some are likely to come from third-party providers.
Types of Proxies
As mentioned earlier, this provider has a limited catalog. It only has support for residential proxies that are offered in eight categories with varied features and pricing. On the flip side, you get unlimited bandwidth with all the packages, which is a plus as you do not have to worry about data.
However, the threads are limited, starting at 1,800 for the cheapest plan. This should be enough for most tasks involving residential proxies. Also, the website does not limit usage like other providers. You are free to do whatever you want with the proxies.
The Proxy Store only supports one authentication method: IP whitelisting. Also, you can only whitelist one IP unless you have purchased a custom plan. Finally, you can change the whitelisted IP on the dashboard.
The proxies support HTTP(s) and SOCKS5 protocols, which is another plus. It is quite weird that the website supports SOCKS5 yet only has one authentication method.
The Proxy Store Proxy Speed and Performance
The Proxy Store’s proxy servers are mostly slower than average, contrary to what the website advertises. In fact, due to shortcomings and low success rates, these proxies may not be the best for sneaker copping. Furthermore, the proxies tend to perform poorly under heavy loads.
The average response time for these proxies was 8 seconds. Moreover, the proxies return a high number of connection errors, which is expected of a provider with unlimited traffic. You might also experience timeouts with challenging targets.
Additional Tools
The Proxy Store does not seem to have any additional tools to complement its proxy service. We checked the website for a mention of an application, proxy checker, API, or a custom scraper, but we could not find any. This is a major flop as such features normally boost the user experience.
Purchase Simplicity
The Proxy Store has a good website with a modern design. One thing we noticed was that some of the buttons under the menu bar seemed not to be functional when we tried them. Other than that, the website is pretty easy to use.
Purchasing a proxy is not that hard either. All you have to do is scroll towards the bottom of the home page, where you will see the different packages listed. You have to sign up and log in to be able to purchase a proxy.
You will have to register if you have not already signed up for the service. Here you will be asked to provide your details and billing address. You also need to enter your IP for authorization. Once you have done this, you will get access to the service. Hence, we can surmise that the website is pretty easy to use, albeit with a few shortcomings.
The Proxy Store Pricing
As mentioned earlier, the Proxy Store has eight different residential proxy plans you can choose from. These have different pricing and features. Given that you get unlimited bandwidth, we must say that these proxies are not that expensive. While you can definitely get cheaper options, you can also get far more expensive ones.
The cheapest plan, ‘Starter Basic,’ gives you 50 backconnect residential proxies and 50 threads at $97 per month. As you advance from plan to plan, the more proxies you get. The most expensive plan is ‘Power Plus,’ which gives you 24,000 proxies and 3,000 threads at $2,497 per month.
You can also get the custom plan with between 30,000 to 100,000 proxies and custom threads. You need to contact the support team to purchase this package. You can also test these proxies before purchase, although the free trial is quite weird.
You only get to test the proxies for one hour, which is a massive flop. Many other providers offer as much as a seven-day free trial before they start billing or some sort of money-back guarantee. Finally, you have to contact the support team for refunds or cancellations, which does not seem like a good sign.
The Proxy Store Discounts
The Proxy store does not offer much in the way of discounts. However, at the time of this review, there was a running offer on the home page. The offer gives first-time customers 10% off their first order if they use the promo code provided.
Also, the company has discounts on bulk orders where the more you buy, the lower price per proxy. For instance, under the ‘Starter Basic’ plan, one proxy is priced at $1.94, while under the volume plan, a proxy is priced at $0.597.
Hence, the only discount you can get from The Proxy Store is the running discounts on the home page and the bulk order discounts. This is not the best option available on the market as there are companies with far more diverse discounts.
Is The Proxy Store Legit or a Scam
The Proxy Store is a legitimate company with a proven record of meeting customer expectations. It has a TrustPilot rating of 4.7 stars, showing that most customers are generally satisfied with working with the company. Apart from a few mishaps, this is a genuine proxy service provider.
Customer Support
The customer support system at The Proxy Store is average, to say the least. While the website has a live chat feature, customer support is not available 24/7. In fact, when we reached out to the agents, we saw a message saying the support was away. We did not get any response in the first two hours.
The provider also has several other means you can use to reach the customer support team. They include ICQ, Skype, and Telegram.
Can You Earn Money With The Proxy Store?
You can earn money with The Proxy Store through its referral system. We could not see any program sign-up button, so you likely have to contact the support team to sign up.
The Proxy Store offers a 10% commission on referrals. When someone visits the site through your link, they get a cookie that’s active for 30 days. Even if they get back later and make an order, you’ll get the commission. It’s important to note that the website caps the referral earnings to $1,000 per user.
The Proxy Store Pros and Cons
Like any other proxy service company, The Proxy Store has pros and cons. Analyzing these factors should help you decide whether this proxy server provider is right for you or not.
Pros
Below are some of the advantages of working with this company.
- Affordable residential proxies
The residential proxies from The Proxy Store are pretty affordable by current market standards.
- SOCKS5 support
You get SOCKS5 support with these proxies, adding to their functionality.
- Unlimited bandwidth
You do not have to worry about data while using these proxies as there are no bandwidth caps.
Cons
These are the downsides that might push you to look for alternatives.
- Limited catalog
You only get residential proxies from The Proxy Store. There are no mobile or datacenter proxies here.
- Poor customer support system
The customer support system is flawed since the agents are not available 24/7.
- Only one authentication method
Unfortunately, The Proxy Store only supports IP whitelisting. You don’t get username/password authentication here.
Final Verdict
Well, does The Proxy Store have what it takes? It depends on your needs. This company could work fine if you are after robust residential proxies. However, we noted a few red flags, such as the lack of transparency on the supported regions.
Also, you cannot target individual locations, which makes us believe that this provider may have weaker location coverage than stated on the website. The proxy performance is not that impressive either, and let’s be honest, with such prices, you can get far better alternatives.
Ratings
The Proxy Store Alternatives
Below are some providers that offer similar and even better services to The Proxy Store.
MarsProxies focuses on fast and efficient sneaker proxy servers. It offers state-of-the-art robust private proxies specifically designed for sneaker copping.
Formerly known as Luminati, this is one of the pioneers of the proxy industry. IT has an impressive IP pool with robust features focused on data gathering.
Smartproxy is known for its pocket-friendly prices. You can get proxies that match premium features for lower prices than average.
FAQ
Is The Proxy Store legit?
The Proxy Store is a legitimate company with a focus on residential proxies. It has stellar reviews on the web, indicating that most users are satisfied working with the company.
Can I use The Proxy Store for sneaker copping?
We do not recommend it. This is because these proxies have low response times and success rates.
Do these proxies expire?
Yes, these proxies expire as the subscription plans only last 30 days. After that, you have to renew to get access.
I would advise against using this provider as they have a history of scamming users. Their proxies are heavily spammed and banned from Google, and they refuse to issue refunds. While their low pricing may seem appealing, it’s not worth the risk. In fact, I’d argue that free proxies would be a better option. To avoid getting caught in their trap, it’s best to steer clear of this provider altogether.
This site is a scam, I paid for the service but never received it. I tried to contact the staff through various means such as whatsapp, but I didn’t receive any response. Even the email doesn’t work and I didn’t receive any email from the site, not even email verification. I suggest that you stay away from this site as it is fake and unreliable.