Web scraping has changed completely in the last few years.
Anti-bot systems got smarter. Websites got heavier. And AI teams suddenly needed way more real-time, clean, structured data.
If you're building anything related to AI training, RAG pipelines, SEO monitoring, e-commerce analytics, or market research, the quality of your proxy + scraping stack matters more than your code.
This guide walks you through 11 services worth checking out in 2025.
[If you're short on time, jump to the TL;DR section directly.]
Each one solves a different problem. Each one fits a different scale.
Let's jump in!
Table of Contents
- ThorData
- Bright Data
- Oxylabs
- Decodo (Smartproxy)
- Zyte
- Crawlbase
- Apify
- Webshare
- SOAX
- ScraperAPI
- IPRoyal
- TL;DR // How to Choose the Right Tool
- Final Thoughts
1. ThorData: The All-in-One Web Data Stack (My Top Pick)
If you want something that "just works," this is the one to start with.
ThorData gives you 60M+ residential proxies, 120+ scraper APIs, and ready-to-use datasets, all packed into a clean interface that feels far less painful than most scraping tools.
Try it here:
Why it's strong:
- 60M+ residential IPs across 190+ countries
- 99.9% uptime and 99.7% success rate
- 120+ pre-built scraper APIs for Google, Amazon, YouTube, Zillow, and more
- Real mobile IPs for tough targets
- Structured JSON, CSV, XLSX output
- No-code scraper builder
- Ready-to-use datasets for AI training and RAG
Bonus: Mention Thordata when registering to get free residential proxies + 2000 SERP API calls.
A few extra perks:
- 💰 Use code THOR66 for 30% off your first purchase
- 🔗 Register with invitation code 0HSUJ23G or click here: https://dashboard.thordata.com/register?invitation_code=0HSUJ23G
If you're building AI apps or scraping at scale, start here. It's the fastest way to skip the annoying setup phase.
2. Bright Data: Enterprise-Level Everything
Bright Data is basically the "AWS of web data." Huge infrastructure. Lots of control. Tons of features. If you're an enterprise team with compliance needs and a massive budget, this is your playground.
Where it excels:
- 150M+ proxies
- Strong compliance framework
- Web Unblocker handles CAPTCHAs automatically
- High reliability, high throughput
Great for large companies, not small budgets.
3. Oxylabs: AI-Smart Web Scraping
Oxylabs built an AI assistant called OxyCopilot that lets you describe what you want scraped in plain English. It figures out selectors and parsing logic for you.
Why it's good:
- 100M+ IPs
- AI-powered scraping and parsing
- Strong SERP and e-commerce scraping tools
Think of this as the "smart" version of Bright Data.
4. Decodo (Smartproxy): Easy Scraper APIs
Smartproxy recently rebranded to Decodo, but the idea is the same: simple, clean scraping APIs that work without setup headaches.
Best parts:
- 125M+ IPs
- Ready-made APIs for Google, Amazon, social media, and e-commerce
- Friendly pricing
- Very easy for beginners
Good if you want instant structured data.
5. Zyte: Built for Complicated Websites
Zyte (old Scrapinghub) is still the most "serious" scraping company for enterprises. If you're dealing with complex, dynamic sites that break your crawlers every week, Zyte is worth it.
Why people use it:
- AI Extraction that reads pages without selectors
- Smart Proxy Manager
- Compliance help from actual experts
It's more expensive but gives you peace of mind.
6. Crawlbase: AI-Driven Proxy Gateway
Crawlbase is underrated. Simple API. Smart proxy rotation. AI-powered retry logic. Zero configuration headaches.
Highlights:
- Mix of datacenter + residential
- AI that detects blocks and retries automatically
- Pay only for successful requests
- Built-in cloud storage
Low stress, high success rate.
7. Apify: Full Automation Cloud
Apify is not "just a scraper." It's basically a platform where you run scraper scripts in the cloud, schedule them, store results, and even automate browser tasks.
Why it's useful:
- 200+ ready-made scrapers ("actors")
- Crawlee, great Node.js library
- Built-in proxy rotation
- Cloud scheduling and job monitoring
Perfect for developers who like full control.
8. Webshare: Best Low-Budget Option
If you're new to scraping or building something small, Webshare is the easiest and cheapest way to get started.
What stands out:
- Free tier with 10 proxies
- Datacenter proxies starting at $2.99/month
- Simple dashboard, zero friction
- Good speeds for the price
Great for beginners or budget projects.
9. SOAX: Extreme Geo Targeting
SOAX is the first tool I recommend to anyone who needs exact locations, ISP targeting, or mobile carrier-specific scraping.
What it's good at:
- 8.5M+ IPs
- ASN targeting
- Carrier targeting
- Strong concurrency support
Useful for advanced experiments, ad verification, or regional testing.
10. ScraperAPI: Plug-and-Play Simplicity
ScraperAPI is built for people who want scraping without learning scraping.
One endpoint. That's it.
Why it's popular:
- Automatic proxy rotation
- Built-in CAPTCHA solving
- JavaScript rendering
- Simple pricing
- Super easy to integrate
If you want to get data fast without thinking, this is the one.
11. IPRoyal: Best for the Lowest Prices
IPRoyal is the "cheapest-but-still-decent" provider. Great for people experimenting or running smaller-scale workflows.
What makes it appealing:
- Residential proxies from $1.75/GB
- Datacenter and ISP options
- Good for multi-accounting
- Simple dashboard
If cost is the priority, this is the one.
TL;DR // How to Choose the Right Tool
No tool is "the best." It depends on what you're building.
| Use Case | Best Options |
|---|---|
| AI and RAG pipelines | ThorData, Oxylabs |
| Enterprise-scale + compliance | Bright Data, Zyte |
| Zero-stress setup | ScraperAPI, Decodo |
| Custom scrapers | Apify, Crawlbase |
| Budget scraping | Webshare, IPRoyal |
| Precise geo-targeting | SOAX |
Final Thoughts
2025 is the year scraping finally stopped being "a hacky developer thing" and became a real data infrastructure layer.
Every one of these tools has its own use case, and most offer trials, so test freely before you commit.
But if you want to start with something powerful, simple, and friendly for AI workflows… start with ThorData.
They give you an instant way to scrape at scale, 120+ APIs you don't have to build, and a huge residential proxy network to keep things stable.
If you want to try it, here's everything again:
- ThorData Web Scraper
- ThorData Residential Proxies
- 🎁 Free trial included
- 💰 Use code THOR66 for 30% off
- 🔗 Invitation code 0HSUJ23G or https://dashboard.thordata.com/register?invitation_code=0HSUJ23G
Thanks for reading!
Have a great day! Until next time :)
Top comments (2)
Here’s my 2025 stack in plain English: residential with ISP for sticky, session-heavy flows, mobile only when sites get spicy, and datacenter for low-risk discovery. If I had to ride one proxy type for 80% of jobs, it’s residential ISP or plain residential if ISP isn’t on the menu. My north-star KPI is cost per successful page/field-success rate can be padded, and TTFB is nice but not king. For greenfield work, I kick off with an Unblocker API to ship value fast, then refactor to custom once patterns settle. On $100/month, I’d grab Decodo or ScraperAPI for no-drama integration and sprinkle in Webshare DC for cheap discovery. AI extractors help a ton on brittle DOMs, but I still keep hand-rolled selectors for edge cases and audit-grade completeness.
this is solid. i work pretty much the same way. residential isp handles most real workloads, dc for cheap scouting, and mobile only when a site decides to make life painful. and yeah, success-per-dollar is the only metric that actually matters once the dust settles.
starting with an unblocker to get something working fast is so underrated. you learn the site's quirks first, then clean it up later when the patterns are obvious. that approach has saved me so many hours.