BlockAway is a free web proxy with a simple promise: paste a link, unblock the site, watch YouTube. Its basic version is free, it offers Europe and USA servers, and proxied links can be shared. It also ranks for CroxyProxy searches, so many people land on it as a backup for CroxyProxy.
That backup is closer to the original than it looks. BlockAway uses the same page template, the same sponsored banner, the same "Get premium access" offer and the same server IP in its footer as CroxyProxy. In practice it is CroxyProxy's second brand, on the same infrastructure and the same ad-funded model. If a site turns CroxyProxy away, there is little reason to expect BlockAway to fare differently.
Shifter Web Proxy runs on a different network entirely. It is built by Shifter on its residential proxy pool, lets you choose from 120 countries, and shows no ads. There is no time limit, and a reCAPTCHA check runs before each session.
Want our test results first? Read our BlockAway review
Shifter Web Proxy vs BlockAway
| Feature | Shifter Web Proxy | BlockAway |
|---|---|---|
| Countries | 120 countries | No location choice |
| Exit IP | Residential | Datacenter |
| Ads | None | Yes |
| Allowance | No time limit | No published limit |
| Account | Not required | Not required |
| Logs | No page logs | No policy |
| Operator | Shifter | Not disclosed |
| Platform | Its own | CroxyProxy's |
Facts checked on each site's own pages. Where we could not confirm something, the table says so.
What we measured
BlockAway figures come from our scripted browsing session. Shifter Web Proxy figures come from its own service configuration and code.
| Test | Shifter Web Proxy | BlockAway |
|---|---|---|
| Median page load | 1287 ms | 2411 ms |
| Pages that loaded | 100% | 100% |
| Ad slots added to proxied pages | 0 | 1 |
| YouTube playback | Worked | Failed |
| Countries listed / verified in our test | 120 listed | No location choice |
| Ad-network requests per page | 0 | 2 |
| Exit IP observed | Residential | Datacenter |
Why people switch from BlockAway
A genuinely different backend
Switching from CroxyProxy to BlockAway keeps you on the same platform. Shifter Web Proxy runs on Shifter's own residential network, so a site that blocks the CroxyProxy servers sees a completely different source of traffic.
Countries, not "Europe and USA"
BlockAway describes its servers as Europe and USA options, but its free tool has no location picker; our test session exited in Poland. Shifter names 120 countries, including Japan, Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates, and lets you switch between them from the toolbar.
Residential IPs that look like local visitors
BlockAway does not advertise residential IPs, and our test session exited through MEVSPACE, a Polish hosting company. Each Shifter session exits through an IP on a home broadband line in the country you picked, which large sites generally treat as an ordinary visit rather than proxy traffic.
No ads and no paid ad removal
BlockAway runs AdSense and a sponsored banner, and sells premium access without publishing the price on its homepage. Shifter Web Proxy has no ads in any tier, so there is nothing to pay to get rid of.
A stated no-logging stance
We could not find a logging policy for BlockAway itself. Shifter's gateway keeps no record of the pages you visit, only a hashed anonymous token and a usage counter.
Built for checking, not just unblocking
BlockAway is pitched at getting past a block and watching video. Shifter is built for seeing a site as a local does: pick a country, compare prices or search results, switch country from the toolbar and compare again, with no time limit.
BlockAway pros and cons
- Free basic version with no signup
- Shareable proxied links
- Pitches unlimited YouTube video access in its own copy
- No published daily time or data cap
- Same platform as CroxyProxy, so it is not an independent fallback
- No location picker on the free tool; Europe and USA servers per its own description
- YouTube’s player appeared but the video stayed still in our test
- AdSense and a sponsored banner, with premium access at an unpublished price
Verdict
BlockAway is a convenient mirror of CroxyProxy, and if CroxyProxy works for you, so will it. When you need a truly separate network, a specific country or no ads at all, Shifter Web Proxy is the alternative, with no time limit. When you need the same IPs in your own scripts, start with residential IP proxies.