LumiProxy sells rotating residential proxies. Alongside them it runs free "online proxy" pages, linked from its own navigation, that are named after other web proxies: one for CroxyProxy and one for ProxySite. According to Semrush estimates, searches for "croxyproxy" bring in about half of the site's organic traffic, so many of its visitors arrive looking for a different service.
There is nothing wrong with a proxy company offering a free tool. Shifter does the same, and we say so. The difference we would point to is what you get. LumiProxy's online proxy has a long location dropdown, 199 entries, and in our test six spot picks (Germany, Japan, Brazil, India, South Africa and Canada) all exited in the country chosen. Every one of them came out of a hosting or cloud network rather than a home connection, though. LumiProxy also does not publish how much you can use the tool for free, and we found no logging policy for it.
Shifter Web Proxy carries its own name, lists all 120 countries before you begin, exits through residential IPs and has no time limit. If you want to try a proxy company's network before paying, this page explains how the two compare.
Want our test results first? Read our LumiProxy Online Proxy review
Shifter Web Proxy vs LumiProxy Online Proxy
| Feature | Shifter Web Proxy | LumiProxy Online Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Countries | 120 countries | 199 countries |
| Exit IP | Residential | Datacenter |
| Ads | None | None |
| Allowance | No time limit | No published limit |
| Account | Not required | Not required |
| Logs | No page logs | No policy |
| Operator | Shifter | LumiProxy |
| Page names | Its own | CroxyProxy, ProxySite |
Facts checked on each site's own pages. Where we could not confirm something, the table says so.
What we measured
LumiProxy Online Proxy figures come from our scripted browsing session. Shifter Web Proxy figures come from its own service configuration and code.
| Test | Shifter Web Proxy | LumiProxy Online Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Median page load | 1287 ms | 6888 ms |
| Pages that loaded | 100% | 100% |
| Ad slots added to proxied pages | 0 | 0 |
| YouTube playback | Worked | Worked |
| Countries listed / verified in our test | 120 listed | 199 listed, 6 of 6 verified |
| Ad-network requests per page | 0 | 0 |
| Exit IP observed | Residential | Datacenter |
Why people switch from LumiProxy Online Proxy
It is called what it is
LumiProxy's free proxy pages are named after CroxyProxy and ProxySite. Shifter Web Proxy is presented under Shifter's own name, so you always know whose network you are browsing through and who to hold to its privacy promises.
Residential proxy IPs in 120 countries
LumiProxy's free tool lists more locations, 199, and the six we tested exited where chosen, but through hosting networks such as Tencent, Datacamp and Melbikomas. Shifter lists 120 countries in the launcher, every one exits through a residential IP, and you can switch between them from the toolbar mid-session.
No time limit
LumiProxy does not publish limits for its online proxy. Shifter Web Proxy has no time limit, so you can try the network properly before you decide on a paid plan.
Residential IPs on the free tool
LumiProxy sells residential proxies, but its free online proxy did not use them in our test: the default United States exit was on Cloudie Limited, a hosting network, and the other countries we picked were on hosting and cloud networks too. Every Shifter Web Proxy session exits through the same residential network Shifter's paying customers use, so the free tool is a fair preview of the product.
A stated privacy position
We found no logging policy for LumiProxy's online proxy. Shifter Web Proxy does not log the pages you visit; it only keeps an anonymous, hashed usage counter.
Compare countries on equal terms
In our test, LumiProxy's countries exited through different hosting providers, so a page could change because of the network as much as the country. Shifter keeps the network type the same everywhere, a residential IP in each country, so the differences you see between markets come from the market.
LumiProxy Online Proxy pros and cons
- No AdSense on its pages when we checked
- Run by a named company that sells rotating residential proxies
- Free pages linked from its main navigation, not hidden away
- Its free tool lists 199 locations, and all six we spot-checked exited in the chosen country
- All test pages opened and YouTube played in our run
- Free pages carry other proxies' brand names, which can confuse visitors
- Exits ran through hosting and cloud networks in our test, not residential lines
- Free limits are not published
- No logging policy we could find for the online proxy
Verdict
LumiProxy and Shifter are both proxy companies using a free web proxy to introduce their networks, so the useful question is which one tells you more. Shifter Web Proxy publishes its 120 countries, its residential exit IPs and its no-logs position under its own name. If those details matter to you, it is the more transparent place to start. If you outgrow a browser tab, look at the residential proxy pool.