ProxyPal is a free web proxy run by PlainProxies, a company that sells residential and datacenter proxies; its header says so plainly. It supports SSL, has a dedicated YouTube proxy page and says it works with sites such as Instagram and Reddit. For a lot of visitors it is the first time they meet a proxy provider at all.
We have no quarrel with that model, because Shifter Web Proxy uses it too: a proxy company offers a free browser tool so people can try its network before buying. The useful question is what each free tool gives you before you pay. On ProxyPal, the landing page carries Google AdSense, there is no choice of country, and in our test the free proxy exited in Poland through MEVSPACE, a hosting company, even though residential proxies are what its parent sells.
Shifter puts the product it sells into the free tool. You browse through residential IPs, you pick from 120 countries listed before you start, and there are no ads. There is no time limit, and a reCAPTCHA check runs at the start of each session.
Want our test results first? Read our ProxyPal review
Shifter Web Proxy vs ProxyPal
| Feature | Shifter Web Proxy | ProxyPal |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | PlainProxies |
| Paid network | Yes, residential | No, hosting IP |
Facts checked on each site's own pages. Where we could not confirm something, the table says so.
What we measured
ProxyPal figures come from our scripted browsing session. Shifter Web Proxy figures come from its own service configuration and code.
| Test | Shifter Web Proxy | ProxyPal |
|---|---|---|
| Median page load | 1287 ms | 1502 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 | 1 |
| Exit IP observed | Residential | Datacenter |
Why people switch from ProxyPal
Try the residential network you would buy
PlainProxies sells residential proxies, but ProxyPal's free proxy exited through a hosting network in our test. Shifter's free tool runs on the same residential pool as its paid plans, so what you test is what you would get.
Countries listed before you start
ProxyPal's free proxy has no country picker; our test session exited in Poland. Shifter lists all 120 on the launcher, so you know whether your target market is covered before you open a session.
A proxy company's tool without ad revenue
ProxyPal shows AdSense on its landing page on top of being a funnel for paid proxies. Shifter Web Proxy has no ads at all; the paid plans are the only way it earns its keep.
Switch country mid-session
Once a Shifter session is open, you can move to another country from the toolbar without a new check, which makes side-by-side comparisons of prices or search results across markets quick.
An upgrade with city and ISP targeting
When you need more than a browser tab, Shifter's paid residential and ISP plans add city and ISP targeting and work with your own browser, scrapers and tools, on the same network you already tried.
Clear about what the free tier is for
ProxyPal's pages mention unblocking Hulu, BBC iPlayer and Disney+, claims we did not test. Shifter makes no streaming promises: the free web proxy is built for checking pages, prices and search results in another country, not for watching shows.
ProxyPal pros and cons
- Run by a named proxy provider, PlainProxies
- No signup, SSL support and a dedicated YouTube proxy page
- No published daily time or data cap
- Every test page loaded in our check
- AdSense ads on the landing page
- No location picker on the free proxy
- Exited through a hosting network in our test, not residential IPs
- No logging policy we could find for the free proxy
Verdict
ProxyPal and Shifter Web Proxy come from the same idea, a proxy company's free browser tool. ProxyPal gives you open-ended free use with ads; Shifter gives you residential IPs in 120 named countries with no ads and no time limit. If you outgrow a browser tab, look at rotating home IPs for data collection.