UnblockVideos is a small web proxy built around video. Its site focuses on YouTube, says it supports DailyMotion and claims to block the ads inside Vevo videos. It also offers YouTube tools and a "PHP Web Proxy Demo", which suggests the proxy script itself is offered to other site owners. We saw no AdSense on its landing page. When we tested it, though, its proxy server refused every connection, so none of our test pages loaded through it, YouTube included.
Video is a narrow use, though. People looking for an UnblockVideos alternative usually want to open ordinary websites from another country: a shop's local prices, a news site's regional edition, search results or an ad running in one market. UnblockVideos says it has servers in several countries but does not publish the list, and it does not say who runs it. Shifter Web Proxy lists all 54 countries before you start, and every session exits through a residential IP.
One honest caveat before you switch: Shifter's free allowance is 30 minutes and 100 MB per visitor per day. Video uses data quickly, so if long viewing is what you need, the free web proxy is not the right tool. For browsing and checking pages, it is.
Shifter Web Proxy vs UnblockVideos
| Feature | Shifter Web Proxy | UnblockVideos |
|---|---|---|
| Countries | 54 countries | No location choice |
| Exit IP | Residential | Not published |
| Ads | None | None |
| Allowance | 30 minutes and 100 MB a day | No published limit |
| Account | Not required | Not checked |
| Logs | No page logs | No policy |
| Operator | Shifter | Not disclosed |
| Focus | Any website | Video sites |
Facts checked on each site's own pages. Where we could not confirm something, the table says so.
What we measured
UnblockVideos figures come from our scripted browsing session. Shifter Web Proxy figures come from its own service configuration and code.
| Test | Shifter Web Proxy | UnblockVideos |
|---|---|---|
| Median page load | 1287 ms | Not measured |
| Pages that loaded | 100% | 0% |
| Ad slots added to proxied pages | 0 | Not measured |
| YouTube playback | Worked | Failed |
| Countries listed / verified in our test | 54 listed | No location choice |
| Ad-network requests per page | 0 | Not measured |
| Exit IP observed | Residential | Not measured |
Why people switch from UnblockVideos
Built for whole websites
UnblockVideos centres its tools on video platforms. Shifter Web Proxy opens any page in its own tab with back, forward and reload, so you can move through a site the way a local visitor would.
54 countries you can see in advance
UnblockVideos mentions several server countries without listing them. Shifter publishes all 54, from the United States and Japan to Brazil and South Africa, and lets you switch from the toolbar mid-session.
You know who runs it
UnblockVideos does not name its operator. Shifter Web Proxy is run by Shifter, a residential and ISP proxy provider, with a stated position that it does not log the pages you visit.
Residential IPs, not an unnamed server
Every Shifter session exits through a residential IP from the same network paying customers use. Sites generally treat that as an ordinary home connection in the country you chose, which matters for seeing local content as it really appears.
No ads, and a business model you can see
Shifter Web Proxy shows no ads on the page or inside the sites you visit. It exists so people can try Shifter's residential network, and paid residential and ISP plans are where the upgrade path leads.
A hosted service, not a script demo
UnblockVideos also promotes a PHP web proxy demo, which suggests the site doubles as a showcase for a proxy script. Shifter Web Proxy is a hosted service on Shifter's own residential network, with nothing to install, host or maintain on your side.
UnblockVideos pros and cons
- Its landing page showed no AdSense when we looked
- Focused on one job, with dedicated video tools
- Claims to block ads inside Vevo videos
- Server countries are not listed
- Operator is not disclosed
- No logging policy we could find
- Built around video rather than general browsing
- Its proxy server refused every connection in our test
Verdict
UnblockVideos is a focused tool for one kind of site, and Shifter's daily data cap means it is not a replacement for long viewing. For browsing ordinary websites from another country, Shifter Web Proxy gives you 54 listed countries, residential IPs and a named operator with no ads.