A SOCKS5 proxy is an alternative to a VPN for online location spoofing. It is handy when you wish to disguise your real IP address from the websites you visit and get an IP address from a different country to access locally prohibited content or services with geo-restrictions. This article is about the best SOCKS5 VPN.
Remember that a SOCKS5 proxy neither encrypts your data nor prevents your ISP from monitoring your DNS queries. Consequently, the SOCKS5 proxy does not give the added privacy features of a complete VPN connection. The SOCKS5 proxy offered by a reliable VPN service provider eliminates these hazards.
How to get a SOCKS5 VPN
Choose a VPN service with a SOCKS5 proxy and a robust no-logging policy. You also want the VPN to be very secure and flexible. This guarantees that your online privacy and security are impenetrable.
Here’s how to get a trustworthy VPN for SOCKS5:
- Choose the recommended SOCKS5 VPN. We recommend NordVPN because it provides exceptional value for money and is quite sophisticated.
- Visit the VPN website and sign up for a subscription. Using our link to activate your automatic discount code for the VPN will provide the lowest price.
- Download the VPN application, install it on your computer or mobile device, then log in using the credentials you created during registration.
- Navigate to the VPN website, log in, and then follow the provider’s instructions to configure the SOCKS5 proxy. It will provide you with all the information you need to connect via a torrent client, either manually inside Windows or macOS, or another method such as FoxyProxy.
- If you want privacy and protection for your internet traffic, connect to the VPN server using the complete VPN client. Remember that a VPN is quicker and more secure than a SOCKS5 proxy.
Using the SOCKS5 proxy offered by your VPN will fake your location, enabling you to overcome local restrictions and website bans and providing you with a new IP address. Remember that a SOCKS5 proxy does not protect you from ISPs and government surveillance.
Internet searches for safe and dependable VPNs are difficult in the best of circumstances. Even more difficult is locating a trustworthy provider using a SOCKS5 proxy. Listed below are a few of the factors we used to choose SOCKS5 VPN:
- Provides a SOCKS5 proxy.
- Quick servers suited for streaming, torrenting, and gaming.
- Applications for all platforms.
- Advanced security features include AES encryption.
- A zero-logging policy that guarantees absolute privacy at all times.
- 24/7 chat.
Later in this post, we will offer further information on how we test and suggest VPNs using a SOCKS5 proxy.
Methodology for SOCKS5 VPN testing
PrivacyExplore recognizes the complexity of the VPN business. To test, evaluate, and compare the world’s biggest VPN companies, we use a rigorous VPN testing approach.
Below is a list of the characteristics we considered while proposing VPNs with a SOCKS5 proxy.
- Secure, feature-rich apps for Android, Mac, and Windows.
- A no-logs policy means that the VPN never analyzes your internet activity and never stores logs that may reveal what you did while connected.
- Servers located all over the globe to provide the fastest VPN speeds available.
- Global access to banned pirate sites and streaming services.
- Servers that are compatible with major services such as Netflix, Hulu, iPlayer, online banking, etc.
- Torrent-optimized servers.
- 24/7 exceptional customer care to help with VPN use.
- Numerous helpful privacy features, including obfuscation, split tunneling, DNS leak prevention, virus screening, and ad blocking.
SOCKS5 VPN FAQs
Can I use a free VPN with SOCKS5?
We have yet to identify a free VPN that supports SOCKS5 proxy use. If you want to use a safe SOCKS5 proxy that is hosted on servers managed by a credible VPN with trustworthy privacy standards, you will need to subscribe to a premium VPN service.
It is also important to realize that free VPNs are often a terrible choice. Studies have demonstrated that free VPNs often gather user data, create user profiles, and sell user data to other parties, such as marketing firms and data brokers. This makes free VPNs comparable to an umbrella with several holes.
Studies have shown that free VPNs lie about the amount of encryption they offer, suffer from data breaches and significant software flaws, and even hide malware in their applications. This makes free VPNs incredibly unsafe, which is why we always advise clients to stick to reliable VPNs that offer a reasonable fee for quality service.
How to configure a SOCKS5 proxy
Choosing and subscribing to a VPN with a SOCKS5 proxy is the first step. After that, you may log in to the VPN provider’s website to record their SOCKS5 proxy information. If you cannot locate them on your provider’s website, contact live chat support as they will be able to guide you to the VPN’s SOCKS5 setup document.
Below are the basic setup instructions for Windows and Mac to assist you. We have also discussed how to link your browser to FoxyProxy.
Configure SOCKS5 manually on Windows
- Select Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy.
- Toggle the On switch next to Manual proxy setup.
- Complete the forms with proxy information (Address and Port).
- Click Save.
Configure SOCKS5 manually on macOS
- Select System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxies.
- Choose SOCKS proxy from the options.
- Enter the proxy server address and port number provided by your VPN provider.
- Click Accept to preserve the settings.
How to connect your browser to a SOCKS5 proxy
Most individuals configure a SOCKS5 proxy on a per-application basis. For the great majority of individuals, this occurs inside their BitTorrent client. However, some individuals choose to use the SOCKS5 proxy in their browser.
Using the Firefox browser with the FoxyProxy plugin is the simplest method to connect to a proxy in a browser. Below are the installation instructions:
- FoxyProxy may be downloaded and installed from the Firefox Add-ons website.
- Click on the FoxyProxy icon in your browser’s toolbar.
- Choose “Options” from the drop-down menu. It will take you to a webpage.
- Choose to use proxy by default for all URLs from the drop-down menu in the page’s center.
- Now, click the Add button in the upper left.
- Next, click Edit and provide the information for your VPN’s SOCKS5 proxy. To do this, you must get the server address, port number, username, and password from your VPN provider.
- Finally, enable Send DNS using the SOCKS5 proxy and click Save to confirm.
- You may now verify that everything is working properly by selecting “What’s my IP” from the menu on the left. Your IP address should be identified as the proxy server’s location.
What is the difference between a VPN and SOCKS5 proxy?
A VPN and a SOCKS5 proxy are both online services that may help you disguise your IP address from websites and online services you visit and use. This enables you to impersonate your location, which is important if you want to access geo-restricted content or a service without them monitoring your actual IP address.
A VPN offers an encrypted channel for your data, but a SOCKS5 proxy does not. The VPN also proxies your DNS queries, preventing your ISP from identifying the websites you visit. A VPN’s encrypted tunnel provides a high degree of online privacy and location spoofing services. This makes a VPN far safer than a SOCKS5 proxy.
A VPN is also much quicker than a SOCKS5 proxy. This makes a VPN protocol like WireGuard, which was built to provide the fastest speeds possible, a far better choice than a SOCKS5 proxy for data-intensive operations like HD streaming, torrenting, and gaming.
Why is the SOCKS5 proxy superior to the SOCKS4 proxy?
SOCKS5 and SOCKS4 are various versions of the SOCKS Secure (SOCKS) proxy. SOCKS5 is superior to its predecessor since it is compatible with the UDP protocol in addition to TCP. This enhances the proxy’s speed and stability.
In addition, SOCKS5 does not change data packet headers, resulting in fewer problems caused by mislabeling or misrouting of data. In addition, SOCKS5 employs fewer data packets, which helps to boost speed in comparison to other proxy protocols (including its predecessor, SOCKS4).
Finally, SOCKS5 enables authentication procedures not accessible in SOCKS4:
- To connect to the proxy, you must provide a username and password. This is what the majority of VPNs employ to make things simple and secure.
- GSS-API authentication—both the user and the proxy server employ operating system-level authentication to authenticate the user’s identity.
Should I use a SOCKS5 proxy to torrent?
Due to the faster speeds given by a SOCKS5 proxy (in comparison to other proxies such as an HTTP proxy), many individuals are interested in using a SOCKS5 proxy for torrenting.
Most BitTorrent clients make it simple to connect to a SOCKS5 proxy from inside the client. This provides the user with peace of mind since the torrent client will always utilize the proxy IP while torrenting. As a result, the user’s security is enhanced since they always mask their true IP address from other users in the swarm.
Remember that although a SOCKS5 proxy may be quickly configured for a torrent client and is quicker than many other proxies, it is neither as fast nor as secure as a complete VPN tunnel. This indicates that 99 percent of torrent users would always be better off connecting to a VPN as opposed to a SOCKS5 proxy.
A VPN not only hides your IP address from the swarm, but also your downloads from local network administrators, ISPs, and maybe government snoops. This is because the VPN encrypts your data and performs your DNS queries securely, preventing eavesdropping.
Finally, anybody contemplating the usage of a SOCKS5 proxy over a VPN is warned that using random SOCKS5 proxies from unknown sources might be very unsafe. Your data may be intercepted and stolen if you use an unconfirmed SOCKS5 proxy discovered online. It is thus vital to use a SOCKS5 proxy offered by a reputable VPN with stringent privacy regulations.
What is the primary advantage of a SOCKS5 proxy?
In addition to providing improved speeds and authentication (as described in the preceding FAQ), a SOCKS5 proxy can also handle a vast array of request types. This implies that the SOCKS5 proxy may be used for VoIP, HTTP, HTTPS, POP3, SMTP, and FTP, among other protocols.
This offers SOCKS5 an edge over other proxy types. Notably, a VPN can process these requests in a far more secure and confidential way. Thus, a VPN is ultimately superior to all other proxy services, including SOCKS5.
What is the most significant drawback of a SOCKS5 proxy?
In addition to not encrypting your data, a SOCKS5 proxy includes information in the header that may be exploited to identify you. This implies that although the SOCKS5 proxy may offer location spoofing services, it lacks the privacy features of a VPN.