TL;DR: Only a few proxy providers still offer a truly free trial in 2026. Webshare has a permanent free plan, Rayobyte offers no-card trials, and Evomi lets you start every product free. Decodo, Bright Data and Oxylabs offer trials with conditions. NodeMaven, SOAX and IPRoyal rely on paid trials, low entry tiers or refunds. Below I list 9 providers with verified trial terms as of October 2026.
Free proxy trials are getting harder to find. Proxyway’s 2026 market research found that several big providers hid or dropped their pay as you go plans. That pushed entry prices up by as much as 25 times.
Many trials also come with fine print. Some need a company email. Some need a card and auto-renew. Some give you 100 MB, which is barely enough for a test.
That matters because a trial is your only real way to check a pool before you pay. A refund policy isn’t the same thing. Most refunds end after you use a small amount of traffic.
So I went through each provider’s own pricing pages, help centers and terms. I list what you actually get, what it costs, and the catches to watch for.
This guide is part of my buying series. If you want to compare full plans after your trial, read my proxy pricing guide. For my full rankings, see my best proxy providers guide.
To be clear, I didn’t run these trials myself for this article. I read the published terms. Every claim links to its source.
Quick Comparison: Best Proxy Free Trials in 2026
| Provider | Best For | Starting Price | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webshare | Permanent free proxies | Free plan | 10 proxies, 1 GB per month |
| Rayobyte | No-card trials | Free trial | Trial on every self-serve product |
| Evomi | Trial plus refund window | Free trial | 30-day capped refund |
| Decodo | Residential test with refund backup | Free 3-day trial | 100 MB, or 14-day refund instead |
| Bright Data | Business users | Free trial | Trial traffic not billed, KYC needed |
| Oxylabs | Verified companies | $5 welcome credit | Works on all products |
| NodeMaven | Cheap paid trial | $3.50 | 750 MB residential or mobile |
| SOAX | No-subscription testing | $5/GB Sandbox | No platform fee on Sandbox |
| IPRoyal | Refund-based testing | $7.35/GB PAYG | Refund if 100 MB or less used |
What Makes a Great Proxy Free Trial?
A great proxy free trial gives you enough traffic and time to test your real target. It should run on the same network you’d pay for. It shouldn’t need a card that auto-renews into a plan you didn’t choose. It should include the targeting you need. And if the trial is short, a clear refund policy should back it up.
Here’s what I’d look for in practice:
- Enough traffic. 100 MB covers a quick connection test. Real scraping tests usually need more.
- The real network. A trial on a separate “free” pool tells you little about paid quality.
- No surprise billing. Check whether the trial converts to a paid plan on its own.
- Full targeting. Make sure city or ASN targeting works during the trial.
- Clear refund backup. Know the time window and usage cap before you buy.
Be careful with free public proxy lists. They aren’t the same as a vendor trial. You don’t know who runs those servers or what they log. A short paid trial from a known vendor is safer. I’d skip the free lists.
Best Truly Free Options (No Payment Needed)
These three providers let you start without paying. They’re the easiest way to test basic setups.
#1 Webshare: Best for permanent free proxies
Webshare is the only provider on my list with a free plan that doesn’t expire.
What it does well. You can use Webshare free for as long as you like. The Webshare pricing page lists a free plan with 10 shared proxies and 1 GB of monthly bandwidth. That’s enough to learn proxy setup and try light targets.
Key features:
- Free plan with 10 shared datacenter proxies
- 1 GB of bandwidth each month
- Paid datacenter lists from $2.99/month for 100 proxies
- Rotating residential and static residential plans too
Pricing. The free plan costs nothing. As of October 2026, paid residential starts at $3.50/GB for 1 GB and falls to $1.40/GB at 3,000 GB. Static residential starts at $6/month for 20 proxies.
Best for: Beginners, students and developers testing code.
Limitations. The free proxies are shared datacenter IPs, so they won’t show you residential quality. Refunds apply only within 2 days and under strict usage limits. For more detail, see my Webshare review.
#2 Rayobyte: Best for no-card trials
Rayobyte offers a free trial on every self-serve product, and you don’t need a credit card.
What it does well. No card means no risk of auto-renewal. Rayobyte’s pricing page says every self-serve product has a free trial and that no credit card is needed. That covers residential, ISP and datacenter options.
Key features:
- Free trials across self-serve residential, ISP and datacenter
- No credit card required
- Pay as you go residential with volume tiers
- Mobile proxies available through sales
Pricing. As of October 2026, Premium Residential costs $3.50/GB for 1 to 49 GB and drops to $0.70/GB from 1,000 GB. Semi-dedicated datacenter IPs start at $1/IP. Static ISP starts at $5/IP.
Best for: Developers and small teams who want to test without handing over card details.
Limitations. Scale Residential opens only after a compliance review. Mobile is sold through sales, and the page doesn’t say whether mobile has a trial. Trial size isn’t listed on the pricing page.
#3 Evomi: Best for a trial plus a refund window
Evomi starts every product on a free trial and backs it with a 30-day refund window.
What it does well. You get two layers of protection. Evomi says every proxy product can start on a free trial. After you buy, you have 30 days to ask for a refund, capped at 10% of your data or 1 GB, whichever is smaller.
Key features:
- Free trial on all proxy products
- 30-day no-questions refund, with a usage cap
- Core Residential from $0.49/GB on a monthly plan
- Mobile, datacenter and static residential options
Pricing. As of October 2026, Core Residential costs $49/month for 100 GB. Premium Residential and mobile cost $3.98/GB pay as you go. Datacenter starts at $0.45/GB pay as you go.
Best for: Budget buyers who want to try cheap residential traffic safely.
Limitations. The trial rolls into the plan price unless you cancel inside the trial window. Proxyway lists Evomi’s residential trial as 1 day and notes price multipliers of up to 15x on Core Residential filters.
Best Free Trials With Conditions
These providers offer free access, but you have to meet conditions. Expect identity checks, a card on file or a business email.
#4 Decodo: Best residential test with a refund backup
Decodo, the former Smartproxy, gives new users a short free residential trial or a refund route instead.
What it does well. Decodo gives you a choice. Its pricing page lists a 3-day free trial with 100 MB for new users. If you skip the trial, your first purchase can be refunded within 14 days, subject to usage caps.
Key features:
- 3-day, 100 MB residential trial
- 14-day refund on first purchase if you didn’t use the trial
- Refund only if under 20% of plan traffic is used
- Pay as you go at $4/GB if you want no commitment
Pricing. As of October 2026, residential plans run $3.75/GB on 3 GB down to $2/GB at 1,000 GB. Pay as you go costs $4/GB.
Best for: Buyers who want a quick residential test and a safety net.
Limitations. The plan you choose kicks in on its own after the trial unless you cancel in Billing. Using the trial removes your refund right. And 100 MB is small for real scraping tests. My Decodo review covers the full plan range.
#5 Bright Data: Best free trial for business users
Bright Data offers free trials across its proxy types, but residential and mobile access needs KYC.
What it does well. Bright Data’s trial runs on its real network. Its pricing FAQ says trial traffic appears on your dashboard but is not counted toward your bill. Bright Data also matches your first deposit up to $500.
Key features:
- Free trial buttons on all proxy types
- Trial usage shown but not billed
- First deposit match up to $500
- Free city, state and ZIP targeting, per Bright Data
Pricing. As of October 2026, residential costs $4/GB pay as you go, shown as a discount from $8. Shared datacenter IPs start at $1.40/IP for 10 IPs.
Best for: Registered businesses testing large scraping or verification projects.
Limitations. Bright Data’s docs say KYC needs a company email, and free addresses like Gmail don’t qualify. Reviews can take up to 2 business days. If you work solo, you may struggle to qualify.
#6 Oxylabs: Best for verified companies
Oxylabs gives verified companies a small welcome credit that works on any of its products.
What it does well. The credit is flexible. Oxylabs’ free trial page offers a $5 welcome credit for verified company registrations, usable on all products. Individuals can get a set of free proxies instead.
Key features:
- $5 welcome credit for verified companies
- Credit works on proxies and scraper APIs
- HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP3 and SOCKS5 support
- Trial requests by contact form or email
Pricing. Oxylabs plans cost $30, $100 and $500 per month, with Enterprise from $2,500, as of October 2026. Residential runs $6/GB on Starter.
Best for: Companies that want to try both proxies and scraping APIs on one credit.
Limitations. At $6/GB, $5 buys under 1 GB of residential traffic. That’s thin. Oxylabs’ billing docs say unused welcome credit expires if your first cycle renews normally.
Best Paid Trials and Refund-Based Options
These providers don’t offer a free trial. They make testing cheap through a small paid trial, a no-fee tier or a refund policy.
#7 NodeMaven: Best cheap paid trial
NodeMaven sells a low-cost paid trial that covers both residential and mobile traffic.
What it does well. The trial is cheap and generous for the price. NodeMaven’s pricing page lists a $3.50 trial with 750 MB, usable on residential and mobile proxies. That’s far more traffic than most free trials give you. Honestly, I’d take this over a 100 MB free trial.
Key features:
- $3.50 trial with 750 MB of traffic
- Trial works on residential and mobile
- Unused traffic rolls over on monthly plans
- Static ISP proxies from $2.33/IP per 30 days
Pricing. As of October 2026, residential and mobile start at $2.20/GB, but only on NodeMaven’s largest plan. Its FAQ says the lowest monthly plan starts at $8.50 for 2 GB.
Best for: Buyers who want a real-sized test of residential and mobile traffic for a few dollars.
Limitations. NodeMaven’s FAQ says it doesn’t offer a free trial or free plans. The pricing page doesn’t state a refund policy.
#8 SOAX: Best for no-subscription testing
SOAX dropped its trial offer but kept a free Sandbox tier with no platform fee.
What it does well. Sandbox lets you buy traffic without a subscription. SOAX’s pricing page says there is no free trial. Sandbox is the no-commitment option, with no subscription fee and no included credits.
Key features:
- Sandbox tier with no monthly fee
- One rate for residential and mobile
- Rotation by request, time, count or error
- Region, city, ISP and ASN targeting
Pricing. As of October 2026, Sandbox costs $5/GB at its first usage tier. Paid plans start at $200/month plus VAT, with rates from $3/GB.
Best for: Teams that want to try mobile and residential traffic without committing to a plan.
Limitations. SOAX says payments are generally non-refundable, with exceptions under its billing policy. Proxyway’s earlier data listed a $1.99 trial, but SOAX’s current page shows no trial, so trust the live page.
#9 IPRoyal: Best for refund-based testing
IPRoyal has no standard free trial, but you can buy 1 GB and ask for a refund under strict rules.
What it does well. IPRoyal lets you start small. Its residential traffic never expires, so a small test purchase isn’t wasted. Its Terms of Service say it may offer a limited free trial at its discretion, possibly with identity or company checks.
Key features:
- Non-expiring residential traffic
- 1 GB minimum pay as you go purchase
- Refunds for connection problems within 24 hours
- Discretionary free trials for eligible clients
Pricing. IPRoyal residential costs $7.35/GB pay as you go for 1 GB as of October 2026. The advertised $1.75/GB rate applies only from 10 TB.
Best for: Users who want a small, non-expiring test balance.
Limitations. IPRoyal’s refund policy rules out refunds after 100 MB of use or after 24 hours. Crypto payments can’t be refunded to the original method. See my IPRoyal review for more.
How Should You Choose the Right Proxy Free Trial?
Pick the trial that tests the proxy type you’ll actually buy, on your real target, with enough traffic to measure results. A free datacenter plan won’t tell you how residential IPs perform. If a trial is tiny, go with a provider that has a clear refund policy. If you don’t have a company email, skip trials that require business KYC.
Follow these steps to get the most from any trial:
- Write a test plan first. List your target sites, locations and success criteria before the clock starts.
- Block heavy assets. Turn off images and video so 100 MB lasts longer.
- Measure success rate and speed. Log status codes, CAPTCHAs and response times for each request.
- Test the targeting you need. Check that city or ASN targeting returns the right location.
- Set a cancel reminder. Cancel before an auto-renewing trial converts, if you don’t want the plan.
Check the provider’s sourcing too. In July 2026, KrebsOnSecurity reported the FBI seized domains tied to NetNut after researchers linked it to the Popa botnet. A generous trial is worthless if the network isn’t legitimate. My guide to choosing a proxy provider covers the red flags.
Budget is usually the next question after a trial. If cost is your main filter, compare rates in my cheap residential proxies guide.
How I Evaluated These Proxy Free Trials
I didn’t sign up for or run each trial for this guide. I read each provider’s own pricing page, terms of service, refund policy and help center in October 2026. I cross-checked trial terms against Proxyway’s 2026 market research and noted conflicts. When the live vendor page disagreed with older data, I went with the vendor page.
I scored each trial on:
- Cost to start. Free beat paid, and no card beat card on file.
- Test size. More traffic or time scored higher.
- Network match. Trials on the paid network scored higher than separate free pools.
- Refund backup. Clear windows and caps earned credit.
- Eligibility. Trials open to individuals scored higher than business-only offers.
See the editorial policy for how I research and update guides.
The Bottom Line
If you want something free with no strings, start with Webshare’s free plan or a Rayobyte no-card trial. Evomi is a good pick if you want a trial plus a refund window.
Businesses should look at Bright Data and Oxylabs, since both reward verified company accounts. Decodo is a solid middle ground with a short trial or a 14-day refund route.
If you’re happy to spend a few dollars, NodeMaven’s $3.50 trial gives you 750 MB for a real test. SOAX and IPRoyal work best when you test on a small paid balance.
After your trial, compare full plan costs in my proxy pricing guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which proxy providers offer a free trial in 2026?
As of October 2026, Webshare has a permanent free plan. Rayobyte offers no-card trials on self-serve products, and Evomi offers free trials on every product. Decodo has a 3-day, 100 MB residential trial. Bright Data offers free trials with KYC, and Oxylabs gives verified companies a $5 credit. Always confirm terms on the vendor’s live page.
Do proxy free trials need a credit card?
Some do and some don’t. Rayobyte says no credit card is needed for its self-serve trials. Decodo’s trial converts to your chosen plan unless you cancel in time, so expect to add payment details. Bright Data’s docs mention adding a payment method for some free trial users. Read the signup page before you start.
How much traffic do proxy free trials include?
Trial sizes vary a lot. Decodo gives 100 MB over 3 days. Webshare’s free plan includes 1 GB each month on shared datacenter proxies. NodeMaven’s paid trial gives 750 MB for $3.50. Oxylabs gives a $5 credit, which buys under 1 GB of residential traffic at its Starter rate. Block images to stretch small trials.
Is a refund policy as good as a free trial?
Usually not. Most proxy refunds end once you use a small amount of traffic. IPRoyal refuses residential refunds after 100 MB of use. Decodo caps refunds at 20% of plan traffic and voids them if you used the free trial. A refund is a safety net, not a full test.
Are free proxy lists a safe alternative to vendor trials?
Generally no. Public free proxy lists come from unknown operators, so you can’t verify who sees your traffic or how the IPs were obtained. They also fail often. A free plan or trial from a known vendor, like Webshare or Rayobyte, is safer. It also gives a more realistic test of paid proxy quality.
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Daniel Brooks writes about proxies, web scraping and email infrastructure at StackHyre. He compares providers on published pricing, documentation and independent benchmarks so you can pick the right setup without overpaying.