Oxylabs Cons

In addition to providing premium proxy solutions to users around the globe, Oxylabs is one of the best and most reliable proxy networks available. In the years since its founding, it has built a reputation for quality service delivery and reliability. However, this provider is not without fault. In this article, we are going to be talking about some obvious and technical Oxylabs cons.

It is difficult to deny that it is one of the most extensive proxy pools accessible today. Users can purchase proxy servers for practically any proxy-related operation. Oxylabs provides consumers with access to a pool of over 100 million residential proxies obtained following stringent rules, making them a secure and dependable supplier. After getting that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at some of Oxylabs fundamental problems.

Expensive 

One of the deciding factors in making purchases of any kind is the price tag of the product. It is not wise to purchase a product at a higher rate when cheaper alternatives offer equal services. Many proxy users tend to shy away from this proxy provider due to its prices. The cheapest residential proxy plan offered on their website is capped at $300 and only gives users 20GB of bandwidth, with their most expensive plan clocking in at a whopping $5,000.

ProxyRack also offers residential proxies with unlimited bandwidth. Their smallest package gives users access to 2 million IPs for just $80. StormProxies also gives users access to their proxies for just $50 a month.

No Mobile Proxies

Residential proxies and datacenter proxies are very useful in various proxy-related tasks. However, some projects require the use of mobile proxies. On Instagram, for instance, most people are mobile users. So you would want to work there with mobile proxies rather than residential or datacenter proxies. Though you can also work with residential proxies on Instagram.

Unfortunately, this is not possible with this provider, making it on the list of Oxylabs cons. Unlike providers like RSocks, Bright Data, and Infatica, Oxylabs does not have separate mobile proxies for such use cases. However, according to one of their live customer service representatives, residential proxy servers can also be used to perform some tasks that require mobile proxy servers. Still, it is advisable to use mobile proxies for tasks that require the use of mobile proxies.

Not Ideal For Individuals and Start-Ups

Since Oxylabs has a high price tag, the service may not be right for individual users, startups, or the low-budget market. Furthermore, I personally think buying expensive proxies for use cases like online gaming is not the best choice, especially when there are more affordable options.

In fact, Oxylabs was established as a premium proxy provider and is, therefore, more suited to larger firms and organizations than to small-scale businesses. Other providers are giving out quality proxy solutions equal to or close to those of Oxylabs. You can check out ProxyRack or StormProxies if you are looking for proxies for a low-budget project or online gaming.

Not the fastest

Oxylabs is fast, but not the fastest you can get on the market. This might not be a problem for most proxy users. Mainly because Oxylabs performs way above the average speed you would want from a proxy. It is worth noting that there are a few other providers out there that offer faster connection speeds than Oxylabs.

Many proxy users consider Bright Data, which was formerly known as Luminati, to be one of the fastest proxy providers. When comparing the pricing of these two providers, I think I would rather go for Bright Data in terms of speed and reliability. Another premium provider, NetNut utilizes DiViNetwork’s points of presence (PoPs) around the globe. This ensures faster download speeds as opposed to providers that use P2P networks, such as Oxylabs.

Cryptocurrency Payment Not Allowed

Most proxy providers on the market today allow users to choose from a list of popular payment methods. This includes credit card transfers, wire transfers, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Except for a few providers, including Oxylabs, who accept payments only through credit cards, wire transfers, and PayPal.

Yes, you read right! Oxylabs does not accept payment from Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. This is one of the biggest Oxylabs cons.

Cryptocurrency has become very popular in recent times, with some individuals investing thousands of dollars in it. Well, if you are one of these people and would like to fund your purchases from your cryptocurrency wallet, then check out providers like RSocks, Infatica, or SmartProxy who are well known for delivering world-standard proxy services at very competitive prices.

Dashboard Only For Monitoring Usage

Oxylabs provides a dashboard so intuitive that it can only be used by users to monitor their usage since everything is automated. You might be wondering why this is a flaw. In my opinion, this can either be a pro or a con, depending on the angle from which you are looking at it. While a less experienced proxy user might see this as an advantage, another user will see it as a downside as this does not allow customization of proxies.

You can check up on RSocks if you would like to customize the rotation of your IPs. With their residential proxies, you can set the time your IPs are rotated though it also has some limitations. 

Conclusion

There are a ton of proxy providers in the market offering users quality proxy solutions. It is therefore up to you to decide which one is suitable for your project or task. As a proxy user, always remember that there isn’t one proxy provider in the market without a few downsides or flaws. 

Thus, it is necessary to know what you are going in for before purchasing any plan. Oxylabs is great, but not without flaws. Analyze your use case to determine whether Oxylabs cons will affect your project before making purchases. If for any reason Oxylabs will not work for you, then check the list of alternatives mentioned above for quality proxies.