by Bradley Mitchell
Updated August 08, 2018
An anonymous proxy server, also called a CGI proxy, is a server that works through a web form so that all the internet requests are first filtered through the form, essentially masking your identity.

Setting up a device to use an anonymous proxy isn't difficult at all. Instead of configuring the address of the proxy server in the web browser, as is the case with HTTP or SOCKS proxies, you just use the internet like you normally would but you do it from the proxy website.

What Does an Anonymous Proxy Do?
An anonymous proxy site is designed to increase your privacy on the web by hiding the public IP address issued by your internet service provider and routing all traffic through different public servers and addresses.

These proxy sites help people avoid content blocks that some websites place on IP addresses from certain countries. When the website thinks that the request is coming from a supported country, there's no reason for it to block it. For example, if the website you want to use only works for Canadians, then you can use a Canadian proxy server to load the pages.

Similarly, a proxy is useful when you're on a network that blocks a specific website but doesn't block the proxy site. In that case, you can use the proxy site as a gateway to access the blocked website.

What to Look for in an Anonymous Proxy Site
When evaluating which proxy to use, look for a reputable brand name and one that performs at acceptable speeds. Web browsing sessions through anonymous proxies do not usually run as quickly as normal browsing due to the extra translation overhead involved in going through the proxy server.

Note: If you need to use an anonymous web proxy often, consider upgrading from a free proxy to a paid proxy server that offers higher performance and perhaps better quality of service guarantees.

Proxy Site vs. VPN: Are They the Same?
An anonymous proxy works differently from a virtual private network (VPN) because it only handles web traffic that runs through the browser that's using the proxy site. VPNs, on the other hand, can be set up for the entire device to use it, which would include programs and other non-web browser traffic.

Also, some VPNs are configured to connect you automatically to a server when your computer starts. Proxy sites aren't always on and aren't nearly as "intelligent" because they work only within the confines of a web browser session.

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Hidester
Screenshot of the Hidester free web proxy website
Hidester provides SSL proxy support that protects you from scripts and other malicious methods that could harm your computer. It has a reputation as the most reliable free web proxy site on the market.

You can pick between a U.S. or Europe server before you begin browsing, as well as choose to encrypt the URL, allow or disallow cookies, accept or reject scripts, and strip away objects from loading.

While you're using Hidester, you can even change the browser referrer, so it looks to the website as if you're using a different operating system or web browser.

You can also clear the cookies that any websites store, and you can do this while you're using the Hidester web proxy.

The service also offers a password generator you can use at Hidester. If you want to pay for Hidester, you can have access to hundreds of other proxy servers in various countries.

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Hide.me
Screenshot of the hide.me free web proxy website
Hide.me is another proxy site you can use for free anonymous browsing.

Start by entering the URL you want to visit and then choose the proxy location from the drop-down box. Your options are Netherlands, Germany, and the U.S.

Just like with some of the other websites on this list, Hide.me lets you disable or enable cookies, encryption, scripts, and objects.

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ProxySite.com
Screenshot of the ProxySite.com free anonymous web proxy website
The ProxySite.com website is a web proxy that you can use with any website including YouTube. You can pick between various proxy servers in the U.S. and Europe.

At the top of the text box where you enter the URL to use with the proxy, are various buttons to quickly jump right into those websites within the proxy, like Facebook, Reddit, YouTube, Imgur, and Twitter.

You can control whether to use cookies, scripts, and objects and even block ads in the proxy. You can also change the server you're on at any point in time while using the proxy, which is ideal if you are banned from the website you're currently using.

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KProxy
Screenshot of the KPROXY free anonymous web proxy website
What makes KProxy unique is that while using the proxy site, you can hide the menu that shows at the top of the screen. Most anonymous web proxies stick the menu there without an option to hide it, and it can make it difficult to browse effectively.

Another benefit to KProxy is that you can switch between 10 different proxy servers if you find that your IP address has been blocked while using one of them. Just switch to another to get instant access again.

Something else you'll find with KProxy but not with any of the other anonymous proxies on this list is a small app you can install to anonymize all your web traffic within the Chrome or Firefox browser. There are two separate apps that each work with their respective browser.

The KProxy app is similar to a VPN, but it only works when browsing the internet within the boundaries of Chrome or Firefox, depending on which program you have installed. It's just a proxy that's applied to all the web pages requested through the browser.

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VPNBook
Screenshot of the VPNBook free web proxy website
VPNBook provides a free anonymous web proxy that seems cleaner and less cluttered than some of the others.

This proxy site supports HTTPS and uses 256-bit encryption to hide your traffic. You can also choose to use a proxy server in the U.S., U.K., or Canada.

It's easy to change the website you want to browse for from within the VPNBook proxy by typing it in at the top of the page.

You do not, however, have control over using or disallowing cookies or blocking scripts like some other proxies support.

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Whoer.net
Screenshot of the Whoer.net free anonymous web proxy website
The primary difference you'll find if you use Whoer.net as an anonymous proxy site is that you can have the proxy server chosen for you or you can manually pick between proxy servers in seven locations.

The locations you pick from with Whoer.net are Paris, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Moscow, Russia; Saint-Petersburg, Russia; Stockholm, Sweden; London, U.K.; and Los Angeles, U.S.

Unfortunately, you cannot remove the huge ad at the top of the browser that asks you to purchase the VPN service. It often gets in the way.

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Megaproxy
Screenshot of the Megaproxy anonymous web proxy website
Megaproxy has a few unique options that make it a little different from some of the other anonymous web proxies.

You have the freedom to disable or enable OS and browser user agent identification plus the option to remove ads from web pages, limit animations to two iterations, and block all cookies.

Because Megaproxy is free, you cannot use it to submit information to forms or log in remotely to websites, nor can you download files larger than 200 kilobytes, block JavaScript, delete embedded Flash files, access HTTPS sites, stream media files, or view more than 60 pages in five hours.

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Anonymouse
Screenshot of the Anonymouse free web proxy
Anonymouse has been around for many years, supporting web, email, and Usenet (news) proxies. The website has been translated for use in both English and German.

Though it is free to use, you have the option to purchase a low-cost subscription for faster proxy servers and additional services such as ad-free surfing, larger file downloads, and the ability to access HTTPS websites.

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Zend2
Screenshot of the Zend2 free anonymous web proxy website
Screenshot
Zend2 works much like the other anonymous proxy sites with the exception that you can use it with YouTube and Facebook. Some free proxies don't support those websites.

It means you can watch YouTube videos behind a proxy without worrying about incurring charges or having to pay for a premium proxy service.

Disabling or enabling any of the following is supported as well: encrypted URLs, encrypted pages, scripts, cookies, and objects. These options are only applicable before you start using the web proxy, unlike some anonymous proxies above let you customize the options even while you're using the proxy.

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Hide My Ass!
Screenshot of the Hide My Ass website.
Hide My Ass! has an anonymous web proxy site that's 100% free so long as you connect with the lower speed option and choose to browse the web (versus play games, stream HD video, encrypt the connection, etc.).

To get started, just pick a country to connect through, choose Standard as the connection speed, select Browse the web, and then enter the URL you want to visit.

Note: Hide My Ass! also has a huge list of free HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS4/5 proxy servers listed here, in addition to an anonymous email service and anonymous referrer service

https://www.lifewire.com/free-anonymous-web-proxy-servers-818058