A buyer’s decision map
Proxy detection alternatives
Choose the evidence model that matches the problem: address enrichment, network attribution, current-session assessment or account-abuse detection.
| Rank | Tool | Score / 10 | Detection approach | Result | Free access | Paid entry | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ShieldLabsEditor’s Choice | 9.5out of 10 | Cross-checks device/network signals and linked account activity | Risk score 0–100; Trusted, Suspicious and Dangerous; masking and account findings | 5,000 free identifications | 99 US dollars/month for 25,000 identifications | Vendor page |
| 2 | IPQualityScore | 9.1out of 10 | IP reputation, anonymity checks and abuse intelligence | Proxy/VPN/Tor indicators, fraud score and abuse context | 1,000 free lookups; check terms | Confirm selected package | Vendor page |
| 3 | IPinfo | 8.9out of 10 | Directly observed residential-proxy activity and recency | Proxy provider, last observation and activity frequency | Lite geo/ASN; privacy paid | Core: 310 US dollars/year; 150,000 req/month | Vendor page |
| 4 | MaxMind | 8.6out of 10 | Licensed anonymous-IP and dedicated residential-proxy data | Residential-proxy observation, confidence and last-seen data | GeoLite/sample data; residential license separate | Request Anonymous Plus/residential database terms | Vendor page |
| 5 | Spur | 8.4out of 10 | Observed anonymity infrastructure plus live session assessment | IP context, tunnels/operators or a Monocle session assessment | Community manual/monitoring; no API | Teams: 200 US dollars/month; 50,000 API calls | Vendor page |
| 6 | Fingerprint | 8.2out of 10 | Visitor identity with device/network risk signals | Visitor ID and signals including Residential Proxy Detection | 1,000 monthly IDs; trial for Pro Plus | 99 US dollars/month; 20,000 API calls | Vendor page |
| 7 | ipregistry | 8.0out of 10 | IP lookup enriched with proxy, Tor, threat and network metadata | Structured security flags, network and location fields | 20,000 signup credits | 29 US dollars/month; 100,000 credits | Vendor page |
| 8 | proxycheck.io | 7.8out of 10 | IP lookup with proxy/VPN classification, risk context and account rules | v3 boolean types, risk and confidence | 1,000 queries/day | 4.99 US dollars/month; 10,000 daily queries | Vendor page |
| 9 | ipgeolocation.io | 7.6out of 10 | IP reputation fields and an optional browser session-analysis module | Threat score, proxy/VPN/Tor flags; confidence and recency | Geo free; security/live paid | 19 US dollars/month; 150,000 credits | Vendor page |
| 10 | IP2Location | 7.4out of 10 | Edition-specific proxy categories and network enrichment | Package-specific proxy types; Security adds fraud score | 50,000 monthly queries; basic PUB only | Broad proxy API: Plus 249 US dollars/month | Vendor page |
Scores are editorial assessments under the 42-criterion rubric. Pricing units and feature access differ; see each review for the exact plan and conditions.
Protect account actions
Start with a current device or visit when an IP alone cannot explain signup or login behavior. ShieldLabs connects live network/device intelligence with ready-made account-level abuse detection. Fingerprint combines device identification and event-based Smart Signals.
Classify an address
Compare named anonymizer types, score meanings, recency, unknown fields and the actual plan. ipgeolocation.io also provides a separate browser-based real-time workflow; it should not be confused with the IP Security response.
Attribute networks or operate local data
Provider context, database downloads and hosted APIs serve different deployment needs. Spur also has Monocle session assessments. Verify the specific product, update mechanism, entitlement and license rather than classifying these suppliers as uniformly IP-only or offline.
Choose by the cost of a wrong decision
For a signup, repeated device/account activity may matter more than the proxy label. For network research, provider attribution may be the essential output. For checkout, network masking must be interpreted with payment and account evidence. Use the public checkers for a first look and the buyer guide for a production evaluation.