A DuckDuckGo proxy is a proxy server you put between your device and DuckDuckGo, so the search engine sees the proxy’s IP address and location instead of yours. People use one to check DuckDuckGo results from another country, to collect search data at scale without hitting rate limits, or to keep one steady IP for a privacy-focused browsing setup. To find the best DuckDuckGo proxy in 2026 we compared 12 paid providers on location targeting, session control, trials and price. If you are collecting search results, see ProxyEmpire’s SERP proxies.
Quick answer
ProxyEmpire is the best DuckDuckGo proxy provider in 2026. It pairs 30M+ residential IPs in 179 countries and territories with 4M+ mobile IPs in 174, city, ZIP and ASN targeting at no extra charge, and a choice of rotating or sticky sessions, from $1.50/GB. You can test it with a $1.97 trial.
Best DuckDuckGo proxy providers compared
All 12 providers at a glance| # | Provider | Location targeting | Trial | Residential price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ProxyEmpire | Country, region, city, ZIP, ISP, ASN | $1.97 | $3.50 → $1.50/GB | Best overall |
| 2 | Decodo | Country, state, city, ZIP, ASN | Free, 100 MB | $4.00 → $2.00/GB | Scraping tools included |
| 3 | ResiProx | Country, region, city, ISP | $3.97 | $3.50 → $1.75/GB | Residential and mobile on a budget |
| 4 | NodeMaven | Country, city, ISP, ZIP | $3.50 | $5.31 → $2.75/GB | Quality-filtered IPs |
| 5 | Proxy-Seller | Country, city, ISP | $3.50 for 1 GB | $3.50 → $1.45/GB | Low price at volume |
| 6 | Byteful | Country, region, city, ISP | Free, 1 GB | $3.25 → $1.95/GB | Traffic that never expires |
| 7 | Oxylabs | Country, state, city, ZIP, ASN | — | $6.00 → $2.50/GB | Enterprise search data |
| 8 | SOAX | Country, region, city, ASN | $1.99 | $5.00 → $1.50/GB | ASN and ISP targeting |
| 9 | Bright Data | Country, city, ZIP, ASN | Free, after KYC | $4.00 → $2.50/GB | Largest pool |
| 10 | Webshare | Country, state, city, ZIP, ASN | Free plan | $3.50 → $1.50/GB | Free starter plan |
| 11 | IPRoyal | Country, state, city | — | $7.00 → $3.36/GB | Long sticky sessions |
| 12 | DataImpulse | Country (more for a fee) | — | $1.00/GB flat | Lowest flat price |
The price column shows the regular rate on the smallest residential plan, then the lowest rate published at 1 TB or less; promotions are covered in the reviews. Bright Data is shown at its current 50% discount (list $8.00 → $5.00/GB). “—” means no residential trial is listed on the provider’s pricing page. Targeting and trials are taken from each provider’s own site, checked on 26–30 September 2026.
How we compared DuckDuckGo proxy providers
What matters when the target is DuckDuckGoDuckDuckGo shows different results by region, and a single IP can only send so many searches before it gets slowed down. So the useful questions are where a provider’s IPs are, how precisely you can pick them, whether you can keep one IP or rotate on every request, and what a test costs.
The 12 best DuckDuckGo proxies in 2026
Residential and mobile proxy providers, reviewed
ProxyEmpire
Best overallProxyEmpire gives you residential and 4G/5G mobile IPs in the same account, with country, region, city, ZIP, ISP and ASN targeting included, so you can see DuckDuckGo exactly as a user in a given city does.
- Rotate the IP on every search or keep a sticky session, with HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5 on every proxy type
- Unused bandwidth rolls over, 99.9% uptime and 24/7 support from real people
- Pay-as-you-go residential starts at $3.50/GB; the $1.50 rate needs a 1 TB plan
Decodo (formerly Smartproxy)
Scraping tools includedDecodo lists 115M+ residential IPs and sells scraping APIs next to its proxies, which helps if you want parsed search results rather than raw pages.
- A free 100 MB trial and a 14-day money-back guarantee on the first purchase
- 24/7 technical support
- City, state or ZIP targeting can’t be combined with ASN targeting
ResiProx
Residential and mobile on a budgetResiProx sells rotating residential and rotating mobile proxies with country, region, city and ISP targeting, a simple fit for regional DuckDuckGo checks.
- Unused traffic rolls over, and you can pay by card, PayPal or crypto
- HTTPS and SOCKS5 on both products
- Rotating residential and mobile only: no static, ISP or datacenter proxies
NodeMaven
Quality-filtered IPsNodeMaven filters its 30M+ residential and 295K mobile IPs for quality before you get them, and its current 20% promotion takes residential to $4.25 → $2.20/GB.
- Unused traffic rolls over to the next billing period
- ISP proxies from $2.99 per IP with unlimited traffic
- Regular residential rates are higher than most on this list
Proxy-Seller
Low price at volumeProxy-Seller lists 47M+ residential IPs in 220+ locations and reaches $1.45/GB on its 1 TB plan, one of the lowest volume rates here.
- Also sells ISP, IPv4, IPv6 and mobile proxies in the same dashboard
- Rotation by time or request, or a sticky IP for the length of a task
- Residential traffic expires 30 days after purchase
Byteful
Traffic that never expiresByteful (formerly Ping Proxies) lists 35M+ residential IPs, and its residential bandwidth never expires, which suits occasional search checks.
- Country, region, city and ISP targeting
- Datacenter and static residential proxies too
- The smallest residential plan is 10 GB
Oxylabs
Enterprise search dataOxylabs lists 175M+ residential IPs and sells scraper APIs, with targeting down to ZIP, coordinates and ASN for large search-data projects.
- Very fine location targeting
- HTTP(S), HTTP3 and SOCKS5
- No residential trial, and the smallest plan is 5 GB for $30
SOAX
ASN and ISP targetingSOAX lists 155M+ residential IPs with country, region, city and ASN or ISP filters, and custom session lengths.
- Residential and mobile share one balance
- Low per-GB rate on its largest plan
- Credits on monthly plans expire after 60 days
Bright Data
Largest poolBright Data lists 400M+ monthly residential IPs and 7M+ mobile IPs, plus scraping APIs and ready-made datasets.
- The widest pool in this comparison
- Currently 50% off its list prices
- Strict KYC checks for new users, and monthly traffic does not roll over
Webshare
Free starter planWebshare lists 80M+ residential IPs and offers a free plan with 10 datacenter proxies, enough to try a DuckDuckGo script before you pay.
- Self-serve dashboard and API
- Static residential (ISP) proxies as well
- No mobile network, and monthly bandwidth does not roll over
IPRoyal
Long sticky sessionsIPRoyal lists 64M+ residential IPs and keeps a sticky IP for up to 7 days, useful when one browser profile should keep the same address.
- HTTP(S) and SOCKS5
- ISP, datacenter and mobile proxies in the same account
- The highest residential rates in this comparison
DataImpulse
Lowest flat priceDataImpulse charges a flat $1.00/GB for residential traffic that doesn’t expire, and lists 90M+ residential IPs.
- Pay as you go, with no subscription
- $0.80/GB above 1 TB
- City, state, ZIP and ASN targeting cost extra; only country targeting is free
What is a DuckDuckGo proxy?
Two things people meanMost people searching for a DuckDuckGo proxy want what this guide covers: a proxy server between them and DuckDuckGo, so the search engine sees another IP address and location. A proxy in Germany shows you what German users see.
The other meaning is DuckDuckGo’s own set-up. DuckDuckGo says it sends requests to its search partners through its own servers, so the partners see DuckDuckGo rather than you; traditional links and images are largely sourced from Bing. DuckDuckGo also sells a VPN as part of its paid subscription. That VPN covers your whole device and is built for personal privacy, not for choosing a city or rotating IPs.
| Proxy from a provider | DuckDuckGo VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | One browser, app or script | The whole device |
| Locations | Country, city and ISP of your choice | DuckDuckGo’s server list |
| IP type | Residential, mobile or datacenter | VPN servers |
| Rotation | Per request or sticky | One IP per connection |
| Best for | Location checks and search data | Everyday personal privacy |
How to use a proxy with DuckDuckGo
Browser, phone and desktop set-upYou need four details from your provider: the server, the port, a username and a password. With ProxyEmpire, residential and mobile proxies use the server v2.proxyempire.io and port 5000; you choose the country, city and session type in the dashboard, then copy the username and password it generates.
The DuckDuckGo browser
The DuckDuckGo browser is built on the web engine of the device it runs on, so it follows the device’s proxy settings rather than a proxy screen of its own. On Windows and macOS, set the proxy in the system network settings; on a phone, use the options below.
Chrome or Firefox with DuckDuckGo search
- Set DuckDuckGo as the default search engine in the browser’s settings.
- Add the proxy with ProxyEmpire’s free Chrome extension, ProxyEmpire Proxy Manager, which stores the username and password for you, or with a general extension such as SwitchyOmega (see our SwitchyOmega guide).
- Or use the browser’s own settings: see our guides for Chrome proxy settings and Firefox.
- Open duckduckgo.com and search. The results now come from the proxy’s location.
Android and iPhone
- Android: our free Proxy Manager app routes the DuckDuckGo app, or any browser, through ProxyEmpire and handles the login for you. See the Android proxy setup guide.
- iPhone and iPad: add the proxy to your Wi-Fi network under Configure Proxy, with authentication switched on. Our iPhone proxy guide shows each screen.
To check it works, search “what is my IP” on DuckDuckGo: the answer should show the proxy’s IP and location, not yours.
Proxies for DuckDuckGo search data
Rank tracking, SEO and researchDuckDuckGo is a smaller search engine than Google, but its results and features differ, so SEO teams and researchers track it too. A few details make a DuckDuckGo job easier:
- Pick the region explicitly. DuckDuckGo’s
klURL parameter sets the region, for exampleus-enfor the United States orde-defor Germany. Match it to the proxy’s country so the IP and the setting agree. - Use the lighter pages for simple checks. DuckDuckGo runs non-JavaScript versions at html.duckduckgo.com and lite.duckduckgo.com. They load faster, with fewer features.
- Rotate residential IPs, and go slowly. Rotating residential or mobile IPs spread searches across many real addresses. Keep request rates modest: DuckDuckGo’s Acceptable Use Policy forbids anything that interferes with or disrupts its services.
- Keep sessions for browsing, rotation for data. A sticky session suits a person checking results by hand; per-request rotation suits a script.
| Proxy type | DuckDuckGo fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rotating residential | Best for most jobs | Real home IPs in the city you pick, rotated or sticky |
| Rotating mobile | Mobile results and hard targets | Carrier IPs shared by many real phone users |
| Static residential (ISP) | One steady browsing identity | The same home-ISP IP every day |
| Datacenter | Cheap tests only | Fast, but server IPs look less like ordinary users |
ProxyEmpire’s rotating residential proxies, rotating mobile proxies and static residential proxies run on one account, so you can mix them by job.
Free DuckDuckGo proxies: are they worth it?
Why we don’t publish a listFree DuckDuckGo proxies are usually web proxy sites or public proxy lists. They are shared by thousands of people, change daily, slow down as soon as they spread, and are run by strangers who can see everything you send through them. That is why we don’t publish a list: it would be out of date within days. For a one-off look, a web proxy may be enough; our round-up of web proxies explains the trade-offs. For regular checks or any data work, a private proxy that only answers to your login is the reliable choice, and ProxyEmpire’s $1.97 trial costs less than cleaning up after a bad free one. DuckDuckGo’s terms and your local laws apply whichever proxy you use.
DuckDuckGo proxy FAQ
Short answersWhat is the best DuckDuckGo proxy?
ProxyEmpire, in our 2026 comparison: 30M+ residential IPs in 179 countries and territories, 4M+ mobile IPs, city, ZIP and ASN targeting included, and a $1.97 trial.
Does DuckDuckGo hide my IP address?
No. DuckDuckGo doesn’t track your searches, but websites you open from the results still see your IP address. A proxy or VPN is what changes the IP they see.
Is DuckDuckGo a proxy?
Not for your own traffic. DuckDuckGo proxies its requests to search partners so they see DuckDuckGo instead of you, but your connection to DuckDuckGo and to the sites you visit still comes from your IP.
Does the DuckDuckGo browser have proxy settings?
It follows the proxy settings of the device it runs on. Set the proxy in Windows or macOS network settings, or use an app such as ProxyEmpire’s Proxy Manager on Android.
Can I change my DuckDuckGo search region?
Yes, with the region setting or the kl URL parameter, such as de-de for Germany. A proxy in the same country makes the results match what local users see.
Is a proxy or the DuckDuckGo VPN better?
The DuckDuckGo VPN protects your whole device for everyday privacy. A proxy lets you pick the country, city and IP type, and rotate IPs, which is what location checks and search data need.
Which proxy type works best with DuckDuckGo?
Rotating residential proxies for most jobs, mobile proxies for mobile results, and static residential IPs for one steady browsing identity. Datacenter IPs are fine for cheap tests.
Can I scrape DuckDuckGo search results?
Many teams collect DuckDuckGo results for SEO and research. Use rotating residential IPs, keep request rates low and respect DuckDuckGo’s Acceptable Use Policy, which bans disrupting its services.
Is there a free DuckDuckGo proxy?
Web proxy sites and public lists are free, but shared, short-lived and not private. Paid trials such as ProxyEmpire’s $1.97 give you private residential and mobile IPs to test.
How do I check that my DuckDuckGo proxy works?
Search “what is my IP” on DuckDuckGo. It should show the proxy’s IP and location. If it shows your own, check the proxy settings and login.
Private proxies for DuckDuckGo, in any city
30M+ residential IPs in 179 countries and territories from $1.50/GB, 4M+ mobile IPs, rotating or sticky sessions, and 24/7 support from real people. Try ProxyEmpire for $1.97.
