Online surveys are one of the best ways to earn money in the 21st century. Many companies are interested in knowing who their customers are and what they think about their products.
They can get all the information needed by contracting the help of survey websites. Survey sites such as SurveyJunkie pay users from around the globe to answer specific questions.
However, some survey sites restrict access to their surveys based on locations. This is a method to target only related audiences. Examples of such survey sites include Swagbucks, Qmee, and PrizeRebel, which track users’ locations through IP addresses.
But here is the good news: you can now access these survey sites using private proxies.
This article discusses the ideal proxies for surveys in 2022 and how to choose a quality proxy provider.
The Best Proxies for Online Surveys In 2022
A proxy acts as an intermediary between your local network and the internet. Your local IP address is masked by rerouting your requests through an active or generated IP address.
Without proxies, your actual IP address is revealed to the public and can be used to track your location or access other personal details from your device. This can prevent you from accessing some highly-paying survey sites.
With that said, it is essential to note that not all types of proxies guarantee 100% security. It would surely be a terrible experience to have your survey account banned, with several earned dollars lost, just because the system detected that you are using a proxy.
Two major types of proxies ideal for online surveys are residential and data center proxies.
1. Residential Proxies
Residential proxies contain IP addresses made available by an internet service provider (ISP). Each IP is linked to physical locations, homes, and devices across the globe.
Every time you try to access survey sites using a residential proxy, your request is routed through another device outside the restriction range.
For example, if you are trying to access Swagbucks from any Asian country, your request will be sent through an active IP address inside the US.
One beautiful thing about this type of proxy is that the possibility of triggering security alarms is very low. This way, you can access geo-restricted survey sites and their contents while browsing anonymously.
2. Datacenter Proxies
Unlike residential proxies that use internet service providers (ISP), datacenter proxies originate from hosting companies or cloud service providers like Google Cloud and AWS.
When you try to visit a survey website, your request first passes through the data center proxy server. The proxy server sends your request from a generated IP address to the website you want to access while removing your local IP.
Because the request is sent through a datacenter proxy server, the website will not recognize it as coming from you.
Although none of the IP addresses generated from datacenter proxies are real, they are still able to mask your local address and allow you to access some restricted survey websites.
Residential Proxies Or Datacenter Proxies?
Both types of proxies are ideal for surveys. However, a few pros and cons to consider when making your choice.
1. Speed
Datacenter proxies are undoubtedly faster than residential proxies. Their speed is attributed to the data center’s management of each IP address.
IP addresses from residential proxies are not directly managed.
2. Geolocation Targeting
Residential proxies have the edge over data center proxies regarding the number of locations they cover.
Residential proxies only use a peer-to-peer network, making almost every location accessible. Datacenter servers must be established in a required location before their proxies can function in that area.
3. Cost
Residential proxies are more expensive than data center proxies. This makes it a somewhat unreasonable option for small businesses.
However, if you think of earning passively from complex survey websites, then you should choose a residential proxy service.
4. Safety
Datacenter Proxies are easily detectable by complex survey websites. Imagine losing the money you are yet to withdraw from your survey dashboard because the website detected a proxy?
That is why you should go for residential proxies. They are safe and have the lowest risk of being detected.
Survey Proxy Vs. Social Media Proxy
Creating multiple accounts on any social media platform using the same IP address can get you banned.
Using social media proxies, however, you can easily create multiple accounts without risking being banned or suspended.
Social media proxies like Instagram proxy help you get around security checks by giving you different but real IP addresses each time you create a new or manage an account.
In contrast, survey proxies are mainly used to bypass geo-restriction on survey sites.
How To Choose A Quality Proxy Provider For Surveys?
There are many promising proxy providers, but only a few can genuinely assist you in achieving your goal.
If you want to create multiple social media accounts or register for foreign or out-of-location survey sites, you’ll need to use a reputable proxy service provider.
To choose a quality proxy provider, look out for these features:
1. Security
While survey sites might not have access to your browsing data and others, the proxy checker service you are using does.
This data can be sent to data miners to be used for different things as opposed to your expectations.
Before subscribing, make sure to choose a proxy provider with a good track record and guaranteed security. Although their services might come at a higher cost, it is still recommended.
2. Number Of Available IP Addresses
Many survey sites have developed several algorithms that make detecting a proxy’s IP address easy.
Using a limited pool of IP addresses to access survey sites will make the security checks catch on quickly.
You should choose a proxy service that has a large pool of IP addresses at its disposal. A perfect example is Brightdata, with almost 40 million pools of IPs.
3. Loading Speed And Customer Support
Most surveys only take about 15 minutes to complete. Any proxy service that prolongs the time you spend while taking surveys should be avoided.
For non-technical users, navigating your way through the whole proxy setup might be very difficult. That is why you need responsive customer support to aid you.
Otherwise, you might risk getting your newly created survey account banned if you wrongly set up your proxy network.
Wrapping Up
If you are looking for ways to earn in your leisure time without much hassle, then taking surveys is the best.
You should consider using a survey proxy service with the best delivery guarantee to avoid all of the unnecessary geo-restrictions and other possible problems.
