Best Forward Proxy Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Cisco Secure Access is ranked #1 of 21 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of mitmproxy and Privoxy. The best-ranked option with a free plan is mitmproxy. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Cloudflare Gateway at $7/mo.
Forward proxy software manages client traffic on its way to online services, with the right fit depending on how you intend to deploy and control that traffic. The ranking starts with Cisco Secure Access and WinGate, followed by mitmproxy, Privoxy, and 3proxy. Compare deployment and proxy protocols alongside concurrent connections, SSL inspection, user authentication, and web filtering. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide cost considerations to weigh against the capabilities you need. Squid, Cloudflare Gateway, and Skyhigh Private Access also appear among the opening entries. Use these listed dimensions to consider which tools align with your environment.
21 forward proxy software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Forward Proxy Software, one module each. A lit port is something its maker publishes; 1 of the 21 on this page have a public API.
- 01 Cisco Secure Access API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.5
- 02 mitmproxy API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.7Free
- 03 Privoxy API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.7Free
- 04 3proxy API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.6Free
- 05 Squid API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.6Free
- 06 WinGate API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.6$109.95/mo
- 07 Cloudflare Gateway API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.5$7/mo
- 08 Skyhigh Private Access API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.4
- 09 SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.3
- 10 Zscaler Private Access API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.3
- 11 Cato Client API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.2
- 12 Check Point Harmony SASE API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.2
- 13 iboss Cloud API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.2
- 14 FortiProxy API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 15 Prisma Browser API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1$10/mo
- 16 LatentSync API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 17 Menlo Security Secure Web Gateway API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 18 Lookout Secure Cloud Access API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 4.9
- 19 Symantec IT Management Suite API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 4.7
- 20 Apache Traffic Server API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 4.6
- 21 Tinyproxy API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 4.6
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which forward proxy software is ranked first on Inferse?
Cisco Secure Access is ranked #1 of 21 with a score of 6.5. mitmproxy is second and Privoxy third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 of the 21 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Cloudflare Gateway has the lowest first paid tier we found: $7/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.