Browsing the internet unprotected is just asking for trouble as malicious users can attack and gather information from you. X-Proxy wants to protect you by providing a proxy client that can hide your IP address and much more, all in a free package.
Installation & Requirements
During the installation, you might get a warning pop up from Windows, telling you that the publisher is not verified. This is nothing to worry about so just confirm the installation and let the installer download its components. Shortcuts will also be automatically created so you do not have to worry about that. The only requirement of the application is Microsoft .NET Framework 4. The supported operating systems are Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8x.
Interface
When you first start the program, you will be asked to enable the “HostShield”. This is a prominent feature of the app so you should definitely enable it. After you do that, you will get to the main interface of the program. The host shield will block ads, pop ups, basic hijacking attempts, tracking cookies and more. Not only will it help with your protection but it will also make pages load faster as they will have fewer things to display and add on you.
Of course, that is not the actual protection of the program. At first you will be unprotected and your real IP will show along with your country. You will have to set up the application manually but that really is very easy. Right in the middle of the main window there is a button that says “Check proxy list”. When you click on it, the application will retrieve a list of the available proxies but will only display the working ones. Allow it a few minutes and a list of working proxies should appear. Double click on of the proxies and you will automatically connect to it. Your real IP address will be shown to you at the top along with your fake one. The second is what everyone else will see though so you know you are protected.
When you enable a proxy, you will also see the location of the IP address you are using. That feature is mostly for fun though as you do not really need to know the exact location of the proxy. In addition to all that, restoring your real IP is also very easy. Although you will not be as protected, you might want an app or a website to actually use your real location. Just click on the Stop icon or right click on the app’s system tray icon to disable the proxy.
The second tab of the app is the VPN one. Unfortunately, VPN options are only available in paying or donating users so unless you are one of them, you can skip it. What might actually be of interest to you, however, is the Privacy tab. There you can enable/disable Hosts Shield, clear the browsing data of Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox and check whether your homepage has been hijacked by malicious software. Although the features are basic, the convenience of having all of them in one place is tremendous.
Pros
-Simple installation
-Very easy to use
-Privacy tools are wonderful
-Decent list of proxies
Cons
-Some features are locked to free users
Conclusion
X-Proxy is undoubtedly one of the best proxy and privacy clients I have ever used. It is simple, free and provides enough security that the average user should be more than satisfied with. If you are concerned about your privacy, definitely give this application a try.
