Squid

Squid is ranked #9 of 36 in proxy software on The Geeks Club. It runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

Squid plans and pricing

All plans

Squid Free Free to download, use, and modify Self-hosted proxy software · third-party commercial support may be available squid-cache.org · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on proxy software

Free plan: Yes
Deployment: self_hosted
Cache targets: HTTP/HTTPS web pages and objects, FTP data, gopher data
Data persistence: Yes
High availability: Yes
Supported cache engines: HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, gopher, ICP, HTCP

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Squid

Purpose: Squid is a caching proxy for web traffic that reuses frequently requested pages to reduce bandwidth and improve response times.
Protocols: Squid supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and other web data, including FTP, gopher, and HTTP objects described in its FAQ.
Access controls: The project describes Squid as having extensive access controls and full request logging.
Acceleration: Squid can accelerate servers, route content among web servers, and build content clusters for load balancing.
Cache hierarchy: Multiple Squid caches can be connected as a mesh or hierarchy using parent and sibling links.
Authentication: Squid documentation lists Basic, NTLM, Digest, and Negotiate proxy authentication and bundled helpers for backends including LDAP, SQL databases, PAM, RADIUS, and Windows domains.
Authentication caveat: The documentation warns that Basic authentication encodes credentials with Base64 rather than encrypting them, so credentials are effectively cleartext between browser and proxy.
Licensing: Squid is distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2, with some components under GPLv2-compatible open-source licenses.
Platforms: The project routinely tests Linux, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD, lists macOS availability through Homebrew, and says Squid is also known to run on Windows.
Installation: Squid is available through operating-system package systems, source releases and GitHub, and binary packages for a variety of platforms including Windows.
Support: The project offers documentation, a wiki, bug tracking, mailing lists, and links to commercial services; direct project contact is not for user support.
Foundation: The Squid Software Foundation is a Colorado nonprofit incorporated in 2011 and says it supports project governance, administration, infrastructure, copyright, and licensing.
Price from: Free

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Where it ranks on The Geeks Club

Best Proxy Software in 2026#9 of 36
Best Caching Software in 2026#5 of 26
Best Forward Proxy Software in 2026#7 of 21

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Sources

squid-cache.org· checked 30 Sept 2026
wiki.squid-cache.org/Features/CacheHierarchy· checked 30 Sept 2026
wiki.squid-cache.org/Features/Authentication· checked 30 Sept 2026
wiki.squid-cache.org/SquidFaq/AboutSquid· checked 30 Sept 2026
squid-cache.org/Download/· checked 30 Sept 2026
squid-cache.org/Support/· checked 30 Sept 2026
squid-cache.org/Foundation/· checked 30 Sept 2026