Tinyproxy vs SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway

TTinyproxy8.4Visit SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway7.8Visit

Higher score T Tinyproxy #4 in Forward Proxy Software 8.4/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Tinyproxy

vs

SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway #8 in Forward Proxy Software 7.8/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit SafeSquid

• Tinyproxy fits best

  Lightweight self-hosted HTTP proxying

• SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway fits best

  Hybrid gateways needing strong identity integration

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Side by side

Feature	TTinyproxy 8.4/10 Visit ↗	SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway 7.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.4	7.8
Ranking	#4 in Forward Proxy Software	#8 in Forward Proxy Software
Best for	Lightweight self-hosted HTTP proxying	Hybrid gateways needing strong identity integration
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Open source	Pricing on request
Free plan	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, macOS	Web, Windows, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Tickets, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Tinyproxy 0/3 · SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway 3/3
SSL inspection	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Web filtering	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
User authentication	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment	Not checked yet	Hybrid
Proxy protocols	Not checked yet	Http/https
Concurrent connections	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports HTTP/HTTPS, transparent, reverse, and upstream proxy modes Provides filtering, authentication, access rules, and header management Runs across Linux, macOS, and self-hosted deployments	Broad HTTP/HTTPS filtering, SSL inspection, and application controls Integrates with Active Directory, LDAP, Kerberos, ICAP, and SIEM systems Supports malware scanning, DLP, reporting, clustering, and hybrid deployment
Cons	Self-hosted software requires administrators to manage deployment and operation Focused on proxy administration rather than a hosted proxy network No AI features are included	Pricing is handled through sales rather than a public rate card Its broad policy scope may require more administration than a narrow proxy Its forwarding focus is centered on HTTP and HTTPS traffic
Our verdict	Tinyproxy is an open-source HTTP/HTTPS proxy daemon for POSIX systems and resource-constrained environments. It is suited to administrators managing small networks, embedded deployments, network appliances, and other self-hosted… Read the review →	SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway is a software-based HTTP(S) forward proxy for enterprise web security. It inspects and controls Layer 7 traffic, with URL, domain, text, image, and custom-category filtering alongside HTTPS inspection, malware… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Tinyproxy — where it wins

  • Supports HTTP/HTTPS, transparent, reverse, and upstream proxy modes
  • Provides filtering, authentication, access rules, and header management
  • Runs across Linux, macOS, and self-hosted deployments

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted software requires administrators to manage deployment and operation
  • Focused on proxy administration rather than a hosted proxy network
  • No AI features are included

• SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway — where it wins

  • Broad HTTP/HTTPS filtering, SSL inspection, and application controls
  • Integrates with Active Directory, LDAP, Kerberos, ICAP, and SIEM systems
  • Supports malware scanning, DLP, reporting, clustering, and hybrid deployment

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is handled through sales rather than a public rate card
  • Its broad policy scope may require more administration than a narrow proxy
  • Its forwarding focus is centered on HTTP and HTTPS traffic

• TTinyproxy8.4/10 · Open source

  A compact self-hosted proxy for administrators who need control without a hosted network.

  Visit TinyproxyFull verdict →
• SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway7.8/10 · Pricing on request

  A hybrid forward proxy with deep filtering, identity controls, inspection, and reporting.

  Visit SafeSquidFull verdict →