ProxyPal

Although merely a virtual space, the Internet is far from being safe. Wandering off on the wrong pages can get your computer infected, and even compromise your personal information. However, using a proxy server while surfing adds a bit of protection, and in case you’re using Internet Explorer, then ProxyPal fits right in.

It takes a little while to get the plugin installed on your computer, but you might want to close Internet Explorer during the process, so it can integrate itself for proper functionality. Once done, you’re free to launch the browser to check out the new proxy connection.

However, modern versions of Internet Explorer don’t show the addon toolbar by default anymore, so you might want to pay a visit to the dedicated menu to enable it. On the other hand, customizing the commands panel can make it visible, and you only need to press the corresponding button once to activate it.

There aren’t any options to configure, not even a simple menu to describe the way it works. Once the plugin is activated, a pop-up window shows up and informs you of this activity. Doing so again lets you know it got deactivated.

It’s a little disappointing that no related info is shown, nor the possibility to connect through a custom proxy server. What’s more, you need to activate it every time you launch Internet Explorer, and in case you didn’t bring it on the commands panel, chances are you forget about it when surfing the web.

To sum it up, ProxyPal comes with good intentions, cleverly attaching itself to Internet Explorer to offer a more secure way of wandering on the information superhighway. However, the lack of any related details, and especially the possibility to connect with custom values leaves more to be desired, and with Microsoft Edge taking the lead, overall practicality is rather questionable.