Most MTProto proxy lists you find on Google are stale within 48 hours. The servers are overloaded, the secrets have rotated, or the host got hit by abuse reports and pulled the plug. I have tested this cycle a dozen times in 2026: the “working” lists are working for roughly 4 to 72 hours, then quietly die.
This guide gives you something more useful than a dead list. It covers where active MTProto proxies actually come from in 2026, how to test one in under a minute, what to expect from free vs paid, and a framework for finding new working proxies when the old ones stop responding.
If you just need the best Telegram proxies overall, see our best Telegram proxies 2026 round-up. This post is specifically about MTProto lists.
What is an MTProto proxy (and why it matters for Telegram)
MTProto is Telegram’s own proxy protocol. Unlike SOCKS5 or HTTP proxies, MTProto proxies speak Telegram’s native protocol end to end. That matters for two reasons.
First, MTProto traffic looks like generic TLS to deep packet inspection. Networks that block Telegram at the protocol level (Russia, Iran, parts of China, some university networks) often cannot tell an MTProto session from regular HTTPS. SOCKS5 over Telegram leaks protocol signatures that DPI can flag.
Second, MTProto proxies can sponsor a public channel, which is why many of them stay free. A proxy operator promotes a Telegram channel through the proxy, you get free access, the operator gets subscribers. This is the main reason free MTProto lists exist at all.
Free MTProto proxy list (tested April 2026)
I will not paste a list of “working” proxies here because they would be dead by the time you read this. Instead, here is where to find live lists updated at least daily in 2026:
| Source | Refresh rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `@mtpro_xyz` Telegram channel | every 30 min | curated, mostly Iran and Russia endpoints, high churn |
| `mtpro.xyz/en/` | hourly | web mirror of the above, sortable by country and ping |
| `proxy.mtproto.co` | ~daily | community-sourced, lots of dead entries, filter by last-tested |
| `github.com/mtproxy-list` pattern repos | weekly | slower but often has longer-lived proxies |
| `@mtproto_proxy` aggregator channels | continuous | accept you will test a handful before one works |
Rule of thumb: any list older than 24 hours has a success rate under 20 percent. Lists from a minute ago are closer to 60 to 70 percent working.
How to add a working MTProto proxy in under a minute
The fastest way to test a proxy is to let Telegram do it:
- Open any MTProto proxy link in the format `tg://proxy?server=HOST&port=PORT&secret=SECRET`. Most list sites wrap these in a button called “Connect” or “Add”.
- Telegram opens with a proxy dialog. Tap Connect.
- Telegram attempts to handshake. If you see your chat list load within 10 seconds, the proxy works.
- If it hangs longer than 15 seconds, go back and try the next one on the list.
To verify the proxy is actually routing your traffic, send a message in any chat. If it delivers with a single check mark in under 3 seconds, latency is acceptable. If it takes 5 plus seconds or fails to send, pick a different proxy.
Why free MTProto proxies die so fast
Three failure modes account for almost every dead MTProto proxy you will encounter.
Saturation. A free proxy gets posted to a public list. Within hours, hundreds of users connect. The host hits its bandwidth cap and starts dropping packets. By the next day, the proxy is technically up but unusable.
Abuse reports. Public MTProto proxies are frequently used for spam and scam accounts on Telegram. Hosting providers (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Hetzner) receive abuse notices and terminate the instance. This takes down even well-behaved operators.
Secret rotation. Proxy operators rotate their secret key to clear out old users and re-promote their sponsored channel. The host and port stay the same, the secret changes, and every saved connection breaks.
When free stops cutting it (and what paid looks like)
If your use case is occasional access to Telegram on a restrictive network, free MTProto lists are fine. Rotate through 3 to 5 proxies a day, accept some friction.
If you are running bots, multi-account setups, or any workflow that needs consistent availability, free lists will waste hours per week on outages. Paid MTProto proxies from providers like iProxy, SOAX, or dedicated Telegram proxy vendors start around $5 to $15 per month for a single port and typically hold uptime above 99 percent.
For bot-specific setups, see our guide to the best proxies for Telegram bots and multi-account workflows.
Rotation tips for heavy users
If you rely on free MTProto proxies daily, a few patterns save time.
Save at least 5 working proxies at once. Telegram lets you switch between saved proxies instantly. When one dies mid-session, rotate to the next without losing connection.
Prefer proxies hosted in countries with high Telegram user counts. Iranian, Russian, and German endpoints churn fast but there are always many live ones. Proxies in Singapore, Japan, or the US tend to last longer but are fewer.
Check the proxy every morning before you need it, not when you need it. A 30-second test in the morning saves 10 minutes of panic-switching during a busy afternoon.
Avoid proxies that sponsor channels you do not recognize. The promoted channel is not a quality signal, but persistent promotion across many proxy entries often indicates the operator is running a spam campaign and will be terminated soon.
MTProto vs SOCKS5 for Telegram in 2026
Both protocols work for Telegram, but they fail differently under restrictive networks.
MTProto is harder to fingerprint at the network level. If your network blocks Telegram by DPI signature, MTProto is usually the only option that still connects.
SOCKS5 is easier to share across apps. The same SOCKS5 proxy works for your browser, your Telegram client, your scraper, and any other tool that accepts a SOCKS endpoint. MTProto only works inside Telegram.
SOCKS5 over Telegram also gives you regional IPs that look like real users for features like stickers, stars, or localized channel lists. MTProto proxies do not influence Telegram’s view of your region in the same way.
For the full protocol breakdown see our Telegram SOCKS5 vs MTProto comparison post.
Can I run my own MTProto proxy?
Yes, and in 2026 this is genuinely the most reliable option if you have a $5 VPS.
The official mtproto-proxy binary from Telegram compiles on any Linux VPS in about 10 minutes. It accepts a single secret per instance and serves unlimited users until your VPS bandwidth runs out.
Pros: no saturation, no abuse-driven terminations, secret you control.
Cons: you need a VPS outside the network you want to bypass. DigitalOcean, Vultr, or Hetzner work fine for around $5 per month. Make sure your provider’s terms allow proxy hosting (most do, but confirm).
The setup is one git clone, one make, one systemd unit, and a firewall rule to open the port you pick. Once it is running, save the generated proxy URL to Telegram and it will outlast any free list you find.
FAQ
How do I find a working MTProto proxy?
Pull from an aggregator updated in the last hour: mtpro.xyz, @mtpro_xyz, or community-maintained GitHub repos. Expect a 50 to 70 percent hit rate. Test each with Telegram’s built-in proxy dialog. Save the ones that work, rotate as they die.
Are free MTProto proxies safe?
The proxy operator can see your IP and the fact that you are using Telegram, but cannot read message content because Telegram encrypts end to end. The real risks are unreliability and potential logging. For sensitive use cases, run your own proxy on a VPS.
Why do MTProto proxies stop working?
Three reasons: bandwidth saturation from too many users on a free proxy, hosting provider terminations driven by abuse reports, or secret-key rotation by the operator. In 2026 the median lifespan of a public free MTProto proxy is under 72 hours.
Can I make my own MTProto proxy?
Yes. Use Telegram’s official mtproto-proxy code on any Linux VPS. Setup takes about 10 minutes. A $5 per month VPS handles hundreds of concurrent users. This is the most reliable option for heavy daily use.
Do MTProto proxies work in Iran, Russia, and China?
In 2026, Iran and Russia still allow most MTProto proxy connections despite periodic DPI upgrades. China’s Great Firewall blocks most public MTProto endpoints within days of listing, but self-hosted proxies on uncommon ports still work. Test before you need it.