SOCKS5 is a protocol for passing traffic through an intermediary server, and it sits below the web: where a web proxy only understands pages, SOCKS5 will carry whatever an application sends it. That generality is why several VPN providers hand subscribers a SOCKS5 endpoint alongside the VPN, and why it is worth knowing what it does and does not add.
What makes it different from a web proxy
A web proxy understands only HTTP and only inside a browser page. SOCKS5 is protocol-agnostic: it will carry a torrent client, a game, a mail client or a browser equally, because it forwards the connection rather than interpreting it. It is configured per application, in that application's own network settings, which is both its flexibility and its limitation.
Why VPN providers include one
Speed and selectivity. Because SOCKS5 does not encrypt, it adds less overhead than the VPN tunnel, so an application routed through it can be faster while still presenting a different address. Providers offer it for the case where a subscriber wants one specific application on a different exit while the rest of the device is either on the VPN or on the ordinary connection. It is a routing tool, not a second layer of protection.
The encryption it does not give you
This is the part that gets misread. SOCKS5 changes the address a destination sees and does nothing else: your internet provider can still see where the connection is going, and the traffic is protected only insofar as the application encrypts it. Anyone treating a SOCKS5 endpoint as equivalent to a VPN tunnel has substituted a routing change for an encryption one.
Where the credentials come from
On a VPN subscription the SOCKS5 endpoint is normally listed in the account area with its own hostname and generated credentials, separate from the VPN login. Which providers offer one, and on which plans, is on each provider's own feature page rather than in this index, which measures printed prices rather than feature checklists.
Questions people ask about socks 5 proxy
Does SOCKS5 encrypt my traffic?
No. It changes the address the destination sees and adds no encryption of its own.
Is SOCKS5 faster than a VPN?
Usually, because it skips the encryption overhead. That speed is exactly the protection you are giving up.
Can I use SOCKS5 and a VPN together?
Yes, and providers that offer both expect it. The usual arrangement is the device on the VPN and one application pointed at the SOCKS5 endpoint.