The dark web is a part of the internet where you only step in with a specific tool. It hosts onion links you cannot access with regular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. For this, the Tor browser works best as it allows you to visit dark web sites while providing anonymity by routing your traffic through several nodes.
The dark web is often associated with illegal practices and activities. The media portrays it as a place where you can buy anything illegal, from drugs, fake passports, weapons, etc.
While there might be an element of truth, these stories are often exaggerated and overhyped. On the contrary, you can get many good things unavailable on the surface web.
Grab a flashlight as you are about to go deep into the darker parts of the internet. This article lists some of the best dark web sites you can visit securely. Some of these onion sites are very helpful, while others are just for fun.
Note:
You need to have the Tor browser installed to open these .onion links and access the other internet, the dark web.
10 best .onion sites available on the dark web – Quick list
- DuckDuckGo – The biggest search engine on the dark web that does not use trackers and collect your personal data.
- The Hidden Wiki – It is the version of Wikipedia with the biggest directory of onion links to help you explore the dark web.
- Daniel – Contain a wide range of onion links that are categorized to make it easier for you to navigate the dark web easily.
- ProPublica – Investigative journalism platform that publishes provoking pieces on a wide range of topics from finance, politics, etc.
- Sci-Hub – Allows you to access a collection of scientific papers by researchers and experts in various fields.
- Hidden Answers – This is a platform of the dark web where you can ask any question you like without getting censored.
- SearX – It is a search engine in the dark that allows you to search incredibly detailed queries.
- Facebook – This is a version of Facebook on the dark web developed to help people in repressive regimes access it.
- SecureDrop – Designed for whistleblowers to share information with journalists securely and anonymously.
- BBC Tor Mirror – A special BBC .onion site to offer access to its content in countries with heavy online censorship.
Caution: Safety comes first when visiting dark web links
If you choose to visit the dark web, you must take necessary measures to protect your privacy and security. This includes using an anonymous web browser like Tor, a VPN to encrypt your connection, an antivirus for protection against malware, and generally careful not to reveal personal information.
In addition, you should be aware that law enforcement agencies may be monitoring the dark web and that visiting certain websites or engaging in illegal activities can result in criminal charges. You can also check out this ultimate dark web safety guide to browse safely.
Top dark web websites 2023
It is possible to navigate the dark web even though it doesn’t host user-friendly search engines. Thankfully, some useful sites can help you circumnavigate the dark web landscape as you look for the best content.
Below I list some of them. You can choose the best darknet website that suits you and start surfing. However, remember to open these onion sites in the Tor browser to access the dark web.
1. DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo is the most popular private search engine. Unlike other search engines, it does not collect or share personal data. Luckily, it is also available on the surface web.
It is a great option if you want to surf the web anonymously. Even without monitoring your browsing activities, DuckDuckGo will offer decent answers to your questions.
You can also use it on the dark web as it has .onion links. It will offer you an additional layer of privacy and anonymity to access the deep parts of the internet.
- Direct link: https://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/
2. The Hidden Wiki
The Hidden Wiki is a good way to start accessing the dark web. It is the dark web’s version of Wikipedia with a massive links directory. You will find all the necessary .onion links to access any content or service on the dark web.
However, you have to be careful with the links you click. Since Hidden Wiki maintains all kinds of websites, ensure you don’t open something you don’t want to see. For example, it has a reputation for hosting pedophile sites.
Moreover, due to its popularity, many copycats of the Hidden Wiki exist. So, don’t be surprised if you encounter different versions that claim to be genuine, and be very careful!
- Direct link: http://zqktlwi4fecvo6ri.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
3. Daniel
Daniel is another excellent way to explore the dark web. It hosts over 7000 .onion categorized links to make surfing the web easier for you.
One of Daniel’s impressive features is the built-in functionality that shows whether a particular dark web site is online.
That means you won’t need to open and load every listed link to confirm if it works. It is an excellent feature considering the Tor browser has longer loading times than regular browsers.
- Direct link: http://danschat356lctri3zavzh6fbxg2a7lo6z3etgkctzzpspewu7zdsaqd.onion/
4. ProPublica
ProPublica is a popular online publication that won five Pulitzer in 2016. It aims to expose abuses of power and betrayal of public trust through investigative journalism.
The website is available on the surface web and has a .onion site. This means you can visit the site anonymously, especially if you live under an oppressive regime.
ProPublica covers all the controversial stories from corrupt politicians, child labor, etc., both in English and Spanish.
- Direct link: https://p53lf57qovyuvwsc6xnrppyply3vtqm7l6pcobkmyqsiofyeznfu5uqd.onion/
5. Sci-Hub
Sci-Hub is a massive database that eliminates the barriers to getting scientific knowledge. It contains millions of scientific research documents from around the world. The site seeks to liberate information by making it free to individuals and institutions.
It aims to advance research on terminal illnesses like cancer with access to all unbiased scientific publications.
However, the site has suffered outages in the past, so the site location might change frequently.
- Direct link: http://scihub22266oqcxt.onion/
6. Hidden Answers
This is the dark web’s version of Quora or Reddit. You can ask whatever you want without getting censored. It may look abandoned at first, but the members of the community will answer your questions.
However, that part of the internet is unfiltered, so you might encounter unpleasant conversations.
If you are new to the dark web, here is a great place to learn more about it. Visiting the links from specific questions may be a bit safe.
- Direct link: http://answerszuvs3gg2l64e6hmnryudl5zgrmwm3vh65hzszdghblddvfiqd.onion/
7. SearX
SearX is a metasearch engine that you can use on the surface and dark web. It does not share IP addresses or search history to protect your privacy. In addition, it blocks tracking cookies to prevent user-profiling-based results.
Your queries will be submitted through HTTPS POST to avoid keywords from appearing in the web server logs.
The best part is that you can search for detailed queries. It allows you to search for images, maps, files, videos, social media posts, and more.
- Direct link: http://ulrn6sryqaifefld.onion/
8. Facebook onion site
Although Facebook is known for collecting every data on its platform, it does not like sharing the information with others. The social media giant is also aware of the many attempts by repressive regimes to restrict its access. After all, it enables users to connect and communicate with each other from around the world.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Facebook has a .onion portal. Unfortunately, it does not improve your privacy but only allows you to access the platform in restricted countries.
- Direct link: https://www.facebookcorewwwi.onion/
9. SecureDrop
SecureDrop is a dark web link where whistleblowers can share information with journalists safely. The dark web allows whistleblowers to communicate with journalists without being tracked.
In most cases, whistleblowers have sensitive information about the government or company. They can be easily traced and even prosecuted if they share the information on the surface web. SecureDrop is the best onion site on the dark web that protects the privacy of journalists and whistleblowers.
Currently, SecureDrop’s .onion website is not available. However, many news organizations and publishers have set up their own SecureDrop URLs to leverage anonymous whistleblowers’ power.
Some of the noteworthy examples include Forbes (http://t5pv5o4t6jyjilp6.onion/), Reuters (http://smb7p276iht3i2fj.onion/), and The Financial Times (http://xdm7flvwt3uvsrrd.onion/).
10. BBC Tor Mirror
In some countries, such as China and North Korea, the government uses heavy online censorship and blocks many sites. For example, the BBC website is not accessible in such countries. This is where the Tor comes in handy.
The BBC news website has a special .onion site, which you can access on the dark web. Its goal is to offer anonymous access to the content without being censored, no matter where you live. The good news is that the BBC onion site is an international edition. As a result, it does not only focus on the UK but also provides worldwide news.
- Direct link: http://bbcnewsv2vjtpsuy.onion/
11. Tor Metrics
The Tor Metrics is a good place to get more information about the Tor project. It collects data from the public Tor network and archives historical data of the Tor ecosystem.
This service is a good source of statistics if you have a school project requiring research on Tor and the dark web. However, note that the site only uses non-sensitive and public data for the metrics.
The goal of an anonymity and privacy network like Tor is not to engage in the extensive collection of data. However, data is required for understanding, monitoring, and improving the network. Furthermore, data will help to detect attacks against the network and possible censorship events.
- Direct link: http://rougmnvswfsmd4dq.onion/
12. ProtonMail
ProtonMail is a Swiss-based email service that is very easy to use. It has end-to-end encryption to protect your conversations. In fact, you are not required to provide your personal information to create an account. The email service is available both on the surface and dark web.
Using the ProtonMail .onion site offers security and privacy advantages. Moreover, the company also uses HTTPS and SSL encryption on the onion site for extra protection. This makes it even harder for third parties to see your email traffic.
- Direct link: https://protonirockerxow.onion/
13. RiseUp
RiseUp is a top dark web website that offers secure emailing services and a chat option. It was created in 1999 as a secure communication platform for people and groups working on liberatory social change. The platform is protected from government interference and malicious attacks to protect the user. In addition, it ensures no record of communication is stored.
Unfortunately, it requires you to have an invitation code to create an account. This means you have to know someone who is already using the platform. Even without the code, you can visit the security section to get tips on how to improve your daily life privacy.
- Direct link: http://nzh3fv6jc6jskki3.onion/
14. SecMail
SecMail is one of the most popular email services on the dark web. The downside is that it limits data to only 25mbps per user. While this is not much compared to standard email services, it is enough for PGP-encrypted messages.
- Direct link: http://secmailw453j7piv.onion/
15. Archive.today
Formerly known as Archive.is, it is one of the best onion sites on the dark web. It aims to preserve the internet’s scientific and cultural heritage.
Established in 2012, the platform acts as a time capsule for websites by collecting web pages’ snapshots. These sites will remain online even if the original page disappears. It also keeps the graphical copy and text of the page for better accuracy.
This is the best place to get short and reliable links to an unalterable record of any webpage.
- Direct link: http://archivecaslytosk.onion/
16. Mailpile
Mailpile is a secure email service that aims to keep your emails completely private.
Despite encrypting your emails, it allows you to store your email safely without sharing them in the cloud. Another significant advantage of Mailpile is that its code is open source. This means anyone can access it, which helps to detect vulnerabilities before malicious actors take advantage.
The Mailpile .onion site can download information anonymously from any server or web service like Gravatar. It can also send or download emails without getting classified as spam or exit nodes spying on sensitive data.
- Direct link: http://clgs64523yi2bkhz.onion/
17. BlockChain.info
Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have been the dark web currency even before they became available to the general public. Right now, there is a myriad of cryptocurrency .onion sites you can use to buy or sell all types of cryptocurrencies.
BlockChain was one of the first sites to launch on the dark web. It even has an HTTP security certificate for even better protection. The site was created to provide additional security and eliminate cryptocurrency theft.
- Direct link: blockchainbdgpzk.onion
18. ZeroBin
ZeroBin is a wonderful way to share the content you find on the dark web. It is a reliable messaging tool where you copy/paste a text or image and send it to your addressee.
The good news is that the platform will not see what you copy/paste. This is because your data is encrypted in the Tor browser before reaching the ZeroBin servers.
Also, you can set a strong password to protect your message and choose how long it will take to expire. So, this is a secure and anonymous communication tool.
- Direct link: http://zerobinqmdqd236y.onion/
19. Wasabi Wallet
Wasabi is one of the most popular cryptocurrency wallets on the dark web.
It has a feature known as CoinJoin that combines multiple coins from different users into a single transaction. This makes it extremely difficult to find out who you are transacting with.
Another notable security trick Wasabi uses to verify transactions is the Neutrino protocol. It assigns a task to the client instead of the server, eliminating any server-related vulnerability.
- Direct link: http://wasabiukrxmkdgve5kynjztuovbg43uxcbcxn6y2okcrsg7gb6jdmbad.onion
20. Imperial Library
The Imperial library is a dark website with a wide range of digital books. Here you can get almost any publication you want.
At the moment, it has over 500,000 books in its library. However, you should be careful to avoid copyright infringement.
- Direct link: http://xfmro77i3lixucja.onion/
21. Comic Book Library
If you love comics, this is the right place to be. The .onion site has thousands of downloadable comic books ranging from niche titles to mainstream ones. Like with the Imperial Library, you should be aware of copyright infringement.
- Direct link: http://r6rfy5zlifbsiiym.onion/
22. Tunnels
This .onion site is a bit different from the others reviewed above.
It contains a link that shows the exploits of explorers who go into big American universities’ tunnel systems.
However, accessing these tunnels is illegal and dangerous. That is why the explorers post their content on the dark web rather than the surface web.
- Direct link: http://62gs2n5ydnyffzfy.onion/
23. Deep Web Radio
Look no further if you want good music while navigating the dark web. Deep Web Radio is a digital station with a wide variety of music. In fact, there are over twenty channels with different music genres.
- Direct link: http://76qugh5bey5gum7l.onion/
24. Keybase
Keybase is a fantastic onion site that allows you to bring your different online identities together cryptographically.
All you need to do is upload your PGP key or let the platform create one. Use it to link your GitHub account, Twitter, Bitcoin address, and Facebook. This .onion link makes it impossible for hackers to impersonate your profile.
- Direct link: http://fncuwbiisyh6ak3i.onion/
25. The CIA
The US Navy’s main reason for creating Tor was to help informants relay information safely over the internet. In the same spirit, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) established a .onion site to help people access its resources worldwide anonymously and securely.
- Direct link: http://ciadotgov4sjwlzihbbgxnqg3xiyrg7so2r2o3lt5wz5ypk4sxyjstad.onion/
