*We have recently updated the list to be relevant in 2023.
The initial phase of the Tor network was marked by significant user challenges in accessing dark web sites.
A host of solutions had been created as a step towards making the hidden services accessible to all through platform listings. In the beginning, a number of websites attempted to establish manually-created darknet directories for people looking to explore the endless opportunity across the Tor network.
Platforms such as dark web markets, vendor online shops and specialized forums were provided for user understanding.
However, the challenge remained about how to keep these directories updated, even as most of the website links appeared dysfunctional. That seemingly-impossible challenge gave rise to dark web search engines that have since shaped experiences around the hidden services.
Today, people looking to browse the dark web can simply gather the most recent insights from search engines that leverage on the power of artificial intelligence. This achievement is still not without its problems.
First, the vast majority of dark web search engines have limited their capabilities to the Tor network – they do not provide searches across other networks such as I2P and Zeronet. The other challenge us that some of the search engines fail to supply the most recent and high quality information about hidden sites.
For the most updated list of darknet markets you can check our side bar of our markets page, but for others dark net searches, we have compiled a list of the Top 5 most recommended dark web search engines to consider this 2021:
1. Ahmia
This search engine was founded by cybersecurity researcher Juha Nurmi who boasts a wealth of experience working with private sector and government projects.
The mission of the Ahmia search engine project has been to establish a high-quality search engine for Tor-based hidden services. That purpose is pegged on the Ahmia contributors’ desire to share concrete statistics, insights and information about the Tor network.
Importantly, the Ahmia project is a proponent of online anonymity and privacy worldwide, and has created a search engine that’s dedicated to mainstreaming onion services beyond the early adopters of Tor.
The search engine has also taken an initiative to rid abuse material from its platform, which is quite different from others that continue to index child sex abuse websites.
Point to note, Ahmia is also available on the surface web, and has integrates i2p searches in addition to Tor.
Ahmia Link – https://ahmia.fi/
2. DarkSearch
DarkSearch is a relatively new entrant to the dark web search engine scene, with both hidden and clear web access.
Like Ahmia, DarkSearch’s creator has a cybersecurity background working to help businesses and individuals better respond to the cyber threat of today. The platform was created to demystify the dark web and provide an opportunity for firms to directly research and access onion services.
The search engine also aimed to simplify the technical barriers encountered by inexperienced dark web users, and help organizations to optimize their dark web monitoring activities.
Currently, DarkSearch has indexed all onion platforms in free access, although the search engine creator has promised to advance the search engine’s content to include access to restricted dark web forums.
DarkSearch link – https://darksearch.io/
3. The Hidden Wiki
The Hidden Wiki prides in giving dark web users access to notable links to darknet markets, shops and forums for people looking to access hidden web content privately.
The main selling point between Hidden Wiki and counterpart search engines is their focus on ensuring that the links they share belong to verified personalities. This is very important considering the large number of scam sites that continue to crop up on the dark web.
In fact, whenever a user makes a search query on regular search engines, they are most likely going to encounter more than 10 spam links that may predispose them to grave cybersecurity danger.
By the time the same users succeeds to find a legitimate website, they would have wasted so much time sieving through the tonnes of garbage links.
Hidden Wiki’s support team are therefore critical in their information collection process. It all begins with identifying any emergent links, which are profiled accordingly before being indexed on the Hidden Wiki main page.
The search engine has also taken the liberty of categorizing the dark web links for users’ ease of access. Once you visit Hidden Wiki, you will discover how simple the process of dark web searching can get.
Point to note, Hidden Wiki can be accessed through its surface web link apart from the onion domain.
4. Haystak
Haystak claims to have indexed more than 1.5 billion pages, with an average of 130, 000 searches being conducted on their platform on a daily basis. The search engine also describes itself as the go-to place for people looking to explore the more than 260,000 dark web addresses listed on their pages.
Essentially, the search engine was created by a team of online privacy campaigners with a strong conviction to fight the trends in state-sponsored online surveillance. They merged efforts to develop the Haystak search engine that would offer a fast and comprehensive solution for hidden web searches.
A quick read on their “About Us” tab reveals that part of the reason why they chose to create Haystak was due to the longstanding incompetence of the majority of the search engines in existence.
Haystak creators were not satisfied with the ones that had been operating before their entrance into the scene. Most of the search engines had been faulted for indexing too few pages. Essentially, Haystak boasts a dark web-specific crawler that works round-the-clock to identify all reachable onion pages with the intention of indexing them for user access.
The other aspect that differentiates Haystak from other search engines is the fact that it offers premium services that offer better capabilities compared to their free version (See below).
HayStak Link – http://haystak5njsmn2hqkewecpaxetahtwhsbsa64jom2k22z5afxhnpxfid.onion/
5. Torch
With more than 2 million darknet platforms indexed on their database and more being added on a daily basis, Torch may be the largest dark web onion scraper available today.
The search engine is 100 percent uncensored as it contains all possible onion sites in existence. The platform describes its approach as “non-compliant” to law enforcement requirements to block out particular searches.
Quite obviously, such user autonomy may create a lot of room for illicit activities that have placed center pivot in defaming dark web and deep web environments. The advertisement option also allows Torch users to advertise their sites as a step towards reaching a broad audience.
Torch link – torchdeedp3i2jigzjdmfpn5ttjhthh5wbmda2rr3jvqjg5p77c54dqd.onion
I went to research torture in Ahmia, and was taken to several sites…
Are you sure he’s fighting “abuse”? or do you only consider “abuse” when it’s with a child (which sometimes isn’t really “abuse”)? Such hypocrisy.