This privacy-centric engine maintains an onion service, expanding its accessibility to the dark web. Queries conducted through this address will encompass results from Tor’s hidden services. The internet has become a crucial component of our lives in the current digital era by providing access to a large world of chances and information. The “deep web” or “darknet,” on the other hand, is a secret space that conventional search engines like Google or Bing are unable to index. Torgle provides security and anonymity for those doing research and for those who want to access various products/services. Recon was developed by Hugbunt3r, a prominent figure within the well-known dark web platform, Dread.

What Are The Best Dark Web Websites?
Phobos has a very simple user interface that only includes a search bar. It is also the fastest one out of all the search engines we cover in this post. It pulls data from different search engines, so it opens you to a world of endless possibilities. Dark web forums are online platforms that can only be accessed using anonymous networks, mainly Tor…. Surfshark supports unlimited simultaneous connections to protect as many devices as possible. Also, try its services risk-free with the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Discover Top Dark Web Search Engines In 2023

This adds extra protection since opening Tor itself encrypts your traffic. NordVPN is one of the best VPNs to combine with the Tor browser whenever you want to surf dark sites. It offers top-of-the-line security and fast speeds for a smooth browsing experience on the dark web. Unfortunately, others are fake and fraudulent websites that exploit the reputation of the dark web to con people. Moreover, malicious actors can attempt phishing scams to steal your data and identity for extortion. All in all, it is not illegal to access the dark web, but it can create issues for you.

So-called “onion sites” are only accessible via special network configurations or browsers like Tor that can connect you to .onion domains via onion routing. And dark web search engines can help you find sites on the onion network. The dark web is a part of the internet that isn’t indexed by traditional search engines like Google—you can’t find it through standard browsing. It’s accessed using specialized software called Tor (The Onion Router), which anonymizes users and hides their locations. While many people use the dark web for legitimate reasons like privacy (such as journalists or activists in oppressive regimes), it’s also known for illegal activities.
- Working more like a directory, it makes it easy to navigate the dark web by providing a categorized directory of indexed links.
- SearX’s public version at searx.me preserves a modicum of privacy by routing queries through proxies.
- It also loads pretty fast, and the interface is reminiscent of Google’s, making it feel familiar.
- Reddit is actually available on the dark web now, so there’s no need to rely on third-party tools to access it via Tor.
- This deep internet search engine has two billion indexed items from libraries around the world, including many links that are only typically available with a database search.
Enjoy More Secure Browsing With A VPN
Please note that you must take great care when using the Dark Web as sites often contain adware, spyware, malicious links, and scams. The anonymity that onion routing provides slows down your internet considerably. For this reason, anybody who wants to privately stream in HD, play games, torrent, make video calls—or do anything else that requires fast speeds—is advised to use a VPN instead.
Tornet Global Search
While technically not a search engine, we’re including The Hidden Wiki for its helpfulness in exploring the dark web. Working more like a directory, it makes it easy to navigate the dark web by providing a categorized directory of indexed links. The Hidden Wiki also blocks many malicious sites on the dark web from appearing on its directory, but as with all dark web search engines, some shady sites still make it to the list. Haystack just might have the most indexed dark website on any dark web search engine at over 1.5 billion indexed pages.
In fact, you can even find many government and corporate websites on the dark web. A VPN like Surfshark encrypts your internet connection and makes it harder for others to see your real IP address. This adds another, more reliable security layer to all of your online activity. Viruses, ransomware, and other types of malware are more common on onion sites than on the normal internet.
DigDeeper offers in-depth analysis of technology and privacy topics rarely covered by mainstream media. The website’s articles focus on digital rights, surveillance, and security research. I found their technical explanations clear and well-researched, though the site updates less frequently than other news platforms. If you need a great Tor VPN, I recommend ExpressVPN — all its servers allow Tor traffic, it has excellent security and privacy features, and it provides fast browsing speeds. This is a blog with cybersecurity tips created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a popular non-profit that specializes in digital privacy.
Best Dark Web Search Engines For Tor Browser
But if you connect to the VPN before connecting to Tor and an IP leak occurs, only the VPN’s IP address will be exposed. Yes, but you need to be cautious because there are many malicious sites on the dark web. The best way to do that is to get the link from legitimate sources, like The Hidden Wiki.
What Is The Safest Dark Web Search Engine?
Many social media platforms keep their presence on the dark web, and it is no surprise that Facebook has a .onion portal. Facebook’s dark web version allows users to access the site where it is banned or restricted. Although the social application is known for collecting data on its platform, it does not like sharing the information with others. It will offer you an additional layer of encryption to access the deep parts of the internet.
Cyble Strato Cloud Security
It monitors dark web forums and marketplaces related and monitors postings. It follows new developments by following social media and news sources. Threat intelligence experts analyze open-source data and collect information relevant to criminal activity.
This is crucial when navigating the dark web, where anonymity is essential for safety. It is the part where we use search engines like Google and includes all the indexed websites and pages. The Directory of Open Access Journals is a deep internet search engine that provides access to academic papers.

Never Share Personal Information
It is designed to index and search onionspace, the hidden services portion of the Tor network. Torch is one of those dark web search engines that have lasted for long enough (since 1996). Torch, like other search engines, crawls these addresses and indexes their content, making it searchable for users. When it comes to the best dark web search engines, there are a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost, you want a search engine that is private and secure, as well as one that can be used anonymously. It is a private search engine that lets you search the regular internet via Tor.
The Following Addresses Are V2 Only (they Don’t Have V3 Addresses Yet):
This means anybody tracking your internet traffic or activity will trace you back through the internet rather than your real location in Berlin. We’re telling you this because it’s entirely possible on the dark side of the web search engine and the internet. Impreza Hosting is a service that helps you host a site on the Tor network. It provides an .onion URL and an interface for you to manage your Tor site easily. It also boasts that no personal information is required to use the service, and payment can be made with cryptocurrency. Keybase also offers extremely user-friendly secure chat and file-sharing services through its app.
Once you have the Tor Browser installed, launch it and click “Connect.” That’s it! Keep in mind that because Tor encrypts your traffic, your internet speeds may be slower than usual. But rest assured that your privacy and security are well worth the trade-off. Reddit is actually available on the dark web now, so there’s no need to rely on third-party tools to access it via Tor. Just bear in mind that the addition of anonymity to a platform like Reddit causes people to behave without a filter.
This focus on privacy makes it the Tor Browser’s default search engine and one of the best onion search engines. Torch is the oldest and largest .onion search engine with more than 1 million .onion sites indexed. Just bear in mind that many of those will be out of date, and using this index will require a lot of discretion, due to its size.