Launched in 2023, STYX focuses on financial crime, providing stolen credit card data, hacked bank accounts and access to various cryptocurrency laundering tools. Some fake sellers take your crypto and never ship what you ordered, or phishing sites that look like real marketplaces but steal your login info. And then there’s malware—click the wrong link or download the wrong file, and your device could get infected. There’s also a privacy angle—some users live in countries with censorship or surveillance, and the dark web gives them a space to communicate or access information more freely.
Best Dark Websites
The Hidden Wiki itself does not host content but acts as a conduit to other sites. SecureDrop’s .onion link is a platform designed for whistleblowers to securely and anonymously submit sensitive information to journalists. Used by over 70 media organizations worldwide, it supports encrypted communication and protects the identities of both sources and reporters. SecureDrop is maintained by the Freedom of the Press Foundation and is a trusted tool for investigative reporting in high-risk environments. The dark web is part of the deep web and is hosted on darknets and encrypted networks like Tor, Freenet and Riffle.
Top Dark Web Search Engines In 2021

Onion sites are “crawled” and added to the list provided their “robots.txt” file permits it, and if it is not on their blacklist of sites with abuse material. Your safety on the dark web depends more on cautious browsing habits than any single security tool. While a VPN adds valuable protection, being selective about which sites you visit and never sharing personal information are equally important.

SecureDrop is designed explicitly for journalists trying to preserve the privacy of their sources. Its anonymous nature enables users to create and submit encrypted documents, chat securely, and receive private responses from journalists. Since you cannot access a library of dark web links using the regular Internet, you can check out platforms dedicated to indexing these sites, like The Hidden Wiki. This browser is the most suitable option for accessing the dark web, thanks to its multiple layers of encryption. Each time you connect to a dark web link, your request and traffic are routed through at least three different server points, ensuring your IP remains hidden.
What Are The Best Onion Sites

Although the underground internet world is rife with everything bad, it also hosts positive elements. If you want to improve your security further, you could also use a VPN at the same time as Tor. For the most security-conscious, you can even install the Tails operating system on a flash drive and run Tor from that.
How Can I Ensure My Safety While Browsing The Dark Web?
This virtual bookstore is one of the oldest search engines on the internet. It was created by “Tim Berners-Lee”, who was also the creator of HTML and the Web itself. However, unlike commercial search engines, This is run by a confederation of volunteers. That it is an open source project that is in charge of handling suggestions and comments anonymously.
World Market Darknet
- These applications connect you to the Tor network, allowing you to explore .onion sites safely.
- Although the site is still continually expanding and improving, it has become a significant resource on the Tor network.
- We recommend using NordVPN and a robust antivirus like TotalAV to keep you safe while browsing the dark web.
- Whether you’re sending personal photos, important documents, or just having a conversation, it all stays private and protected from prying eyes.
Our curated list of legitimate dark web sites above offers a safe entry point for first-time explorers. Ahmia’s .onion link is a search engine that indexes hidden services on the Tor network, allowing users to find .onion sites safely and efficiently. It filters out harmful and illegal content, focusing on legitimate resources and services. Ahmia has become a trusted tool for navigating the Dark Web, with thousands of users relying on it for its transparency and user-reporting features. The dark web is the part of the internet that’s not indexed by public search engines like Google. It’s made up of forums, marketplaces, and websites you can’t find with a Google search and requires specialized software to access, such as the Tor Browser.
Haystak also offers a premium version that allows advanced search, access to historical content, and email alerts. Your real information could be exposed at these nodes, allowing third parties to intercept your dark web activity. That’s why we recommend connecting to VPN before accessing Tor—VPN encryption protects your data, and changing your IP adds an extra layer of privacy to protect you. When you try to connect to a .onion website, Tor will route your traffic through three or more randomly chosen nodes before it reaches your destination website. Each server adds a layer of encryption, and this layered system is what lends The Onion Router its name. To help you make educated choices about cybersecurity to keep you (and your data) safe and secure, by providing detailed, accurate, and practical information based on thorough testing.
How To Access The Deep Web?
ZeroBin is another great Tor service that helps maintain anonymity and privacy by offering an encrypted pastebin service. Pastebins are text sharing services, usually for sending and sharing text snippets. ZeroBin encrypts and decrypts text in the browser, so their servers have no way of knowing what’s happening on the browser side.
The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) provides a .onion version of its website, enabling individuals to bypass restrictions to access its content from anywhere. This platform allows visitors to anonymously explore the World Factbook, submit information, apply for jobs, and perform any other actions available on the CIA’s main site. Despite Tor’s encryption and other security measures, browsing .onion sites can still be dangerous. Follow the below tips to increase your online safety while browsing websites on the Dark Web.
Yippy is a search engine that started in 2009, since then it has evolved. To become a leading provider of business learning and knowledge for all types of data users and consumers. Onion sites host a variety of content, including independent news reporting, educational resources, secure email services, and cryptocurrency wallets, among others.
In addition, it allows you to make payments for its services anonymously through cryptocurrency, making it a popular choice among Dark Web users. Impreza Hosting is one of the best hosting services for websites on the Dark Web. You can use it to set up a site using server rentals, domain registration, email hosting, and all the other features you’d find with providers like GoDaddy on the standard web. It also offers a SecureDrop link that allows whistleblowers to submit information anonymously. While The Intercept is a great news platform, you can also access the BBC Tor Mirror, The New York Times, and ProPublica for more coverage of what’s happening in the world. However, it doesn’t track your online activity, so the ads you see will not be personalized based on your browsing habits.

And (c) is the dark web, which is the part of the deep web that isn’t indexed by search engines and requires special tools like Tor Browser to access. The best dark web websites provide access to educational materials, host secure services, or bypass censorship. Dark web websites are hidden under layers of encryption that cloak user activity, which can be a boon to whistleblowers, activists, and others who don’t want anyone tracking their activity. TorLinks is a robust Dark Web directory that offers a compilation of links organized into commercial and non-commercial categories. Each category is further divided into multiple sub-categories for easy navigation. Initially launched as a backup of The Hidden Wiki, it’s now the primary go-to resource for accessing .onion sites and resources when other directories face unexpected downtimes.
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. However, there are many websites engaged in highly illegal or harmful activity. Despite its legitimate uses, the dark web has earned its reputation due to the illicit activities it hosts. It is a hub for black markets where criminals trade illegal goods and services, such as drugs, weapons, counterfeit currency, and stolen data. Many cybercriminals use the dark web to buy and sell hacking tools, exploit kits, and malware.
Sites on the dark web have a unique “.onion” domain, accessible only through specific networks designed to protect user identity. The dark web is a subset of the deep web, comprising websites that aren’t indexed by search engines and require specialized tools like Tor to access. It sits below the surface of the web and offers a level of browsing freedom.