Wiby
A search engine for the classic web, with a surprise button.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
19 sites · every link checked daily
Hidden gems: secret websites most people never find
Let us clear something up first: these secret websites are not the dark web. There are no hidden services, no special browsers and nothing illicit. They are secret in the way that a good record shop is secret, which is to say nobody told you about it.
The best way in is through the small web. Wiby searches a hand-picked index of simple, old-school pages, and its Surprise Me button is the nearest thing to randomly wandering the 1990s web. Marginalia Search is an independent, open-source engine that favors blogs, personal sites and odd corners over commercial results. Neocities Browse lets you scroll the latest and most-liked hand-made sites on Neocities.
Then there are the pockets of the web that most people never think to look for. WebSDR lets you tune software-defined radio receivers around the world from your browser. Priyom.org tracks number stations. Hundred Rabbits is a small studio that lives and works on a boat and makes open-source tools and games. tixy.land lets you make animated art from a single tiny function.
Use "Surprise me from this list" to find one at random. Hidden does not mean risky: we check every link daily, and we avoid anything adult, gambling or malicious.
The sites
All the sites
The list (19)
Marginalia Search
An independent search engine that favours non-commercial sites.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
Neocities Browse
Browse the hand-made personal sites of the modern indie web.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
WebSDR
Listen to shortwave radio through receivers all over the world.
- Rabbit hole
- Desktop
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
Priyom.org
A hub for tracking mysterious number stations on shortwave radio.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
Hundred Rabbits
A tiny studio on a sailboat making open-source tools and games.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
tixy.land
Make animated art with a single tiny JavaScript function.
- 5 minutes
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
The Library of Babel
A website that contains every possible page of text.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
oldweb.today
Browse archived pages inside emulated period browsers.
- Rabbit hole
- Desktop
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
TEXTFILES.COM
Jason Scott's archive of text files from the BBS era.
- Rabbit hole
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
Dwitter
Tiny JavaScript animations made in 140 characters or less.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
16colors
An archive of ANSI and ASCII art from the BBS days.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
Esolang Wiki
A catalogue of deliberately bizarre programming languages.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
Your World of Text
An infinite shared text canvas anyone can write on.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Unmoderated user content
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
Bartosz Ciechanowski's Interactive Explainers
Long, gorgeous interactive essays on how things work.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
Explorable Explanations
A hub for interactive essays that you learn by playing.
- Rabbit hole
- Works on phones
- Alive · checked 15 days ago
How we picked. A hidden gem has to be good, not just obscure. We looked for sites that are well made, run by people or small groups, and that reward the visitor who finds them. We also wanted the list to give you a way to find more, which is why it starts with search engines and directories.
Where to dig next.
- Archives and old web: GifCities, oldweb.today, TEXTFILES.COM, Web Design Museum and 16colors.
- Demoscene and code art: Pouet, Dwitter and tixy.land.
- Ideas: Explorable Explanations, Bartosz Ciechanowski's explainers and Esolang Wiki.
- Strange places: Your World of Text, which is an unmoderated shared canvas.
A few practicalities. WebSDR serves over plain HTTP. oldweb.today is JavaScript-rendered and desktop-leaning. Your World of Text asks for a human check before editing, and its content is unmoderated, so treat it like a public wall.
Related. Strange Websites That Shouldn't Exist is the bigger tour, StumbleUpon Alternatives is a short guide to wandering, and the Retro Websites category has more archives. Or let the button find one.
Frequently asked questions
What are some secret websites that aren't the dark web?
Wiby, Marginalia Search, Neocities Browse, WebSDR and Priyom.org are all on the open web, and they are lesser known. They need no special software or browser. They are secret in the sense of obscure, not hidden or illegal, and each is a normal public website that you can open in a regular tab.
Are hidden websites safe?
The sites here are regular public websites, and we check them daily for dead links, parked domains and hijacking. That is not a security audit, so use normal care. We do not list anything adult, gambling-related or malicious, and a site that gets taken over is removed.
How can I find hidden websites on my own?
Use search engines that surface small sites, such as Wiby and Marginalia Search, and browse directories like Neocities Browse. Following links from personal blogs also works well. And of course, you can press our random button for a curated surprise drawn from the hand-checked database.
What is the small web?
The small web is the part of the internet made by individuals and small groups, usually non-commercial and often hand-built. Wiby, Marginalia Search and Neocities all celebrate it. It is quieter and weirder than the big platforms, and it is where many of these gems live.
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