All-in-One List of Search Engines

The databases used by search engines are made by "robots" or "spiders" that automatically map the Web by following the links between sites. The directories, on the other hand, contain sites that are hand picked by human beings. Still, most search sites present search engine as well as directory results. Metasearch engines gather results from several search engines and directories. They are not that good at advanced Boolean searching, but may provide you with a broad sweep of the Web.

Traditional search engines list normal webpages and some other file types that are interlinked to from such webpages. The database sites, however, give you access to data that are not part of the Web as such. See also sites focusing on the hidden Web below.

Top Search Engines

  • Google: Google is the leading search engine in the world, which provides the most relevant results and localized searches. It is linked to other Google services, such as Gmail, Chrome browser, Android OS, Google Maps, Google Drive, and more.
  • Bing: Bing is a search engine service provided by Microsoft, which offers relevant search results in various search categories. The homepage features a full-page image, with quick links to Office Online and Outlook.com.
  • Yahoo Search: Yahoo Search allows you to search the internet across a wide range of categories, including web, news, images, maps, news, local, Answers, and more. The search results are powered by Bing.
  • Ask: The search engine first known as AskJeeves and now known as Ask, is a search engine that allows you to get accurate answers to your questions, whether they are personal, business, or trivial questions. The service was launched in 1996, and it is provided by IAC Search & Media.
  • AOL Search: AOL Search provides a search engine service that is enhanced by Google, which gives you the most relevant results for your searches. It also provides quick access to relevant searches such as videos, news, images, and more.
  • DuckDuckGo: DuckDuckGo is a simple search engine that provides full privacy protection for the users. It doesn't track the users, and users can customize their search preferences easily in the customization menu, such as turning off the advertisements.
  • GigaBlast: Founded in 2002, GigaBlast is an independent search engine. They offer custom search engine solutions and power search results for some alternative search engines like IXQuick, Clusty and few others.
  • Wow: Wow is a search engine provided by AOL, Inc. and enhanced by Google. It offers two main search categories: web and images. On the homepage, there are links to various popular sites, such as BBC, Twitter, and Yahoo.
  • MyWebSearch: MyWebSearch provides a simple search engine powered by Google, which provides relevant results for various search categories, such as web, image, news, video, shopping, maps, and recipes. It is a service provided by Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc.
  • Infospace: Infospace provides a search engine that connects users with commercial publishers, giving publishers the opportunity to monetize their site via the search engine. It provides partner-branded search results from the leading search engines.
  • Info: Info provides a search engine that gathers all the results from the leading search engines, giving you the most powerful and comprehensive search result you can find in one platform. It offers relevant results and useful commercial data.

Top Job Search Engines

  • Indeed: Indeed is a job search engine that connects you with the employers that you want to work with, in any place that you choose. You can also get daily emails that match with the job that you search.
  • Monster: Monster allows you to search jobs based on countries, so that you can find job opportunities worldwide. For the companies, Monster is a good place to find the right candidates for their job openings.
  • Glassdoor: Glassdoor helps people find the jobs that they want the most, in the companies that they love the most. It provides important information such as salary information, company reviews, office photos, and more.
  • CareerBuilder: CareerBuilder is one of the largest online job search engines in the United Kingdom, which helps to connect companies with the right talents. CareerBuilder provides a job search service worldwide, via the partnership with various websites and newspapers.
  • SimplyHired: SimplyHired provides a job search service in 24 countries, with more than 600,000 unique employers posting their job openings on the website. With behavior-based algorithm, this service helps connect the right people to the right company.
  • Snagajob: Snagajob is a job search engine dedicated to help hourly workers find the job that they are looking for. It is one of the biggest job search engine for hourly workers in America.

Top Online Dictionaries

  • Dictionary.com: Dictionary.com provides an online dictionary that brings the most comprehensive result for each word. Aside from providing you with the meaning of each word, you also get the information about the origin of the word.
  • Merriam-Webster: Merriam-Webster is one of the most trusted dictionaries in America, with more than 150 years of strong reputation in the language world. It features word of the day, word origin, word definition, first known use, and example usage.
  • Cambridge Dictionary: Cambridge Dictionary is an online dictionary that provides English dictionaries in various languages. The service is targeted mainly for the English learners who are learning English language from their native language.
  • Oxford Dictionaries: Oxford Dictionaries provide online dictionaries for various languages. Not only online dictionaries, the site also features writing help, word origins, puzzles, and quizzes. The dictionaries are always evolving according to the current innovation and technology.
  • Collins Dictionary: Collins Dictionary has been in publication since 1819, and it is one of the best dictionary publishers in the world. It provides dictionaries for American English and British English, along with multi-language translations.
  • Macmillan Dictionary: Macmillan Dictionary provides an award-winning online dictionary, created by language experts from England and the US. The dictionary is constantly updated with the latest words. Aside from definition and synonyms, it gives metaphor, grammar use, and collocations.
  • The Free Dictionary: The Free Dictionary provides online dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia, separated into various sections, such as niche-specific dictionaries, acronyms, idioms, and translations. The service is provided by Farlex, Inc., a private company focused on providing reference products.

Top Reference Sites

  • WolframAlpha: WolframAlpha is a knowledge search engine, which gives you the answers to your questions right away, without having to search for external sources. The knowledge within the WolframAlpha engine is curated directly by human experts.
  • Wikipedia: Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, which stores information about many things. It allows the users to freely create and edit the content published on this website. The content is written by anonymous volunteers within the Wikipedia community.
  • Yahoo Answers: Yahoo Answers is a question and answer website provided by Yahoo, which allows users to post their questions, as well as answer other users' questions. You can browse questions and answers in various categories and sub-categories.
  • Wikia: Wikia provides a platform for fans to share their favorite movies, games, TV shows, and others, in the form of rich, useful, and accurate information. Fans can publish their content collaboratively with other fans.
  • eHow: eHow provides practical how-to solutions to various problems that you can find in daily life. Each content published on this website details step-by-step instruction to solve your problems more effectively, which helps to make your life better.
  • Quora: Quora provides a high quality question and answer website matched to your interests. You can browse questions and answers in many categories, as well as read blogs created by other Quora users.
  • Stack Exchange: Stack Exchange is a question and answer website for programmers, which has a different concept if you compare it with other similar sites. It provides trust point, which allows you to earn expert status on this website.
  • ChaCha: This is another answer site (also known as human guided search engine) offers guides for most asked questions. The company founded in 2005 and named by Chinese word Cha. Users may contact the guide by use of instant messenger on the ChaCha home page. The user may then chat with this guide, asking any questions he or she may like.

Top Map Sites

  • MapQuest: MapQuest is an online map service which helps travelers get to their destination more efficiently. Wherever you are, MapQuest helps to discover the places that you want to visit, and give you the directions to get there quickly.
  • Google Maps: Google Maps is Google's free online map service that provides complete maps for any location in the world. You can get directions, find local businesses, or simply explore any map in any area with this service.
  • Bing Maps: Bing Maps is an online map service provided by Microsoft, which helps to explore various places around the world. With this service, you can find important places as well as view traffic in certain areas.
  • Yahoo Maps: Yahoo Maps provides directions and traffic in your area. You can switch between regular and satellite view, and you can also view your position on the map as well as the weather in your area.
  • Here.com: HERE is an online map service from Nokia, a leading mobile handset manufacturer. The product was earlier known as OVI maps and then Nokia maps for sometime. The service was primarily for nokia mobile users.

Top Video Websites

  • YouTube: YouTube is a video sharing website owned by Google, which allows you to upload and share videos, as well as watch videos uploaded by other users. You can embed YouTube videos and share them in various places online.
  • Netflix: Netflix is a video subscription service that allows you to watch and stream unlimited movies for a fixed monthly pricing plan. You can watch movies on any device, anywhere, and anytime you like.
  • Vimeo: Vimeo is a personal video-sharing website that allows you to share and discover videos in various categories. It sells a video on demand service that allows you to watch films that are exclusively released for Vimeo.
  • Dailymotion: Dailymotion provides millions of high quality videos that can be streamed from many devices, which you can watch for free. There are also premium on-demand videos that you can watch for a price.
  • Hulu: Hulu provides a premium video streaming service that is available only for users living in the United States. It provides both free and paid streaming services for various popular TV shows and movies.
  • Yahoo Screen: Yahoo Screen is a video streaming service provided by Yahoo, which allows you to watch videos in various categories, including movies and TV shows. Some videos are only available for the users living in the US.

Top Online Translation Services

  • Bing Translator: Bing Translator is a free translation service provided by Microsoft, which allows you to translate words and sentences from any language to any language. You can also translate your documents for free using this tool.
  • Google Translate: Google Translate is Google's free translation service which allows you to translate any word or sentence instantly as you type it. With the iOS and Android app, you can translate any language using your voice and photo.
  • FreeTranslation.com: FreeTranslation.com provides free and professional translation services that support various file formats, such as doc, ppt, pdf, and txt. The professional translation service allows you to get accurate translations from real human translators.
  • Babylon Translation: Babylon Translation provides an online translation service that allows you to translate words, phrases, texts, and sentences to more than 75 languages. The Babylon Translation software allows you to translate your texts in one click.
  • Translate by Dictionary.com: Translate by Dictionary.com provides an online translation service that allows you to translate any words in any language in the world. It also lists various popular phrases to translate to your target language.

Top Yellow Pages Online

  • Yelp: Yelp is a company founded in 2004 that focuses on helping people find local businesses in their area, along with their reviews and ratings. Yelp is also a platform to help local businesses promote their business online.
  • Yellow Pages: Yellow Pages is the leading local marketing platform for businesses based in the United States. Businesses can put their ads on Yellow Pages so that their services can be found by their targeted local audience.
  • Superpages: Superpages provides a platform for consumers to search for information about businesses and retailers across the United States. It allows local businesses to advertise on the website via various methods, such as PPC, web hosting, and free listings.
  • Citysearch: Citysearch allows you to search for local businesses around the cities within the US area, or explore the various services available in your neighborhood. You can write reviews and recommend your favorite local businesses to your friends.
  • Dexknows.com: Dexknows.com connects consumers with local business in the US, and provides them with information related to each business, including reviews, rating, direction, hours of operation, and special offers. You can advertise your local business on this website.
  • Yell: Yell is a search engine platform that you can use to search local businesses in the United Kingdom. It also helps local businesses to be found online by their local consumers, by offering various types of advertising choices.
  • Yellowbook: Yellowbook provides Yellow Pages information in the United States area and gives you a list of local businesses available in certain locations. The people search and reverse lookup services allow you to search for people and phone numbers.

Note: This is updated version of Pandia's powersearch section. We made this available mainly because it is still among most sought content from old website. You can also check kids, radio search, news, people finder and q-cards sections.