The Deep Web and its respective Darknets refer to the part of the internet that is not indexed by conventional search engines and requires special browsers, software, or configurations to access. Deep within the Deep Web lies the Dark Web, which exists inside layered proxy networks, also called Darknets. The Onion Router, or Tor, in short, is the largest well-known Darknet and contains many interesting yet often disturbing websites. In this article, our experts will provide you with an updated Darknet websites list of working sites such as, The Hidden Wiki, SecureDrop, HackTown, ZeroBin, Beneath VT, and TorTop.
Each of these Darknet sites provides unique services and information that cannot easily be accessed through Clearnet websites. They have been updated for 2024, with working links and descriptions of what you can encounter.
Differences Between Clearnet and Darknet Sites
There are significant differences between Clearnet and Darknet sites. The most important one being that Darknet websites cannot be accessed through regular URLs, and that they often require special software to access.
In short, Darknet sites use .onion links instead of geolocational Top-Level Domain Names (TLDs) to conceal the hoster’s and visitor’s IP addresses, resulting in near-full anonymity. To access websites on the Darknet, you will need the Tor web browser and a stable internet connection.
A typical .onion link would look something like http://tortopaik2kzc277jfuxmzvc74ekpdvfd7b3bkftkfvku2qiinbzlhid.onion, while a regular Clearnet link looks more like this: http://www.google.com. On the Darknet, all sorts of people congregate, some looking for hacking tools, others for leaked government documents, or just to chat with complete strangers.
If you’re looking to browse the Darknet, these are some of the sites and services you are bound to encounter:
List of Updated Darknet Websites:
ZeroBin
ZeroBin is an attractive Darknet alternative to PasteBin. It basically serves as a cover, dark web-based communication platform that allows you to send messages and media files to anyone anonymously. One of the best features of ZeroBin that PasteBin doesn’t have is the ability to self-destruct messages after a certain while or when the recipient has read it.
Access ZeroBin by searching ‘’Zerobin’’ in DuckDuckGo, Tor’s standard search engine or by visiting http://zerobinftagjpeeebbvyzjcqyjpmjvynj5qlexwyxe7l3vqejxnqv5qd.onion/.
Darknet Search Engines
Speaking about Darknet search engines, multiple search engines can be used to browse both the Clearweb and Darknet, such as Ahmia, Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, Cliqz, Grams, MetaGer, and Searx. While Searx is a free and open-source metasearch engine aiming to protect the privacy of its users, it also doesn’t share user IP addresses or search history. Ahmia is its Clearnet counterpart, and Brave Search is the default web browser for Brave users who want to earn cryptocurrency whilst browsing the web.
German-based MetaGer allows users to browse the internet virtually completely anonymously and is hosted by students of the University of Hannover, while Cliqz GmbH, majority-owned by Hubert Burda Media, is available as a privacy-orientated web browser and search engine.
However, DuckDuckGo is by far the most well-known Darknet search engine. The American software company behind it allows users to protect their online privacy with a myriad of tools, and its flagship search engine product has been praised by many privacy advocates. DuckDuckGo is automatically launched when starting the Tor browser or when visiting http://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/.
HackTown
HackTown on the Darknet allows you to hire a professional hacker to break into someone’s digital domain. The most popular service offered on this Darknet site is Meta (formerly Facebook), account hacking for as little as $250.
Although there are many ‘’hacker-for-rent’’ services available on the Darknet, HackTown is by far the most popular one, with many active vendors looking to provide legitimate white-hat and black-hat hacking services.
HackTown working .onion link: http://hacktowns3sba2xavxecm23aoocvzciaxirh3vekg2ovzdjgjxedfvqd.onion/
Beneath VT
Beneath VT is a cool project I personally stumbled upon years ago that is basically an onion website about underground ‘’urban’’ exploration. Complete with its ‘’As above, so below’’ vibe, Beneath VT provides a great deal of information for users who have a soft spot for (dark) urban history.
Beneath VT is filled with images and video material of man-made underground escape tunnels located below Virginia Tech University, such as shafts and other cavern-like structures. According to the site’s anonymous owners, the idea to set up the site came from them whilst exploring forbidden tunnels built under some of the United States’ most prestigious universities.
Users share information on how to breach into certain sections and how they can bump up their underground exploration efforts. If this is your cup of tea, feel free to check out the latest working Beneath VT .onion link: http://bvten5svsltfpxrxl72ukqxixwo2m5ek5svmcxgrmkta4tbmiemuibid.onion/.
SecureDrop
SecureDrop is the most popular file-sharing site on the Darknet. It allows whistleblowers and other users to securely and anonymously send sensitive and private information and material to media outlets and each other through unique URLs. All files are encrypted and no user IP data is stored on SecureDrop’s servers whatsoever. Its latest working .onion link is http://sdolvtfhatvsysc6l34d65ymdwxcujausv7k5jk4cy5ttzhjoi6fzvyd.onion/
Daily Stormer
The Daily Stormer is an uncensored news site hosted on the Darknet, where users can read, publish, and comment on daily news uploads. The site has an extensively used chat feature that allows members to communicate and interact with each other.
The Daily Stormer contains global news as well as United States-based local media coverage, society polls, and other insightful articles. The site can be reached through http://stormer5v52vjsw66jmds7ndeecudq444woadhzr2plxlaayexnh6eqd.onion/.
Archive.today
Just like the Internet Archive and its Wayback Machine, there is a .onion site that you can visit to view older content uploaded to the Darknet. Think of websites taken offline in the past, books, movies, Google results, and more that are unfindable nowadays. If you’re looking for nostalgic stuff on the internet or that one good high school picture of you, you might want to start your search by typing in http://ntxc7ezh3xurkpzqjhct7fcwolpbycpqijxqid26exfxozwq6wmp6lyd.onion/ in Tor, which is the site’s last-known URL.
Apart from Archive.today, there are also other Darknet document archives available, such as Doxbin, Internet Archive, Sci-Hib, and Z-Library. Out of these, Sci-Hub deserves an honorable mention, as it functions as a shadow library website that provides access to millions of free research papers. The site literally hosts material without regard to any copyright, which allows for free speech and communication without any censorship.
ChaTor
ChaTor is a Tor-based chat service that allows privacy-cautious users to communicate with each other through multiple layers of encryption. ChaTor has a no-log policy, meaning that it doesn’t save any personal information during registration or chats between users. You can visit and sign up for ChaTor at http://chatorcvcl25nskltysozugy36pplnrwpbgwovh6mbwwzy2bzgq2hkyd.onion/.
Hidden Reviews
Hidden Reviews is an interesting Darknet site that allows users to check certain .onion site addresses and see if they have any reviews. Additionally, users can see the most reviewed list to find out which sites are legit and which ones to avoid.
The latest working Hidden Reviews .onion link is http://u5lyidiw4lpkonoctpqzxgyk6xop7w7w3oho4dzzsi272rwnjhyx7ayd.onion/.
The Hidden Wiki
is a Darknet-based wiki site operating as a Tor hidden service that can be edited anonymously after registering as a user on the site. Its homepage serves mostly as a link directory to other interesting and well-known .onion sites.
The .onion sites linked to from the Hidden Wiki’s homepage include links to money laundering services, contract killing, hackers-for-hire, contraband checmicals, illicit drugs, and bomb-making tools.
The Hidden Wiki has existed since 2007, and has been taken down in March 2014, after which its kpvz7ki2v5agwt35.onion link was hacked and redirected to Doxbin. Nowadays, there are multiple .onion sites linking to resources mirrored from the Hidden WIki. As such, there is no longer a single Hidden Wiki, but rather multiple ones with different names. One you can access nowadays is http://zqktlwiuavvvqqt4ybvgvi7tyo4hjl5xgfuvpdf6otjiycgwqbym2qad.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page.
TorTop
A more extensive alternative to the current Hidden Wiki is TorTop. This .onion site provides a thorough overview of links to different kinds of Darknet websites, services, and software. TorTop provides lists of up-to-date URLs to ad networks, directories and wikis, hosting and VPS services, Darknet markets, search engines, news sites, and more. Its latest working .onion link is http://tortopaik2kzc277jfuxmzvc74ekpdvfd7b3bkftkfvku2qiinbzlhid.onion/.
Darknet Markets - Access At Your Own Risk
There are, and always have been, many Darknet marketplaces where you can buy and sell all sorts of illicit goods, ranging from firearms, guns, and ammunition to illegal substances and financial fraud services.
Some of the most prominent Darknet markets, although most of them have been taken down by the DEA and other law enforcement units, include Agora, AlphaBay, Atlantis, Black Market Reloaded, Dream Market, Evolution, The Farmer’s Market, Hansa, Hydra Market, Sheep Marketplace, Silk Road, TheRealDeal, Russian Anonymous Marketplace, Tor Carding Forum, Utopia, and White House Market.
Working .onion marketplace Darknet websites list:
- Matanga- http://rbcxodz4socx3rupvmhan2d7pvik4dpqmf4kexz6acyxbucf36a6ggid.onion/
- Tom and Jerry Store- http://c5xoy22aadb2rqgw3jh2m2irmu563evukqqddu5zjandunaimzaye5id.onion/
- Smokeables- http://porf65zpwy2yo4sjvynrl4eylj27ibrmo5s2bozrhffie63c7cxqawid.onion/
- 420Prime- http://rbcxodz4socx3rupvmhan2d7pvik4dpqmf4kexz6acyxbucf36a6ggid.onion/
- The Peoples Drug Store- http://4p6i33oqj6wgvzgzczyqlueav3tz456rdu632xzyxbnhq4gpsriirtqd.onion/
- CannabisUK- http://hyxme2arc5jnevzlou547w2aaxubjm7mxhbhtk73boiwjxewawmrz6qd.onion/
- Apples4Bitcoin- http://awsvrc7occzj2yeyqevyrw7ji5ejuyofhfomidhh5qnuxpvwsucno7id.onion/
- Revolution Market- http://6revo66o74kl77wxyisswx7zyrnleaaylrgahlobbf2unipqczv773qd.onion/
Anonymous Email and Instant Messaging Services
You can find many anonymous email and instant messaging services on the Darknet. Examples of well-known Darknet communication systems, some of which are also accessible through Clearnet counterparts, are Bitmessage.ch, Briar, Keybase, Proton Mail, RiseUp, Tor Mail, and TorChat.
Out of all the aforementioned communication systems, Proton Mail is by far the most popular one among Darknet users. It is a Swiss-based end-to-end encrypted email service founded in 2013 and obscures email content and user data. As of 2022, Proton Mail has over 70 million users globally.
The Silk Road - Illicit Goods Marketplace on the Darknet
In 2011, Ross Ulbricht launched Silk Road, a modern Darknet market, under the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts. On Silk Road, users could buy and sell illicit goods and services, such as drugs, hacker-for-hire, and criminal activities, such as hitmen.
The site was hosted as a hidden service on the Tor network and was part of the Deep Web. In October 2013, the FBI arrested Ulbricht and shut down the website as part of Operation Onymous. However, Silk Road 2.0 and other Darknet marketplaces would soon emerge in its place.
In 2015, Ulbricht heard that he was to receive two life sentences without the possibility of parole and was convicted in court. Eventually, he was indicted on charges of running a continuing criminal enterprise, distributing narcotics by means of the Internet, and multiple conspiracy charges related to the distribution of narcotics, money laundering, and having false identity documents in his possession.
In a separate charge, he was indicted for a murder-for-hire. Allegedly, Ross Ulbricht wanted to hire a hitman to murder ‘’Friendly Chemist.’’ Friendly chemist was one of the biggest vendors active on Silk Road, which had connections to Ulbricht and threatened to disclose the identities of thousands of Silk Road users.
With his digital empire under attack, Ross Ulbricht saw no other solution that to hire a hitman, which would eventually lead to his downfall as once ‘’king of the Darknet.’’ Ulbricht paid 1,670 entire Bitcoins to complete the grim task, which was worth about $150k during that time.
It must be stipulated that all transactions on the Silk Road were conducted in Bitcoin, a nearly untraceable cryptocurrency that helps protecting the identities and whereabouts of its users. In essence, the Silk Road functioned as a Proof of Concept for Bitcoin, as it proved the digital token actually had a usecase and vividly changed hands on the Darknet marketplace.
What are the Dangers of Browsing the Darknet?
One can encounter potential dangers when browsing the Darknet, and regardless of what kind of Darknet user you are, you should take the necessary precautions to keep your personal information and private details off the Darknet.
It is crucial to be aware of identity theft and that it is rife on the Darknet. All types of personal data can be sold by hackers, cybercriminals, and even pseudo-legitimate companies to make a profit. Think of passwords, bank account numbers, social security numbers, but also passport or other identity document scans, medical reports, mortgage and insurance data, etcetera.
Then there are all sorts of scammers, imposters, and hackers that prey on beginner, gullible Darknet users. For this reason, we advise to use common sense when browsing the Darknet, which should include awareness of phishing links, various crypto scams, and a broad skeptical approach to the realness of content presented or communicated on the Darknet.
Additionally, you could install powerful antimalware and antivirus software on your device to prevent malicious actors from exploiting you. One of the most crucial things to to be aware of when browsing the Darknet is the fact that hackers and other cybercriminals use tools such as keyloggers to harvest your data or infiltrate your device.
You could use a whitelisting tool or compile a personal ‘’safe’’ Darknet websites list to keep track of the sites that you visit safely without having to worry about any malicious actors. In addition, you can follow some of the tips for browsing the Darknet that our IT experts have outlined below.
Tips for Browsing the Darknet
If you want to browse the Deep Web and its Darknets, you want to be sure you are safe. For this reason, our experts recommend applying these tips when accessing the Darknet:
- Make sure to restrict access to your Tor-enabled device. Protecting your friends, family members, and children from the risks of seeing something on the Darknet they should not have ever seen is essential. Only browse the Darknet when you are entirely alone, with no minors around you.
- Trust your intuition. You should practice intelligent behavior online and trust your intuition to avoid being scammed. Not everything you read, hear, or see on the internet is honest or trustworthy, and not everyone is who they seem. Limit who you communicate with and ensure you know who you are talking to and what this person’s intention is. If something sounds too good to be true, it often is.
- Limit the sharing of personal data. You should limit the sharing of personal data, such as your surname and last name, (email) address, password, and credit card or banking information. Best practice includes the usage of brand-new throwaway accounts whenever necessary. Additionally, you could consider using prepaid debit cards to protect yourself from any type of bank and credit card fraud.
- Disable Java and ActiveX in your network settings. Java and ActiveX are both known for being exploited by hackers and other cybercriminals. As you want to stay safe on the Darknet, you should block these scripts from within your network settings per default. This can be easily done by navigating to the privacy and security settings of your Tor browser and setting the security level to ‘’safest.’’
- Be aware of identity and financial theft. Be aware of common ways to rob you of your identity or earnings and stay updated on the latest scams in this regard.
- Avoid downloading files from the Darknet. The chance of getting your device infected with malware is significantly higher on the Darknet compared to the Clearnet. If you need to download any files, make sure they are safe by fully checking them with an antivirus program beforehand.
How to Safely Connect to the Darknet?
You can safely connect to the Darknet by downloading the latest version of Tor Browser from its official website, launching it, navigating to the ‘’Privacy and Security’’ tab within its settings, scrolling down to the Security section, and checking the ‘’Safest’’ option.
Additionally, you can scroll all the way down the ‘’Privacy and Security’’ tab to turn on ‘’HTTPS-only mode’’ to prevent accidental security breaches. It is also possible to enable a bridge to mask your connection to Tor through the ‘’Connection Settings’’ menu.
More advanced Tor users could use a VPN to further enhance their privacy whilst browsing the Darknet. Adding a VPN service to your Tor Darknet browsing sessions hides your IP address, providing additional protection against tracking by governments, hackers, and your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Expert Tor users with high regard for privacy and security should consider using Tails OS. This requires a flash drive setup and allows you to use its plug-and-play operating system to eliminate all traces leading to your Tor use. As all usage is stored on your device’s RAM memory, all data is erased as soon as the flash drive is removed from the device.
Conclusion
Our full Darknet websites list provides you with the right information needed to browse the Deep Web and its respective Darknet. It comprises an extensive overview of the available content and services supplies you the information needed to safely browse the Darknet.
Whether you are a total beginner Darknet browser or an expert user, our tips for browsing the Darknet should always be adhered to. Additionally, it pays to be aware of the latest and most prominent dangers of browsing the Darknet.
The Silk Road what the most significant Darknet marketplace to date, founded by ‘’Dread Pirate Roberts’’ Ross Ulbricht. It functioned as a vast online marketplace for illicit goods and services, including drugs, weapons, and hacking services.
Users would pay each other using anonymous digital currencies, such as Bitcoin. As the number of users and transactions on The Silk Road increased, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies began to develop real use cases.
After a drug agency investigator infiltrated The Silk Road as an administrator, hereby gaining inside information about the Darknet site’s inner workings, Ross Ulbricht was tracked down and arrested on the first of October, 2013 by the FBI at the Glen Park branch of the San Francisico Public Library.
Know that you access Darknet Markets and other websites on our Darknet websites list at your own risk and that Plasbit takes no form of responsibility whatsoever.
