The Best Wikipedia AlternativesTop Encyclopedias and other similar apps like Wikipedia

Wikipedia is described as 'Free content, multilingual online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers through a model of open collaboration, using a wiki-based editing system' and is a leading Encyclopedia in the education & reference category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Wikipedia for a variety of platforms, including Web-based, Android, iPad, Linux and iPhone apps. The best Wikipedia alternative is Encyclopædia Britannica, which is free. Other great apps like Wikipedia are Kiwix, Scholarpedia, Grokipedia and WikiReader.

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Wikipedia alternatives are mainly Encyclopedias, but if you're looking for Online Education Services or Dictionaries you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Wikipedia.
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Alternatives list

  1. Encyclopædia Britannica icon

    Encyclopædia Britannica

     52 likes

    The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., a privately-held company. The articles in the Britannica are aimed at educated adult readers, and written by a staff of about 100 full-time editors and...

    26 Encyclopædia Britannica alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    Main Page
     
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    7
    Comments about Encyclopædia Britannica as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    Top Positive Comment
    ab1
    3

    Reliable source but not complete.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    1

    Wikipedia is free and edited by community. EB is commercial and without the community driven fresh information.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Chris
    Positive
    -1

    You mean "wokeipedia

    https://youtu.be/Ksrt1zoJT60?si=sCEDYSCus7ApZLSy

    3 of 7 comments
    Encyclopædia Britannica icon
    Encyclopædia Britannica icon
    • Encyclopædia Britannica is Freemium and ProprietaryWikipedia is Free and Open Source
  2. Kiwix icon

    Kiwix

     113 likes

    Kiwix enables you to have the whole Wikipedia at hand wherever you go! You don't need Internet, everything is stored on your computer, USB flash drive or DVD!.

    23 Kiwix alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Wine
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Google Chrome
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Kiwix viewing a page on Paris
     
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    2
    Comments about Kiwix as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    intp
    Negative
    2

    It's a great tool for accessing such content offline, but not a true alternative. More of a compliment

    PERCE_NEIGE
    Positive
    4

    It's a good alternative (but it's an app, not a site), as it's offline Wikipedia. But they made weird choices because they chose the .zim extension for their archive. That's weird and everything but handy. And they should add a way to download only some articles, and turning them into .pdf or .epub, it would make the application really modern and handy!

    Kiwix icon
    Kiwix icon
    • Kiwix is Free and Open SourceWikipedia is also Free and Open Source
  4. Scholarpedia icon

    Scholarpedia

     24 likes

    Scholarpedia is a peer-reviewed open-access encyclopedia written and maintained by scholarly experts from around the world. Scholarpedia is inspired by Wikipedia and aims to complement it by providing in-depth scholarly treatments of academic topics.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
     
    |
    1
    Comments about Scholarpedia as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    blackkingking391
    Positive
    1

    peer-reviewed , accurate information , always credible

    Scholarpedia icon
    Scholarpedia icon
    • Scholarpedia is Free and ProprietaryWikipedia is Free and Open Source
  5. Grokipedia icon

    Grokipedia

     16 likes

    Grokipedia is an online encyclopedia created by xAI that positions itself as an alternative to Wikipedia. Articles are generated and later labeled as “fact checked by .

    17 Grokipedia alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Main landing page
     
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    2
    Comments about Grokipedia as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    Marc
    Negative
    0

    AI hallucinates a lot and can be easily manipulated into making things up and making them seem legit. Many articles are also just copied over from Wikipedia without proper attribution. And lastly, this plattform is powered by Elon Musk, no further explaination needed on why it is dangerous on a knowledge plattform... DO NOT USE THIS, use Wikipedia. There's nothing wrong about using Wikipedia.

    Petr Sabanov
    0

    "And lastly, this plattform is powered by Elon Musk" - not a very constructive argument. Elon Musk has demonstrated his ability to create a service that upholds freedom of speech. Why shouldn't he create a truthful encyclopedia? There are concerns that he will polish the articles about himself, but in other respects, his influence shouldn't be significant.

    The project is currently in its infancy, so it's difficult to predict whether it will prove a good or bad alternative.

    Grokipedia icon
    Grokipedia icon
    • Grokipedia is Free and ProprietaryWikipedia is Free and Open Source
  6. WikiReader icon

    WikiReader

     12 likes

    Supports light mode, dark mode, Material You dynamic colors and 300+ Wikipedia languages

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid
    WikiReader screenshot 1
     
  9. Metapedia icon

    Metapedia

     21 likes

    Metapedia is an electronic encyclopedia which focuses on culture, art, science, philosophy and politics.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Warning

    Platforms

    • Online
    Main page
     
    |
    3
    Comments about Metapedia as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    Arius
    Positive
    0

    It is more concerned with facts and truth than with pushing an agenda. If it's been flagged by know-it-all busy-bodies as "extremist", you know it's probably honest.

    dayixe
    Positive
    0

    Metapedia unashamedly gives the pro-European perspective on political topics, while Wikipedia censors such opinions while considering itself neutral.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Metapedia similiar to Wikipedia, but without NPOV and PC.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Metapedia icon
    Metapedia icon
    • Metapedia is Free and ProprietaryWikipedia is Free and Open Source
  11. Citizendium icon

    Citizendium

     10 likes

    Citizendium, powered by MediaWiki, is "an open wiki project dedicated to creating a free, comprehensive, and reliable repository of structured knowledge". Unlike with Wikipedia, a contributor must register using their real name and verify their identity.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • MediaWiki
    Citizendium screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about Citizendium as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    the_real_dvs1
    Positive
    4

    By requiring users to register with their real names and verify their identity, Citizendium avoids sockpuppetry and holds people accountable for their writing.

    DLwebmaster
    Positive
    2

    There is a level of accountability that is not provided by free sites - you have to register properly otherwise you cannot contribute.

    Citizendium icon
    Citizendium icon
    • Citizendium is Free and Open SourceWikipedia is also Free and Open Source
  12. HandWiki icon

    HandWiki

     8 likes

    HandWiki is a wiki encyclopedia dedicated to scientific computing and science. This wiki can be used for collaborative editing of articles about applications of computers and software programs in different areas of science, finance and engineering.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    HandWiki screenshot 1
     
  13. WikiSpooks.com icon

    WikiSpooks.com

     28 likes

    WikiSpooks is a global alternative encyclopedia on politics, spy craft, deep state intelligence, and conspiracies, free of corporate influence, partisan politics, or government propaganda for historians and truth-seekers to read, edit, and share.

    78 WikiSpooks.com alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
     
  14. XOWA icon

    XOWA

     13 likes

    XOWA is the free, open-source application that lets you download Wikipedia to your computer. Access all of Wikipedia offline -- without an internet connection!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Raspberry Pi
    XOWA screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about XOWA as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Best offline Wikipedia-reader software

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    XOWA icon
    XOWA icon
    • XOWA is Free and Open SourceWikipedia is also Free and Open Source
12 of 66 Wikipedia alternatives