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, Linux, Windows and iPad apps. The best Wikipedia alternative is Encyclopædia Britannica, which is free. Other great apps like Wikipedia are Kiwix, Scholarpedia, Wikiless and Metapedia.

filter to find the best alternatives

Wikipedia alternatives are mainly Encyclopedias, but if you're looking for Online Education Services or Dictionaries you can filter on that. 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.
Wikipedia iconWikipedia
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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.

More about Wikipedia
Wikipedia alternatives page was last updated Mar 22, 2025
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Alternatives
  1. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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...

    34 Encyclopædia Britannica alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online

    Properties

    1.  Educational

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Article search
    3.  Trust Level system
    4.  Knowledge base

    Encyclopædia Britannica VS Wikipedia

     
    Comments about Encyclopædia Britannica as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    Top Positive Comment
    ab1
    May 17, 2021
    3

    Reliable source but not complete.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    May 14, 2020
    1

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

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative Nov 19, 2024
    0

    Reliable enough, but lacking deep insights and many truths that are missing.

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    3 of 6 comments
    Wikipedia Icon
    Encyclopædia Britannica icon
    • Most users think Encyclopædia Britannica is a great Wikipedia alternative.

    • Encyclopædia Britannica is the most popular Web-based, Windows & Mac alternative to Wikipedia.

    • Encyclopædia Britannica is the most popular free alternative to Wikipedia.

    • Encyclopædia Britannica is Freemium and ProprietaryWikipedia is Free and Open Source
  2. Kiwix icon
     91 likes
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    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

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Wine

    Kiwix Features

    1.  Save web page for offline use
    2.  Portable
    3.  Offline Reading
    4.  Wiki
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Data portability
    9.  Reading
    10.  Offline

    Kiwix VS Wikipedia

     
    Comments about Kiwix as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    PERCE_NEIGE
    Positive Nov 25, 2020
    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!

    intp
    Negative Jan 31, 2025
    0

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

    Wikipedia Icon
    Kiwix icon
    • Most users think Kiwix is a great Wikipedia alternative.

    • Kiwix is the most popular Android, iPhone, Linux, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to Wikipedia.

    • Kiwix is the most popular Open Source alternative to Wikipedia.

    • Kiwix is Free and Open SourceWikipedia is also Free and Open Source
  3. Scholarpedia icon
     22 likes
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    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.

    21 Scholarpedia alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online

    Properties

    1.  Educational

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Wiki
    3.  Knowledge base

    Scholarpedia VS Wikipedia

     
    Comments about Scholarpedia as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    blackkingking391
    Positive Jun 13, 2023
    1

    peer-reviewed , accurate information , always credible

    Wikipedia Icon
    Scholarpedia icon
    • Most users think Scholarpedia is a great Wikipedia alternative.

    • Scholarpedia is Free and ProprietaryWikipedia is Free and Open Source
  4. Wikiless icon
     12 likes
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    Wikiless is a free open source alternative Wikipedia front-end focused on privacy.

    58 Wikiless alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Security-focused

    Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Ad-free

    Wikiless VS Wikipedia

     
    • Wikiless is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Wikipedia.

    • Wikiless is Free and Open SourceWikipedia is also Free and Open Source
    • Wikiless is Privacy focused and LightweightWikipedia is not according to our users
  5. Metapedia icon
     17 likes
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    Metapedia is an electronic encyclopedia which focuses on culture, art, science, philosophy and politics.

    8 Metapedia alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Warning

    According to WikiPedia and various user reports: “Metapedia is an online wiki-based encyclopedia, which contains fascist, far-right, white nationalist, white supremacist, anti-feminist, homophobic, Islamophobic, antisemitic, Holocaust-denying, and neo-Nazi points of view.”

    Metapedia Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Wiki

    Metapedia VS Wikipedia

     
    Comments about Metapedia as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    Most Recent Comment
    Arius
    Positive Feb 19, 2021
    1

    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 Oct 5, 2019
    1

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

    Guest
    Positive May 14, 2020
    1

    Metapedia similiar to Wikipedia, but without NPOV and PC.

    Wikipedia Icon
    Metapedia icon
    • Most users think Metapedia is a great Wikipedia alternative.

    • Metapedia is Free and ProprietaryWikipedia is Free and Open Source
  6. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Non-profit history encyclopedia with the mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.

    10 World History Encyclopedia alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Platforms

    • Online

    Properties

    1.  Educational

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Knowledge base
    3.  Non profit

    World History Encyclopedia VS Wikipedia

     
  7. Oppia icon
     22 likes
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    Oppia is a free, open-source learning platform. Full of interactive activities called 'explorations', Oppia helps curious minds learn and teach.

    73 Oppia alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted

    Oppia Features

    1.  Visual Editing

    Oppia VS Wikipedia

     
    Comments about Oppia as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    Nikolas Paiva
    Positive Mar 22, 2025
    0

    It's like code academy and Khan academy

    Wikipedia Icon
    Oppia icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Oppia is a great Wikipedia alternative.

    • Oppia is Free and Open SourceWikipedia is also Free and Open Source
  8. Metacademy icon
     18 likes
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    Metacademy - a free open source platform for efficient, personalized learning.

    10 Metacademy alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Online

    Properties

    1.  Educational

    Features

    1.  Knowledge base
    2.  Community-based

    Metacademy VS Wikipedia

     
  9. Citizendium icon
     9 likes
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    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.

    29 Citizendium alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • MediaWiki

    Citizendium Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Wiki-like interface
    3.  Wiki
    4.  Knowledge base

    Citizendium VS Wikipedia

     
    Comments about Citizendium as an Alternative to Wikipedia
    the_real_dvs1
    Positive May 18, 2018
    3

    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 Dec 4, 2021
    1

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

    Wikipedia Icon
    Citizendium icon
    • Citizendium is Free and Open SourceWikipedia is also Free and Open Source
9 of 66 Wikipedia alternatives