Psst, Want to Hear a Secret?
A lot of the internet’s best websites are lesser-known ones. From free services to Wi-Fi access to exclusive data, these are the sites you absolutely need to visit. Odds are there’s at least a few websites on this list that will benefit your life. So, which of these have you visited, and which are you planning on checking out next?
1. One at a Time
MostExclusiveWebsite.com is a website which, by its terms of use, allows only one user to visit the site at a time. This results in a novel digital experience unlike any other. The singularity of this website experience turns a basic web page into an interactive, quasi-meditative digital interstice, completely immersive and without distraction. It’s an experiment in patience, timing, and Internet culture that everyone should experience once.
2. Geo Guesser
GeoGuessr is a location-based video game in which the player is taken to a random location on Google Street View and has to guess where they are. It is an engaging way to learn geography and cultures around the world, simply by observing the local streets and landmarks. The locations are procedurally generated, which means there's always something new to explore.
3. Every Wi-Fi Password Ever
The website in question is dubbed WiFox. It's a simple resource featuring a database of Wi-Fi passwords for airports and airline lounges all over the world. It's a brilliant resource for all frequent flyers because it helps you stay connected without having to search around for that all-important password or suffer a slow connection. The ever-updating database and user-submitted tips for WiFox make it a must-have for frequent flyers.
4. No TV? No Problem!
IHaveNoTV.com is a site with a collection of well-produced, high-quality documentaries with an emphasis on science, physics, astronomy, and more. It's a breath of fresh air from the 101-article lists filled with garbage that are almost impossible to find now. All the documentaries are put together with care, as they're all BBC-style with interviews and recreations for a truly engaging experience, and they're quite thought-provoking as well.
5. Health Data
CDC Tracking Network is an official website that allows you to access governmental information about everything from air quality to cancer rates, to community vulnerabilities such as flooding. The cool part about the website is that it provides detailed interactive maps that help you visualize all of this important information by showing how your state or county measures up to other areas around the country on a number of issues such as heat projections and environmental vulnerabilities. There is also an option to plug in your own ZIP code and receive a snapshot of your area with regards to major health and environmental concerns.
6. Image Check
Want to take a deeper dive on an image you see on the Internet? TinEye is a reverse image search engine that can show you where an image is used all over the web. FotoForensics is a free service to analyze an image for whether it has been cropped, edited, or manipulated in some way. Both are powerful sites if you are doing some fact-checking, debunking, or are just curious to learn more about an image.
7. Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is the name of this website, and what it does is take books in the public domain and digitize them. Then, it makes them free to access to anyone with an internet connection. This is great for students, people who love books, or if you hate to pay outrageous prices for older books.
8. Better Translator
DeepL.com is an artificial-intelligence online translator. Unlike previous translation sites, this one has proven to work above and beyond individual words. It translates entire phrases, idioms, and even slang, making for a fluent and accurate translation. It currently supports roughly 20 languages, making it a useful tool for travelers, students, and polyglot workers.
9. Who Reads TOS Anyways
Terms of Service; Didn’t Read is a website which summarizes the usually lengthy and complex terms of service of websites and mobile apps. It provides the essential points and a privacy rating to inform users of the implications of the full terms of service, providing greater transparency to these documents and allowing the user to make a more informed decision regarding privacy online and their digital footprint, in a much more timely manner than the original agreements.
10. Remove Backgrounds
With Remove.bg, you can use one click and the background is removed from any image. Super simple and saves hours of work for anyone that edits photos or graphics. The accuracy and speed of Remove.bg is a perfect way to have clean graphics for presentations, social media, or personal work without the need for specialized software.
11. Free Noise
The site is named myNoise.net and features hundreds of tweakable sound generators, including everything from natural environments and meditative drones to music and noise-canceling static. What's awesome about it is you can adjust animated sliders so your rainstorms, forests, or cities swell and fade on their own to form a complete, dynamic soundscape. It's a free, infinitely customizable utility that any sound enthusiast would be crazy not to play with.
12. Color Coordinated
Coolors.co is a website that will generate palettes of five complementary colors that you can use for your design project. It's a very useful website if you're an artist, designer, or even just a person who wants to make sure their chosen color combinations are good. It's also a super quick tool to use if you're in the brainstorming phase of your project and just need to see what colors look good together.
13. Travel Arrangements
The site name is Rome2Rio, and it has door-to-door travel itineraries for trains, buses, ferries, and flights covering every destination pair in the world. The best feature is that it can spit out combined multi-mode itineraries to make travel planning simple and easy to understand. For any trip, be it local or global, it is a must-have tool to get around the planet without the usual fumbling.
14. Temporary Email
At 10 Minute Mail, you will be given a disposable ten-minute email address after you visit it. You may sign up for a website, a newsletter, or an online coupon using it, without exposing your own email address. It's a useful and easy method to keep your inbox uncluttered and your personal information private.
15. Radios Around the World
Radio Garden is a website that allows you to tune into live radio stations from around the world by interacting with a 3D globe. The most appealing aspect of Radio Garden is the ability to instantly travel to different countries and experience their culture through their radio broadcasts. You can spin the globe and click on different locations to access local radio stations, giving you a glimpse into the music, news, and voices of people in those areas.
16. Secure the Breach
A site like Have I Been Pwned allows you to enter your email address or online account username to determine if your personal information has been involved in a breach. It gives you an instant view of your online security status, and can also provide email alerts if your personal information is involved in a future breach.
17. Explore the Oceans
Visit Neal.fun Deep Sea for dives into the abyss. It’s like scrolling through a deep-sea portal on your computer. It allows you to view many sea creatures as you make your descent, taking you to different parts of the ocean. The best part of this site is that it is completely scrollable in an interactive form.
18. No Spoilers
Before I Play, where players can access spoiler-free information and overviews about video games before they play them. The best part is that it offers useful context, tips, and information without spoiling any surprises or story elements of a game. It's a great tool for gamers who like to be well-informed without experiencing spoilers.
19. Easy Download
At Ninite, you can choose multiple apps from their huge list and create a single installer that will then download and install all those programs at once. The cool thing about it is that it does it all with no prompts, no ads, no bloatware, sparing you thousands of clicks and a potential migraine. It's a blessing if you're getting a new PC or if you need to quickly update your must-have programs with absolutely no fuss.
20. Free Coding Lessons
There's also FreeCodeCamp, which is a great resource for coding tutorials and exercises that are free. You can learn from the basics or, for more advanced coders, further expand your skills and make a portfolio. Coding lessons for free? What’s not to like.
