Wikipedia is a free, multilingual online encyclopedia created and maintained by a community of volunteer contributors through open collaboration. It is hosted by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, which was founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in 2001. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Wikipedia has grown to become one of the most visited websites globally, offering over 60 million articles in more than 300 languages. It covers a vast range of topics, from science and history to pop culture and technology. Wikipedia operates under a Creative Commons license, allowing content to be freely used, edited, and distributed. Its collaborative model and crowd-sourced approach have made it a cornerstone of accessible knowledge in the digital age, despite ongoing debates about content accuracy and editorial oversight.
1. Everipedia
- Company Name: Everipedia, Inc.
- Founders: Sam Kazemian, Theodor Forselius, Mahbod Moghadam, Travis Moore
- Founded Year: 2014
- Headquarters: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Product Categories: Online encyclopedia, Blockchain knowledge platform
Description:
Everipedia is a decentralized encyclopedia that leverages blockchain technology to offer a censorship-resistant and transparent knowledge-sharing platform. It rewards contributors with cryptocurrency and allows content editing through a democratic token-based governance model.
Key Features:
- Uses blockchain for transparency and immutability
- Contributors earn IQ tokens
- Censorship-resistant platform
- Decentralized governance
- Modern UI and UX design
- Real-time editing and updates
- Integration with Web3 technologies
2. Scholarpedia
- Company Name: Scholarpedia.org
- Founders: Eugene M. Izhikevich
- Founded Year: 2006
- Headquarters: San Diego, California, USA
- Product Categories: Peer-reviewed encyclopedia, Academic content
Description:
Scholarpedia is an expert-curated online encyclopedia that ensures high-quality content through peer review. It is particularly strong in science and mathematics, offering reliable articles written by scholars and researchers.
Key Features:
- Peer-reviewed academic content
- Authored by subject-matter experts
- Focus on science, math, and philosophy
- Expert editorial oversight
- Citation-ready articles
- Minimal vandalism due to expert curation
- Transparent edit history
3. Citizendium
- Company Name: The Citizendium Foundation
- Founders: Larry Sanger
- Founded Year: 2006
- Headquarters: Ohio, USA
- Product Categories: Public encyclopedia, Collaborative knowledge base
Description:
Citizendium is a wiki-based encyclopedia emphasizing credibility and real-name contributors. It combines public participation with expert guidance to provide reliable, verifiable information.
Key Features:
- Real-name policy for accountability
- Expert approval for certain articles
- Focus on neutrality and reliability
- Welcomes collaborative contributions
- Open licensing (Creative Commons)
- Transparent editorial policies
- Wide range of general topics
4. Encyclopedia Britannica Online
- Company Name: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
- Founders: Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell
- Founded Year: 1768 (online version launched in 1994)
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Product Categories: Digital encyclopedia, Educational content
Description:
Britannica Online is the digital version of the historic Encyclopedia Britannica. It offers professionally written and fact-checked content covering various academic subjects, suitable for students, researchers, and educators.
Key Features:
- Expert-written articles
- Regularly updated academic content
- Integrated with educational tools
- Subscription-based model
- Multimedia integration (videos, infographics)
- Trusted by educators and institutions
- Citation-friendly format
5. Infoplease
- Company Name: Infoplease (a division of Sandbox Networks)
- Founders: Pearson Education (now owned by Sandbox Networks)
- Founded Year: 1938 (as a printed almanac, online since 1998)
- Headquarters: USA
- Product Categories: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Educational resources
Description:
Infoplease combines encyclopedia articles with almanac-style information, including timelines, biographies, and statistics. It’s a comprehensive educational resource suitable for students and general readers.
Key Features:
- Free access to educational tools
- Rich multimedia content
- Wide coverage of topics
- Historical and current data
- Student-friendly design
- Fact-checked by editorial team
- Integrated dictionary and thesaurus
6. Ballotpedia
- Company Name: Lucy Burns Institute
- Founders: Leslie Graves
- Founded Year: 2007
- Headquarters: Middleton, Wisconsin, USA
- Product Categories: Political encyclopedia, Civic education
Description:
Ballotpedia is a nonpartisan encyclopedia of American politics and elections. It provides deep insights into elections, candidates, government structures, and policy issues at all levels.
Key Features:
- Nonpartisan, fact-based content
- Detailed election coverage
- Extensive candidate profiles
- Updated in real-time
- Trusted by researchers and journalists
- Includes local, state, and federal information
- Easy navigation for policy exploration
7. Conservapedia
- Company Name: Conservapedia
- Founders: Andrew Schlafly
- Founded Year: 2006
- Headquarters: New Jersey, USA
- Product Categories: Conservative wiki, Religious encyclopedia
Description:
Conservapedia offers a conservative viewpoint on a wide range of topics, often presenting content that contrasts with Wikipedia’s neutral stance. It’s aimed at users seeking traditional or faith-based perspectives.
Key Features:
- Conservative and Christian worldviews
- Critical of liberal biases in mainstream sources
- Open for contributions with oversight
- Covers history, politics, science, and religion
- Searchable with categorized entries
- Editorially consistent tone
- Content suitable for specific ideological audiences
8. Metapedia
- Company Name: Metapedia
- Founders: Anders Lagerström
- Founded Year: 2006
- Headquarters: Sweden
- Product Categories: Cultural encyclopedia, Political commentary
Description:
Metapedia is a controversial, far-right online encyclopedia focusing on culture, history, and politics from a nationalist perspective. It is not considered neutral and is widely criticized for extremist content.
Key Features:
- Nationalist and far-right editorial stance
- Multilingual versions
- Focus on historical and political figures
- Culturally and ideologically driven
- Editable by registered users
- Emphasizes identity-based viewpoints
- Restricted community editing
9. HandWiki
- Company Name: HandWiki
- Founders: Open source initiative by jWork.org
- Founded Year: 2020
- Headquarters: Online-based (no central office)
- Product Categories: Science encyclopedia, Academic wiki
Description:
HandWiki is a specialized online encyclopedia for scientists, researchers, and students. It covers various fields including physics, computer science, and mathematics, and integrates LaTeX for technical content.
Key Features:
- Academic and scientific focus
- LaTeX support for equations
- Source from preprints and journals
- Open-source and community-driven
- Peer-collaboration model
- Structured with research categories
- Ideal for STEM content
10. WikiSpooks
- Company Name: WikiSpooks
- Founders: Unknown (community-driven)
- Founded Year: 2010
- Headquarters: Online-only
- Product Categories: Deep politics, Intelligence analysis
Description:
WikiSpooks is a collaborative platform for exposing deep-state activities, hidden political agendas, and intelligence agency actions. It serves researchers and readers interested in geopolitics and transparency.
Key Features:
- Focus on whistleblowing and hidden history
- Investigative and open-source content
- Emphasizes critical thinking
- Covers intelligence, conspiracies, and media bias
- Alternative viewpoint to mainstream narratives
- Editable by contributors
- Strong tagging and source linking system
