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Search Engine Showdown Reviews

Last updated Jul. 12, 2023.
by Greg R.

These reviews discuss the search features, databases, and other aspects of interest to searchers. They are also linked from the search engine features, subject directory, and other comparison pages.

Primary Search Engines Google MSN Search Teoma Yahoo! Secondary Web Search Engines These are either smaller or not the primary search engine for access to databases from the Providers of Search listed below. Exalead Gigablast WiseNut [also at LookSmart]

Directories Britannica LookSmart The Open Directory (Dmoz) Yahoo! Searchable News Databases AltaVista News HotBot News News Index TotalNEWS Yahoo! News

Dead Search Engines These search engines used to offer their own database or unique search features. They have all abandoned their position in search, although they still may have some kind of search functionality. The linked reviews reflect how these search engines used to work. AlltheWeb [Switched to Yahoo! database in March 2004] AltaVista [Switched to Yahoo! database in March 2004] Deja.com [Defunct Usenet search, bought by Google and became Google Groups] Direct Hit [Defunct, redirecting to Teoma] Excite [Defunct as a separate database, now uses an InfoSpace meta search] Excite News (NewsTracker) [Defunct] Flipper [Hidden Web databases from Quigo, defunct by Fall 2003] Go [Defunct as a separate database, took over Infoseek, switched to Overture, then to Google] Go (Infoseek) News [Defunct] Infoseek [Defunct as a separate database, bought by Disney for Go, then abandoned in favor of Overture] HotBot [Dropped Inktomi database in early 2005, now only a multi-search of Google and Ask Jeeves] InvisibleWeb.com [a hidden Web directory, defunct by 2003] iWon [Old Inktomi version defunct. Now uses Google "sponsored" ads and Web and image databases] Lycos [Switched to Yahoo!/Inktomi database in April 2004 and Ask Jeeves in 2005.] Magellan [Dead, redirects to WebCrawler] MessageKing [Defunct Web forum search engine as of Fall 2003] NBCi (formerly Snap) [Defunct, now uses metasearch engine Dogpile] NBCi Live Directory (formerly Snap) [Defunct directory] Northern Light [Defunct as a Web search engine as of 2002.] Northern Light Current News [Dead. Updates ceased as of Feb. 28, 2003.] Openfind [Under "reconstruction" as of 2003] WebCrawler [Defunct as a separate database, Same as Excite] WebTop [Dead]