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Marginalia Search

An index deliberately built to favour text-heavy non-commercial pages. Ranking that punishes ad load instead of rewarding it.

Opens in a new tab. We do not control this site and it may have changed since we catalogued it.

How to get the most from it

Marginalia Search sits in Odd Search Engines under Learn, filed as coffee break.

  • Set aside five to fifteen minutes and give it your proper attention.
  • It works on a phone or a desktop, so open it on whatever is nearest.
  • It works with the sound off, so it is fine on a train or in a quiet office.
  • No account needed — you can start without signing up.
  • Go in expecting something weird and brainy.

About this category: Reverse image search, niche indexes, and search engines built on a premise other than popularity. What the web looks like when ranked differently.

Good for

  • Filling a coffee break properly
  • Seeing the internet at its least explicable
  • Giving your brain a workout
  • A quiet break at your desk
  • Killing time on your phone
  • Trying it with zero commitment

Marginalia Search: quick answers

Is Marginalia Search free?

Yes. Marginalia Search is free to use and needs no account.

Do I need an account to use Marginalia Search?

No. You can use Marginalia Search without signing up for anything.

Does Marginalia Search work on a phone?

Yes. Marginalia Search works on phones as well as desktop browsers.

Is Marginalia Search safe for work?

Yes, we file it as safe for work. It also works muted.

How long does Marginalia Search take?

We file it as "Coffee break": Five to fifteen minutes of proper attention.

More in Odd Search Engines

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  • Search the web with the top million most popular sites removed. What is left is the internet nobody bothers optimising for.

  • A search engine that crawls the web with its own bot rather than renting results from the giants, and does not track who is searching.

  • A non-profit, open-source search engine with its own index, curated by volunteers. Results feel nothing like the big engines, which is the point.

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