Encyclopedia.com

C
C tier on Online EncyclopediasScore 6.8 · #3 of 31
Android app
Not listed
Free plan
Yes
Runs on
Web
encyclopedia.com
The Encyclopedia.com homepage

Summary

Encyclopedia.com is a free web reference service with more than 300,000 entries from published sources including Oxford University Press and the Columbia Encyclopedia. It also provides over 50,000 topic summaries, accompanied by related pictures, videos, and newspaper and magazine articles. The site says it continually refreshes partner content and allows searching across more than 200 encyclopedias and reference books. Users can enter keywords or browse entries alphabetically. Search results are ordered by relevance according to how often a term appears in an article. The FAQ provides citation details for The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, including its 2008 publication information. The service is available on the web; its privacy policy also refers to a mobile application named “Encyclopedia.” Use is limited by the terms to personal searching, display, downloading, and printing. Systematic downloading or scraping is prohibited without permission. The privacy policy describes collection of account, device, browsing, cookie, and session information, as well as an advertising affiliation with CMI Marketing, doing business as CafeMedia.

Who it is for

Encyclopedia.com suits readers looking for reference entries and topic summaries across a broad collection of encyclopedias and books. Its terms restrict use to personal activities and prohibit systematic downloading or scraping without permission.

What is good

  • Offers over 300,000 reference entries.
  • Includes more than 50,000 multimedia topic summaries.
  • Searches across over 200 reference books and encyclopedias.
  • Users can browse entries alphabetically.
  • Provides citation details for a Columbia Encyclopedia edition.

What to know first

  • Terms limit content use to personal activities.
  • Systematic downloading or scraping requires permission.
  • Privacy policy describes collection of browsing and device information.

Verdict

Encyclopedia.com brings together a large reference collection with keyword search and alphabetical browsing. Readers should note its personal-use restrictions and stated data collection practices.

Encyclopedia.com plans and pricing

All plans
Free Free over 300,000 reference entries · more than 50,000 topic summaries encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026

Compared on online encyclopedias

Free plan
Yesencyclopedia.com
Citation tools
Yesencyclopedia.com
Content formats
multimediaencyclopedia.com
Update frequency
continuousencyclopedia.com
Mobile apps
Yesencyclopedia.com

Facts

Reference collection
Encyclopedia.com provides reference entries from credible published sources including Oxford University Press and Columbia Encyclopedia.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Reference volume
The site states that it offers over 300,000 reference entries.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Topic summaries
More than 50,000 topic summaries include related pictures, videos, and newspaper and magazine articles.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Content updates
Encyclopedia.com says it continually updates content from its partners.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Source breadth
The homepage says users can search over 200 individual encyclopedias and reference books.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Search methods
Users can search by entering keywords or browse entries alphabetically.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Result ranking
Search results are ordered by relevance based on how often the search term appears in an article.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Citation support
The FAQ provides citation details for The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, including its 2008 publication information.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Typical users
The homepage says top universities and institutions use Encyclopedia.com daily for research.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Usage limits
Terms permit searching, displaying, downloading, and printing content solely for personal use and prohibit systematic downloading or scraping without permission.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Privacy collection
The privacy policy says the service collects account information, device and IP data, browsing activity, cookies, web beacons, and session logs.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Advertising
The privacy policy says the site is affiliated with CMI Marketing, doing business as CafeMedia, for advertising placement and data use.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Support
Users can submit feedback through the site's feedback form, and the terms provide an email contact address.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026
Mobile application
The privacy policy refers to a mobile application named “Encyclopedia” alongside the website.encyclopedia.com · 1 Oct 2026

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Sources