Encyclopedia.com
Encyclopedia.com is a free web reference service with more than 300,000 entries from published sources including Oxford University Press and the Columbia Enc…
What Encyclopedia.com is
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.
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.
Watch out
- Terms limit content use to personal activities.
- Systematic downloading or scraping requires permission.
- Privacy policy describes collection of browsing and device information.
Who it suits
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.
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.
Plans and prices
From Encyclopedia.com's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | over 300,000 reference entries · over 50,000 topic summaries · personal use only |
The facts
Each one read from Encyclopedia.com's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Acquisition news
- Library Technology reports that Gale acquired HighBeam Research, the producer of Encyclopedia.com, on December 16, 2008, with operations remaining in Chicago and financial terms undisclosed.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Advertising
- The privacy policy says the site is affiliated with CMI Marketing, doing business as CafeMedia, for advertising placement and data use.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Audience claim
- The homepage says top universities and institutions use Encyclopedia.com for research.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Automation restriction
- The terms prohibit crawlers, bots, scraping, and systematic extraction from HTML or the XML interface without written permission.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Citation support
- The FAQ provides citation details for The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, including its 2008 publication information.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Content maintenance
- Encyclopedia.com says partner content is continually updated.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Content partners
- The site identifies Oxford University Press and Columbia Encyclopedia among its published-source partners.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Content updates
- Encyclopedia.com says it continually updates content from its partners.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Developer access
- The terms mention an XML interface but require written permission for automated access; no public SDK or developer program is described there.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Google Play listing distinction
- Google Play lists “Encyclopedia by Farlex” from TheFreeDictionary.com–Farlex, a separate developer from Encyclopedia.com.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Historical launch
- Wikipedia records Encyclopedia.com as launched by Infonautics in March 1998.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The terms describe service content and tools as copyrighted or otherwise proprietary and owned, controlled, or licensed by Encyclopedia.com or licensors.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: advertising and navigation
- A reviewer said advertisements make text jump and shift during reading, making the site effectively unusable.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: content accuracy
- Reviewers alleged that some historical entries contain biased or misleading interpretations, unsupported claims, and opinions presented as facts.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Praise: educational value
- A reviewer described the site as an educational hub with broad information and a preferred source for learning.checked 15 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Apple app complaint
- Apple reviewers complained about frequent advertisements, long ad blocks, weak search, and alleged data-mining concerns.checked 15 Oct 2026
- App-store listing distinction
- The Apple App Store listing named “Encyclopedia: 25,000+ topic” identifies Anas Almomany, rather than Encyclopedia.com, as developer.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Google app complaints
- Google Play reviewers criticized missing detail, poor interface design, limited visuals, and allegedly biased or false information.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Google app features
- The Farlex app listing describes definitions, images, audio pronunciations, bookmarks, voice search, advanced search, and sharing.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Mobile application
- The privacy policy refers to a mobile application named “Encyclopedia” alongside the website.checked 1 Oct 2026
Money
- Free content
- The about page advertises free access to more than 300,000 reference entries.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Independent company listing
- Siteencyclopedia lists HighBeam Research, Inc. as owner, with a Chicago, Illinois address and a 1998 start date.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maker profile
- LinkedIn lists Gale, part of Cengage Group, as headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, founded in 1954, with 501–1,000 employees.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Ownership history
- Wikipedia says Patrick Spain bought Encyclopedia.com in 2002, later operated it through HighBeam Research, and HighBeam was eventually sold to Gale.checked 15 Oct 2026
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