Useful Websites — Updated for 2026
A modern replacement for the classic "Useful Websites" list, updated with current websites and services.
Screen Capture & Video
OBS Studio
Powerful free, open-source screen recording and live streaming.
Powerful free, open-source screen recording and live streaming.
Canva
Create graphics, presentations, videos, posters and social-media images.
Create graphics, presentations, videos, posters and social-media images.
Adobe Express
Create graphics, photos, videos, flyers and other creative projects.
Create graphics, photos, videos, flyers and other creative projects.
Screenshots
Shottr
Excellent screenshot and annotation utility for Mac.
Excellent screenshot and annotation utility for Mac.
CleanShot X
Advanced screenshots, scrolling capture, annotation and screen recording for Mac.
Advanced screenshots, scrolling capture, annotation and screen recording for Mac.
macOS Screenshot
Press Command-Shift-3, Command-Shift-4 or Command-Shift-5. Replaces: ctrlq.org/screenshots for many Mac users
Press Command-Shift-3, Command-Shift-4 or Command-Shift-5. Replaces: ctrlq.org/screenshots for many Mac users
URL Shorteners
Bitly
Shorten URLs and track clicks.
Shorten URLs and track clicks.
TinyURL
Simple URL shortening.
Simple URL shortening.
QR Codes
Adobe Express QR Code Generator
Quickly create QR codes.
Quickly create QR codes.
Canva QR Code Generator
Create QR codes for signs, cards, menus and other designs.
Create QR codes for signs, cards, menus and other designs.
Short URL Expander
World Clock & Time Zones
Timeanddate.com
World clock, time zones, calendars, sunrise/sunset and calculators.
World clock, time zones, calendars, sunrise/sunset and calculators.
Every Time Zone
Visual comparison of time zones around the world.
Visual comparison of time zones around the world.
Special Characters
CopyChar
Quickly copy unusual characters and symbols.
Quickly copy unusual characters and symbols.
Flowcharts & Diagrams
diagrams.net
Free flowcharts, network diagrams, organizational charts and floor plans.
Free flowcharts, network diagrams, organizational charts and floor plans.
Lucidchart
Professional diagrams and flowcharts.
Professional diagrams and flowcharts.
Icons
The Noun Project
Huge searchable icon library.
Huge searchable icon library.
Flaticon
Icons and stickers.
Icons and stickers.
Font Awesome
Popular icons for websites and applications.
Popular icons for websites and applications.
Office Templates
Microsoft Create
Templates for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft applications.
Templates for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft applications.
Canva Templates
Thousands of document, presentation, poster and social-media templates.
Thousands of document, presentation, poster and social-media templates.
Reminders & Tasks
Apple Reminders
Excellent task and reminder manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad users.
Excellent task and reminder manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad users.
Google Tasks
Simple reminders integrated with Google services.
Simple reminders integrated with Google services.
Todoist
Powerful task and reminder management.
Powerful task and reminder management.
Check Suspicious Files & Websites
VirusTotal
Scan suspicious files, domains and URLs using multiple security engines.
Scan suspicious files, domains and URLs using multiple security engines.
Norton Safe Web
Check websites for known security and scam risks. Modern alternative to jotti.org for most everyday checks
Check websites for known security and scam risks. Modern alternative to jotti.org for most everyday checks
Answers & Calculations
WolframAlpha
Mathematics, science, conversions, statistics and computational answers.
Mathematics, science, conversions, statistics and computational answers.
ChatGPT
Research, explanations, writing, analysis, brainstorming, images and document work.
Research, explanations, writing, analysis, brainstorming, images and document work.
Clean Printing & Reading
PrintFriendly
Remove ads and clutter and create printable or PDF versions of webpages.
Remove ads and clutter and create printable or PDF versions of webpages.
Safari Reader
Built into Safari for clutter-free reading and printing. Replaces: printwhatyoulike.com and joliprint.com
Built into Safari for clutter-free reading and printing. Replaces: printwhatyoulike.com and joliprint.com
RSS Readers
Feedly
Follow websites, blogs and RSS feeds.
Follow websites, blogs and RSS feeds.
Inoreader
Powerful RSS and news reader.
Powerful RSS and news reader.
Timers & Random Numbers
Online Stopwatch
Timers, countdowns and stopwatches.
Timers, countdowns and stopwatches.
RANDOM.ORG
Random numbers, coin flips, dice, lists and drawings.
Random numbers, coin flips, dice, lists and drawings.
PDF Tools
Adobe Acrobat Online
Edit, convert, combine, sign and organize PDFs.
Edit, convert, combine, sign and organize PDFs.
PDFescape
Browser-based PDF editing tools.
Browser-based PDF editing tools.
Smallpdf
PDF conversion, compression, editing and signatures.
PDF conversion, compression, editing and signatures.
iLovePDF
Large collection of useful PDF tools.
Large collection of useful PDF tools.
Voice Dictation
Google Docs Voice Typing
Dictate directly into Google Docs.
Dictate directly into Google Docs.
Apple Dictation
Built into macOS, iPhone and iPad.
Built into macOS, iPhone and iPad.
Microsoft Dictate
Dictation built into Microsoft 365 applications.
Dictation built into Microsoft 365 applications.
Identify Fonts
WhatTheFont
Upload an image and identify a font.
Upload an image and identify a font.
Google Fonts
Large collection of free, open-source fonts.
Large collection of free, open-source fonts.
Live Streaming
YouTube Live
Live video broadcasting.
Live video broadcasting.
Twitch
Live streaming platform.
Live streaming platform.
OBS Studio
Free software for producing and broadcasting live streams.
Free software for producing and broadcasting live streams.
Screen Sharing & Meetings
Zoom
Video meetings and screen sharing.
Video meetings and screen sharing.
Google Meet
Browser-based meetings and screen sharing.
Browser-based meetings and screen sharing.
Microsoft Teams
Meetings, collaboration and screen sharing.
Meetings, collaboration and screen sharing.
OCR — Extract Text from Images
Google Drive / Google Docs
Extract text from many images and scanned PDFs.
Extract text from many images and scanned PDFs.
Adobe Acrobat
Professional OCR for scanned PDFs.
Professional OCR for scanned PDFs.
ChatGPT
Read and work with text contained in uploaded images.
Read and work with text contained in uploaded images.
Flight Tracking
FlightAware
Live flight tracking and airport information.
Live flight tracking and airport information.
FlightRadar24
Interactive real-time aircraft tracking.
Interactive real-time aircraft tracking.
Send Large Files
WeTransfer
Simple large-file transfers.
Simple large-file transfers.
Dropbox
Cloud storage and file sharing.
Cloud storage and file sharing.
Google Drive
Upload, store and share files.
Upload, store and share files.
Free Ebooks
Project Gutenberg
Tens of thousands of free public-domain ebooks.
Tens of thousands of free public-domain ebooks.
Standard Ebooks
Professionally formatted public-domain ebooks.
Professionally formatted public-domain ebooks.
Internet Archive
Huge digital library of books, websites, video, audio and software.
Huge digital library of books, websites, video, audio and software.
Grammar & Writing
Grammarly
Grammar, spelling and writing assistance.
Grammar, spelling and writing assistance.
LanguageTool
Grammar, spelling and style checking.
Grammar, spelling and style checking.
ChatGPT
Proofreading, rewriting, editing and style improvement.
Proofreading, rewriting, editing and style improvement.
Collaborative Documents
Google Docs
Real-time collaborative documents.
Real-time collaborative documents.
Microsoft 365 Online
Collaborative Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.
Collaborative Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.
Notion
Collaborative notes, documents, databases and project pages.
Collaborative notes, documents, databases and project pages.
Group Scheduling
Doodle
Poll people to find a convenient meeting time.
Poll people to find a convenient meeting time.
When2meet
Simple group availability scheduling.
Simple group availability scheduling.
Calendly
Allow people to choose from your available appointment times.
Allow people to choose from your available appointment times.
Website Performance
GTmetrix
Website speed and performance testing.
Website speed and performance testing.
Google PageSpeed Insights
Website performance and Core Web Vitals analysis.
Website performance and Core Web Vitals analysis.
Music Notation
Noteflight
Create, play and share music notation online.
Create, play and share music notation online.
MuseScore
Free music notation software and sheet-music community.
Free music notation software and sheet-music community.
Translation
Google Translate
Translate text, websites, documents and images.
Translate text, websites, documents and images.
DeepL
High-quality natural-language translation.
High-quality natural-language translation.
Painting & Image Editing
Kleki
Browser-based painting and drawing.
Browser-based painting and drawing.
Photopea
Powerful Photoshop-style image editor in your browser.
Powerful Photoshop-style image editor in your browser.
Pixlr
Online image editing.
Online image editing.
Mind Mapping
Bubbl.us
Browser-based mind mapping.
Browser-based mind mapping.
Miro
Whiteboards, brainstorming and mind maps.
Whiteboards, brainstorming and mind maps.
MindMeister
Dedicated mind-mapping application.
Dedicated mind-mapping application.
Color Palettes
Adobe Color
Build and explore color palettes.
Build and explore color palettes.
Coolors
Fast color-scheme generator.
Fast color-scheme generator.
Identify Music
Shazam
Identify music playing around you.
Identify music playing around you.
SoundHound
Identify songs, including music you hum or sing.
Identify songs, including music you hum or sing.
Reverse Image Search
Google Images
General and reverse-image searching.
General and reverse-image searching.
Bing Images
Visual image search.
Visual image search.
TinEye
Dedicated reverse-image search engine.
Dedicated reverse-image search engine.
Private Notes
Privnote
Create notes intended to disappear after they are read.
Create notes intended to disappear after they are read.
Website Outages
Down for Everyone or Just Me
Check whether a website is unavailable for everyone or just you.
Check whether a website is unavailable for everyone or just you.
Downdetector
See reports of outages affecting major websites and services.
See reports of outages affecting major websites and services.
Audio Editing
Audacity
Excellent free audio editor for Mac, Windows and Linux.
Excellent free audio editor for Mac, Windows and Linux.
Adobe Podcast
Browser-based voice and audio enhancement.
Browser-based voice and audio enhancement.
Soundtrap
Online audio and music creation.
Online audio and music creation.
Slang & Informal Definitions
Urban Dictionary
Definitions of slang, informal phrases and internet expressions.
Definitions of slang, informal phrases and internet expressions.
Free Stock Photos
Unsplash
High-quality free photography.
High-quality free photography.
Pexels
Free photos and videos.
Free photos and videos.
Pixabay
Free photos, illustrations and videos.
Free photos, illustrations and videos.
Custom Maps
Google My Maps
Create custom maps with markers and routes.
Create custom maps with markers and routes.
Scribble Maps
Create and annotate custom maps.
Create and annotate custom maps.
Fact Checking
Snopes
Fact-check urban legends, rumors and viral claims.
Fact-check urban legends, rumors and viral claims.
AP Fact Check
Fact checking of major news claims.
Fact checking of major news claims.
Reuters Fact Check
Verification of viral and news-related claims.
Verification of viral and news-related claims.
Typing Practice
Typing.com
Typing lessons and practice.
Typing lessons and practice.
Keybr
Adaptive touch-typing practice.
Adaptive touch-typing practice.
Monkeytype
Fast, customizable typing tests.
Fast, customizable typing tests.
Find Old Web Pages
Wayback Machine
View archived versions of websites and pages that have disappeared. Replaces: deadurl.com
View archived versions of websites and pages that have disappeared. Replaces: deadurl.com
Website Technology
BuiltWith
Identify CMS platforms, analytics, frameworks and technologies used by a website.
Identify CMS platforms, analytics, frameworks and technologies used by a website.
Wappalyzer
Detect technologies used by websites.
Detect technologies used by websites.
SEO
Google Search Console
Google search-performance information for your own website.
Google search-performance information for your own website.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
Website SEO auditing and analysis.
Website SEO auditing and analysis.
Semrush
SEO and competitor research.
SEO and competitor research.
WooRank
Website and SEO analysis.
Website and SEO analysis.
Notes
Google Keep
Fast notes, lists and reminders.
Fast notes, lists and reminders.
Apple Notes
Notes synchronized across Macs, iPhones and iPads.
Notes synchronized across Macs, iPhones and iPads.
Notion
Notes, documents and databases.
Notes, documents and databases.
Freelance Services
Fiverr
Marketplace for freelance services.
Marketplace for freelance services.
Upwork
Large freelance marketplace.
Large freelance marketplace.
Automation
IFTTT
Connect online services, apps and devices with automated workflows.
Connect online services, apps and devices with automated workflows.
Zapier
Automate tasks between web applications.
Automate tasks between web applications.
Make
Build sophisticated automated workflows.
Build sophisticated automated workflows.